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The HP Envy X2 is a Windows 8 tablet with an 11.6 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display, an Intel Atom Clover Trail processor, 2GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. It also comes with a keyboard docking station that gives you the choice of using the Envy X2 as a notebook or as a standalone tablet.

HP has been showing off the computer for months, and now it’s finally available for purchase for $850.

At that price the Envy X2 is a little pricey, even by Windows 8 hybrid tablet standards. But it’s one of the nicer hybrids I’ve seen so far. When the tablet is docked, the computer really does feel like more like an 11.6 inch notebook than a tablet with a keyboard attached — you can even hold it upside down by the keyboard and the screen won’t fall out.

The whole kit measures 11.9″ x 8.1″ x 0.8″ and weighs about 3.1 pounds. The tablet alone weighs about 1.5 pounds. It’s reasonably light, but I find that 11.6 inch widescreen tablets feel a bit unwieldy if you try to hold them in portrait mode.

The Envy X2 features 2 USB 2.0 ports, 1 HDMI port, 802.11n WiFi and front and rear cameras.

Unfortunately it’s still hobbled by a 1.8 GHz Intl Atom Z2760 dual core processor — which means that if all you want is a laptop, you could pick up a $400 HP Pavilion dm1z and get better overall performance, although you should get better battery life from the Envy X2.

If you want the best of both worlds though, the HP Envy X2 joins the ranks of Windows 8 tablets with optional keyboards and Intel Clover Trail processors, including the Asus VivoTab line and the Samsung Ativ line of tablets.

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