HP Envy 6165e: Specs, Features, Pros & Cons
This review measures the HP Envy 6165e against the full 24-spec sheet we track for printers, comparing it like for like with the 50 other models in our database. It earns a VS Score of 38 out of 100 — the weighted result of every verified specification measured against the class average.
On the spec sheet it is strongest in design and weakest in scanning & copying. Its clearest single advantage over the class average: a lighter build — 5.13 kg vs 9.07 kg (avg). None of our retail partners currently lists the HP Envy 6165e, so availability may be limited; a missing price never affects the VS Score.
Category strengths
Where the HP Envy 6165e beats the average
- Has automatic duplex printing ?
- Has touchscreen display ?
- Has color printing ?
- Has all-in-one ?
- A lighter build ?5.13 kg vs 9.07 kg (avg)
- A higher print resolution ?4,800 dpi vs 4,041.94 dpi (avg)
- Has Wi-Fi Direct ?
- Has Apple AirPrint ?
- Has Wi-Fi ?
Where the HP Envy 6165e trails the average
- A lower print speed (black) ?10 ppm vs 17.21 ppm (avg)
- No automatic document feeder ?
- A much lower ADF capacity ?0 sheets vs 34.48 sheets (avg)
- A much lower input tray capacity ?100 sheets vs 182.02 sheets (avg)
- A lower print speed (color) ?7 ppm vs 12.51 ppm (avg)
- A much lower monthly duty cycle ?1,000 pages vs 19,346.15 pages (avg)
- No ethernet ?
- A much lower output tray capacity ?25 sheets vs 68.95 sheets (avg)
- No supertank / refillable ink ?
- No duplex scanning ?
Editor’s note
The Envy 6165e is a well-equipped little all-in-one carrying one very large asterisk.
The hardware is genuinely nice for the size. A 2.4-inch colour capacitive touchscreen, where most sub-$120 machines give you a mono LCD and a row of buttons. Automatic two-sided printing as standard, and HP claims this series is the only one in its class doing automatic two-sided photo printing. Ten pages per minute black and seven colour on HP's ISO figures, a 100-sheet tray, dual-band Wi-Fi.
The asterisk is HP+. Enrolment is optional — HP's own FAQ confirms you can skip it at setup — but accepting it is irreversible, and HP states plainly what it commits you to: an HP account, a permanent internet connection, and exclusive use of Original HP ink for the life of the printer. HP's user guide goes further: an HP+ printer "must remain connected to the Internet in order to function", and that holds even over USB.
Then the awkward part. HP sells the near-identical Envy 6165 without the "e" and without HP+ for $79.99. Same body, same engine. The $40 premium buys you six months of Instant Ink, which HP values at 4,200 pages, and the obligation that comes with it.
So the decision is simple and it is not really about the printer. If you want Instant Ink anyway and will never buy third-party cartridges, the 6165e is fine and the free months have real value. If you would skip HP+ at setup, you are paying $40 for nothing — buy the plain 6165.
There is no document feeder either, so multi-page scanning means the flatbed.
Specifications
Quality bars are generated automatically against 50 other printers.
Printing
Laser prints crisp text fast; inkjet handles photos and colour better.
Prints in colour, not just black and white.
Black-and-white pages per minute; higher is faster.
Colour pages per minute; higher is faster.
A higher dot density produces sharper prints.
Prints both sides of the page without manual flipping.
Refillable ink tanks cut the cost per page dramatically.
The maximum recommended pages per month.
Scanning & copying
Scans and copies as well as prints.
Feeds multi-page documents through the scanner unattended.
How many pages the document feeder holds at once.
Scans both sides of a page automatically.
Sends and receives faxes.
Paper handling
A larger tray needs refilling less often.
How many printed pages the output tray holds.
The largest paper format supported (e.g. Letter, Legal, A3).
Connectivity
Print wirelessly over the home network.
Connect devices directly without a router.
A wired network port for reliable office use.
A direct USB connection to a computer.
Print from iPhone, iPad and Mac without extra drivers.
Print and manage the printer from a phone app.
Design
An onboard touchscreen makes standalone tasks easier.
A lighter printer is easier to place and move.
How the VS Score works — and what it can’t tell you
Every measurable spec is scored against the average of all the printers we track: matching the class average scores 50, clearly beating it climbs towards 100, and each spec counts according to an editorial weight that reflects real-world impact — a battery-capacity gap moves the score far more than a colour-options list. The quality bars on the spec cards above show where this model sits inside the full range for its class, and the overall VS Score rolls every weighted result into one number.
Unknown values are never estimated. A spec this product doesn’t report simply drops out of its scoring — it isn’t penalised with a guess — but a thinner spec sheet does mean a score built on fewer data points, which is why completeness is disclosed under About this data.
Most importantly: a spec-sheet lead is not the same as a better product. Megapixels, gigahertz and benchmark points describe capacity, not experience — image processing, software optimisation, thermals, haptics and ergonomics decide how a device actually feels, and no table captures reliability or long-term support quality. Treat the VS Score as a structured summary of what can be measured, not a substitute for your own priorities.
About this data
- Specifications are compiled from each manufacturer’s official spec sheet, cross-checked against trusted specification databases, and normalised into one schema so identical things are compared identically.
- Specifications last verified August 21, 2026.
- Data completeness: 24 of the 24 specs in this category are verified (100%). Anything we could not verify is shown as Unknown — never estimated — and is excluded from the score.
- Prices and availability come from live retailer feeds via our shopping partners and refresh throughout the day; a missing price means no partner currently lists the product, not that it is discontinued.
- Want the full picture? Our editorial guidelines explain how we research products, weight the scores and stay independent.
- Spotted an error in a spec? Tell us and we will correct the sheet.
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The bottom line
The HP Envy 6165e earns a VS Score of 38, trailing most of the 51 printers we compare here, at least on the spec sheet.
- Who it’s for
- One or two person households on reliable always-on broadband, printing 100 to 400 pages a month, who actively want Instant Ink and will use the six free months.
- Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone who wants the option of third-party or refilled cartridges, which HP+ forecloses permanently. Also wrong with unreliable internet, since an HP+ printer must stay online to function, and for anyone scanning multi-page documents, as there is no feeder.
- The trade-off that matters
- Six free months of ink against permanent ink lock-in. HP+ is optional but irreversible, and the identical non-HP+ model costs $40 less.
- The main alternative
- HP Envy 6165 — the same machine without HP+ at $79.99, and the better buy unless you specifically want Instant Ink.
The VS Score is generated automatically from the weighted specifications above, measured against all other printers in our database. Treat it as a shortlisting guide — not a substitute for your own priorities.
