HP Spectre x360–13: This thing of beauty is a joy to work on

The Spectre x360-13 is available in several variants with prices starting at Rs 99,990.

Most people are working from home, children are fiercely plugged into online education. The net result is that personal computers (PCs) are back in demand, according to the research firms and PC makers are making the most of this opportunity. When it comes to PCs, the American technology firm HP has consistently maintained its reputation as the top innovator. Along with improving the functionality and performance of notebooks and desktops, it has transformed the form factor and design aesthetics to make PCs appealing to Gen Z and millennials. Cases in point are the HP Elite DragonFly and HP Spectre x360, the company’s recent additions to its premium category.

Industry watchers aver that HP has a sharp and strong focus on design and engineering excellence. The company is known for refining and infusing its products with aesthetics from fashion, furniture, jewellery, art and more. For the past few weeks now, this reviewer has been in awe of the new HP Spectre x360-13. My personal experience: few laptops come as close to being perfect as the Spectre x360. With a gorgeous design (more stunning than ever thanks to thinner display bezels and smaller footprint), powerful battery life and fast performance, this convertible is a great tool for work and entertainment. It has a beautiful gem cut and dual chamfer angular design achieved with high-precision aluminum CNC and features 90% screen-to-body ratio.

On the lid is a stylish chrome HP logo that matches a pair of shiny-silver hinges. Frankly, this laptop looks as if it’s been crafted by an ace jeweler. It is designed keeping in mind the needs of modern consumers who want stylish, good-looking PCs that can handle their computing needs for work, content creation and consumption. There’s also a stylus for the more tech-savvy lot.

The Spectre x360-13 is available in several variants with prices starting at Rs 99,990. Our trial unit cost Rs 1,58,990. For this, you get an Intel Core i7-1065G7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and integrated LTE—this is the only variant currently listed by HP in India with LTE.

Specifications-wise, we are looking at a display of 33.78cm (13.3-inch) Full HD touchscreen with 360-degree hinge, there’s a 10th Gen Intel Core i7-1065G7 CPU (1.3GHz base frequency, upto 3.9GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology, 8MB cache, 4 cores), Intel Integrated SoC, 16GB LPDDR4-3200 SDR memory and internal storage of 512GB PCle NVMe M.2 SSD, Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX 201 (2×2) and Bluetooth 5 Combo wireless connectivity, expansion slots of 1 microSD media card reader, external ports of 2 USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C with Thunderbolt 3, 4-cell, 60 Wh Li-ion polymer battery.

Switched on, synced with the home Wi-Fi network and work and personal e-mails, the Spectre x360-13 springs to life in an instant with its bright, vivid display. As a 2-in-1 laptop, the x360’s flexible hinges let you position the laptop into tent, studio or tablet mode. There’s a comfortable keyboard here, the Chiclet-style keys are large and well-spaced.

Let’s talk about the real running of this machine. Equipped with an Intel Core i7-1065G7 CPU and 16GB of RAM, my Spectre x360 did a commendable job during everyday use. I did not run into any snags while using it to browse the web, open multiple windows, play music or stream movies. Notably, I played a lot of graphics-intensive games like Call of Duty, Asphalt 9: Legends – Epic Arcade Car Racing Game, etc., and the laptop did not stall one bit or slow down. The new bottom-firing speakers are powerful enough to fill a medium-size room. Its battery easily lasted one full-day of moderate usage.

Bottom line: The Spectre x360-13 is a great piece of equipment in a beautiful design with slimmer bezels. It is ultra-portable, has a bright, vivid display, its processor offers extremely fast performance, and battery life is long-lasting. A beautiful laptop that is a great performer too.