Whenever you use the identical instrument for work and your private life, as increasingly of us do nowadays (although that is probably not one of the best thought!), you want it to do the whole lot nicely. Few obtain that. However the HP Spectre x360 13.5 ($1,249.99 to start out; $1,749.99 as examined) is the uncommon jack-of-all-trades that cuts few corners as a do-it-all system.
It is not probably the most highly effective laptop computer on the market — in truth, HP is utilizing a 15W Intel U-series processor right here, which appears to assist with battery life. However those that use spreadsheets and textual content paperwork, browse the net and do nothing extra strenuous than some photograph enhancing ought to be fantastic.
The slim design boasts its fair proportion of ports (not together with the dongle that comes within the field), a crisp OLED show, a high-resolution webcam and respectable battery life (contemplating that show, anyway). Frankly, there’s little or no for me to say negatively about it. Within the premium house, this Spectre x360 is likely one of the greatest ultrabooks that I’ve examined prior to now few months.
Design of the HP Spectre x360 13.5
HP has made one good-looking laptop computer. The Spectre x360 13.5 is easy and clear, with a couple of thrives to make it really feel like a trend merchandise, not simply {hardware}.The Spectre’s recycled aluminum chassis feels premium within the palms.
We examined it in “dusk black” with brass accents, although it’s also possible to get it in silver or a darkish blue. HP’s brand displays off the lid within the gentle gold shade, which additionally highlights the perimeters of the system. It is particularly noticeable on the again edges of the laptop computer, that are lower flat to suit ports.
Whenever you open the laptop computer, you may see that the 13.5-inch, 3:2 show has skinny bezels on the facet, although HP left extra room on the highest and backside, presumably to suit the 5 megapixel digicam. Contemplating how a lot display actual property you get with the taller side ratio, I can take a little bit of bezel. The correct facet of the display is magnetized so you may connect an included stylus for storage.
The backlit keyboard has a big, hanging font on it, excluding an empty house for the fingerprint reader. That fingerprint reader labored rapidly and precisely once I could not use facial recognition as a result of I used to be sporting a masks. The spacious touchpad additionally has the identical brass trimming as the remainder of the pocket book.
With a pair of 360-degree hinges, the Spectre will be folded all the best way again right into a pill. You may also put it in tent mode or steadiness it on the keyboard with the arise to make use of as a show. The three:2 side ratio helps right here. I discover it much more pure to make use of that form display as a pill in comparison with a typical 16:9 show.
Regardless of how skinny the Spectre is, HP has crammed a couple of ports into it. On the fitting facet, there are a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports — one on the facet and one on the lower off nook. The left facet has a USB Sort-A port, which HP slot in with a drop-jaw hinge, in addition to a 3.5 mm headphone jack on the nook. I like HP for cramming USB Sort-A in there, as many skinny laptops have gone completely to USB Sort-C. That being mentioned, it may be finicky to get peripherals in there.
HP additionally features a surprisingly premium USB-C hub, with two extra USB-A ports and an HDMI port in addition to a USB-C for pass-through charging. It has a brief, braided cable (The facility provide additionally has a braided cable, which feels premium. It ought to be at this worth level!)
The Spectre weighs 3.01 kilos and measures 11.74 x 8.68 x 0.67 inches. It felt completely cheap in my backpack (in HP’s included sleeve, a pleasant contact). The Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 7, a rival convertible, is 3.09 kilos and 12.5 x 9.06 x 0.6 inches. The Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 (7420), a mid-range convertible with the identical processor because the Spectre, is 12.36 x 8.95 x 0.7 inches and three.46 kilos. Apple’s MacBook Air, a clamshell laptop computer with a fanless design, is 2.7 kilos and 11.97 x 8.45 x 0.44 inches.
HP Spectre x360 13.5 Specs
| CPU | Intel Core i7-1255U |
| Graphics | Intel Iris Xe (built-in) |
| Reminiscence | 16GB DDR4-4266 |
| Storage | 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD |
| Show | 13.5-inch, 3000 x 2000, 3:2, OLED touchscreen |
| Networking | Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211, Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Ports | 2x Thunderbolt 4, microSD card slot, USB Sort-A, 3.5 mm headphone jack. |
| Digital camera | 5MP with privateness shutter, IR |
| Battery | 66 WHr |
| Energy Adapter | 65 W |
| Working System | Home windows 11 Professional |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 11.73 x 8.68 x 0.67 inches (297.94 x 220.47 x 17.02 mm) |
| Weight | 3.01 kilos (1.37 kg) |
| Worth (as configured) | $1,749.99 |
Productiveness Efficiency on the HP Spectre x360 13.5
We examined the HP Spectre x360 with an Intel Core i7-1255U, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD. HP’s selection of a U-series processor right here means that the corporate is concentrated on maintaining the Spectre cool and quiet. This is similar CPU we noticed within the Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1, whereas the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 7, which can be a slim 2-in-1, went with a higher-wattage Intel Core i7-1260P. We’re additionally tossing in Apple’s MacBook Air with M2 into the take a look at pool, which can be quiet, as a result of that system would not have a fan in any respect.
On Geekbench 5, an general efficiency take a look at with an emphasis on the CPU, the Spectre notched a single-core rating of 1,668 and a multi-core rating of seven,243. The Lenovo Yoga 9 Gen 7 with a Core i7-1260P traded blows with the Spectre, scoring barely larger on single-core (1,722) and barely decrease on multi-core (7,150). The Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1, with the identical processor because the Spectre, was very comparable on single-core (1,693) however behind on multi-core efficiency (6,527). Apple’s M2 confirmed off, successful on each single-core (1,932) and multi-core (8,919) efficiency.
HP’s convertible copied 25GB of information at a charge of 1,363.29 MBps. The Yoga was sooner right here (1,506.89 MBps). The MacBook Air was a bit slower (958.85 MBps), whereas the Inspiron, at 404.86 MBps, dragged compared.
We use Handbrake to have laptops transcode a 4K video to 1080p. It took the Spectre 10 minutes and 33 seconds to finish the duty, popping out forward of the Yoga and its higher-wattage CPU (12:18), however in a uncommon victory, the cheaper Inspiron was sooner (9:59) than its Home windows counterparts. The MacBook Air, with its M2 chip, gained out at 7:52.
To emphasize take a look at the Spectre, we ran the demanding Cinebench R23 benchmark 20 occasions on a loop. The laptop computer began by placing up a rating of 6,619.97, earlier than dropping to the low 6,000s, the place it might spend a lot of the take a look at. There have been a couple of drops to the mid-to-low 5,000’s, which doubtless coincided with once I heard the followers ramp up.
The Core i7-1255U’s two efficiency cores ran at a median of two.36 GHz, whereas the eight effectivity cores averaged 1.84 GHz. The CPU bundle measured a median of 67.08 levels Celsius.
Show on the HP Spectre x360 13.5
The Spectre x360 has a 13.5-inch show with a 3:2 side ratio to point out as a lot of your work as attainable. It is nice if, like me, you write loads and need to see extra of your work. It additionally means much less scrolling as you learn. We examined HP’s 3000 x 2000 OLED show which is vibrant and vivid, although the corporate additionally has 1080p contact screens.
The display is not fairly 4K, however I used it to observe certainly one of our take a look at movies, the 4K quick Tears of Metal. A really early scene options two characters, one wearing darkish garments, the opposite in neon blues and pinks. These colours stood out towards the deep blacks, in addition to out-of-focus greens from leaves within the background.
HP’s panel covers 124% of the sRGB shade gamut, and 87.7% of the DCI-P3 gamut besting the non-OLED rivals, although falling in need of the exceptionally vivid Yoga 9i (198% and 140.1%, respectively).
However the Spectre, at 355 nits of brightness, beat the Yoga’s 352 nits. The MacBook Air, nevertheless, was probably the most luminous at 489 nits. Once we put a white sq. on a black background, which sometimes boosts brightness in choose areas on OLED screens, the Spectre’s choice climbed to 362 nits.
Keyboard, Touchpad and Stylus on the HP Spectre x360 13.5
The Spectre has clicky, responsive keys, however I want the journey had been a bit deeper. Nonetheless, on the Monkeytype typing take a look at, I reached 114 phrases per minute with 98% accuracy. That is about nearly as good as I are likely to do.
The facility button is on the keyboard, to the left of the delete key. A easy faucet will not flip the machine off, fortunately. Maybe the one different massive subject is that HP has opted for half-height up and down arrow keys. I a lot want an inverted-T form, which I’ve seen HP use on different laptops, like its Victus gaming lineup.
HP’s 4.9 x 3.1-inch touchpad, surrounded by brass accents, is massive and easy. There’s loads of room to comfortably carry out Window’s four-finger gestures, like swipes between digital desktops. It is snug, and correct. The stylus has a brand new residence on the fitting facet of the show. (On this laptop computer’s predecessor, the Spectre x360 14 that we reviewed in 2021, it connected magnetically to the left facet of the keyboard). This jogs my memory a little bit of Microsoft’s Floor Professional 8.
The pen, the HP Rechargeable MPP 2.0 Tilt Pen (opens in new tab), is respectable. It is spherical with a flat edge (that is the one which attaches to the display) with two barrel buttons. The highest slides as much as reveal a USB-C port for charging, which is much extra handy than changing batteries. As somebody who takes notes greater than drawing, I might want one thing a bit thinner. However you want little or no strain to get a response (HP claims 9 grams on its web site), and in sketching apps, tilting the pen permits for shading.
Audio on the HP Spectre x360 13.5
The audio system on the Spectre x360 proceed HP’s lengthy partnership with Bang & Olufsen. It has been fruitful, and I really feel the Spectre continues on development.
Arlo Parks’ “Softly” was crisp and clear on the Spectre. It obtained loud sufficient to fill my residence (others get louder, however that is lots for once I’m sitting in entrance of it and utilizing it), and the vocals, keys and synths had been all clear. The drums might use a bit extra kick, although the low-end is usually a problem on laptops.
There are some equalizer adjustments you may make within the included Bang & Olufsen audio management app, and a few endurance with the bass part did enhance the percussion somewhat bit.
I most well-liked the sound of the underside firing-speaker hitting my desk versus being in pill mode, when the audio system fireplace towards the lid, however the distinction is not terribly stark.
Upgradeability of the HP Spectre x360 13.5
Contemplate me pleasantly stunned. I’ve reviewed numerous HP laptops that had been successfully unrepairable with out skilled assist as a result of screws had been positioned beneath adhesive strips. After I checked the Spectre x360 13.5’s service manual (opens in new tab), I used to be stunned to search out these strips (that are nonetheless there on the Spectre x360 14) need not come off to open the laptop computer.
4 Torx screws safe the underside cowl to the pc. (The service information says that they are Phillips head screws. They don’t seem to be). The screws nearer to the hinges are longer than these close to the entrance of the laptop computer, so make sure to maintain them separate and keep in mind what goes the place.
With these eliminated, you should use a pry instrument to softly separate the bottom from the remainder of the laptop computer.
Whenever you’re in, you may see that the m.2 2280 SSD will be eliminated and changed, as can the community card and the battery. The SSD is beneath a copper heatsink held down by a pair of Phillips head screws, whereas the networking card is underneath an adhesive, papery warmth protect. HP has gone with soldered reminiscence on this laptop computer.
There’s a small little bit of empty house to the fitting of the battery. It makes me wonder if this might have been designed with both a bigger battery, or maybe a motherboard with room for one more storage drive. However hey, a minimum of you will get into this Spectre in any respect.
Battery Life
The Spectre x360 ran for 10 hours and 12 minutes on our battery take a look at, during which we have now laptops browse the net, stream video over Wi-Fi and run OpenGL exams, all with the display set to 150 nits of brightness.
This was greater than two hours longer than the Lenovo Yoga 9i, which I believe could also be partially due to the Spectre’s lower-wattage processor. That is additionally a reasonably robust quantity for an OLED laptop computer, as these screens actually suck up juice. Dell’s funds Inspiron 14 2-in-1 lasted solely 7:52. The MacBook Air did one of the best on our take a look at at 14:06.
Warmth on the HP Spectre x360 13.5
In any place, the Spectre should not be too sizzling to deal with. We took our pores and skin temperature measurements whereas working our Cinebench stress take a look at to see how sizzling the Spectre x360 will get underneath an intensive workload.
On the heart of the keyboard, between the G and H keys, the laptop computer measured 37.4 levels Celsius (99.5 levels Fahrenheit). I might really feel the warmth on my palms, however I would not say the laptop computer was unusable. The touchpad was chillier at 31.8 levels Celsius (89.24 levels Fahrenheit).
On the underside of the laptop computer, the most popular level measured 42 levels Celsius (107.6 levels Fahrenheit), in the direction of the again, although a lot of the laptop computer was cooler.
Webcam on the HP Spectre x360 13.5
HP appears severe concerning the webcam on the Spectre x360. It is a 5MP lens with devoted software program for making changes. HP calls this “GlamCam,” and it is nestled within the HP Command Heart app.
The digicam works fairly nicely. At my workplace desk, which is well-lit from close by home windows and fluorescent lights, I might make out a ton of element within the digicam, from particular person hairs on my head to luggage underneath my eyes from not sleeping nice the evening earlier than.
GlamCam has an auto-frame function that is designed to maintain you within the digicam body when you transfer round, just like Apple’s Heart Stage on the iPad. I do not have a tendency to maneuver from my desk a lot throughout calls, however in testing it out, I did discover that whereas it sometimes labored, the movement could possibly be a bit jarring. It was additionally much less prone to observe me round whereas I used to be sporting a facemask and utilizing the laptop computer in public — I believe it is on the lookout for a complete face.
There’s additionally lighting correction, which made extraordinarily refined adjustments at my well-lit workplace desk. At residence, I’ve some vibrant home windows behind my desk. Whereas HP’s software program could not cease that gentle from showing harsh, it did alter the tone a bit in order that the distinction wasn’t so intense.
The one which made probably the most distinction was the looks filter, which “retouches” your face. I discovered that on steps two and three (the 1st step seemed to be my common face), it noticeably eliminated small wrinkles and luggage underneath my eyes. In truth, the third step appeared a bit pretend. The step was additionally excessive, and smoothed out different particulars, like hairs. I even seemed like I had fewer eyelashes.
I am of two minds about this. If it makes somebody really feel extra snug, nice, however I additionally am unsure that it ought to be as much as laptop computer firms to perpetuate these requirements of look. That being mentioned, nobody is making you employ any of those options, and so they’re off by default.
There is a built-in digicam shutter, which you’ll activate by urgent a devoted button on the keyboard. The infrared sensors allow you to log in with Home windows Good day facial recognition, which labored flawlessly for me aside from the occasions I forgot to disengage the privateness shutter.
Software program and Guarantee on the HP Spectre x360 13.5
There are over 13 items of software program with the title “HP” in it preinstalled on the laptop computer, and that is on high of promotional trials for Dropbox, ExpressVPN, McAfee LiveSafe, McAfee WebAdvisor and others. A few of these even have bookmarks within the Edge browser, which is one thing you sometimes see on less expensive notebooks, not premium ones.
A few of it, just like the HP Command Heart will be helpful. It allows you to choose from totally different energy plans and has some digicam customizations underneath the HP GlamCam tab. I believe different apps, like an app to regulate pen settings to and to select between totally different show modes ought to be inbuilt right here.
Different apps embrace HP Quickdrop to maneuver information between your laptop computer and telephone, Ideas for drawing and sketching, Duet to place your PC display on one other system and Palette, which helps type and match photographs. A few of these, like Ideas, have in-app purchases for extra instruments (in that app, it is a greater variety of brushes). It is successfully a complete inventive suite between your telephone and the Spectre, however it’s loads to be preinstalled.
HP sells the Spectre x360 with a one-year guarantee. Prolonged companies will be bought should you purchase the laptop computer from HP’s web site.
HP Spectre x360 13.5 Configurations
We examined the HP Spectre x360 13.5 in black with an Intel Core i7-1225U, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD and a 3000 x 2000 OLED touchscreen. That runs for $1,749.99 at Finest Purchase and can be accessible as a customized configuration from HP’s web site.
The laptop computer begins at $1,249.99 (although is on sale for $1,199.99 as of this writing) in silver with an Intel Core i5-1235U, 8GB of RAM, 512GB of storage and a 1920 x 1080 touchscreen.
Different choices embrace a “nocturne blue” chassis (altering colours from the default silver on HP’s web site prices an additional $10), as much as 32GB of RAM, a 1080p display with privateness options and as much as 2TB of storage. It prices $2,029.99 maxxed out.
Backside Line
The HP Spectre x360 13.5 is an aesthetic, succesful 2-in-1 with an honest variety of ports, a colourful OLED display and a pointy, high-resolution webcam. Whereas HP opted for Intel’s 15W U-series processors relatively than the extra highly effective 28W P-series choice in some rivals, most customers will not need for efficiency
Amongst premium Home windows ultraportables, the Spectre’s greatest competitors is the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 7, a 14-inch convertible 2-in-1, which makes use of the 28W components and in some use circumstances outpaces the Spectre in efficiency. The Yoga additionally has a brighter, extra vivid OLED show. However the Spectre comes with a stylus, which the Yoga would not, has longer battery life and is surprisingly straightforward to improve storage with down the road. The Spectre, in the meanwhile, appears a bit simpler to purchase. A number of configurations, together with the Yoga 9i we reviewed, have been out of inventory at Lenovo and different retailers as of late.
Apple’s MacBook Air reigns on battery life and in some efficiency use circumstances, and in case your precedence is thinness, it could make sense for you. However the Spectre x360, with its convertible design and contact display, has numerous options that laptop computer lacks. If the Spectre x360’s $1,299.99 beginning worth is an excessive amount of on your pockets, the Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 is cheaper, and we favored it.
However pound-for-pound, the HP Spectre x360 13.5 is among the many greatest ultrabooks we have examined of late. If you wish to steadiness efficiency, battery life and ports with a pointy webcam and a stunning show, the Spectre has all of it unequivocally.
https://www.tomshardware.com/opinions/hp-spectre-x360-13-5