The 2024 HP Spectre x360 2-in-1 convertible laptop now features a unique design and Intel’s brand-new Core Ultra CPU
The undisputed king of the convertible 2-in-1 laptop segment is back with a huge upgrade for 2024. HP has released an upgraded and updated Spectre x360 in 14- and 16-inch sizes. I got the 14-inch variant for review, and yes, this laptop still reigns supreme. It’s well-built, super fast (thanks to the new Intel chips), has a great OLED display, and above-average battery life.
But being the king of the convertible 2-in-1 laptop segment isn’t saying much as traditional clamshell laptops from the likes of Asus have improved over the years.
With the brand-new Intel Core Ultra 7 chip inside the Spectre x360, does the laptop have what it takes to be one of the best in 2024? Let’s dive in.
Design changes
The HP Spectre x360 14 is one of the first 2-in-1 laptops to feature Intel’s brand-new Core Ultra CPU. The Meteor Lake update brings in a lot of new artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and once the software is updated, it should be able to take better advantage. So right now, I wasn’t able to test these AI capabilities to their fullest. There are also better graphics thanks to Intel’s integrated Arc GPU (moving on from Intel’s Iris Xe).
HP has finally gotten rid of the 3:2 aspect ratio on previous models for a much more versatile 16:10. The webcam that sits atop the gorgeous OLED display now has a huge bump. The 9MP camera can capture 4K video now.
Straight out of the box, the Spectre x360 14 looks gorgeous. The Slate Blue chassis feels premium from the get-go. The gem-cut corners make this laptop stand out in a sea of boring designs. It’s minimalistic, yet premium. A change that I like is that the power button isn’t on the gem-cut corner anymore.
There’s a large touchpad (that was very iffy) and a bold keyboard with good key travel that I liked. Two top-firing speakers are loud and clear. The display has very thin bezels. Unlike previous editions, the build quality is top-notch. There was no flexing or bending. The only concern was the large gap between the hinge (that connects the deck with the panel).
At just 3.2 pounds, the 2-in-1 is very thin and light. The hinge works to keep the laptop in any position you desire.
Last, but not least, let’s talk about I/O ports on the Spectre x360 14. There’s a USB Type-A port, two USB Type-C (Thunderbolt 4) ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack. There’s a Type-C dongle in the box, in case you need even more ports.
Beautiful OLED display, crisp speakers
The HP Spectre x360 14 features a 2.8k OLED display (with a 16:10 aspect ratio and a 2880×1800 resolution). The 16:10 aspect ratio makes the display good for consuming content and also reading. The display gets plenty bright and outdoor legibility isn’t a concern. The 120Hz refresh rate makes scrolling through social media feeds a pleasure.
I watched the trailer for Dune 2, and Tom Cruise’s motorcycle jump from the latest Mission Impossible film on the laptop, and you can just see the colours pop. It may not be the absolute best display but it’s plenty good for what you want.
The Spectre x360 14 features four speakers. The two woofers are crisp and clear. This laptop is one of the first devices to feature audio tuning by Poly and it shows. It isn’t as good as the MacBook Pro or the Zenbook, but it is top-notch.
Meteor Lake performance boost
The Spectre x360 14 uses the brand-new Intel Core Ultra 7 155H chip, featuring new neural processing units (NPUs) and improved efficiency. Thanks to the Intel Core Ultra 7 and 32GB of RAM, the laptop flew through daily processes. The laptop shrugged off dozens of Google Chrome tabs, multiple YouTube videos and some heavy-duty Adobe Photoshop usage.
The Intel Core Ultra 7 is a 16-core chip. It has support for 22 threads and a max boost clock speed of 4.8GHz.
While the laptop isn’t meant for gaming, I played a few of my favourite games from a decade ago – Age of Empires and Counter-Strike – and they ran better than ever on a laptop featuring integrated graphics. The graphics looked good and the frame rates hardly dropped. But do keep in mind that this laptop isn’t meant for playing modern, heavy-duty games.
The HP Spectre x360 14 features a 2.8k OLED display (with a 16:10 aspect ratio and a 2880×1800 resolution).
(HP)
A 9MP webcam
I was surprised when I turned on the webcam. The Spectre x360 comes with the first 9MP webcam in a laptop, which can capture 4K video. The images look crisp and colour accuracy was great. There’s an AI-assisted Windows Studio Effects, which has automatic framing that keeps your face in the frame at all times and can also blur the background. There’s also AI-assisted noise removal to filter out the background noise.
Battery life
I was impressed by the battery life on this laptop. I constantly managed over 10 hours on the Spectre x360 with my mixed usage that had lots of YouTube videos playing, a whole lot of music streaming from Spotify, typing away on Google Docs for hours, researching with dozens of Google Chrome tabs and some light gaming at the end of the day. It may not rival a Macbook Pro in battery life but it is very good.
One downside
We’ve got to address the elephant in the room. I’m not sure if it was just my unit but the giant trackpad didn’t live up to all its praise. Having a big trackpad is one thing. Having the trackpad click right, even when you’re trying to left-click is a big problem.
This happened not once, but multiple times. It was frustrating. It happened even at the left-most part of the trackpad. At one point, it happened about a dozen times in a row. Maybe a software update or something can fix it in the future, but during my time, it was annoying more than anything.
Verdict
At a starting price of ₹1,64,999, the latest Spectre x360 14 is hard to outright recommend. Yes, it is the best 2-in-1 convertible by a fair margin. It’s super fast (thanks to the Intel Core Ultra 7 chip), has a beautiful OLED display, and has great battery life. It also exudes luxury through and through. Its unique design, with the gem-cut corners, lends to its premiumness.
If you’re in the market for a 2-in-1 convertible, then you needn’t look anywhere else.
If you’re on the shelf about a 2-in-1, then just remember that some clamshell laptops are very good and deliver great performance for a lesser price.
Nonetheless, the HP Spectre x360 14 is a solid laptop that is great for consuming content (especially in the tent mode) and for reading reams of information (thanks to the 16:10 aspect ratio).
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