The HP Slatebook X2 ships with Android 4.2.2 and includes a keyboard tray with a going price of about 480 bucks.
So, it's pretty much an Android-based netbook.
However, the tablet portion can, of course, be detached from the keyboard.
It's pretty light as a tablet, but the side that plugs into the keyboard tray has a couple of really uncomfortable edges that really sours the experience when handling it.
The
same edge also has an awkwardly placed microSD card slot and a headphone jack, as well as dual speakers-- that even though they face the user, aren't very powerful-sounding.
But they're decent enough.
It has a serviceable front-facing camera and an okay back camera-- neither of which will set your world afire.
The power and volume buttons are located on the back, which surprisingly works pretty well.
And as long as you know where to feel, they're pretty easy to find.
When attached, like I said
before, it feels like a Netbook Circa 2010 design running Android.
We've seen this before with the Asus Transformer line, but this one doesn't really push that ideal four at all.
The keyboard still feels too small and cramped.
However, I do appreciate the extra wide touchpad.
The keyboard does pack in a lot of features, though, with its own headphone jack, full USB port, full HDMI port, and a full SD card reader.
Also, the keyboard has its own battery, so you're getting extra
battery life if it's attached.
The screen resolution is 1920x1200, which on a 10-inch tablet these days is good, but ultimately unimpressive.
There's also a very noticeable yellow tint to the screen that really sticks out when looking at websites with white backgrounds, and when compared to tablets that handle color better like the Nexus 10.
The X2 comes with only 16 gigabytes of storage, which feels low for a $480-tablet-- even one with a keyboard.
There
also doesn't appear to be any GPS hardware, which is kind of a weird omission.
The X2 is not an exceptional tablet.
It's also not an altogether bad one.
It's just that 480 bucks feels a little too expensive given the overall quality of its offerings.
Check out my full review at CNET.com for more info.
I'm Eric Franklin, and this has been the first look at the HP Slatebook X2.