Is it a laptop, tablet or both? The HP Spectre x360 13t Touch, the latest in HP's line of Yoga-like systems, fills the gap between the company's previous 11- and 15-inch systems designed to flip from notebook to slate -- and everything in between. Starting at $899 ($999 as configured), this all-aluminum ultraportable also has a bright display, extra-wide touchpad and excellent battery life. But while it's a great notebook, is it the best convertible you can get? -
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU 2.2-GHz Intel Core i5-5200U Operating System Windows 8.1 RAM 8GB RAM Upgradable to 16GB Hard Drive Size 256GB Hard Drive Speed Hard Drive Type SSD Drive Secondary Hard Drive Size Secondary Hard Drive Speed Secondary Hard Drive Type Display Size 13.3 Native Resolution 1920x1080 Optical Drive Optical Drive Speed Graphics Card Intel HD Graphics 5500 Video Memory Wi-Fi 802.11ac Wi-Fi Model Bluetooth Mobile Broadband Touchpad Size 5.5 x 2.5 inches Ports (excluding USB) Headphone/Mic Ports (excluding USB) Mini DisplayPort Ports (excluding USB) HDMI USB Ports 3 Card Slots 2-1 card reader Warranty/Support Size 12.79 x 8.6 x 0.6 inches Weight 3.26 pounds Company Website www.hp.com
Design
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then HP's competitors must all be blushing. For the Spectre x360, HP looks like it combined the best ideas from most other top-end Ultrabooks.
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Like the MacBook Air, the x360 is made from a machined aluminum chassis. Its polished metal sides, not unlike the Samsung ATIV Book 9, are a nice contrast to the matte finish on the lid and bottom. As with the Toshiba Kirabook, the front edges are rounded, while the rear edges have a sharper right angle. Finally, the rear portion of the lid and the bottom section are each rounded and connected by two shiny hinges, similar to the Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro.
The lid has a clean, minimalist look: It's unadorned except for a small groove near the top and an offset "Hewlett-Packard" in the middle. Inside, the x360 is all HP. The keyboard deck, a silver-on-silver treatment, is reminiscent of other HP systems, and the extra-wide Clickpad is also a holdover from earlier Spectre-branded notebooks.
In a necessary concession to its folding design, the x360's power button is on the left edge, and the Windows button is on the right edge (instead of below the display). Also on the right is a volume rocker, useful for when you're using the x360 in tablet mode.
At 3.26 pounds, the x360 is heavier than most other 13-inch ultraportables. Among those whose screens can fold back 360 degrees, the Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro is a full pound lighter, as is the nonfolding Dell XPS 13 (2.5 pounds). The MacBook Air weighs 2.9 pounds.
Like with other convertible notebooks, the Stand mode (with the keyboard facing down) will be useful when watching movies in compact spaces, such as when the notebook is on an airline tray table. However, the sharp edges and weight of the x360 made it unwieldy and uncomfortable to hold in Tablet mode.
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HP says the x360's hinges contain a set of three spiral gears "for synchronized and precise movement." All I know is that it opened and closed fairly easily, and was stiff enough so that I could poke at the screen without it wobbling too much.
Display
Recently, many notebook makers have outfitted their high-end Ultrabooks with UltraHD displays. On most versions of the x360, HP eschews that trend, opting for a 1080p touch screen, which is plenty sharp and colorful, and most likely helps save battery life. (A quad-HD touch screen will be available, but only on the most expensive configuration.)
A trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron looked rich and saturated, and the sports cars in Fast and Furious 7 gleamed in the Southern California sun. Details were sharp enough to see the stubble on the face of just about every male actor.
At 339 nits, the x360 outshines its competition, besting the average ultraportable (255 nits) by a fair margin. The Yoga 3 Pro is the next brightest, at 318 nits, followed by the XPS 13 (298 nits) and the MacBook Air (288 nits).
Our display tests backed up my initial impressions: The x360's screen can produce 103.2 percent of the sRGB spectrum (anything around 100 percent is very good). The panel's Delta-E score of 1.25 (numbers closer to 0 are better) means that the colors are highly accurate, too.
Audio
Like its display, the x360's audio also impressed. Kurt Russell's growling voice in Furious 7 was full throated, as were explosions, gunfire and the roar of V12 engines. Vocals were also front and center in Vance Joy's "Riptide." Higher tones, such as guitar strums and the tambourine, were pronounced without being muddy.
Although it seemed to boom in my office, the x360's speakers weren't the loudest. Registering 82 decibels (as measured from 23 inches away), the notebook was a touch quieter than average (85 dB) and the Yoga 3 (86 dB), and nowhere near as loud as the XPS 13 (94 dB).
Keyboard and Touchpad
In all, typing on the x360 was a pleasurable experience. The x360's keys have 1.34mm of travel and require 62 grams of force to press; both numbers are typical of most notebooks (1.32mm/57 grams). While the keys were slightly mushier than I'd prefer, it didn't affect my typing speed by much. On the 10fastfingers typing test, I averaged 59 words per minute with 92 percent accuracy, nearly on a par with my desktop average of 60 wpm with 97 percent accuracy.
I also liked that the top row let me perform actions such as lowering and raising the volume and brightness without having to press the Function key first.
The superwide Synaptics Clickpad (5.5 x 2.5 inches) has similar dimensions to the 15-inch Envy x360, but lacks the former's Control Zones -- sections on the right and left sides that made it easier to launch Windows 8 gestures. The cursor never jumped, either, a problem I've experienced with other Ultrabooks.
Heat
Like cookware, aluminum-clad notebooks tend to absorb heat, and the Spectre x360 is no different. After streaming a Hulu video at full screen for 15 minutes, the touchpad (81 degrees Fahrenheit) and the space between the G and H (86 degrees) were relatively cool. However, the bottom rose to 100 degrees, which is 5 degrees higher than we consider comfortable.
Ports and Webcam
On the left side of the x360 is a single USB 3.0 port, an SD Card slot, the power button and a jack for the power plug. On the right are two more USB 3.0 ports, a headphone port, a full-size HDMI port and a miniDisplay Port.
HP calls the x360's camera a "TrueVision Full HD VWA webcam," but it didn't live up to the name.
