HP Releases The Spectre x360 Convertible Laptop
by Brett Howse on March 1, 2015 5:45 PM EST
2015 has been a good year for laptops. We have seen some amazing new designs already, and had the chance to review several of them so far, with more upcoming. HP, even though they are one of the largest PC makers on the planet, is slowly reinventing itself. We have seen their Stream laptops and tablets already, which are a great take on the low end of the market, and now HP has a new offering to go after the premium laptop market. The Spectre x360 is a 13.3 inch laptop, with a CNC aluminum chassis, and a Yoga style hinge to make it as versatile as we already know the Yoga laptop can be.
HP worked closely with Microsoft on the implementation of the x360, and they have included a lot of tweaks and technologies to improve battery life. First, the battery size is good. The x360 has a 56 Wh battery inside, edging out the Dell XPS 13’s 52 Wh battery and the Yoga 3 Pro’s 44 Wh power pack. The QHD (2560x1440) display also features Panel Self-Refresh technology, to let the laptop power down when the display is not changing. And the drivers were tweaked to allow the x360 to deliver up to 12.5 hours of battery life on the FHD model, according to HP.
HP will offer two versions of the display. Both are optically bonded, to increase brightness and bring the pixels closer to the touch digitizer, much like we see on quality tablets. The first display is a Full HD 1920x1080 touch panel, and the upgrade is a 2560x1440 Quad HD model, which works out to 166 Pixels per Inch, and 221 Pixels per Inch respectively. Those who like to use a pen as an input method will be happy to see that HP is offering an active pen as an accessory as well, but at this time we do not know what kind of digitizer it will use.
Powering the new convertible will be the Intel Core i5-5200U and i7-5500U processors, and memory will be 4 to 8 GB. Storage options are all solid state, and options range from 128 GB to 512 GB.
| HP Spectre x360 Specifications | |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-5200U (Dual-core + HT 2.2-2.7GHz 3MB L3 14nm 15W TDP) Intel Core i7-5500U (Dual-core + HT 2.4-3.0GHz, 4MB L3, 14nm, 15W TDP) |
| Chipset | Broadwell-ULT |
| Memory | 4 GB DDR3 8 GB DDR3 |
| Graphics | Intel HD 5500 (24 EUs at 300-900MHz on Core i5) (24 EUs at 300-950MHz on Core i7) |
| Display | 13.3" IPS 16:9 FHD (1920x1080) Touchscreen 13.3" IPS 16:9 QHD (2560x1440) Touchscreen |
| Storage | 128GB/256GB/512GB SSD |
| Networking | Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265 plus Bluetooth 4.0 (2x2:2 802.11ac 867Mbps capable) |
| Battery/Power | 56Wh non-removable 45W Max AC Adapter |
| Operating System | Windows 8.1 64-bit Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit |
| Dimensions | 12.79" x 8.6" x 0.63" (WxDxH) (325mm x 218mm x 15.9mm) |
| Weight | 3.26 lbs (1.48kg) |
| Extras | FHD Webcam 3 x USB 3.0 HDMI Port DisplayPort 1.2 Backlit Keyboard |
| Colors | Silver |
| Pricing | $900 (i5, 4GB, 128 GB, FHD) $1150 (i7, 8GB, 256GB, FHD) $1400 (i7, 8GB, 512GB, QHD) |
The prices are quite competitive as well, with a starting price of just $900 for the Core i5 model with 4 GB of memory, a 128 GB SSD, and the Full HD touchscreen. To bump up in performance, HP will also be offering a model with a Core i7, 8 GB of memory, and a 256 GB SSD with the Full HD display for $1150, and the top end model will have the Core i7, 8 GB of memory, 512 GB SSD, and the Quad HD touchscreen for $1400.
The Spectre x360 goes on sale today at HP.com, and will be available at Best Buy starting on March 15th.
Source: HP
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az060693 - Sunday, March 1, 2015 - link
The website seems to list the base model as having a different 1080p screen than the mid-level $1150 dollar one. What's the difference?az060693 - Sunday, March 1, 2015 - link
13.3 inch LED FHD UWVA BrightView ultraslim (1920x1080) Touchscreen vs 13.3" diagonal FHD Radiance Infinity LED-backlit touch screen (1920 x 1080) (source: http://store.hp.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/us/e...az060693 - Sunday, March 1, 2015 - link
I'm guessing its a cheaper, non-optically bonded/non-calibrated display?kyuu - Monday, March 2, 2015 - link
Yeah it's a bit curious that the website implies that different price levels use different 1080p panels. Can you consult please consult with HP about this and get back to us, Brett?I certainly hope the more affordable model isn't skimping out and using a non-optically bonded display and otherwise being much worse than the pricier one (which will undoubtedly be the one they send out for reviews).
mr_tawan - Monday, March 2, 2015 - link
> Those who like to use a pen as an input method will be happy to see that HP is offering an active pen as an accessory as well, but at this time we do not know what kind of digitizer it will use.My bet is on Synaptics :).
eanazag - Monday, March 2, 2015 - link
There's no nice way to say this. It finally looks like HP is beginning to remove its head from its ass.$1400 is a lot for an 8GB RAM configuration that doesn't have a discrete GPU. No sense in not offering a 16 GB model within $100 more.
Wolfpup - Tuesday, March 3, 2015 - link
Am I the only one who thinks these extra-fold-y hinges aren't very useful?I mean notebook? Useful. Tablet? Useful. Tablet with an attachable keyboard so it can be used like a notebook? Useful.
Being able to bend the screen around so it's like a weird thick tablet, or being able to prop the screen up backwards? Uhhhh....
Give me an Alienware or the like notebook that's powerful and has good cooling any day, and a tablet that's...well, not one of these folding designs.
Since Windows 8 though we really have seen a crazy resurgence in weird/innovative designs!
kyuu - Wednesday, March 4, 2015 - link
We have different perspectives. I personally won't really even consider a laptop that doesn't have a Yoga-style hinge and a touchscreen nowadays.