HP Spectre x360 16 review: The right 2-in-1 at the wrong time

Price When Reviewed

HP Spectre x360 16 : $2,119.99

2022 is a key yr for Intel’s processor line-up. The firm’s new 12th-generation Core processors, which have considerably extra cores than prior fashions, are set to deliver big gains in multi-core processor performance. However, HP’s Spectre x360 16 is on the mistaken aspect of this pattern. It’s a stable 2-in-1 with a superb display screen and a protracted listing of options, however its outdated 11th-gen Core processor holds it again. It’s essential to notice that it’s not a nasty machine. With its 1080p webcam and connectivity choices, it’s going to be a great choose for the precise individual. However, it simply falls behind the ability of a 12-gen processor.

HP Spectre x360 16 specs and options

The HP Spectre x360 16 is extra distinctive than it appears. Many 16-inch Windows laptops pack an Intel Core i7 processor with Nvidia discrete graphics. Here’s the trick. This is a 2-in-1, not a laptop computer. I think many patrons contemplating this machine will cross-shop it with laptops just like the Dell XPS 15, however if you’d like a 2-in-1, you will have much less alternative.

• CPU: Intel Core i7-11390H
• Memory: 16GB
• Graphics/GPU: Nvidia RTX 3050
• Display: 16-inch 3,840 x 2,400 OLED touchscreen
• Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe stable state drive
• Webcam: 1080p
• Connectivity: 2x Thunderbolt 4 / USB 4 Type-C (with DisplayPort Alt Mode, Power Delivery), 1x USB Type-A, 1x HDMI, 1x 3.5mm combo audio, 1x barrel-plug energy jack
• Networking: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
• Biometrics: Fingerprint reader, IR digital camera
• Battery capability: 83 watt-hour
• Dimensions: 0.78 x 9.66 x 14.09 inches
• Weight: 4.45 kilos

There’s a number of key particulars value mentioning. This laptop computer helps not solely Wi-Fi 6, which is frequent, but additionally Bluetooth 5.2, which is tougher to seek out. It additionally has two Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C 4 ports with Power Delivery and DisplayPort. There’s additionally a 1080p webcam, a fingerprint reader, and an IR digital camera. The elective OLED touchscreen’s decision goes past 4K. HP even bundles an energetic pen.

This makes my evaluation mannequin’s $2,119.99 MSRP (presently $1,929.99 on HP.com) extra tolerable. It’s not reasonably priced, to make certain, however you’ll pay more for a Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio. 

Design and construct high quality

HP, like Dell, has carved out its personal distinctive design. It’s a group of exhausting traces, sharp angles, and bronze-gold colours that add as much as a glamorous look. Personally, I choose the extra approachable really feel of Dell’s faux-carbon fiber interiors, however I can’t deny the HP Spectre x360 16 is a looker. 

Build high quality falls in keeping with the design. The laptop computer’s metallic chassis is as sturdy and steady as others in its class. Flex will be discovered within the show do you have to go searching for it, however the backside half is extraordinarily inflexible.

This is a big and heavy 2-in-1. The Spectre x360 16, like different machines in its class, is just too heavy and huge to make use of as a pill for any size of time. Tent mode, which folds again the keyboard to be used as a stand, is the place it’s at. The giant touchscreen and included energetic pen make it an awesome alternative for sketching out an concept or drawing in digital artwork software program. 

Keyboard, trackpad, and pen

IDG / Matthew Smith

A spacious, straightforward to grasp format makes the HP Spectre x360 16’s keyboard approachable. However, the extra I used it the much less I favored it. 

The drawback? Key really feel. Travel is reasonable and the bottoming motion struck me as tender. Don’t get me mistaken, it’s not a unhealthy keyboard. I used it for hours with out a tangible, practical drawback. Compared to a Dell XPS 15 or MacBook Pro 16, nevertheless, I used to be unimpressed.

The touchpad is sweet. It’s giant, responsive, and works properly with Windows 11 multi-touch gestures but nothing about it stands out. It’s not particularly giant or remarkably snug. It’s not a significant situation, however at this value level consumers can count on higher elsewhere.

As talked about, the Spectre x360 16 comes bundled with an energetic pen. This is a good perk. Most tablets and 2-in-1 gadgets, together with Microsoft’s Surface gadgets and Apple’s iPad Pro, cost further for this characteristic. The pen will not be as snug as a Surface Pen or Apple Pencil, however did the job properly sufficient for my use, which was centered on jotting down notes in OneNote.

Display, audio

IDG / Matthew Smith

The base HP Spectre x360 16 has an LCD IPS touchscreen with 3,072 x 1,920 decision, however my evaluation mannequin got here with the upgraded 3,840 x 2,400 OLED touchscreen. It carried out extraordinarily properly, delivering a excessive distinction ratio of as much as 29320-1, 100% protection of each the sRGB and DCI-P3 shade gamuts, and extremely correct shade. 

All of this interprets to a unbelievable expertise in most conditions. The show appears to be like deep, wealthy, and vivid, particularly when fed high-resolution 4K video. It’s an awesome show for each pictures and video modifying as a result of it has the decision and shade efficiency to deal with giant video and picture information.

The touchscreen’s very good 3,840 x 2,400 decision is because of its 16:10 facet ratio. As a end result, the display screen is simply an inch extra slender and truly a hair taller than a typical 17-inch laptop computer show with a 16:9 facet ratio. In quick, the Spectre x360 16 gives rather a lot of show actual property. 

The show has a weak spot it shares with different OLED laptops, which is brightness. The show reaches 352 nits in SDR (as much as 428 nits in HDR). That’s hardly dim, however not as shiny as the very best IPS laptop computer shows. Glare stays an issue.

Four audio system with Bang & Olufsen branding line the Spectre x360 16’s keyboard. Their placement improves audio readability, which is sweet information in the event you’re into podcasts or YouTube. The audio system sound simply okay in music, films, and video games at low to mid quantity, however an absence of bass is a matter if you wish to blast tunes. Still, they’re effective for informal use.

Webcam, microphone, biometrics

HP ships the Spectre x360 16 with a 1080p webcam. This is an enormous improve from a 720p webcam with higher element and extra correct shade. The enchancment is most noticeable in truthful to first rate lighting that lets the webcam pull out element in hair and pores and skin. Low gentle is a matter, however that’s true for any webcam.

The webcam has a bodily privateness shutter, but it surely’s electronically managed utilizing a keyboard shortcut. I’d choose to see guide management.

A twin microphone array gives audio and performs like every on this class. It sounds clear and might choose up a voice from throughout the room, however audio can sound tinny or distant in comparison with a devoted microphone. Still, it’s ok for video conferencing. 

Biometric login is accessible via a fingerprint reader or an IR digital camera supporting facial recognition. Both work however, as with different Windows laptops, I discovered the IR digital camera faster and extra dependable.

Connectivity

The HP Spectre x360 16 has two Thunderbolt 4 / USB 4 Type-C ports, every of which assist 40Gbps information, USB Power Delivery, and DisplayPort Alternate Mode. It additionally has a USB-A port, one HDMI 2 output, a combo headphone microphone jack, and a MicroSD card reader.

On the plus aspect, the Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C 4 ports present nice compatibility with fashionable peripherals and gadgets. However, this leaves the laptop computer with simply three USB ports, which isn’t wonderful. This is equal to a Dell XPS 15 and a bit behind a MacBook Pro 14 or 16. 

The Spectre x360 16’s connectivity consists of some quirks. Two ports – one Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C 4 port and the 3.5mm audio jack – are positioned on the rear corners, in order that they face at an angle relatively than perpendicular with the flanks of the laptop computer. While uncommon, this location might help with cable routing. An annoying flap covers the USB-A port, nevertheless, which makes connecting USB-A peripherals harder than it ought to be. 

HP gives Wi-Fi 6, which is frequent, and in addition Bluetooth 5.2, which is much less so. This newest model of Bluetooth will not be a must have but it surely’s good to see included. Wi-Fi efficiency was dependable all through my testing in my dwelling, which incorporates use in a indifferent workplace. 

Performance

HP will promote you a Spectre x360 16 with any processor you’d like – as long as it’s an Intel Core i7-11390H. This 11th-gen quad-core processor is the one possibility obtainable on HP.com. My evaluation pattern paired it with 16GB of RAM, 1TB of PCIe NVMe storage, and Nvidia RTX 3050 graphics.

IDG / Matthew Smith

Testing begins with PCMark 10, a check meant to signify typical day-to-day productiveness. The Spectre x360 16’s delivered a disappointing rating of 5,098. Though hardly sluggish, the HP doesn’t present a lot benefit over the cheaper Acer Swift 3 16-inch and falls behind Lenovo’s new Yoga 9i, a smaller and sleeker 2-in-1 with Intel’s 12th-gen Core.

IDG / Matthew Smith

If PCMark 10 was disappointing, Cinebench R15 is a minor catastrophe. The Spectre x360 16 reached a rating of simply 993. That’s roughly half the brand new Lenovo Yoga 9i with Intel 12th-gen Core and in addition properly behind 2-in-1s with AMD’s Ryzen 7 collection processors. The quad-core i7-11390H lacks the core rely to maintain up on this demanding mutli-threaded workload. 

IDG / Matthew Smith

Handbrake delivers extra unhealthy information. Encoding a 4K .mov file of the quick movie Tears of Steel to H.265 MKV utilizing the processor alone required simply over one and a half hours. That’s not an uncommon end result for a quad-core laptop computer however, as soon as once more, it falls behind rivals with six, eight, or extra cores. 

IDG / Matthew Smith

Finally, we now have a benchmark that depends on graphics relatively than processor efficiency. This gives a extra constructive story for the Spectre x360 16. It reached a rating of 3,772 in 3DMark’s Time Spy. That’s roughly double Intel’s greatest Iris Xe built-in graphics. However, the Spectre x360 16’s rating lands it behind the Asus Vivobook Pro 15 OLED, a competing laptop computer with Nvidia RTX 3050 graphics. 

It’s exhausting to discover a constructive spin for the Spectre x360 16’s efficiency outcomes. The Intel Core i7-11390H processor feels just like the final gasp of an period of Intel processor design greatest forgotten. 

Graphics efficiency is healthier, however not excellent. The as-tested value of my HP Spectre x360 evaluation pattern is barely south of $2,000, which places it in league with quite a few mid-range gaming laptops and workstation techniques that ship higher graphics efficiency. These embody Dell’s XPS 15, the MacBook Pro 14, and Asus’ Vivobook Pro fashions, to call a number of.

There is one redeeming issue, and that’s the system’s 2-in-1 design. Want a laptop computer with RTX 3050 graphics, or higher? You have loads of alternative. Want a 2-in-1 with the identical? Your choices are far more restricted. Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Studio is the chief on this class, but it surely’s much more costly. 

Battery life

I’m right here as soon as once more to let you know a couple of Windows laptop computer that falls in need of its promised battery life.

HP’s specs state the laptop computer can supply as much as 17 hours of battery life. That’s absurd. I don’t doubt HP managed to coax the laptop computer right into a scenario the place this was doable, but it surely critically misrepresents the real-world expertise. 

IDG / Matthew Smith

I recorded simply 5 hours and 17 minutes of endurance in our commonplace battery check, which loops a regionally hosted 4K video file till the battery dies. That’s not an awesome end result, however I wouldn’t name it stunning. My evaluation unit’s excessive decision 4K show and Nvidia discrete graphics put the 83 watt-hour battery to the check and discover it wanting.

Real-world battery life is in keeping with the check. I consider it’d be doable to realize eight or 9 hours of endurance in the event you positioned the 2-in-1 on a desk and perhaps, often, had the audacity to go to an internet site. When I used the laptop computer for my precise work, which, is little greater than writing in Word and infrequently modifying images, I noticed about six hours of endurance. 

Software

The HP Spectre x360 16 comes with a light-weight load of bloatware. This consists of McAfee antivirus. However, most apps are from HP itself. This consists of HP Command Center, which is used to alter energy profiles, and HP Palette, a photograph administration app. McAfee apart, the bundled apps weren’t obtrusive and didn’t change my expertise.

Conclusion

The HP Spectre x360 16 is an honest 2-in-1 with a stunning OLED show and an impressive design. It has a discrete graphics card, too—a rarity for convertibles. There’s just one large drawback… the processor is out of date. Intel’s Core i7-11390H was by no means an impressive alternative and at the moment, with Intel 12th-gen Core processors hitting shops and AMD Ryzen 5000 processors broadly obtainable, it’s not appropriate for a high-end system. The lackluster CPU efficiency and battery life makes it fall behind the competitors.

In truth, you’ll be able to already purchase the HP Spectre x360 2-in-1 with an Intel Core i7-12700H processor – but only at Best Buy (for now). This mannequin will not be obtainable on HP.com. It additionally doesn’t have Nvidia graphics, which is a bummer. Still, it exhibits extra 12th-gen Core fashions are prone to come ahead of later. I like to recommend ready for his or her arrival.