HP Spectre x360 14 review: A luxurious laptop that checks all the right boxes

Best Prices Today: HP Spectre x360 14-eu0895no

$1768.99

I’ve examined a number of variations of the HP Spectre x360 over time, an opulent and exemplary well-built laptop computer with a flip-up display and pen relaxation. They’ve typically been just a little too costly, just a little too heavy, and just a little too behind the curve to benefit a strong advice. But at all times good.

The newest 2024 mannequin may be very elegant and smooth with a 14-inch display coated by a shiny glass panel, a strong steel chassis, and aluminium surfaces in a muted darkish grey-blue tone. A high-quality keyboard supplies a pleasant typing really feel and a big mouse pad with drive suggestions from a haptic motor as an alternative of a mechanical click on supplies each good management and a cushty working place. While this machine has quite a bit to supply, it’s essential to contemplate the excessive price ticket and heavy weight. Read on to study extra.

Looking for extra choices? Check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best laptops accessible proper now.

HP Spectre x360 14: Well-thought-out design… generally

Although the keyboard isn’t significantly extensive as a result of speaker grilles on both aspect, it does really feel spacious due to the intelligent design. My first criticism is that the on button with the built-in fingerprint reader sits simply above the backsplash of the keyboard. This causes involuntary locking on many different computer systems, however HP managed to unravel it and a brief press does nothing.

Mattias Inghe

Edges and corners are softly rounded to offer essentially the most comfy grip doable, which can be wanted as the pc isn’t very gentle. It weighs 3.43 kilos, properly above the two.86 kilos that’s normally thought of the restrict for an ultraportable.

The laptop’s few bodily ports are secondary with a USB-C port and a headphone port on beveled corners in direction of the again and a USB-A that must be unfolded to plug in devices. Neat, however maybe not essentially the most sensible.

It works anyway and the ports are of the very best normal. You’re getting Thunderbolt 4 on two USB-C and USB 3 gen 2 on the USB-A port. However, you don’t get extra, so if you wish to cost the battery on a USB-C and join numerous equipment, you’ll must get a hub.

HP Spectre x360 14: Fast OLED show

The display is a high-resolution OLED panel with 2880×1800 pixels, as much as 120Hz dynamic body price, intense colours with 100 % DCI-P3 protection, and glorious distinction in addition to HDR help. Brightness beneath regular use is as much as 400 cd/m2, so it’s nice for working open air. However, the shiny contact floor could cause some reflection issues.

With IMAX Enhanced help, because of this not solely does the display meet excessive coloration and dynamic necessities, however the sound can also be at a excessive stage. The upward-facing audio system along side the keyboard and a pair extra constructed into the entrance present clear, clear sound with loads of quantity and element. There’s a slight lack of heat and weight within the bass, however that’s not shocking given the slim kind issue.

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Both display and sound will be managed from the My HP app, the place you’ll additionally discover fan management, trackpad gesture controls, and pen settings (when you have one). I didn’t get one with my check laptop and it doesn’t appear to be included, so I haven’t been capable of check how good the Spectre x360 14 is as a pill with the display flipped again. But the predecessors have been good at it, so I assume HP hasn’t actively degraded the pen management on this yr’s mannequin.

For some cause, there are two extra management packages, that are the HP Command Center and the Omen Gaming Hub. They solely have a few small features every. Why HP didn’t merely embody these in My HP as an alternative is past me.

HP Spectre x360 14: Good efficiency for many duties

The {hardware} is spectacular, too. Here sits Intel’s new Core Ultra 7 processor, the identical one I examined simply earlier than Christmas in a brand new Asus Zenbook 14. The Core Ultra era, additionally referred to as Meteor Lake, doesn’t imply an enormous efficiency enhance in comparison with era 13’s Core i7 processor, however the primary benefits are cooler and extra energy-efficient operation and considerably extra highly effective graphics with Arc circuitry as an alternative of the earlier UHD Graphics or Iris.

Now you may even play some video games on it with first rate high quality, one thing solely AMD processors might do earlier than. At least with cautious graphics results, ray tracing, and determination round 1080p. Occasional video games might have bother working as they don’t acknowledge separate video reminiscence, however with time and the precise drivers, this could clear up. Longer gaming periods additionally trigger efficiency to drop progressively.

You get 32GB of quick, low-profile DDR5X reminiscence and a really quick 1TB SSD. You don’t get an SD card reader, so that you’ll must plug in a USB disc for extra space for storing in case you completely must.

Browsing, working Office packages with massive paperwork, modifying pictures, and slicing movie is generally fast and easy and, with a lot reminiscence, it’s straightforward to multitask. The Spectre x360 14 gave me significantly better benchmark outcomes than the Asus laptop.

Mattias Inghe

HP Spectre x360 14: Surprisingly quiet

The Spectre X360 14 has extra subdued fan cooling, which solely offers off a gentle hiss that’s straightforward to miss. This is noticeable after I evaluate stress exams on the 2 computer systems, Asus can keep at most stage for longer, which implies that lengthy video exports are sooner. But solely barely and I clearly desire HP’s prioritization right here. It’s a really comfy laptop to work on.

The fan management in My HP means that you can select between working it fully or virtually silently with muted efficiency, elevating ambitions in a efficiency mode, or letting an AI-driven Smart Sense mode strike a superb steadiness between these extremes.

Another factor that’s model new is Wi-Fi. This is the primary laptop computer I’ve examined with Intel’s BE200 circuit in it that gives Wi-Fi 7 help. It will be very quick and steady to shovel knowledge via the air when you have the precise router, which I happily had, as I’m at the moment testing one as properly. There can be an avalanche of laptops, tablets, and extra mobiles working Wi-Fi 7 this yr and extra reasonably priced routers, so being early with this one from HP just isn’t fully mistaken.

Mattias Inghe

HP Spectre x360 14: Lasts longer than anticipated

The battery life is sort of good. I managed two hours of processor-heavy work and gaming on a vibrant display and 19 hours of browsing and phrase processing on a dimmed display. That’s actually good contemplating its high-resolution OLED display that may typically leap as much as 120 Hz mode. There are longer-lasting laptops, however not many which can be this slim and quick.

HP additionally will get factors for its high-quality and versatile webcam. It movies as much as 4K in case you use HP’s personal Enhanced Camera function. It can then be accessed in different functions resembling streaming or video conferencing as a digital digicam. It has options like sensible gentle and coloration management, eye contact impact, de-worming, and extra. These are issues which can be already ample in assembly packages resembling Zoom and Teams, however it might be good to have another choice. If you run the digicam immediately, you get at finest 1440p, even then with top quality.

The digicam additionally helps IR for face login and there’s a well-functioning presence detection that makes use of the digicam. It shuts down the pc whenever you go away it, wakes it up whenever you return, and may dim the brightness whenever you’re not wanting on the display. The digicam may also acknowledge easy hand gestures to, for instance, pause a media playback or browse a photograph gallery.

Mattias Inghe

So sure, though this can be a pretty costly laptop, you get sufficient high quality in your cash that it doesn’t really feel such as you’re being ripped off. If I received a barely doubtful impression of Intel’s new Ultra sequence with the Asus Zenbook 14, then HP straightens out the query marks right here.

HP Spectre x360 14: Specifications

Product title: HP Spectre x360 14-eu0895no
Tested: January 2024
Manufacturer: HP
Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, 6pcs P-core as much as 4,8 GHz + 8pcs E-core, 2pcs LP-core
Graphics: Intel Arc Graphics
Memory: 32GB DDR5X
Storage: 1TB SSD
Displays: 14-inch shiny OLED, 2880×1800 pixels, 120Hz
Webcam: 9 megapixel (4k), IR for Windows Hello
Connections: 2pcs Thunderbolt 4, USB-A 3 Gen 2, headset
Wireless: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Operating system: Windows 11 Home
Other: Flippable to pill mode, fingerprint reader
Noise stage: 0-36 dBa
Battery life: 68 Wh, 2 hours 15 minutes (excessive load, full brightness) to approx. 19 hours (low load, low brightness)
Size: 31.37 x 22.04 x 1.69 cm
Weight: 3.43 lbs

HP Spectre x360 14: Performance

Cinebench R23, CPU a number of cores: 13,229 factors
CinebenchR23, CPU single core: 1,712 factors
Geekbench 6, CPU a number of cores: 12,889 factors
Geekbench 6, CPU single core: 2,400 factors
Geekbench 6, GPU: 35,468 factors
Disk learn: Up to 6,957.49 MB/s
Disk write: Up to 5,308.52 MB/s

This assessment was translated from Swedish to English and initially appeared on pcforalla.se.