GADGETSLAB: HP Spectre x360

Reviewed by Gabriel Pe

The HP Spectre x360 line has always been a top dog for convertible ultrabooks. The design aesthetic and performance made it one of the most sought after ultrabooks in the market for the past few years. The 2020 HP Spectre x360 carries the Spectre name into a new decade, but is it like its predecessors?

DESIGN 5/5

One look at HP Spectre x360 and I’m immediately in love. Our unit had the golden color scheme which looks sleek and professional. Its gem-cut design is something you’ll want to bring out on a meeting to bask in the eyeballs of your colleagues.

Opening the laptop you’ll be greeted with the sleek backlit keyboard and the fingerprint reader. The keystrokes are great and honestly one of the best for its size. The 13.3-inch screen is also gorgeous with its extremely small bezels.

The HP Spectre x360 has a decent number of ports. On the left-side you have the 3.5mm audio port and a USB-A 3.1 port. On the right are two USB Type-C ports, a microSD card reader, and HP’s webcam kill switch. If you need additional USB type-A ports, HP has included a USB-C dongle with two additional USB-A ports and an HMDI port.

HARDWARE 5/5

The HP Spectre x360 has a 10th gen Intel core i7 processor which also has Intel’s next-generation Iris Plus graphics. Our model had 1TB of SSD and 16GB of RAM, more than enough for my needs.

The HP Spectre x360 has a 13-inch AMOLED screen with 4K UHD resolution which, if you ask me, is superbly gorgeous on the eyes. As a convertible laptop, the HP Spectre x360 has a 360-degree hinge which gives the laptop versatility with its different forms. The included stylus also adds versatility to the laptop, and with Windows Ink support it feels a bit like writing on paper with barely visible stylus delay.

USER EXPERIENCE 5/5

The best thing about the HP Spectre x360 is its portability. The laptop is extremely light and barely weighs 1.3kg. I had to cover an out of town event during my time with the laptop and it was heaven-sent. HP has included a leather case for the laptop with its own stylus case, a nice touch since the laptop itself has no stylus holder. Another great thing about the laptop was its battery. The HP Spectre x360 lasted me the whole day during my overnight trip and only needed to be charged at night after a whole day of work.

The 10th-gen Core i7 with the new Intel Iris Plus graphics was also powerful enough to run a bit of lighter games, though not on high resolution. Apart from a bit of gaming, the HP Spectre x360 really shines at entertainment and media consumption. Watching movies in tent-form was one of the most immersive experiences you can do with the laptop.

HP has also prioritized user safety for the HP Spectre x360, the added webcam kill switch is one of the security highlights of the laptop. The fingerprint reader is also useful as an alternative log-in measure.

One thing to note about the HP Spectre x360 is that it gets hot especially after a heavy task. I tried running multiple basic processes on the laptop (Chrome, Spotify, Word, and Paint) and it felt warm. It was not uncomfortable but it is noticeable.

At the end of my experience with the HP Spectre x360, all I could say is that I am in love. This is a great laptop with some great functionally. If only I have the budget, I would definitely get one of my own.

VALUE 4/5

Who says convenience doesn’t have a price? The HP Spectre x360 retails at PHP 79,990 which is pretty tough on the wallet. But considering the hardware and design of this wallet, I honestly think the HP Spectre x360 is worth every penny you’ll spend on it.

What’s Hot:

• Ultra-portable

• Tablet mode

• Stylus support

• 4K AMOLED Screen

• Great touchpad and keyboard

• Included dongle and stylus

What’s Not:

• Gets quite hot

• Screen size is sometimes limiting

BOTTOMLINE

The HP Spectre x360 is certainly one of the best laptops of the year and will haunt its competition.

SPECIFICATIONS:

CPU: Intel Core i7-1065G7 (1.3GHz boosted up to 3.9GHz)

Graphics: Intel Iris Plus (Intel Integrated)

Memory: 16GB DDR4

Storage: 1TB SSD with 32GB Intel Optane

Connection: Intel WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0

Weight: 1.3kg

Dimensions: 30.6 cm x 19.45 cm x 1.69 cm

Ports: 1x USB-A 3.1, 2 USB-C 3.1 (with thunderbolt 3), fingerprint reader, 3.5mm audio, microSD reader, webcam kill switch.