HP Spectre x360 Review

The HP Spectre x360 line of convertible laptops offer exceptional performance, reliability, stability, and durability within a thin, light, and portable frame. They’re also sleekly designed as well as reasonably priced, so they're ideal for the consumer and professional alike. If you’re looking to boost your creativity and functionality with a laptop offering unparalleled performance and true craftsmanship, then the HP Spectre x360 is the one for you. To learn more about the features and available models, read on for our HP Spectre x360 review.

First, we'll look at some of the features that round out the series, and then we'll visit some of the actual models.

HP Spectre x360 laptops: Stand-out features

OFFERING FOUR CONFIGURATION MODES, BUILT FOR RESILIENCE

The HP Spectre x360 laptop is built for repeated, durable use with a strong, adjustable 360-degree hinge that protects the display and keyboard across four modes that include:

• Laptop – traditional working/playing/creating/gaming mode with an angled display and flat keyboard
• Tablet – display is folded against the back of the keyboard to give you the freedom of movement and to use with (or without) a stylus like the HP Tilt Pen
• Stand – keyboard is folded back under the display so that you can more easily collaborate, stream, watch, or binge: hands-free
• Tent – flip and rotate the screen to hide the keyboard, emphasizing the display for touchscreen use

TWO SIZES FOR DIFFERENT WORKFLOWS

The HP Spectre x360 laptop is available in two sizes, 13.3-inch and 15.6-inch displays, to accommodate the ability to work the way that you want or need:

• HP Spectre x360 13.3-inch: Incredibly lightweight, starting at 2.92 lbs., 0.57-inches thin, available in Dark Ash Silver and Poseidon Blue colours
• HP Spectre x360 15.6-inch: Easy portability, starting at 4.79 lbs., 0.76-inches thin, available in Dark Ash Silver and Poseidon blue colours

PERFORMANCE IN A SMALL FOOTPRINT

The most powerful of the Spectre line of laptops yet, the Spectre x360 delivers outstanding performance when you need it most. With an 8th Generation Intel® Core™ i5/i7 Quad Core U-series CPU, up to 16GB of RAM, and up to 1TB of PCle-based flash storage, the HP Spectre 360 laptop can handle power-intensive tasks like photo and video editing, working on demanding applications, playing games, and much more. More casual tasks such as watching live TV, streaming movies, and downloading large files are a breeze as well.

ALL-DAY BATTERY LIFE

Running out of power while trying to work, perform, or play on-the-go can be truly annoying if not predictable. The all-day battery in the Spectre x360 has you covered. You can work with confidence knowing that your battery will last as long as you need it to. While battery life will vary depending on various factors including product model, configuration, loaded applications, use, and more, the 15.6-inch model has a battery that can last up to 17 hours and 30 minutes. And the 13.3-inch model comes with a battery that can last up to a whopping 22 hours and 30 minutes.

BLENDING STYLE AND PERFORMANCE

Power isn’t the only attribute of the HP Spectre x360. It also perfectly blends form and function by combining premium components and sophisticated design choices, such as the exquisite, all-aluminum gem-cut design with precision in every facet and angle.

8 MILLION PIXELS GO TO WORK FOR YOU

On select models, a 4K or Ultra High Definition (UHD) micro-edge display features 8.2 million pixels, giving you a larger screen in a smaller area and room to take advantage of every square inch. Watch your favorite TV show or movie, or see the minute details of your design, in sharper images, colors, and text. And view your content outside, even in bright light. These are also Corning® Gorilla® Glass NBT™ displays, which offer more durable protection that can take on daily bumps and scrapes.

DESIGNED FOR SECURITY

HP Spectre x360 laptops feature smart technology for enhanced security options – including a fingerprint reader, integrated Full-High Definition (FHD) IR webcam, privacy camera kill switch, and privacy screen:

• Fingerprint Reader: Seamlessly log on to your device with the touch of your finger, and keep your information secure and private.
• HP Wide Vision FHD IR webcam: Easily log in through Windows Hello and video chat with an 88-degree wide-angle field of view.
• Privacy Camera Kill Switch: Ensure privacy with a physical switch that turns off your laptop's camera.
• HP Sure View Privacy Screen: Activate privacy mode by pressing F1, and your screen will appear dark to everyone but you – keeping your confidential information actually confidential.

MULTIPLE PORTS

Connect all your devices and preferred accessories to your HP Spectre x360 thanks to multiple ports that include:

13.3-inch:

• Micro SD card slot
• USB 3.0 Type-A
• USB 3.1 Type-C (Thunderbolt 3)
• Audio combo jack

15.6-inch:

• DC-In Jack
• HDMI
• Audio combo jack
• Micro SD card slot
• USB 3 Type A
• (2) USB 3.1 Type-C (Thunderbolt 3)

HP Spectre x360 Laptop 13t review

The first model in our roundup is the HP Spectre x360 13t touch. At only 2.92 lbs., and just over a half-inch high, this laptop is lightweight and thin. Yet it's also powerful with an 8th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-8265U processor with 4 cores, an Intel UHD Graphics 620 graphics card to let you stream content smoothly and play your favourite games, 8GB onboard memory (RAM), and 256GB solid-state drive (SSD) storage. This HP Spectre x360 13t touch has a 13.3-inch diagonal FHD IPS BrightView edge-to-edge glass display that’s WLED-backlit and multitouch-enabled.

Even within its slim profile, it’s got a few desktop-level features such as the HP TrueVision FHD IR Camera with dual-array digital microphone. The full-size island-style backlit and illuminated keyboard helps you continue working (and keep your eyes open) even in dimly lit rooms, no matter where you are. And with the Fingerprint Reader, you can seamlessly log on to your laptop with the touch of your finger and keep your information secure and private. Patented 3-D fingerprint technology ensures secure access.

For entertainment and productivity audio needs, the HP Spectre x360 13t touch boasts custom tuning by the experts at Bang & Olufsen (B&O), HP Quad Speakers, and HP Audio Boost. HP Audio Boost is smart amplification technology that offers loud, clear, and dynamic sound.

HP Spectre x360 13t touch

For more processing power and storage, check out the HP Spectre x360 Laptop 13t touch. This quad-core convertible features an 8th Generation i7-8565U CPU with up to 4 GHz of processing power, 8GB RAM, and 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD storage plus 32GB Intel® Optane™ memory. PCIe NVMe SSD storage enables up to 15x faster performance than a traditional hard drive, and Intel Optane forms a link between DRAM and storage to offer a responsive, intelligent computing experience. Like the model above, it has an Intel UHD Graphics 620 GPU and the 13.3-inch diagonal FHD touchscreen display.

Enjoy more time to do more of what you love with a battery life of up to 12 hours and 45 minutes and a video playback battery recharge time of up to 12 hours. The Spectre x360 13t touch also helps you stay at peak performance longer while re-energizing quickly with HP Fast Charge, which recharges your battery up to 50% within approximately 45 minutes when your system is off.

HP Spectre x360 13 review

The next model in the 13.3-inch size is the HP Spectre x360 13-ap0039nr. This little dynamo offers an i7-8565U with upgraded performance, smooth responsiveness, and fast load times for an extraordinary PC experience. Stream premium content or even create your own. The CPU provides up to 4.6 GHz processing power via Intel® Turbo Boost Technology, which dynamically increases the processor's frequency when necessary to give you speed when you need it, and increased energy efficiency when you don’t.

It has an Intel UHD Graphics 620 GPU, 512GB SSD storage plus 32GB of Intel Optane memory, and 16GB of DDR4-2400 high-memory capacity to provide the best multitasking experience. Intel® Optane™ Memory H10 with Solid State Storage: Launch your most used apps at faster speeds. Accomplish more in less time with two breakthrough technologies in a single form factor while seamlessly loading heavy duty images and videos.

This HP Spectre x360 features a 13.3-inch diagonal 4K IPS micro-edge WLED-backlit touchscreen with Corning Gorilla Glass NBT display. The display offers more robust protection so you can feel confident moving from laptop to tablet mode without worrying about bumps or scratches. And with HP Sleep and Charge, you’ll be able to charge your phone, tablet, and other devices quickly from your laptop even while it’s in sleep mode.

To log back on securely in any mode, you can take advantage of the Fingerprint Reader. This model also the Privacy Camera Kill Switch, which ensures your privacy with a physical switch that turns off your laptop’s camera.

HP Spectre x360 Laptop 15t review

Looking for more surface area and power to get more things done? Take a look at the next size up: the 15.6-inch diagonal. The HP Spectre x360 Laptop - 15t touch includes a quad-core i7-8565U and an NVIDIA® GeForce® MX150 GPU with 2GB GDDR5 total dedicated memory. The NVIDIA GeForce MX150 takes advantage of the NVIDIA Pascal™ architecture – one of the more powerful computer architectures that’s built inside a GPU – to increase power efficiency and speed and give your multimedia experience a lift over integrated graphics with fast performance. This HP Spectre x360 15t touch also offers 16GB RAM and 256GB SSD storage.

The 15.6-inch diagonal 4K IPS micro-edge WLED-backlit display lets you easily edit 4K videos, build complex digital files, play visually demanding triple-A (AAA) games, and much more with a laptop that’s crafted to transform the way you work, play, or create.

And with a battery that lasts up to 13 hours and 45 minutes, you’ll also be able to enjoy more time untethered to your office or home. At 0.76-inches high and only 4.81 lbs., it’s still portable enough to comfortably take it with you wherever your work – or creativity – leads you.

For even more processing power, the HP Spectre x360 15t Touch with a 15.6-inch diagonal UHD display offers a 9th Generation hexa-core i7-9750H and an NVIDIA GTX 1650 with up to 16GB DDR4 RAM. It’s equipped with 512GB SSD storage with the ability to customize up to a 2TB hard drive.

And to boost your graphics processing capabilities even further, check out the HP Spectre x360 15t Touch Laptop with an 8th Generation hexa-core i7-8750H and NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1050 Ti graphics card, with Max-Q design, built on NVIDIA’s powerful Pascal architecture. The Pascal architecture delivers exceptional performance of over 5 teraflops for high-performance computing (HPC) workloads. And NVIDIA’s Max-Q design is an innovative design approach to crafting the world's thinnest, fastest, and quietest gaming laptops.

HP Spectre x360 15 review

Fusing impeccable craftsmanship with unmatched power and performance, the HP Spectre x360 - 15-df0069nr features the quad-core i7-8565U with an NVIDIA GeForce MX150 GPU, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD storage along with 32GB Intel Optane Memory for storage acceleration. Bring your content to life in mesmerizing details of 8.2 million pixels with 178-degree wide-viewing angles via the 15.6-inch diagonal 4K IPS micro-edge multitouch-enabled edge-to-edge display with Corning Gorilla Glass NBT.

This model includes the HP Digital Pen, which lets you use your laptop in tablet mode to write and draw with accurate, fluid, and more realistic-feeling ink strokes. Avoid unintentional inking and reduce lag when writing thanks to palm rejection technology. You’ll be able to create for very long stretches, too, with a battery that goes the distance for 16 hours and 15 minutes.

The HP Spectre x360 15 is not only crafted with functionally in mind, but it’s also beautifully constructed. Its seamless unibody design, carefully chiseled by CNC machines, provides durability and as well as refined convertibility featuring an angular profile and a chiseled look along the back.

HP Spectre x360 15-inch laptop

For even more display capabilities and tons of storage, try the HP Spectre x360 15-df0070nr. This powerhouse features a quad-core i7-8565U, a GeForce MX150, 16GB RAM, 32GB of Intel Optane memory, and an enormous 1TB of SSD storage so you never have to worry about managing large amounts of photos, music, and complex digital files.

The multitouch-enabled 15.6-inch display on this model is 4K UWVA BrightView micro-edge Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (AMOLED). The AMOLED display adds a layer of semiconducting film behind the OLED panel to more quickly activate each pixel, which can light up or turn on/off separately, offering more natural colors such as purer blacks and brighter colors with strong contrast ratios.

This display on this laptop is ideal for providing immersive viewing and creative experiences. Experience fluid visuals when using 3D applications. You can edit your high-resolution photos with precision and illustrate even the finest details. Or render or edit 4K videos with incredibly fast responsiveness. Don’t worry if you’re in tablet, tent, or stand mode and want to jot down an idea; you can take comprehensive notes right on the screen using the HP Digital Pen or your fingers.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jolene Dobbin is a contributing writer for HP® Tech Takes. Jolene is an East Coast-based writer with experience creating strategic messaging, marketing, and sales content for companies in the high-tech industry.