HP updates the Spectre x360 13: Classy laptop slims down and goes OLED
It’s a pretty major makeover: faster, smaller, and an even better display. And it now has Intel Ice Lake inside.
Every manufacturer shaves a few millimeters off its laptops and boasts about a size reduction. With its new 13-inch Spectre x360 update, HP has shrank the bezels on the display and somehow managed to carve almost an inch off the laptop's depth (23mm). HP also boosted the network throughput by doubling the antennas, allowing it to use LTE and Wi-Fi 6 simultaneously, improved the already impressive battery life and added new display options, including a 4K OLED and antireflection glass. And all but the $1,100 entry-level model kick it up a notch with a Core i7-1065G7 (Intel Ice Lake) -- that's the one with the improved integrated graphics.
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Other updates include:
- A better thermal design, with bigger vents, two more heat pipes and an internal sheet of graphite to help dissipate heat better
- A dedicated microphone mute button
- A third-generation, 1,000-nit Sure View privacy screen option, coming in January 2020
The new DisplayHDR 400 True Black display option looks like it will be part of a renaissance for 13-inch OLED panels. We saw a few of them in 2016 from companies like Alienware, but they were probably a little ahead of their time, and the latest options have all been 15 inches. That said, 4K crammed into 13 inches is beyond overkill. But OLED screens only come in that resolution. It's also TUV certified for reduced blue light.
HP says the antireflection glass does a better job than standard antiglare glass or coatings, maintaining contrast, transmitting more light and resisting fingerprints. And if you've hated the touchpad on the earlier models, you'll like that HP now supports the better Microsoft Precision Touchpad.
