If I can pinpoint the moment that HP's computers began to have a renaissance, I would look to the early-2015 HP Spectre x360. The all-metal laptop had all around excellent build quality with a giant trackpad, great keyboard, and a great design. It also has very high customer satisfaction ratings.
Fast forward to late 2016 and HP is redoing the Spectre x360 (13-w023dx) with a revamped designed and improvements all around. Besides the new 7th-generation Intel 'Kaby Lake' processors, HP has improved nearly every aspect of the Spectre — including support for Windows Hello (yes!). Let's see what's new.
In a nutshell this is what is new and improved with the Spectre x360 (late-2016):
- Thinner: 13.8mm versus 15.9mm
- Lighter: 2.85lbs (1.3kg) versus 3.2lbs (1.45kg)
- Thinner Bezel: 3.4mm versus 15.1mm (!)
Also, the Spectre gets the new 7th-generation Intel Core i5 or i7 processor, PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD, four Bang & Olufsen speakers, and an FHD front-facing HP TrueVision IR web camera that also works with Windows Hello for easy logins.
Perhaps the biggest innovation, though, is HP taking on Dell for thin bezels. While there is still a top and bottom bezel on the new Spectre, the sides have been reduced by 77% from last year's model making the FHD IPS touch display "edge to edge."
| Category | Specs |
|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 10 Home |
| Processor | 7th Gen Intel Core i5 or Core i7 |
| Display | 13.3-inch diagonal Full HD IPS UWVA WLED-backlit multitouch-enabled edge-to-edge glass 1920x 1080 |
| Memory | 8 or 16 GB LPDDR3 SDRAM |
| Solid-state drive | 512 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 Solid State Drive |
| Graphics | Intel HD Graphics 620 with up to 8258 MB total graphics memory |
| Audio | Bang & Olufsen with quad speakers |
| Battery life | Up to 14 hours and 15 minutes |
| Webcam | Front-facing HP TrueVision FHD IR Webcam Windows Hello capable |
| Weight | 2.85 lb (1.3kg) |
| Wireless | 2x2 802.11ac WLAN and Bluetooth |
| Keyboard | Full-size island-style backlit keyboard |
| HP Fast Charge | 0 to 90% charge in approximately 90 mins |
| Ports | 2 USB 3.1 Type-C Thunderbolt 1 USB 3.1 Type-A Gen 1 (HP Sleep and Charge) 1 Headphone/microphone combo |
Battery life is projected at 14+ hours with its 57.8 Whr battery, and it features HP Fast Charging, which lets you hit 90% capacity in just 90 minutes. The device is also configurable up with up to 16GB of RAM up from the previous 8GB limit.
Availability for the new HP Spectre x360 begins today on HP.com.
Prices start at $1049 for the Core i5 version with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and it jumps to $1299 for a Core i7 with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Also, US retailer Best Buy will be stocking the Core i7 version at the end of October in stores.
Dare I say the new HP Spectre x360 looks like the laptop to beat this year! Stay tuned; we'll be getting a hands-on demo later tonight in New York City!
Daniel Rubino is the Executive Editor of Windows Central, head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft here since 2007, back when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, Microsoft Surface, laptops, next-gen computing, and arguing with people on the internet.
