Since Microsoft released several Surface laptops and convertibles over the years, many laptop manufacturers have started to offer premium models with displays that feature a 3:2 aspect ratio. We recently got to try out the new HP Spectre x360 Convertible Laptop (Model: 14-ea0003ne), and here are our thoughts about it.
Design
The HP Spectre series of laptops are known for their premium styling and build quality and the new Spectre x360 is no exception. The laptop features gold-coloured edges with smooth diamond cuts on both the left and right sides, the front edge and also all around the display.
While the laptop is lighter than most of the standard 2-in-1 laptops, it does feel a bit front-heavy when you hold it from the palm-rest portion. The HP Spectre x360 weighs 1.34 kg and features dimensions of 29.83 x 22.01 x 1.69 cm
The 13.5-inch multi-touch IPS display features a rather unusual screen resolution of 1920 x 1280 (WUXGA+), which is actually more than an FHD resolution. The display also has a peak brightness of 1000 nits so you don’t need to worry about using it outdoors under the sun. The display also features Corning Gorilla Glass NBT for protection from accidental scratches.
The main selling point is the 3:2 aspect ratio of the screen that lets users see more content and text as compared to other laptops with 16:9 aspect ratio displays. The 3:2 aspect ratio displays are more suited for productive usages and also gives a better web-surfing experience than normal laptops. You will need to see more text and scroll less when you surf any webpage.
Even though IPS panels are known for their great viewing angles, I noticed that the display on the Spectre x360 loses visibility when we start to view the screen from the sides, and it even made me wonder if the screen was a VA panel. The loss of visibility when looking from the sides or from the top isn’t actually that bad but it could have been much better. There is also a 720p HP True Vision webcam on the top side of the screen with an integrated camera shutter.
We were also surprised by the fact that the laptop does not have much to offer when it comes to connectivity. On the left side, there is only one single full-sized USB-A SuperSpeed port. On the left side, you will find two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports that support power delivery and DisplayPort 1.4 connectivity, along with an audio jack for headphones or microphones and a MicroSD card reader. The second USB-C port is actually located on the left corner of the laptop and is a very convenient place to connect the charger.
The laptop also features a backlit keyboard that is very comfortable to type on. There is a fingerprint scanner located on the bottom part of the keyboard. The keyboard also has a dedicated key for the camera shutter if you want to protect your privacy and is located next to the power button on the left side. HP also placed the Sure View key on the opposite end of the keyboard to help you work discretely so others won’t be able to view your content. The Sure View reduces the visibility of the display from any angle. That said, I was able to get used to the keyboard quickly without any fuss.
The trackpad is also fairly large in size and there is enough room to scroll with your fingers. The palm rest portion of the laptop feels comfortable to lay your hands while you type. Interestingly, there is a mesh for air vents above the keyboard area and you can mistake it for speaker holes. That said, the laptop features Bang and Olufsen tuned speakers on the bottom left and right sides of the laptop. The speakers of the laptop are quite loud enough for a good audio experience.
HP also used gold-coloured aluminium hinges on the Spectre x360. When looking from the rear side, there is a SPECTRE logo that is located on the left hinge. The outer portion of the hinge has a unique styling as compared to the front side.
The HP Spectre x360 Convertible also comes with a Smart Pen that has its own USB-C port for charging. I like the fact that the pen has an LED indicator. However, it could have been better if the Spectre x360 had its own slot to place the smartpen.
Specs and Performance
The new HP Spectre x360 Convertible Laptop (14-ea0003ne) comes chipped with impressive internal specifications that deliver speedy performances for both casual and business users. The laptop is powered by the 11th generation Intel Core i7 1165G7 processor that has a default clock speed of 2.8 GHz and can achieve Turbo Boost speeds up to 4.7 GHz. The integrated graphics is the Intel Iris Xe that is known to offer decent gaming performance. The laptop also comes with 16GB of LPDDR4X RAM at 3733MHz speeds.
The laptop also comes packed with the KIOXIA 1TB NVMe TLC based SSD (KXG60ZNV1T02) with Windows 10 Home OS preinstalled. We tested the laptop with benchmarks such as PC Mark 10 Extended for laptop performance, CrsytalDiskMark for SSD test, Geekbench 5 for CPU and GPU performance, CineBench R23 for CPU performance, and 3DMark FireStrike/Night Raid for GPU performance. Check out the scores below.
Futuremark benchmarks
CrystakDiskMark benchmark
Geekbench 5 CPU benchmark
Geekbench 5 GPU benchmark
Cinebench R23 benchmark
We were impressed with the performance of the HP Spectre x360 Convertible Laptop (14-ea0003ne). The laptop is able to deliver smooth performance while we used it for office-based work, editorial jobs, editing Excel sheets, and more. Browsing the web with memory-hungry Google Chrome and with multiple tabs did not slow down the performance of the laptop.
Battery
The new Spectre x360 has a 4-cell, 66 Wh Li-ion polymer battery that is said to last up to 15 hours and 45 minutes of use. However, this can depend on the type of usage. We ran the PC Mark 10 Extended battery test and the laptop ran continuously for 9 hours and 19 minutes. For real-use cases, the laptop did run for almost 8 hours while we used it for editorial jobs, watching some Youtube videos, doing some Excel sheet editing work, and more.
Verdict
If you’re looking for a premium thin-and-light laptop as an alternative to the Microsoft Surface Laptop series and with a 2-in-1 convertible capability, then the HP Spectre x360 Convertible Laptop (14-ea0003ne) is a decent choice to consider. One of the main highlights of the laptop is of course the 3:2 aspect ratio display that also has support for Sure View to protect your privacy. The same goes for the front-facing camera that has a camera shutter. The touchscreen display is also protected with Corning Gorilla Glass NBT and also features WUXGA+ resolution that offers great image and video quality.
The backlit keyboard of the laptop is also comfortable to type on along with a spacious trackpad that features a smooth surface. The number of ports may be limited but the performance is good, thanks to the 11th generation Intel processor, 16GB of memory and 1TB of fast internal SSD. The Smart Pen is also an added bonus, although, it would have been better if the laptop had its own smartpen slot. That said, the laptop features a premium design and is light enough for you to easily carry around.
