HP Spectre x360 (2019) Review: Really Elegant, But Also Really Pricey
May. 20, 2019HP has set the golden standard for ultrabooks with its elegant and powerful Spectre lineup, going up against the likes of Lenovo Yoga and LG Gram who have also carved out quite the substantial market share for themselves. We had got the chance toreview the 13-inch HP Spectre x360 last yearand as my colleague rightly puts it, this HP ultrabook offered users the ultimate premium experience.
HP Spectre x360: Specifications
Before we delve into my experience with the HP Spectre x360, let’s take a quick look at some key specifications of this ultrabook:
Just like its previous iteration, the new gem-cut HP Spectre x360 also comes packed in an exciting retail packaging with a leather cover for the laptop with a velcro flap (which is the best touch here and I love it), a power adapter, along with an attachment for international markets, and most importantly, the HP Pen. You also get a couple of extra tips for the HP Pen, which is great.
Let me start off by saying that if you thought the design of the previous-gen Spectre was something, well, you’ll absolutely love the design of the new Spectre x360 that we’ve got with us here. It was my first instinct when I got the Poseidon Blue variant of the Spectre x360 in for review. It is a mesmerizing color, striking at first glance, and everyone on the Beebom team appreciated the same.
HP has always managed to intrigue and draw in users with its different design and colors, such that other common ultrabook options in the market seem bland and underwhelming.HP Spectre x360 invokes the same feeling for me, not just with its distinct color, which is then paired with gold accentsall around, but also the all-aluminum gem-cut design which the company has adopted this time around. The gold trims reflect light from all sides and it’s certainly going to turn some heads. I know you think that the edges may scratch you or would chip off while carrying around, but I didn’t come across any issue of this sort.
Apart from the blue-gold combo, I especially came to like the matte finish on the lid and the palm rests on the HP Spectre x360. If you think it gets smudged easily and will start looking shabby after prolonged use, well, I simply wiped it off with a microfiber cloth and was good to go. The hinges are really solidly built and the screen (which we talk about in-depth below)doesn’t really wobble, which is a great sign for an ultrabook.
Moving on from the design, the thing that pulls me towards the HP Spectre x360 has to be its 360-degree form factor. It’s flipping display can go from a traditional laptop form factor to being flat just like that. So, let’s take a look at the same:
Also, the inclusion of a Full-HD screen with modest bezels on a premium ultrabook which costs over Rs 1,50,000 in India seems a little lackluster. HP offers a 4K nanobezel display outside of India and I would’ve loved editing my header images and stories on that crisp screen. It would’ve been a much better experience, while also justifying the exorbitant price tag.
Keeping all that aside, HP has put in a lot of effort to make this hybrid ultrabook attractive for users by offering a 360-degree hinge mechanism. You can twist and turn the display on this thing at any crazy angle you like and prop it up like a tent, read a book or draw using the HP Pen (which I found to be quite responsive) by completely folding it at 360-degrees, or watch Netflix by propping it on your bed – thanks to the sturdy hinge.
One of my favorite features of this ultrabook will also have to be the Sure View integrated privacy screen, which you can activate with just the push of a button on the keyboard and it shrouds your screen with a mysterious white layer. This is the perfect addition for users who don’t really like sharing what they’re working on with all those sitting around or nosy neighbors, who we’ve all met in our lifetime. It does turn down the brightness, but those seeing the screen at an angle won’t see anything, which is certainly a perk.
The keyboard layout, as well as the keys, haven’t really changed as compared to the last generation variant and that means there are no surprises in the layout. HP has kept your keyboard layout pretty neat, not cramping unnecessary functions or keys on the deck. I’d say that it’s pretty comfortable to type on this keyboard. You might feel that key travel is really low at the start, but it’s enough for an ultrabook. I, however, didn’t like the soft-ish feedback.
I would also like to point out that the keyboard deck here is backlit, with three levels of intensity and is a welcome upgrade over its predecessor. There’s no flex to the keyboard deck and speaking from experience, I don’t expect the same from a Spectre.
Below the keyboard deck is the massive touchpad. Yeah, I say massive because we don’t usually see big touchpads on ultrabooks, which are all about saving space and cutting on features. However, the HP Spectre x360 isn’t messing around and you can check out this monstrosity down above. I prefer a soft-touch trackpad, having the same feeling as your laptop’s top lid, but the lack of Windows Precision drivers was a bit of a turn-off.
The HP Spectre x360 is a powerful and versatile machine, which is powered by the latest Intel 8th-generation Whiskey Lake processor (up to i7-8565U, which is also the processor we’ve been using for this review) coupled with 16GB RAM at 2133MHz and a 512GB PCIe SSD for the lightning-fast boot times and the app loading times.
Intel Core i7-8565U is a quad-core processor with eight threads and a base frequency of 1.8GHz that was launched last year. It comes with the Intel UHD Graphics 620 integrated graphics onboard and no dedicated graphics card, which one might expect at such heftier price points. However, this is an ultrabook that’s made for productivity on the go and not gaming – for which you should check out theAsus TUF lineupwe’ve recently reviewed.
Everything from browsing the Internet, watching movies hours on-end, editing stories and images on the HP Spectre x360 proved to be no biggie. The machine breezed through the daily tasks with ease, offering users a worthy contender for a plethora of ultrabooks in the market. I used Adobe Photoshop CC on this laptop every day for work purposes and it not only boots up really quick but also didn’t give me a hard time while editing.
The HP Spectre x360 comesbaked with Windows Hello face authentication feature, thanks to the integration of an IR camera above the display. Your ultrabook will always be looking for you if the screen is on and even when you’re not around. It certainly works as advertised, the unlocking process is pretty fast and works in dimly-lit conditions as well.
The Spectre also houses a functional webcam at the top, whose quality is decent enough for Skype calls and video conference. However, I’m someone who tapes the camera over privacy concerns and HP has taken care of the same with the inclusion of a privacy toggle on the side. And I adore this nifty addition.
If you’re a privacy enthusiast but still want to use the IR camera, then remember to flip your camera toggle on the right edge before logging in. I was frustrated one day since I had forgotten that I flipped the camera privacy toggle and couldn’t log in using Windows Hello.
Apart from facial recognition, you can also rely on the fingerprint sensor that’s available onboard below the arrow keys. I like the placement of the sensor here as it hasn’t been crammed into the trackpad, like my Mi Notebook Air, or the power button. The unlocking speed is also pretty good, so I have no complaints.
Well, from the moment I saw the Bang & Olufsen branding on the speakers just above the keyboard, I knew I was in for a treat and the HP Spectre x360 didn’t disappoint. You have four speakers on this ultrabook – two downward-firing ones at the bottom and two above the keyboard under the speaker grills to create a more immersive audio experience.
It’s due to the aforementioned setup that I found myself glued to this laptop while binge-watching my favorite Netflix Korean dramas. These speakers output pretty crisp bass and treble, with the mids and highs being the most pronounced as compared to the lows. The tuning is pretty good and is better than your average laptop speakers.
While there’s room for a couple of extra ports, especially on the left side as it only houses the USB-A port, HP has decided not to clutter its premium ultrabook. Otherwise, we could easily have a mini HDMI or another USB-A port being included on this side. I didn’t come across any connectivity issues, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, as well so that’s another good thing.
The display and speakers on the laptop also make it a desirable media machine, so you’ll find yourself watching Netflix or YouTube hours-on-end with the HP Spectre x360. I mean, if that’s not enough, you can turn down the brightness to extract even more juice from it, which is even better.
So, as you can see, the battery life on the HP Spectre x360 is pretty solid and you won’t have to run and fetch your charger quite often. The one thing that people find pretty fun and intriguing about charging this laptop is that the USB-C port sits at one of the edges, which makes it look pretty cool. It still takes
The Spectre x360 is possibly one of the most premium and attractive ultrabooks, with all the high-end features that we’ve come to expect from laptops in its price range. There’s not only powerful hardware backing the machine, giving it the power to roar through all tasks thrown at it but the Spectre x360 also has the design to match the same.
However, if you’re the opinion that the HP Spectre x360 is too pricey for you, then don’t worry as a number of affordable, as well as equally premium ultrabook options, are also available in the market. My favorite pick of the lot would be Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 (starting at Rs 78,000) that would offer a similar but slightly underpowered experience. And if you’re looking to game a little on the go to cool down from your daily office work, well, the MSI PS42 (starting at Rs 76,000) is the laptop you should be considering over HP’s Spectre lineup.
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SEE ALSO:MSI PS42 Review: A Fantastic Thin and Light Notebook for Professionals
