Touchpad: fast and clear. Keyboard, touchpad, stylus and cameras

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“The guys from HP came knocking on the door and offered to test some of their popular products for free.

A few days later, a 13-inch HP Specter x360 convertible laptop based on the 7th generation Intel (Kaby Lake) arrived to us in one of the top configurations (model 13-w001ur).

Without exception, all specialized technical publications abroad highly rate the HP Specter x360:

Fifth place in the ranking of the best laptops of 2017 according to CNET.
First place in the ranking of the best 2 in 1 laptops according to CNET.
Fourth place in the ranking of the best laptops of 2017 according to TechRadar.
First place in the ranking of the best 2 in 1 laptops according to TechRadar.
Second place in the ranking of the best laptops of 2017 according to PC Mag.
First place in the ranking of the best 2 in 1 laptops according to PC Mag.
First place in the ranking of the best 2-in-1 laptops according to Laptop Mag.
First place in the ranking of the best 2 in 1 laptops according to PC World.

At first glance, the HP Specter x360 is no different from an ordinary ultrabook from the highest price segment: aluminum case 14 mm thick, weight 1.44 kg, cool display, powerful filling and the cost is more than 100 thousand rubles.

The magic begins when you open the laptop. The HP Specter x360 literally turns 360 degrees. It turns out to be a real tablet with the performance of a premium laptop.

HP Specter x360 Specifications (Model 13-w001ur)

CPU	Intel Core i7 7500U 2.7 GHz
Video	Intel HD Graphics 620
RAM	16 GB LPDDR3 1 866 MHz
SSD	512 GB, NVMe
Display	13.3 inches, IPS, Full HD (1,920 × 1,080), 165.6 ppi, touch, multi-touch
Cameras and microphone	Front Full HD for video calls, IR for Windows Hello, two microphones
Sound	Bang & Olufsen, four speakers
Connection	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2×2, Bluetooth 4.1
Interfaces	1 USB 3.0 Type-A, 2 USB 3.1 Type-C Thunderbolt 3, 3.5 mm mini-jack
Battery	Li-Ion, 57.8 Wh
Housing material	Aluminium alloy
Color	Grey
Dimensions	306 × 218 × 14 mm
Weight	1.44 kg
Set	Case, charger, Ethernet - USB C adapter.
Price	"Yandex Market "

Design

Absolutely all modern ultrabooks are similar to each other.

No bells and whistles unnecessary elements, because manufacturers are fighting for every gram and tenth of a millimeter.

Everything is strict, uniform and thin enough to accommodate the necessary filling. The results of this size race can only be seen in comparison.

Two generations of HP Specter x360 in comparison / TechRadar

Here are two HP Specter x360 models. Above last generation, below - the previous one. Everything seems to be the same, but the difference in size is obvious.

In practice, a device with dimensions of 306 × 218 × 14 mm and a weight of 1.44 kg seems incredibly light and compact, especially if you switch to it from a regular laptop.

Ports

The HP Specter x360 has just one USB 3.0 Type-A port, located on the left. If you want to connect more than one external device you will have to get or buy an adapter.

In addition to USB, on the left side there is a headphone jack, a power button and a grille for removing air from the cooling system.

On the right, the HP Specter x360 has a volume rocker and two USB 3.1 Type-C Thunderbolt 3 ports. One connector (either of the two) is supposed to be used to charge and power the laptop from an outlet, and the second to connect all sorts of peripherals.

The disadvantage of the laptop is the lack of HDMI and an SD card slot, which is why potential users who have not yet updated their peripherals may experience inconvenience.

USB 3.1 and Thunderbolt 3 are truly wonderful technologies that will allow you to replace absolutely all other ports in the future, but try to find one in your external storage or a monitor for this connector. Of course, the transition to single interface- the dream of any technoesthete, but in practice the financial factor will all come down to the purchase of several more adapters.

Considering that the HP Specter x360 kit includes an adapter only for Ethernet, you will have to look for and purchase other adapters yourself and at your own expense.

The lack of a slot for SD cards will upset not only photographers and cameramen, but also all those who are used to using a memory card as a memory expansion that is undemanding in terms of read and write speed.

Performance

The combination of Intel Core i7 7500U, 16 GB of RAM and a very fast PCIe SSD allows the HP Specter x360 to solve absolutely any non-specific tasks and ensure impeccable performance and stability.

You can open 20 or 30 tabs in Chrome, run the entire office suite of applications, and still have a lot of resources left.

Processor rating

Geekbench 4 Single-Core	4 191
GeekBench 4 Multi-Core	7 914
GeekBench 3 Single-Core	3 610
GeekBench 3 Multi-Core	7 612
CineBench R15 CPU Test Single-Core	144
CineBench R15 CPU Test Multi-Core	326

SSD rating

The NVMe drive provides some fantastic read and write speeds. Until recently, SATA-SSD seemed incredibly fast, especially compared to HDD, but now it’s already a thing of the past.

Graphics rating

Obviously, the HP Specter x360 will not replace professional computer for design or working with graphics and video, but ultrabooks, it seems, never pretended to do such things.

GFXBench 3.0 T-Rex	94
GFXBench 3.0 Manhattan	47
3DMark Firestrike	864
3DMark Cloud Gate	6 051
3DMark Ice Storm	59 486
CineBench R15 GPU Test	45

The lack of a discrete graphics card does not allow the HP Specter x360 to be called an acceptable option for advanced gamers, but the power of the Intel Core i7 7500U in combination with Intel HD Graphics 620 is quite enough for most popular games.

This is what Battlefield 1 looks like. Graphics are at a minimum, but still beautiful (1,366 × 768, 29 FPS).

FPS in other games (low/medium settings, 1366 × 768)

Overwatch	40
CS GO	112
Far Cry 3	27
Battlefield 4	36
Metro: Last Light	28
Bioshock Infinite	36
Rainbow Six Siege	26

Noise and heat

HP Specter x360 is a fairly quiet and cool ultrabook for its performance. Thanks to Intel Core i7 7500U with TDP 15 W. When working in the browser, the noise of the cooling system is not detected at all. After a few minutes of watching streaming video high resolution There is a slight heating of the area next to the air exhaust grille. Most of the heat goes into back cover laptop. To feel the heating, you need to place the device on your lap.

It was possible to really warm up the laptop with heavy 3D games. In such an extreme mode for a non-gaming device, there is a whistle from the turbine and heat bordering on discomfort in the area where the cooling system is located. The HP Specter x360 successfully handled a 30-minute gaming session of Battlefield 1. There were no performance hitches during this time.

Screen

The 13.3-inch Full HD IPS touch display of the HP Specter x360 provides a very bright, rich and clear picture. The difference in quality will be especially noticeable to owners of typical budget laptops with TN panels. At 166 ppi, it is almost impossible to see the pixels.

The unusually thin side frames also attract attention. The distance from the display to the edge of the cover is only 6 millimeters.

The glossy screen does not add comfort when working on sunny summer days, but for touch display there are simply no other options.

Keyboard and touchpad

Typing on the HP Specter x360 is pleasant and convenient, not least thanks to the dedicated navigation keys on the right.

The keys are placed very well; they do not wobble or play, even if you make a swiping movement, lightly touching the surface of the keyboard. The glass touchpad of the HP Specter x360 has dimensions of 120 × 60 mm and is equipped with physical buttons left and right click. There were no complaints about it during the work process.

The key stroke length is only 1.3 mm, but the pressing itself is very obvious and somewhat reminiscent of the behavior of mechanics. At the beginning of pressing there is a tiny resistance, and at the end there is a clear click. You can evaluate the keyboard backlight yourself from the photo.

Battery

HP Specter x360 is equipped with lithium-ion battery 57.8 Wh capacity with technology fast charging(from 0 to 90% in 90 minutes). The laptop's operating time on one full charge, declared by the manufacturer, is 12.5 hours with constant surfing.

In reality, when active work In Chrome and screen brightness at 70% of maximum (recommended default power settings), the HP Specter x360 lasted 10 hours and 4 minutes. The time obtained by the Laptop Mag laboratory under similar conditions turned out to be almost identical (10 hours 6 minutes). Judging by other tests available on the Internet, one full charge of a laptop lasts on average 10–11 hours.

Sound

Towards creation speaker system The HP Specter x360 was produced by Bang & Olufsen, a well-known company in audiophile circles, as the corresponding inscription on the case clearly hints at.

The laptop has four speakers in total: a pair under the grille on top, and another pair under the bottom cover. This way more surround sound, which, however, still lacks expressive lows due to the small diameter of the emitters.

In total, the acoustics of the HP Specter x360 sound an order of magnitude better than any laptop with no-name speakers. Separately, it is necessary to note the absence of wheezing when listening at close to maximum volume.

Tablet mode

A convertible laptop takes some getting used to, especially if this is your first device of this format. At first, it’s hard for your brain to realize that right now, while you’re lying on the couch or sitting in a chair, you can turn the screen out and work with much greater comfort. But after a couple of days everything returns to normal. For example, embarrassment disappears when accidentally pressed keys when they are on the back of the screen. The keyboard always turns off in tablet mode, but it’s not easy to not be afraid of “accidentally pressing something and breaking everything.”

The obvious advantage of a transformable laptop over a tablet is that there is no need for a stand. All you need to do is turn the HP Specter x360 inside out and place it anywhere.

Unlike its predecessors, Windows 10 is much better optimized for touch screens. If you fundamentally reject Transformers and tablets on Windows only because of the unpleasant experience of working with them on the “eight”, then just try the “ten” once. With a high degree of probability, your opinion will change for the better.

Conclusion

HP Specter x360 deservedly takes first place in the ratings of ultrabooks and transformables. Returning after it to your laptop, bulky, heavy, plastic, creaky, with a screen from which your eyes are now bleeding, is very unpleasant.

It's hard to believe that such power fits into such compact and sophisticated forms. It's even harder to believe that Windows laptops have finally caught up and surpassed their Apple counterparts in time battery life.

If you still think that Ultrabooks aren't worth the money, you've either never used one, or you've been dealing with some bad model.

Lifehacker thanks HP for providing the device for testing.

The HP Specter x360 is an unusual laptop. In addition to top-end hardware and excellent battery life, the device boasts a rotating display design that allows you to use it as a tablet. Read about other pros and cons of the laptop in our review.

Strict appearance

HP Specter x360 looks stylish and strict, as befits a laptop from the highest price category. The laptop turned out to be thin and light (13.9 mm and 1.44 kg, respectively). Thanks to this, it is easy to take with you to school or work; the device will not take up much space in your bag.

The case material is matte and rough to the touch metal, which practically does not collect traces of fingerprints. On the left side of the device there is a grille for hot air exhaust, a 3.5 mm headphone jack and a “classic” USB port 3.0 Type-A.

One of the unusual elements is the power button, which is located slightly below the radiator grille. It is usually located next to the keyboard.

On the right side of the laptop there are two USB 3.1 Type-C ports. The device can be recharged through any of them. There is also a volume rocker, which is convenient to use in tablet mode (more on this a little later).

Leather case included

The downside is the lack of an HDMI port. To connect external monitor you will have to use an adapter that connects to one of the USB-C ports (there is no such adapter included in the package). A slot for SD memory cards would also be useful.

Great keyboard and touchpad

I just want to praise the HP Specter x360 keyboard - typing on it turned out to be very convenient. Despite the fairly short key travel (1.3 mm), a clear click is felt when pressed. The feeling is similar to typing on a mechanical keyboard.

The brightness of the key backlight cannot be adjusted. There is either backlighting or not.

There are no complaints about the touchpad. It is made of glass and has physical left and right click buttons. There were no problems with cursor positioning or incorrect operation of gestures during testing.

Infrared camera and Windows Hello

From interesting features HP Specter x360 can be allocated infrared front camera, with which you can unlock the laptop with your gaze ( Windows function Hello).

To do this, the user's face is first scanned by an IR camera, after which the resulting scan is entered into local database Windows data and when unlocking the laptop, it is compared with the faces of people in front of the laptop. If there is a match, the profile of the corresponding user is automatically loaded.

We checked - the face is almost always recognized correctly, and it takes no more than a second to unlock. In addition, the function works well even when there is insufficient light in the room.

Quality display and sound Bang & Olufsen

The resolution of the 13.3-inch IPS touch display of the tested version of the laptop is Full HD (1920 by 1080 pixels). In our opinion, this resolution is the most optimal for such a diagonal.

There are also HP Specter x360 modifications on sale with 4K resolution screens (3840 by 2160 pixels), but their usefulness is not entirely obvious. Windows still doesn't work very well with system scaling to this resolution on small diagonals. In addition, 4K resolution can negatively affect the battery life and performance of a laptop.

The color rendering of our laptop’s display is all right - the colors look natural and only slightly fade into warm tones. There are also no problems with the maximum brightness level - you can make out small elements on the screen (for example, text) even in direct sunlight.

The famous company Bang & Olufsen worked on the audio system. The HP Specter x360 has four speakers, which are hidden in the decorative grille above the keyboard and at the bottom of the device. The sound is clear and loud, without wheezing at maximum volume. The only omission (logical for such a thin device) is the lack of low frequencies.

Tablet mode

One of the main features of the device is the ability to rotate the screen 360 degrees and turn the laptop into a real tablet.

In addition, the HP Specter x360 display can be turned inside out or the keyboard unit can be used as a stand when the screen is facing the user. In such modes, the keys are locked and operating system switches to a special tablet mode.

But to say that the ability to rotate the screen reverse side If you use it all the time, you can't.

More importantly, thanks to this, in normal “computer” mode, the laptop display opens to a large angle, up to 180 degrees. This is useful when working in unusual positions (for example, sitting in bed).

The only minor drawback we note is the tight hinge mechanism - you won’t be able to open the laptop with one hand from the closed position.

High performance

Our laptop runs on a dual-core Intel Core i7 7500U processor coupled with an Intel HD 620 video chip and 16 GB random access memory. The Windows 10 system is installed on a 512 GB SSD drive. More detailed technical specifications are in the table below.

This combination allows the device to easily cope with all “everyday” tasks such as surfing the Internet with 15-20 open tabs in the browser Google Chrome, working with an office suite or watching streaming video in 4K resolution. At the same time, the laptop practically does not heat up and makes no noise.

We decided to check whether the HP Specter x360 is suitable for more serious computing, and installed professional program for 2D and 3D design AutoCAD 2018 and asked the architect to work on his laptop.

According to him, the device quickly coped with loading a “heavy” project, consisting of several information-rich sheets of A3 and A2 formats.

Simple operations like moving, copying, or scaling parts of a project were completed almost instantly. More complex (rich shading, solid fill, trimming bitmap) - with a slight delay.

The general verdict is that the HP Specter x360 is quite suitable for design work, if you don’t get carried away with complex 3D modeling (the lack of a discrete video card affects it).

The situation with games is worse. In the single-player mode of Battlefield 1 at minimum graphics settings with a resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels, fps did not rise above 15-17 frames.

But let's be honest - the HP Specter x360 is not designed for gaming. And the fact that the built-in video core was able to run one of the most demanding modern 3D games indicates more than sufficient performance for most other tasks.

Battery life

The HP Specter x360's built-in battery capacity is 57.8 Wh. In “office” mode at 100% display brightness with Wi-Fi always on, open browser Google Chrome with a dozen tabs and working Skype clients and Telegram consumes about 25-30% of the battery charge in two hours.

Thus, from one full charge the laptop runs for about 6.5-7 hours (with a maximum stated by the manufacturer of 16 hours). Upon reaching 20% level Windows charge 10 includes energy saving mode(display brightness and performance are reduced), allowing you to extend operating time.

In addition, HP Specter x360 supports fast charging technology. From 0 to 100% the device charges in just under two hours.

Summary

HP Specter x360 - powerful laptop with an excellent display, good battery life and an unusual “trick” of turning into a tablet.

You don’t often need to use this feature, but thanks to it, the device’s display in “computer” mode can be opened to the widest possible angle. This is convenient when working in non-standard positions (for example, sitting in bed).

Among the disadvantages of the HP Specter x360, we can only highlight a fairly modest set of built-in ports, but top models from other manufacturers also suffer from this.

The only reason that may be able to keep you from buying is the high cost of the laptop - at 4 thousand rubles. However, a competing convertible laptop from Lenovo with similar technical characteristics costs about the same.

If you want to save money, you can take a closer look at other modifications of the HP Specter x360 with less productive hardware. Some cost almost half the price.

The HP Specter x360 laptop for testing was provided by the official HP distributor in Belarus - Computers and Peripherals LLC. The company had no opportunity to influence the test result and did not see the material before publication.

The table below shows the prices of the main competitors.

HP introduced the third generation Specter x360 13 convertible laptop. The Specter x360 model with a 13.3-inch IPS touch display took into account the wishes of users.

The new product has become thinner (13.6 mm), lighter - its weight is 1.26 kg, and received an eighth-generation Intel Kaby Lake Refresh quad-core processor (Core i5 or i7), thanks to which, according to the company, it has become 30% faster. The laptop's DDR3 RAM capacity reaches 16 GB, PCIe SSD capacity is up to 1 TB. Communications capabilities include a pair of Thunderbolt 3 ports, USB connector 3.1 and audio jack.

The screen resolution can be Full HD (1920 × 1080) or 4K (3840 × 2160). Durable glass protects it from scratches Corning Gorilla Glass NBT.

The 2017 HP Specter x360 13 also features a fingerprint sensor, thinner bezels around the screen, a microSD card reader (not available on the 2016 model), and longer battery life.

When configured with a 4K screen and a Core i7 processor, the laptop can last up to 10 hours of mixed use on a single charge or 8 hours and 45 minutes of video playback. And a model with a Core i5 processor and Full HD screen resolution can work autonomously in mixed use mode for up to 16 hours 45 minutes. Fast charging technology allows you to charge the battery from zero to 90% capacity in 90 minutes.

For additional security and privacy protection, the laptop is equipped with both a fingerprint scanner and an infrared webcam used for facial recognition login with using Windows Hello. The model with Full HD screen resolution received the Sure View anti-peeping feature. By pressing a button, you narrow the viewing angle of the screen, and someone standing behind you will not be able to read the text on the laptop screen.

The 2017 HP Specter x360 13 specs include four speakers and two discrete amplifiers. The laptop also has a new hybrid thermal and infrared sensor to monitor the computer's surface temperature and other characteristics to balance fan noise and cooling.

In Russia, the third-generation Specter x360 13 transformable laptop will go on sale in November 2017 at a price starting from 94,990 rubles. For Russian market All HP Specter laptops come with an extended 3-year warranty.

In this review I will look at latest model HP Specter x360 13 (2017), equipped with a 13.3-inch Full HD display (1920x1080 with 166 PPI), a Core i7-8550U processor, 8 GB of RAM and a 256 GB solid-state drive (SSD).

Its price is $1,250 (RUB 70,000), including the stylus ( active pen) and Natural Silver color scheme. In the maximum configuration, the Specter x360 13 costs $1,820 (RUR 101,000) with the same Core i7-8550U processor, 16 GB of RAM, 1 TB SSD, 4K UHD display (3840 × 2160 and 331 PPI) and in two additional colors - Pale Rose Gold or Dark Ash Silver.

HP Specter x360 13 (2017) has a slim and beautiful design

HP Specter x360 13 (2017) has not changed much in design: the thickness has decreased to 1.37 cm, and the weight has decreased from 1.3 to 1.25 kg. The side frames of the screen have been narrowed to a few millimeters.

New design makes Specter x360 slightly thinner than 13.3-inch Lenovo Yoga 720 (1.52 cm and 1.32 kg). The body of the new x360 is quite durable and does not creak, but the lid and bottom flex under the slightest pressure.

The rear edges of this laptop have rigidly beveled edges, compared to the rounded edges of the previous model, and the hinge is tighter. This is felt when rotating the display from one position to another.

Keyboard, touchpad, stylus and cameras

The HP Specter x360 13 (2017) keyboard carries over from the previous model and retains the excellent key press experience. The Yoga 920 and 720 have similar keyboards, but they're less tactile and precise than those on HP's x360 13. The keyboard here has a uniform backlight, but it does not have brightness settings.

Specter x360 13 (2017) touchpad still uses outdated drivers Synaptic and does not comply with the Microsoft Precision Touchpad protocol. But the stylus has been given a number of new features: a customizable button, an eraser and a gyroscope, which allows it to function as a " laser pointer» for presentations.

The stylus of this x360 13 has its own battery and can be charged via the port USB Type-C, which is located under the eraser. It's great for UI navigation and taking notes.

Infrared cameras and facial recognition have also been carried over from the previous model. HP has added a fingerprint scanner, which is located on the right side of the case. Both unlocking methods work quickly and accurately.

Specter x360 13 display

The new 2017 Specter x360 13 features a 13.3-inch Full HD display. You can also choose a model with a full-screen display and the HP Sure View privacy feature that was first introduced in the EliteBook x360 G2.

Screen brightness is good at 301 nits and contrast is 770:1. But the previous generation Full HD display managed a stronger contrast ratio of 910:1 compared to the Yoga 920's 880:1 and the Yoga 720's 600:1.

The color gamut here is average: 71% AdobeRGB and 94% sRGB, with an accuracy of up to 2.91 (less than 1.0 is considered excellent). Again, the previous generation shows better results.

Great sound for movies

The Bang & Olufsen speaker located above the keyboard is standard for the model top level. Its sound is above average, but quite loud and easily fills a small room.

I used Bang & Olufsen's app to turn up the bass, but the sound on the HP Specter x360 13 (2017) remained virtually unchanged. The music here sounds at a decent mid and high level, but with weak bass.

Connectivity

The HP Specter x360 13 (2017) laptop has one USB-A 3.1 port and two USB Type-C ports with Thunderbolt 3 support. Any of the two USB Type-C is supposed to be used to charge the laptop from an outlet, and connect all kinds of peripherals to the second.

Benchmark performance

HP Specter x360 13 (2017) features the latest quad-core Intel processor Core i7-8550U. In the Geekbench4 test, the x360 13 I reviewed scored 4,882 single-core and 14,135 multi-core. This compares to the very fast Yoga 920 - 4,683 and 14,566 points respectively.

In the more demanding Handbrake test, which encoded a 420MB video to H.265, the latest Specter x360 13 completed the process in 723 seconds. But the Yoga 920 was faster - 613 seconds, while the previous generation Specter x360 with Core i7-7500U took 1095.

HP has also included an updated cooling system in the new x360 13, which uses an infrared sensor to measure case temperature and modulate fans. During the test, the case never became hot.

Fast SSD storage

HP installed a Lite-On CA1 PCIe SSD on the HP Specter x360 13 (2017) I tested. Solid State Drive works quickly. In the Crystal Disk Mark test, it achieved 1,769 MB/s write and 998 MB/s read. This good indicator compared to the Yoga 920 - 1,172 MB/s and 1,147 MB/s, respectively.

The previous generation Specter x360 used a slower SSD that clocked in at 1,202 MB/s and 583 MB/s, so we have a decent upgrade in that regard.

In actual use, the Specter x360 13 SSD performed well: the device booted quickly, opened applications and files without lag, and completed all tasks with ease.

Specter x360 is still not for gaming

8th-generation Intel processors provide some real performance gains on the HP Specter x360 13 (2017), but not for gaming. Integrated graphics Intel card UHD 620 received a change only in the name, but its capabilities remained the same.

The Late 2017 Specter x360 13 ranks higher in 3DMark tests than any other machine using a similar GPU.

I tested Civilization VI on medium and ultra-high settings. The new Specter x360 13 achieved 12 FPS and 7 FPS in the game, respectively. For more serious products, you'll have to buy a more powerful laptop, or the Surface Book 2, which is the best (and most expensive) 2-in-1 option for gaming.

Compactness and battery life

Full HD display combined with efficient processor Eighth generation and a relatively large battery - the best choice for those who want high-quality video viewing and better battery life.

In the most aggressive battery test (the Basemark test), my Specter x360 13 lasted 4 hours and 14 minutes, beating the Yoga 920's 3 and 23 minutes. But the EliteBook x360 G2 with Core i7-7600U lasted 4 hours 48 minutes.

When browsing the web, the x360 13 (2017) lasted 8 hours and 25 minutes, which is almost equal to the EliteBook x360 G2, but fell behind the previous Specter model with 13 and 18 minutes. As seen, Core processor The eighth-generation i7 begins to show its effectiveness when reducing processor load.

The latest Specter x360 13 performed well in the video playback test. Here HP worked for 14 hours 18 minutes, beating the Yoga 920 and its competitors. Of all the machines tested, only Lenovo ThinkPad The X1 Carbon (14 hours 30 minutes) and Surface Book 2 (more than 20 hours 30 minutes) lasted longer.

In any case, the new x360 13 with moderate use will last more than eight hours without additional recharging.

Software and Warranty

The HP Specter x360 13 (2017) I reviewed ran on Windows 10, which added some programs: trial version McAfee and Dropbox (with the latter we get 30 GB of free space for a year if we create an account). The rest of the software is what's included in every Windows 10 system.

HP offers the latest Specter x360 13 with a standard one-year warranty.

Is there an alternative to HP Specter x360 13 2017?

The 2017 Specter x360 13 Convertible can be compared to the Yoga 720 13, which offers the same 13.3-inch display in Full HD or 4K UHD options, with more powerful processor eighth generation. However, it doesn't have the same lightweight design or battery life as the new x360.

To others good option is the Lenovo Yoga 920 13.9 with an updated design and the most durable body among 2-in-1 devices. Its price is $1,330 (RUB 75,000) in the basic version.

Microsoft Surface Book 2 13 will be the best choice if you plan to use a 2-in-1 longer time as a tablet, but it also has a higher price of $1,500 (RUB 84,000). Surface Book 2 comes with Core i7 processor, graphics chip Nvidia GTX 1050, 4K display and incredible battery life.

Bottom line

The new HP Specter x360 13 (2017) is an amazing convertible laptop that will be an excellent device for work. It provides fast operation, long term battery life, and a durable and versatile folding design.

Add to all this an improved stylus, great keyboard, the flexibility of Windows 10 Hello and HP's 2-in-1 convertible will take its place as your favorite laptop that doubles as a tablet.

Benefits of HP Specter x360 13 (2017)

Good performance.
Excellent battery life.
Comfortable keyboard.
Beautiful design.
Stylus with special functions.

Disadvantages of Specter x360 13 (2017)

Full HD display from the previous model.
Low sensitivity of the stylus.

Hybrid laptop HP Specter x360 13 (2017) - video trailer

If you find an error, the video does not work, please select a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

Be careful, Apple MacBook Pro has a new competitor.

HP Specter x360 15 (2017) may be simple update last year's same name, but do not confuse the iteration with the new product. This is a completely revised Specter x360 15 compared to previous years' models.

pros: Flawless Keyboard | Efficient Design | Stylus;
Minuses: Battery life | The trackpad interferes with typing;

Starting with graceful and modern design replete with gold accents and continuing with a perfect keyboard, the 2017 HP Specter x360 15 has a lot to offer its users.

It's not as thin as previous model, is only 17.8mm thick instead of the 16mm of last year's laptop, but the HP Specter x360 15 retains an excellent form factor, despite having full-size ports and a more traditional membrane keyboard than, say, a . Not to mention its ability to accommodate multiple foldable form factors, which is unheard of in most laptops, and a cutting-edge (albeit bulky) Windows 10 tablet.

HPSpecterx360 15: Price and Availability

HP Specter x360 15 is available in different configurations of RAM and built-in memory in Russian stores, but in any case, the remaining characteristics are predetermined. The model we came to review is equipped with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of internal PICe memory. This configuration of the HP Specter x360 15 is priced at 98,000 rubles, although the base model of the hybrid laptop starts at 82,000 rubles for 8 GB of RAM and a 256 GB SSD.

Design

The HP Specter x360 15 laptop boasts appearance, who is guaranteed to attract envious glances while working at the café on a Tuesday afternoon.

Yes, it's massive compared to the small, ultra-thin laptops we're used to seeing these days. However, the manufacturer boasts attention to detail in almost everything, from the hinges to the formation of the grilles that surround the pair of Bang & Olufsen speakers located on either side of the keyboard.

From the back to the front of the HP Specter x360 15, the thickness of the laptop varies from 17.8 mm to 12.7 mm.

On the right side of the laptop, you will find two USB Type-C ports, one of which is supported. There's also an HDMI port nestled between the USB-C twins and the air vent, which even manages to be stylish. Next, you see a physical volume switch in case the function keys F6 to F8 aren't enough.

On the left side of the Specter x360 15, HP has included a single USB 3.1 port, a headphone jack, and even a slot for (bless you). Along with the second vent, you can see the power button. Both sides of the HP Specter x360 15 laptop, like other parts of it, are inlaid with gold accents.

The trackpad is also lined in gold, but it might have been worth avoiding the embellishment if it would have provided the ability to move the trackpad away from the keyboard. Although the keyboard has an excellent format, the proximity of the touchpad makes typing much more difficult.

While this doesn't happen often, once you get used to the HP Specter x360 15's trackpad (and perhaps the new palm position), you may find that your cursor moves around when you don't expect it.

It's hard to avoid positioning your thumbs in the top left and right corners touchpad when you're typing, which makes us wonder if it might have made sense to move the bar a little further away from the space bar?

Four functions 2 in 1…

The HP Specter x360 15 (2017) has a matte black, all-aluminum finish that feels very natural to the touch. And speaking of laptop touches, the 360-degree hinge means you can flip the screen in any direction to suit your needs. Like most 2-in-1 laptop/tablet hybrids of this type, the Specter x360 15 has four modes: laptop, tent, tablet, and tablet on a stand.

No matter which form factor you place the HP Specter x360 15 in, it will look damn good, not only because of HP's design prowess, but also because of the stunning picture quality of its eye-popping Ultra HD display.

You also won't have to worry about drowning out your machine's speakers when changing form factors, since there's a third speaker on the back designed to prevent that from happening. Despite some exceptions to the rule, as a rule, Bang & Olufsen produces high quality sound.

Fortunately, after careful testing, the HP Specter x360 15 speakers retained the high-quality sound expected from the company whose name the speakers are branded with. It's no AudioTechnica, but as laptops go, the speakers exceed all expectations.

The HP Specter x360 15 sets a pretty high standard for what a 2-in-1 hybrid laptop should look and sound like. Whether you're using it in stand or tablet mode, you get a consistently bright and colorful screen with deep blacks and great sound.

Considering that the laptop offers a full touch screen and the ability to change the form factor, the HP Specter x360 15 is objectively better than the 15-inch MacBook Pro(about 150,000 rubles). Which simply cannot offer these functions.

Considering the significantly lower price, you still get a Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and discrete graphics with 2GB of VRAM. However, you also get access to full set ports, both new and old. While the MacBook Pro is limited to four USB-C ports The HP Specter x360 15 uses two ports, but offers full-size HDMI, a "normal" USB port, and even an SD card slot.

Compare the HP Specter x360 15 to a more affordable one, and you'll see an increase in UHD resolution, extra storage SSD memory than even the most expensive configuration Samsung laptop. Sure, you'll be able to buy the Notebook 7 Spin for significantly less than HP's ambitious rival, but the Specter x360 15 offers advantages that make it worth the price.

CharacteristicsHPSpecterx360 15 (2017):

Here is the configuration of the HP Specter x360 15 that we received for review:

CPU: Intel Core i7-7500U 2.7 GHz (2-core, 4 MB cache, up to 3.5 GHz);
Graphic arts: Nvidia GeForce 940MX (2 GB GDDR5) | Intel HD Graphics 620;
RAM: 16 GB DDR4 (2 x 8 GB SDRAM, 2.133 MHz);
Screen: 15.6" UHD (3,840 x 2,160) UWVA eDP BrightView;
Built-in memory: 512 GB PCIe SSD (NVMe, M.2);
Ports: 2 x USB 3.1 Type-C (1 x Thunderbolt 3), 1 x USB 3.1, 1 x HDMI, 3.5mm headphone/mic jack, SD card slot;
Connection: Wi-Fi 802.11ac (2x2); Bluetooth 4.2;
Camera: HP Wide Vision IR camera + dual matrix and digital. microphones;
Weight: 2 kg;
Size: 355.6 x 251 x 17.8 mm (W x D x H);

Performance

HP Specter x360 15 may be equipped with Intel Core i7 discrete graphics Nvidia GeForce 940MX, but it's not at all gaming laptop. you will find in this rating. It's clear that the extra graphics performance is aimed more at creative users who want to take advantage of graphics-intensive tasks like photo editing and video editing. A laptop is suitable for this purpose.

As expected, while the HP Specter x360 15 performed well in the Sky Diver and Fire Strike tests, it struggled with 3DMark's new Time Spy stress test. However, it managed to double the results of the recent Acer Spin 7 in some sections.

As for Sky Diver, the laptop scored 6,648 compared to last year's HP Specter x360 15's 3,452. In the Fire Strike test, the laptop scored 1,925 compared to its predecessor's 848.

This is a significant difference from what we've seen before, and you can also compare the test results to the latest, which showed 3993 points in Sky Diver and 875 points in Fire Strike.

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Benchmarks

Here's how the HP Specter x360 15 (2017) performed in our review tests:

3DMark Time Spy: 548; Sky Diver: 6 648; Fire Strike: 1,925;
Cinebench (CPU): 346 points; Graphics: 63 FPS;
GeekBench 3: 3771 (Single core); 8017 (Multi-core);
PCMark 8 (Home Test): 2550 points;
PCMark 8 (Battery): 3 hours and 47 minutes;
Battery life (video test): 5 hours and 31 minutes;

As expected, the laptop not only outperformed last year's Skylake version, but also seriously challenged the latest x360 on Kaby Lake in a 13-inch format.

But this takes into account the performance of the GPU (video card), CPU The HP Specter x360 15 offers relatively the same performance as the 13-inch model, which makes sense considering they use the same processors.

One thing that stands out is that the laptop doesn't get too loud under load. The processor fan is virtually silent even when running multiple programs at the same time, ideal for working in public places.

Battery life

Keep in mind that the Core i7-7500U featured in the HP Specter x360 15 is mobile processor, designed for ultra-thin laptops. And while it offers decent performance, the decision to go for the smaller chip is driven by its power efficiency, hence you can expect extra battery life.

Unfortunately, in reality things are somewhat different. Compared to the 13.3-inch HP Specter x360, which easily passed PCMark 8 battery testing, the new HP Specter x360 15 offered only an hour of extra battery life from last year.

Our own video test, consisting of a looped playback of Guardians of the Galaxy in 1080p resolution up to complete discharge battery, gave up three hours of battery life to the 13-inch HP hybrid. It's not the end of the world, but battery life certainly is. weakness laptop you should keep in mind.

Given the battery size of 79.2 Wh, the reduction in battery life was a surprise. We're also not sure how to feel about the laptop charger. On the one hand, the charger supports HP Fast Charge, which promises to charge the battery from 0 to 50% in 30 minutes, on the other hand, the charger is bulky and inconvenient, especially considering that you are already carrying a bulky 15-inch laptop with you.

However, most of the battery shortcomings can be chalked up to Nvidia's discrete graphics chip, which projects four times as many pixels onto the screen as Full HD laptops like the 13-inch Specter x360.

We liked: The HP Specter x360 15 is a prime example of what a 15-inch laptop should be. It sparkles with potential, with gold accents throughout and a comfortable backlit keyboard.

Unlike many other laptops with a shortcut trademark Bang & Olufsen, the HP Specter x360's speakers are loud and clear, whether you're listening to hip-hop or watching Guardians of the Galaxy for 5 hours and 31 minutes.

The screen with Ultra HD resolution also deserves attention, which is also beyond praise, as is the sound. The bright and rich colors of the HP Specter x360 15 screen are a sight worthy of the laurels of a living flame in a fireplace. The laptop also uses Windows Ink, which is a nice addition because it allows you to use a stylus.

We didn't like it: Of course, the HP Specter x360 15 is difficult to criticize, except for the disappointment in the battery life department. Three to five and a half hours (or so) for a laptop with a 79.2W battery and an Ultrabook processor isn't much, but that's the price you pay for the GeForce green mark and a super-sharp screen.

Also, since the trackpad is so wide, it sometimes gets in the way of typing because it sits too close to the resting position of your palms. This is a more critical error, but otherwise there is nothing to criticize the Specter x360 15 for.

To sum it up...

For about RUB 100,000, you can buy a 13-inch MacBook Pro without Touch Bar, with an Intel Core i5 processor, 8 GB of RAM and just two USB-C ports with a headphone jack.

For the same price, you can purchase an HP Specter x360 15 equipped touch screen, a 360-degree hinge, an Intel Core i7 processor, an Nvidia GeForce 940MX graphics chip and a 15-inch UHD screen. And all this comes before you get access to full-size USB ports and the upcoming Thunderbolt 3 interface.

For its price, the HP Specter x360 15 boasts high-end specifications, as well as a luxurious design, coupled with wide functionality, which are very difficult to surpass. And while it may struggle a bit with battery life and trackpad placement, it's best laptop 2017, which will be an excellent choice for editors and media content creators.

HP Specter x360 15 (2017) review

Anton Zim

06.04.2017 While battery life isn't great, the HP Specter x360 delivers powerful performance, versatility, and a stunning design that's sure to get lots of compliments.

8 Overall Score

Verdict:

While battery life isn't great, the HP Specter x360 delivers powerful performance, versatility, and a stunning design that's sure to get lots of compliments.