HP Spectre x360 14 review: Keeping the Windows 2-in-1 dream alive

Price When Reviewed

$1,819.99

Best Prices Today: HP Spectre x360

Let’s face it: the shine rubbed off Windows 2-in-1s a very long time in the past. Once, it was thought that enticing, modern, and lightweight touchscreen PCs might fuse laptops and tablets to make each out of date within the course of, however immediately many patrons—and laptop computer producers—have refocused on bigger, extra highly effective machines.

But the dream of a single, do-it-all gadget isn’t completely deserted. The HP Spectre x360 14-inch is a sexy and slim 2-in-1 that’s moveable sufficient to make use of in any state of affairs. It’s an incredible alternative for frequent fliers and enterprise vacationers, although Windows’ outdated touchscreen woes stay an impediment.

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

HP Spectre x360 14: Specs and options

The HP Spectre x360 14’s specs are spectacular for a 14-inch 2-in-1 gadget. It has Intel’s Core Ultra 155H 16-core processor, 32GB of reminiscence, a 2TB stable state drive, and a 2880×1800 OLED touchscreen. All of those specs are upgrades from the bottom mannequin, however HP’s improve pricing is affordable. 

• CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 155H
• Memory: 32GB LPDDR5
• Graphics/GPU: Intel Arc built-in
• Display: 2880×1800 OLED touchscreen as much as 120Hz
• Storage: 2TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4 stable state drive
• Webcam: 4K webcam
• Connectivity: 2x USB Type-C, 1x USB Type-A, 1x 3.5mm combo audio jack
• Networking: Wi-Fi 7 Bluetooth 5.4
• Biometrics: Windows Hello facial recognition, fingerprint reader 
• Battery capability: 68 watt-hour
• Dimensions: 12.35 x 8.68 x 0.67 inches
• Weight: 3.19 kilos
• MSRP: $1,449.99 to start out, $1,819.99 as examined

That’s not all. The Spectre x360 14 additionally has a 4K webcam with an IR reader for facial recognition login, a fingerprint reader, elective Wi-Fi 7 help, and an included rechargeable lively stylus. These options add as much as an costly but affordable $1,819.99 MSRP which, on the time of this evaluation, was discounted to $1,519.99.  

HP Spectre x360 14: Design and construct high quality

IDG / Matthew Smith

IDG / Matthew Smith

IDG / Matthew Smith

I used to be instantly passionate about the HP Spectre x360 14. Not as a result of it’s totally different, or modern, however as a result of HP bothers to get the boring issues proper.

That begins with the standard of the supplies used. The Spectre x360 14 makes use of steel for the higher and decrease physique, in addition to the hinges. That’s commonplace for a 2-in-1 above $1,000, however the particular texture and luster HP picked stands out. It seems modern and fashionable however, when dealt with, has simply sufficient grip and texture to really feel nice and welcoming. The chassis isn’t unibody, which means it has a detachable backside panel, but it surely feels practically as inflexible as 2-in-1s that go that route.

The design additionally advantages from consideration to element. The Spectre x360 has a stern, skilled look, however the edges of the gadget are smoothed to maintain them from urgent into your palms and fingers. That’s necessary for a tool meant for use like a pill. The 360-hinge design additionally works flawlessly. It presents sufficient pressure to maintain the show at a desired angle, but stays clean when folding the gadget from laptop computer to pill mode, or vice-versa.

That’s to not say it’s good, and the same old compromises are required. As its title implies, the Spectre x360 14 has a 14-inch show, so it’s a lot bigger than even the most important iPad Pro. It additionally weighs 3.19 kilos, which is plenty of heft to maneuver together with your fingertips. The Spectre x360 is usable as a pill for brief intervals of time, or when resting in your lap or knees, but it surely’s not nice in order for you a pill for note-taking, to learn books or paperwork, or to make use of whereas reclining. 

HP faces stiff competitors from alternate options like the Lenovo Yoga 9i 14, which additionally delivers skinny, mild, and enticing design. I believe HP stays a step behind Lenovo however, after all, that’s topic to style. The Lenovo Yoga 9i strikes a extra luxurious and chic profile, whereas the Spectre x360 14 is extra skilled and critical. And whereas the HP doesn’t beat the Lenovo, it’s an apparent improve over extra reasonably priced 2-in-1s just like the Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED.

HP Spectre x360 14: Keyboard, trackpad

IDG / Matthew Smith

IDG / Matthew Smith

IDG / Matthew Smith

I count on, nevertheless, that the Spectre x360 14 will probably be used as a laptop computer way more usually than a pill. Fortunately, HP’s wonderful design extends to the keyboard and touchpad. 

The keyboard occupies a good portion of the 2-in-1’s width, although it does sacrifice just a few millimeters to upwards-firing audio system on either side. Despite that, the keyboard has a spacious structure and most keys are giant. The left-side Shift, Caps, and Tab keys are shaved down a bit, however not a lot I discovered it noticeable. There’s additionally loads of area under the keyboard, so my palms weren’t left dangling in mid-air.

Key journey is respectable regardless of the slim profile and every key ends its motion with a definitive tactile motion. However, I believe HP missed the mark on the plastic used for the important thing caps. It feels skinny and takes away from the in any other case luxurious design. That’s a disgrace, because the keyboard is the a part of the gadget most frequently touched.

The touchpad is one other spotlight. It’s giant for a 14-inch laptop computer at 5 and a half inches large by three and 1 / 4 inches deep. There’s barely any area leftover to increase its depth and making it any wider would’ve left my palms sitting wholly contained in the touchpad floor, which might result in undesirable mouse clicks. The touchpad is responsive and its measurement offers ample room for activating Windows’ most complicated multi-touch gestures.

HP Spectre x360 14: Display, audio

IDG / Matthew Smith

IDG / Matthew Smith

IDG / Matthew Smith

Every 2024 HP Spectre x360 14-inch has a 2880×1800 OLED touchscreen with a most refresh fee of 120Hz. It’s a ravishing show with wealthy colours, unbelievable distinction, good movement readability, and crisp sharpness. 

The draw back is brightness, which isn’t as excessive as some IPS shows and, together with the shiny show end, can at instances make the show arduous to make use of in a shiny room (or outside). But that’s quickly forgiven when watching a present on Netflix, taking part in a PC sport, or modifying a photograph. Media at all times appears implausible.

It’s additionally a touchscreen, and the particulars of HP’s design make it straightforward to make use of. The 2-in-1 is sufficiently small that the display screen stays inside straightforward attain whereas typing, and the 360 hinge permits for “tent mode,” which rotates the keyboard behind the show and successfully makes it a kickstand. The included lively stylus is a pleasant bonus, too, and makes for fast, straightforward note-taking. The stylus is thick—extra like a marker than a pen, actually. I discover this comfy, however individuals with smaller arms would possibly disagree.

While the OLED touchscreen is implausible, it’s additionally shared with many rivals. Many laptops now supply this precise show panel, which is produced by Samsung, with and with out a touchscreen. And some rivals, just like the Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED, are a lot inexpensive.

The Spectre x360 14’s spectacular visuals are matched with sturdy audio from the upwards-facing audio system. They’re clear, crisp, and loud at most quantity, however solely change into muddy in probably the most bass-heavy music and motion sequences. Lenovo’s Yoga 9i has HP beat right here, however that competitor ranks among the many finest audio out there on Windows 2-in-1. The Spectre’s audio system are effectively above common. 

HP Spectre x360 14: Webcam, microphone, biometrics

The HP Spectre x360 14’s webcam goes above and past with full 4K decision at as much as 30 frames per second. That’s a really excessive decision for a laptop computer or 2-in-1 webcam and it predictably leads to a pointy, enticing picture. Exposure is dealt with effectively, too, and colours look saturated. In quick, it’s an excellent webcam.

The twin microphone array is run-of-the-mill however does the job. My voice got here via clearly even once I spoke softly and the obvious, repetitive background noise was rejected. The microphone can sound tinny, hole, or distant, so I wouldn’t suggest it for podcasting or different extra demanding audio recording wants, but it surely’s nice for Zoom.

Windows Hello biometric login is supported via a fingerprint reader on the facility button, which is positioned on the keyboard, and facial recognition via the included IR digital camera. I at all times desire facial recognition when it’s out there, because it’s faster and extra dependable than any fingerprint reader I’ve encountered. Still, it’s good to have choices. Many aggressive laptops have both an IR digital camera or a fingerprint reader, however few have each.

HP Spectre x360 14: Connectivity

IDG / Matthew Smith

IDG / Matthew Smith

IDG / Matthew Smith

Thin design usually results in a skinny collection of ports, and the HP Spectre x360 14 suffers this destiny. It has simply two USB-C ports, each with DisplayPort and Power Delivery, and one USB-A port. There’s additionally a 3.5mm combo audio jack. It is nice to see that USB-A is not less than out there, however the mixed lack of Ethernet, HDMI, and an SD card reader actually narrows the choices. I believe most house owners might want to spend money on a USB-C hub or dock.

While the port choice is mediocre, HP does have a trick up its sleeve. The 3.5mm combo audio jack and one USB-C port are positioned on the far left and proper rear nook of the 2-in-1, respectively, and the nook sits at an angle. That makes the ports straightforward to entry from each the rear and facet of the 2-in-1 and makes it much less doubtless that the ports will get in the way in which of your arms when utilizing the Spectre x360 14 as a pill. It’s an unusual alternative, however a wise one.

The 2-in-1’s wired connectivity is joined by normal Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. An elective Wi-Fi 7 improve, which additionally consists of Bluetooth 5.4, is on the market (although the mannequin I examined didn’t embody it). I believe Wi-Fi 7 must be normal, however its absence is a minor level, as few individuals but personal a Wi-Fi 7 router.

HP Spectre x360 14: Performance

The entry-level HP Spectre x360 14 ships with an Intel Core Ultra 5 125H processor, however the mannequin I examined had the improve to Intel’s Core Ultra 7 155H. It additionally had 32GB of soldered LPDDR5 reminiscence and a 2TB PCIe NVMe M.2 stable state drive. It delivered stable efficiency, although the 2-in-1’s thermal and energy limits can restrict its potential. 

IDG / Matthew Smith

IDG / Matthew Smith

IDG / Matthew Smith

We begin off with PCMark 10, the place the HP Spectre x360 delivers a robust rating of 5,721. That’s higher than many older, related gadgets, and it defeats final yr’s Intel Core i7-1360P, which discovered its means into many Windows 2-in-1s. 

However, the Spectre x360 14 lands only a smidge behind the Asus Zenbook UM3402 with AMD Ryzen 7 7730U, and considerably behind the Acer Swift Go 14 with Intel Core Ultra 7 155H. The Swift Go 14 is a thicker, inexpensive laptop computer.

IDG / Matthew Smith

IDG / Matthew Smith

IDG / Matthew Smith

Next up is Cinebench R20, a closely multi-threaded, short-duration processor benchmark. Here the HP Spectre x360 14 once more performs a lot better than older 2-in-1 gadgets, however it may well’t sustain with thicker mid-range laptops just like the Asus Zenbook UM3402 and Acer Swift Go 14. 

IDG / Matthew Smith

IDG / Matthew Smith

IDG / Matthew Smith

Handbrake, a long-duration processor benchmark, (largely) tells an analogous story. Here the HP Spectre x360 14 does beat the AMD-powered Asus Zenbook UM3402, but it surely’s means behind the Acer Swift Go 14, regardless of the very fact they each have an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor. 

IDG / Matthew Smith

IDG / Matthew Smith

IDG / Matthew Smith

The Intel Core Ultra 7155H consists of Intel Arc graphics with eight Xe Cores. It delivers a large improve over the Intel Xe built-in graphics present in prior Intel Core processors. The Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED solely scored 1,617 on this take a look at, whereas the HP Spectre x360 14 scores 2,776.

Intel Arc built-in graphics nonetheless has limits, after all, and can usually lag far behind entry-level shopper graphics, equivalent to Nvidia’s RTX 4050. Still, it is a significant increase that ought to make it doable to play many older 3D video games ported to the PC from the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

All the efficiency outcomes reported above had been obtained within the Spectre x360 14’s default “Smart Sense” energy profile, which is supposed to stability efficiency and thermals. But HP additionally offers a “Performance” profile for enhanced efficiency, and it delivers the products. The 2-in-1’s Cinebench R20 rating elevated from 3,690 to 5,412; 3DMark Time Spy elevated from 2,776 to 3,735. That’s an enormous acquire that greater than makes up the hole between the HP Spectre x360 14 and the Acer Swift Go 14. Despite this improve, the Performance mode is just not irritating. Fan noise is elevated, and the 2-in-1 turns into sizzling, however I’ve reviewed loads of laptops that had been louder and warmer of their default efficiency mode.

Given this consequence, I believe HP ought to tweak the “Smart Sense” to extra aggressively push efficiency in apps that require it. I imagine many homeowners won’t ever change this setting, or might change it backwards and forwards solely often. Unfortunately, forgetting to make use of the appropriate efficiency mode for the job leaves plenty of efficiency off the desk. 

Still, the efficiency is there if you already know the place to look, and it’s spectacular for a 2-in-1 of this measurement. The HP Spectre x360 14 has its limits, but it surely’s able to work effectively past web-browsing and doc modifying. 1080p video modifying, digital artwork, and older 3D video games are all effectively inside attain.

HP Spectre x360 14: Battery life

The HP Spectre x360 14 ships with a 68 watt-hour battery. That’s a wholesome capability for a 14-inch 2-in-1, however fashionable processors can show relatively power-hungry. These conflicting forces stability one another out.

IDG / Matthew Smith

IDG / Matthew Smith

IDG / Matthew Smith

I recorded over 11 hours of battery life in our normal battery take a look at, which loops a 4K trailer of the quick movie Tears of Steel. That’s an unexceptional however bought consequence for a contemporary 2-in-1 and, importantly, it must be sufficient to supply most customers a full workday away from a charger—as long as probably the most demanding functions are averted, not less than.

The Spectre additionally advantages from USB Power Delivery and comparatively low energy draw. The included charger is small, and most third-party USB-C chargers meant for laptops could have loads of juice to cost this 2-in-1. That improves portability, as there’s no must pack a charger particular to the 2-in-1.

HP Spectre x360 14: Conclusion

HP’s Spectre x360 14 is a good possibility in order for you a 14-inch Windows 2-in-1 and plan to make full use of its 2-in-1 versatility. It’s skinny, mild, moveable, well-built, and ships with a normal touchscreen and lively stylus. The Spectre x360 additionally advantages from a ravishing OLED show, sturdy efficiency, and a big touchpad, and a top-tier webcam. It’s not cheap and has just a few downsides, like restricted connectivity and a merely good keyboard, but it surely’s on-target for consumers who nonetheless wish to stay the Windows 2-in-1 dream.