Like the new MacBook laptops, the HP Spectre x360 sacrifices ports for a thinner body.
If your laptop could be thinner, lighter and smaller with the same great battery life and performance, would you celebrate? Or complain about all the missing ports?
That's not a rhetorical question, it's the deciding factor when you consider the latest version of the HP Spectre x360.
Earlier this year, I called the 13-inch Spectre x360 one of my favorite laptops, because it didn't force me to compromise. It offered powerful processors, long battery life, a beautiful backflipping hybrid screen, a relatively thin aluminum frame plus enough ports to plug in two monitors, a mouse, keyboard, a USB thumb drive and my camera's SD card simultaneously.
The HP Spectre x360 has slimmed down.
Starting at $1,049 or AU$2,299 (UK availability TBD) the new, slightly revamped version of the HP Spectre x360 is just as good in almost every way -- but it's missing a lot of those ports. Like Apple with its new MacBook Pro, HP chose thinness over utility.
Price as reviewed | $1,099 in the US, AU$2,299 in Australia |
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Display size/resolution | 13.3-inch 1,920x1,080 touch-display |
PC CPU | 2.7GHz Intel Core i7-7500U |
PC Memory | 16GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,866MHz |
Graphics | 128MB dedicated Intel HD Graphics 620 |
Storage | 512GB SSD |
Networking | 802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 4.2 |
Operating system | Windows 10 Home (64-bit) |
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Personally, I'd buy last year's laptop. The same point goes for last year's MacBook Pro if you need HDMI or USB-A ports. But I'm not you. Here's what you need to know about HP's new Spectre to make the right call.
The Spectre x360's keyboard still folds back into a tablet mode.
The touchpad is better than many other Windows laptops.
The hinge can help stand the computer up like a kiosk.
If you're ready to live in a future where you don't need (many) traditional ports, the new Spectre x360 is a great pick. I just wish HP had added a few of these improvements (like USB-C charging and face login) to the old design. You know, the one I personally prefer.
I'm just not quite sure why HP felt the need to make the Spectre x360 slimmer, since the company's under-10mm Spectre 13 already fills that role. HP's old Spectre x360 stood out in a crowded thin laptop market because it didn't skimp on ports and extras, but the new one feels like just another face in the USB-C crowd.
HP Spectre x360 (late 2016) | Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit); 2.7GHz Intel Core i7-7500U; 16GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,866MHz; 128MB dedicated Intel HD Graphics 620; 512GB SSD |
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HP Spectre x360 (early 2016) | Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit); 2.3GHz Intel Core i5-6200U; 8GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,600MHz; 128MB dedicated Intel HD Graphics 520; 256GB SSD |
Microsoft Surface Book | Microsoft Windows 10 Pro (64-bit); 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-6600U; 16GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,866MHz; 2GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 965M; 1TB SSD |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga (OLED) | Micorsoft Windows 10 Pro (64-bit); 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-6600U; 16GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,866MHz; 128MB dedicated Intel HD Graphics 520; 256GB SSD |
Dell XPS 13 (touch) | Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit); 2.7GHz Intel Core i7-7500U; 8GB DDR3 SDRAM1,866MHz; 128MB dedicated Intel HD Graphics 620; 256GB SSD |