New HP Specter x360. Appearance, materials, control elements, assembly

*Select models only.**Only available on 33.8 cm (13.3 in) diagonal model.1. The pen may be sold separately.
2. Weight and system dimensions may vary depending on configuration and due to manufacturing variations.
3. Multi-Core technology is designed to improve the performance of certain software products. Not all users and programs can take advantage of this technology. Performance and clock speed vary by workload and hardware and software configuration. Intel product numbering is not a performance level indicator.
4. Based on HP internal testing using CrystalDiskMark benchmark software. Sequential (read-only) performance is superior to traditional 5400 RPM hard drives.
5. NVIDIA® graphics card is only available on select 15" Specter x360 models.
6. Battery life varies depending on many factors such as device model, configuration, loaded applications, features, usage, wireless support, and power management settings. The maximum battery life decreases as you use it. For more information, visit https://bapco.com/products/mobilemark-2014/.
7. HP tested with continuous HD video playback at 720p (1280 x 720), 150 nits, 50% volume, 100% player volume, local storage, headphones connected, wireless disabled communication, with the automatic dimming function disabled. Actual battery life varies depending on configuration. The maximum battery life decreases as you use it.
8. Transfer speed may vary. All performance specifications are the standard specifications specified by HP component manufacturers; actual figures may differ from those shown.
9. USB Type-C™ and USB-C™ are trademarks of USB Implementers Forum.
10. To view 4K images, you need 4K content.
11. 4K resolution is available as an option on select models only.
12. Available on 13" models only.
13. Quad speakers are only available on 15.6-inch models.
14. Third party software or applications may be required to use the privacy screen.
15. Third party software or applications may be required to provide the functionality described.
16. Charge the battery to 90% in 90 minutes with the system turned off (using the “Shutdown” command). We recommend using the HP adapter that came with your laptop and not using charger smaller capacity. Once the battery is charged to 90%, the standard charging speed will be restored. Charging times may vary by +/-10% due to existing system tolerances. Available on select HP Specter, HP Envy and HP Omen and HP Pavilion PC models. Full list For product features and specifications, visit http://store.hp.com.
17. Charge the battery to 50% in 30 minutes with the system turned off (using the “Shutdown” command). We recommend using the HP adapter that came with your laptop and not using a smaller charger. Once the battery is charged to 50%, the standard charging speed will be restored. Charging times may vary by +/-10% due to existing system tolerances. Available on select HP Specter 2-in-1 and HP x2 PC models. For a complete list of product features and specifications, visit http://store.hp.com.

The following applies to HP systems with Intel Skylake processors or next-generation SoCs that are downgraded from Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10 Pro Windows version 7 Professional, Windows 8 Professional, or Windows 8.1: These versions of the Windows operating system installed on the processors and chipsets in this system have limited support from Microsoft. For more information about support, see the Microsoft Product Support Lifecycle FAQ at https://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle. Microsoft and Windows are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Intel and Core are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries.
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We rarely test laptops, the reason for this is quite simple - there are so many offers on the market that even if all the authors write five reviews of laptops a month, we still will not be able to cover the entire variety of models, especially if we talk about the segment up to 20,000 rubles. But we can talk about fashion ultrabooks, of which there are not many, and, in my opinion, they are the most interesting from the point of view of getting to know them.

Characteristics

• Class: ultrabook
• Form factor: convertible laptop
• Housing materials: aluminum
• operating system:Windows 10
• Platform: Intel Core i5-5200U/Core i7-5500U
• Processor: dual-core 2.2/2.4 GHz
• Video card: Intel HD Graphics 5500
• RAM: 4/8 GB
• Storage memory: SSD 256/512 GB
• Wireless interfaces: Wi-Fi (a/b/g/n/ac), dual-band, Miracast support, Bluetooth 4.0 (A2DP, EDR)
• Screen: 13.3’’, capacitive, IPS matrix, 1920x1080/2560x1440 pixels (FHD/Quad HD), automatic backlight level adjustment, oleophobic coating
• Front camera: 1.3 MP
• Battery capacity: 56 Wh
• Dimensions: 325 x 218 x 16 mm
• Weight: 1.51 kg
• Price: 78,000-117,000 rubles

Equipment

• Laptop
• Charger
• power unit
• Neoprene cover

The silver laptop comes with a black charger and a power supply of the same color. To be honest, I don’t understand what the problem is with integrating the power supply into the charger, as is done in the same MacBook Pro. Also in the box you will find a simple neoprene pocket case; it looks downright cheap and, as you may have noticed, gets dirty quickly.

Appearance, materials, control elements, assembly

I liked the laptop at first sight, even when I just took it out of the box. Still, the aluminum body provides a significant advantage in design, which is why manufacturers so often use this move.

As I already said, most The body is made of aluminum, it is not the same as in the MacBook, less smooth and slightly rough to the touch. If you look at the Specter from behind, its design resembles a “sandwich”; the two halves seem to be unconnected at first glance, but this is not the case. Hinges are used as fastening; they also guarantee the device a 360-degree rotation of the screen.

The manufacturer did not skimp on various ports; I will list them (from left to right):

Right end:

1. 3.5 mm for headphones
2. Two USB ports
3. HDMI 2.0
4. MiniDP 1.2
5. Volume rocker and Windows button

Left end:

1. Charger connector
2. Ventilation grill
3. USB port
4. Power button with integrated indicator light
5. SD card slot

At the bottom there is another air exhaust grille and two stereo speakers. The latter have an excellent volume reserve and good sound quality.

Dimensions

In terms of size, the HP Specter x360 is a typical representative of 13.3-inch laptops and does not differ much from most of them in size. Of course, the Acer Aspire S7 is a little thinner and lighter, but in reality you won't really notice the difference.

Transformer modes

The laptop supports four traditional transformer modes, thanks to two hinges you can rotate the screen 360 degrees.

In tablet mode, with the keyboard upside down, its buttons are automatically disabled, so you can safely press them while holding the device in your hands.

Screen

To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised by the screen in all respects: the brightness and clarity of the picture, the presence of an oleophobic coating, excellent behavior in the sun and under artificial light, and competent scaling (although this is apparently due to the updated Windows 10).

I tested the older model with QuadHD resolution, and, again, I’m absolutely delighted with this screen, its quality is on par with the MacBook Pro 13 Retina.

The laptop has a wonderful oleophobic coating, which makes using the touch screen a pleasure.

operating system

The laptop runs full-fledged Windows 10, and everything is very good with scaling. Skype itself looks quite tolerable, and the same applies to other applications. We are planning a separate review of the “ten”, so we will not discuss it in today’s article.

Performance and Heat

As you can see, the difference in the two versions of the laptop concerns not only the display, but also the amount of RAM/ internal memory, as well as the chipset used. I tested the older version, which did just fine for any day-to-day tasks, from working in Word to editing photos in Photoshop. Of course, this model is definitely not worth considering as a gaming solution.

During use, I paid attention to the operation of the coolers. You might be just typing in Word or surfing Chrome when the fans suddenly wake up and start humming at full blast. However, no productive tasks are performed at this time. Perhaps this is the only drawback that I could find fault with.

Autonomous operation

The battery capacity is 56 Wh, the manufacturer promises you up to 12.5 hours of battery life, but in fact, these figures are far from reality. At maximum brightness and using simple text editors with a browser, the laptop's charge lasted about five hours. HD video mode drained it in seven hours. If you leave your laptop in sleep mode overnight, it will go into hibernation mode after 15 minutes, so you'll find it in the morning with the same charge you left it with. Turning on in this case takes about three to four seconds.

Keyboard and touchpad

You know, I'm rarely satisfied with laptop keyboards, but the HP Specter pleasantly surprised me in this regard. Firstly, the location of the buttons - nothing is cut off anywhere, even for the ill-fated letters “Y” “Y” and “Y” they did not reduce the space, and this is very cool. Typing on this keyboard is a pleasure. The keys have a short travel, but you quickly get used to it, but I would like full-fledged arrows.

The laptop has a backlight for the keys, it is not adjustable in brightness; when it is turned off, one button continues to glow, and this, frankly, is annoying.

In the laptop world, it's common to praise the size of the touchpad in various MacBooks, but HP managed to outdo even Apple. The touchpad on this laptop is not just big, it's huge. At first, this solution seems clumsy, but then you get used to the appearance and begin to enjoy the advantages of such dimensions.

Wireless interfaces

There are no complaints about the wireless interfaces, both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth work great, there were no problems with them.

Conclusion

You can find two versions of the HP Specter X360 on sale: “simpler” and “more expensive”. The first uses FHD resolution, Intel Core i5, 4 GB of RAM and 256 internal memory, the second uses QuadHD, Core i7, 8 and 512 GB, respectively. The first costs 78,000 rubles, the second - 117,000 rubles.

In my opinion, overpaying for the older version is not advisable; you will not notice much of a difference between FHD and QuadHD on a similar diagonal, and the performance of the Core i7 in such a solution is excessive. The younger model looks like a good business laptop for people who need a fast and thin computer with an excellent screen, average operating time and the ability to use it as a transformer (for example, during flights). The key drawback of the model is the noisy operation of the fans, which turn on painfully often.

My main laptop is a MacBook Pro 13 Retina, and every time I test its competitors on Windows, I'm disappointed with one thing or another. It was all the more surprising for me to note that I can work perfectly well on the Specter x360: I liked the keyboard, the appearance of the laptop, the screen, the oleophobic coating and the transformer modes, even Windows 10 has improved a little in terms of scaling. The only thing in which the Specter is inferior to the same MacBook is the noise of the coolers, and this drawback did not seem critical to me.

Is this an expensive model? Here it would be appropriate to joke: “Not at all, in the segment up to $1000.” But seriously, all competitors cost +/- similar money, take the same Aspire S7 or MacBook Pro 13 Retina.

IN lately The form factor of laptops that can turn into a tablet and back is beginning to be in great demand. The HP Specter X360 belongs to this category of devices and is updated by the manufacturer every year so that you can get top-end technical specifications, a high-quality display and a number of new technologies. The HP Specter X360 13-inch convertible laptop is built on a powerful Intel i7 ULV-series processor and equipped with powerful battery at 56 Wh. Let's carry out full review HP Specter X360 and let's see how successful the laptop turned out.

Specifications:

• Type: convertible laptop
• Housing: plastic, aluminum
• Screen: IPS matrix, 13.3", 1920x1080, glossy, touch, capacitive
• Processor: Intel Core i7–7500U, 1.7–3.5 GHz
• Video card: Intel HD 520
• RAM: 8 GB, DDR3–1600
• Storage: SSD 512 GB, M.2
• Interfaces: USB 3.0, 2x USB 3.1 (Type C), combined with Thunderbolt, 3.5 mm audio
• Wireless interfaces: Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.2
• Multimedia: microphone, Bang&Olufsen speakers, HD webcam
• Operating system: Windows 10
• Battery: 56 Wh, built-in
• Dimensions: 325x218x16 mm
• Weight: 1.45 kg

Equipment

The delivery package turned out to be as follows:

• Charger and power supply for it;
• Case made of neoprene.

The HP Specter X360 2018 laptop with a silver case comes with a black power supply and charger, which is not entirely clear. It would be more correct and aesthetically pleasing if they were painted the same color. Complete case is fast

HP Specter X360 convertible laptop design

The design turned out to be very successful and most importantly, it stands out among the mass of similar competitor solutions. You can feel it as soon as you take the laptop out of the box. The body feels high-quality and monolithic, and tactile metal was used for its manufacture. But it is different from what was used in the MacBook. It is not so smooth and rather rough tactilely.

When you look at the HP Specter X360 convertible laptop from the back, you get the impression that it is a sandwich whose two halves seem to be not connected to each other. Although, of course, in reality this is not the case. Hinges are used for fixation, which allows you to rotate the display a full 360 degrees.

There are many ports throughout the body, allowing you to connect everything you need for work and entertainment. It will be easier to list them in a list.

The following elements were installed on the right side:

• 3.5 mm headset jack;
• Pair of USB ports;
• HDMI 2.0;
• MiniDP 1.2
• Windows key and rocker, which is used to control the volume.

By left side we observe the following:

• Socket for connecting a charger;
• Ventilation grill;
• USB port;
• Power key, which has an integrated indicator light;
• SD card slot.

An additional grille for air exhaust and a pair of speakers were left at the bottom, which gives a full stereo effect. The HP Specter X360 review showed an excellent volume reserve and decent sound quality, but more on that later.

The laptop has a 13.3-inch LED-backlit matrix and a high resolution of 2560x1440 pixels. With these parameters we get 221 pixels per inch. Using the screen at this resolution is a pleasure - the picture looks juicy and well detailed, although there will be those who are against this. The backlight is uneven - at the bottom it is 19% dimmer than at the top.

The brightness reserve is sufficient, although for an ultrabook it could be higher, because sometimes you are faced with the need to work outdoors. In this case, you will have to look for shade. Otherwise, the picture remains legible, but fades greatly when exposed to direct sunlight.

Viewing angles are maximum. The display itself is touch-sensitive and has a glossy surface, so working with it is not particularly convenient. You will have to look at the image through the image of your loved one; after all, a matte screen would be much more practical. Another disadvantage is the wide frames that surround the entire perimeter of the screen. This is not a critical point, but still in 2018 you expect minimal frameworks or no framework at all.

Sound

On the body of the HP Specter X360 13 2018 there is the inscription BANG & OLUFSEN, which hints at the use of an advanced audio system created by real professionals. But in reality the sound is nothing special. In general, the quality is good, but as soon as you turn the sound up to maximum volume, the speakers almost start to wheeze. Pre-installed software for adjusting sound does not change the situation much. It has only minimal possibilities for individualizing the sound.

HP Specter X360 Laptop Performance and Specifications

In 2018, the HP Specter X360 convertible laptop is available in two modifications, which differ in processor power. I received a model with an Intel Core i7-6500U processor for review. The two processor cores are capable of overclocking to 3.1 MHz and what is surprising is the ventilation system. Even in such a compact case with a thickness of only 16 mm, the laptop does not overheat, and its coolers do not make noise like helicopter blades. Even with the CPU and GPU under full load, we only managed to heat it to 64 degrees during testing of the HP Specter X360.

True, as a further review showed, for this the manufacturer resorted to a little trick, which clearly cannot be called an advantage of the model - it resets the processor frequency to 1500 MHz and cuts the performance of the graphics core by 20%. This is clearly visible in the results of synthetic tests, where the laptop produces more modest results than other models with similar technical characteristics. Our review of the HP Specter X360 2018 showed that this becomes even more noticeable in games.

The laptop has 8 GB installed RAM, which is still enough to solve any problems. But considering the cost of over $1500, you don't expect to get DDR3 with a frequency of 1600 MHz. This is not what you expect from a 2018 model. The difference in operating speed with DDR4 is not so great, but in the future it may be difficult to replace a RAM stick, since the DDR3 standard is gradually leaving the market.

A review of the HP Specter X360 laptop showed that it should not be considered as a gaming device, even if you are willing to play on minimal graphics. This is not his strong point; at 23 fps in Tanks and 18 in Dirt Rally it is simply impossible to play. This is an exceptionally basic work laptop for graphics and text work, although it is very expensive for its features.

The cost of the device is partially covered by the use of a 512 GB solid-state SSD drive. Such a disk is expensive, but it provides good system performance and high read and write speeds. I think the volume was chosen optimally so that all files could be stored directly in the laptop’s memory, rather than dragging around an external drive.

2018 HP Specter X360 battery life

Failed to install on laptop good system cooling, sacrificing performance, but at least enough space was allocated for the battery. It provides up to 9 hours of movie playback at near maximum brightness. In games you can count on 3 hours of battery life, but as noted above, you can only play simple arcade games.

If you leave the HP Specter X360 convertible laptop unattended for a long time, then after 15 minutes it goes into hibernation mode. Therefore, upon your return, the battery charge level will not change.

Keyboard and touchpad

Review of the HP Specter X360 13 ae008ur laptop I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the keyboard and the comfort of working with it. Honestly, I rarely experience such emotions in modern models. First of all, the location of the keys is pleasing - nothing is cut off, there was even a place for the letter “E”, which almost no one uses anymore. Typing text on this keyboard is very convenient. The keys have a short travel, which you quickly get used to. The only thing I would like to see is full-fledged arrows.

The keys are backlit, so the keyboard is pleasant to use even in the dark. The brightness level cannot be adjusted. The backlight can be turned off. In this case, only the last key pressed will be highlighted.

The HP Specter X360 has a huge touchpad - one of the largest in modern laptops. This makes its use as comfortable as possible, although at first you may accidentally touch it.

Conclusion

The HP Specter X360 convertible laptop can be bought in two modifications - a more productive, but expensive version or a cheaper one. In the first case, you get a 7th generation Intel processor, 8 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD. The more affordable laptop uses an i5 paired with 4GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage.

The difference in price is clearly noticeable - 78,000 rubles versus 117,000. In my opinion, it’s not worth overpaying, since you won’t feel much of an increase in productivity. Of course it is, but the laptop is still not suitable for gaming, and the basic version copes well with everything else.

Advantages:

• Spectacular design and metal as the main body material;
• There are all the necessary connectors for connecting external devices;
• Comfortable keyboard;
• Good battery life;
• Transformer mode with the ability to rotate the screen at least 360 degrees;
• Silent operation of coolers.

Flaws:

• Terrible performance. The performance of the processor and video core is specially reduced so that the laptop does not overheat. As a result, you can forget about games;
• Glossy screen;
• Overpriced.

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As if Freddie Mercury walked into the HP office singing “I want it all,” the 13.3-inch Specter x360 convertible laptop also hints that yes, you can not only “want it all,” but also get it for a fraction of the price. $1,149 (model tested at $1,359). Thanks to the sleek design of this machine and the ultra-powerful 8th generation Intel processor, you will get not only external beauty, but also brutal performance.

Plus, the Specter's comfortable keyboard, display with optional privacy mode, and great sound make it equally good for work and play. Its screen is a little dim and its battery life is decent, if a bit less than that what competitors offer. That said, the Specter x360 is one of the best consumer 2-in-1 models you can buy right now.

Design

The Specter x360 looks like a solid ingot of aluminum. The only difference between this year's model and last year's version is that the rear edge of the new model, when closed, is a pair of rigidly beveled edges, as opposed to the curved design of the old model. We tested the dull silver model, but throughout the test we were tempted to try the black-and-copper model that HP calls Dark Ash Silver, which costs $10 more.

One of the most pleasant improvements in new Specter The x360 has a hinge that feels unusually tight. This is useful when you rotate the display from laptop mode to tablet, stand, or display mode.

With dimensions of 30.4 x 21.8 x 1.23 cm and a weight of 1.3 kg, the 13.3-inch Specter x360 is similar in size to the . It's also lighter than the 13.9-inch Lenovo Yoga 920 and heavier than the 12.3-inch Microsoft Surface Pro.

Specter x360 has both modern and “good old” ports. These include dual Thunderbolt 3 with right side, USB 3.1 next to the headphone jack - on the left. Also pleasant surprise from HP there is a slot for microSD memory cards, given that the previous model did not have such a slot.

Since the Specter x360 has a foldable design, the fingerprint sensor and power and volume buttons are located on the sides, next to the ports. Kudos to HP for not placing the fingerprint reader inside the touchpad, as some manufacturers do.

During testing, the fingerprint scanner performed well, helping to unlock the system upon boot. But the volume buttons seemed a little hard to us, requiring excessive force to press them.

Display

The 13.3-inch Spectra x360 display with 1080p resolution delivers excellent color reproduction. While watching the Black Panther trailer, we noticed how bright the glowing console on Okoye's ship and the tones of her golden-red armor looked. The 1080p display resolution is clear enough to see the texture of Black Panther's armor and Erik Killmonger's luxurious coat.

Displaying 109 percent of the sRGB spectrum, the Specter x360's screen is close to the average of 102 percent, not far behind the Yoga 920's 105 percent and almost matching the XPS 13's 111 percent. The Surface Pro was brighter at 140 percent.

The Specter x360 measured just 261 nits on our colorimeter, falling below the Yoga 920's 285-nit average and 283 nits. The 367-nit XPS 13 and 395-nit Surface Pro have much better brightness, as do viewing angles.

The Specter x360's touchscreen accurately registers touches as you drag icons and scroll across web pages. It also quickly recognizes Windows 10 navigation gestures to view all windows and open Action Center.

The Specter x360 SSD copies DVD media files in a lightning-fast 9 seconds at 567 Mbps.

For those who use a laptop in public places or with privacy-averse friends, family, or colleagues, the optional Sure View privacy mode (an additional $60) will come in handy, which unfortunately isn't available on 4K displays. Activated by pressing the F1 key, Sure View makes the screen as white as possible when viewed at an angle. In testing, we noticed that it makes text illegible when viewed at an angle of 45 degrees or more.

Keyboard, touchpad and stylus

The Specter x360 isn't one of those super-thin laptops that will limit your typing experience. On the 10fastfingers benchmark, the Specter's comfortable keys achieved a speed of 78 wpm, which is very close to our average average of 80 wpm. Some of the lag may be due to the decent actuation force required - 80 grams (we consider at least 60 grams normal), and the keys have 1.3 millimeters of travel, which is quite low compared to the minimum 1.5 mm that is considered comfortable .

The ultra-wide 11.9 x 6 cm touchpad allows you to navigate faster by accurately tracking your input. It also perfectly recognizes the system's navigation gestures for viewing the desktop and all open applications.

The Specter x360 comes with a seemingly run-of-the-mill stylus, but this pen has a hidden feature: charging. A simple twist of the end of the stylus allows you to remove the cover and reveal the USB Type-C port, which is used for charging. Charging is done using the same cable used to charge the Specter. This is much more convenient than an Apple Pencil or buying AAAA batteries that can only be found on Amazon.

Audio

The Bang & Olufsen-branded speakers in the Specter x360 allow this little machine to pump out an impressive amount of sound. During testing, he managed to fill our office with Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer". We noted how clear the vocals sounded and how capacious the drums were.

The Specter x360's 13.3-inch 1080p display produces richly rich color.

A Bang & Olufsen audio tuning app is included, although we didn't find its presets particularly useful. The default option is “Music”. The Movies setting is essentially the same, and Audio doesn't clear out low-quality tracks enough for noise to make it worth constantly switching between them.

Performance

Our Specter x360 test was equipped with an 8-core Intel Core i7-8550U processor with 512 GB PCIe SSD and 16 GB of RAM, which provided good speed, solid performance and even allowed us to play games. We didn't notice any stuttering after splitting the screen between a 1080p YouTube video and a dozen Chrome tabs, including Giphy, Slack, TweetDeck, and Google Docs.

In the main Geekbench 4 benchmark test, our Specter x360 posted a respectable 13,569 points, which falls between the Yoga 920's 13,307 (Core i7-8550U with 8GB RAM) and the XPS 13's 14,159 (Core i7-8550U with 8GB RAM) ). The segment average is 7358, which includes ratings for a wide variety of laptops, including those on older Intel 7th Gen processors.

The 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD allows the Specter x360 to rip a selection of DVD media files in 9 seconds at 565Mbps. That's faster than the average speed of 228 Mbps, as well as the Yoga 920's 301 Mbps (256GB NVMe PCIe SSD) and the XPS 13's 509 Mbps (256GB SSD). The Surface Pro with its 339 Mbps (1 TB SSD) is also left behind.

The Specter x360 achieved 3 minutes and 22 seconds in the OpenOffice performance test, matching 20,000 names to addresses, in a shorter period of time than average 5:38. The Yoga 920 (3:18), XPS 13 (3:19), and Surface Pro (3:14) were faster, but not by much.

The Bang & Olufsen speakers built into the Specter x360 allow this little laptop to pump out a surprising amount of sound.

Low-end gamers can expect lag-free gaming from the Specter x360. The device uses an integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620 chip. Not only did this 2-in-1 convertible laptop allow you to play the popular platformer Cuphead without any problems, it also made it possible to play Dirt 3 with a frequency of 56 frames per second, which exceeded the minimum comfortable gaming threshold is 30 fps and average level is 42 fps. We saw a lower refresh rate of 36fps on the Yoga 920 (Intel UHD Graphics 620), while a higher refresh rate of 57fps was seen on the XPS 13 (2017) (Intel UHD Graphics 620).

The Specter x360 also performed well on the 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited graphics test with a solid score of 79,529, which is above the average score of 58,981. The Surface Pro (Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640) scored higher at 109,679, the Yoga 920 scored 86,268, and the XPS scored 81,836. 13.

Battery life

The Specter x360's battery life should last most of the day, but some competitors last even longer. On our battery test, which involves continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi, this HP laptop lasted 8 hours and 27 minutes. This is in line with the average for the ultraportable category. The Yoga 920 (12:23) lasts much longer, but the Surface Pro (7:31) has less endurance.

Webcam

The selfie, taken with the Specter x360's 2.0-megapixel camera, is so grainy that it looks like the T-shirt was rolled in dust before the photo was taken.

But no, this is not dust, but the usual graininess characteristic of most built-in webcams. IN in this case It's also worth considering an external webcam if video communication is important to you.

Heat dissipation

With this laptop you don't have to worry about overheating. After watching a 15-minute HD video, our infrared thermometer recorded 30 degrees on the computer's touchpad, 31 degrees on the keyboard, and 33 degrees on the bottom, which did not exceed the 35-degree threshold for comfortable temperature.

This year's model dissipates heat better because the vent has been moved to the left side, away from where your hand might be. The ventilation is now located on the rear panel.

Software

HP offers the Specter x360 with a relatively small set of pre-installed software. The JumpStart app guides you through the setup; Support Assistant will help you download drivers and contact HP, and Recovery Manager will help you manage your backups and create recovery images. There is also a yearly offer for 30 GB of free storage in Dropbox, although only available to new subscribers.

Configuration

We tested the $1,359 Specter x360 configuration, which includes an 8th-gen Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, a Sure View privacy screen, and a stylus. If you don't need that kind of performance, you can opt for the $1,049 entry-level model; it comes with Core i5, 8GB RAM and 256GB storage.

We'd happily spend the extra $10 for the black-and-copper color scheme of the laptop, but we probably wouldn't order HP's optional 3840x2160-pixel display ($150 extra) since it would likely increase power consumption.

Bottom line

There's a lot to love about the Specter x360. Using it, you will experience a sensation akin to riding in a luxury limousine, enjoying impressive speed, a comfortable keyboard, rich sound and Safe View privacy mode. My only wish is that this 2-in-1 transformer works longer without charging, and that its screen becomes a little brighter.

The Lenovo Yoga 920, which starts at $1,299, lasts 4 hours longer and has a brighter display, but we liked its keyboard less than the HP's. Overall, the Specter x360 is one of the best-looking 2-in-1 devices on the market and is definitely worth checking out.

Result: 4 out of 5

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, a USB 3.1 connector and an audio jack.

Screen resolution can be Full HD (1920 × 1080) or 4K (3840 × 2160). It is protected from scratches by durable 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.

In configuration with 4K screen and Core processor The i7 laptop can work without recharging for up to 10 hours in mixed use mode or 8 hours 45 minutes when playing video. 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 added security and privacy protection, the laptop is equipped with both a fingerprint scanner and an infrared webcam for facial recognition login 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.