Spectre x360 15 is by no means a newbie in the premium convertible market. Along with the giants like the Dell XPS 15 and Lenovo Yoga 720 (or 920) it has been on the market since 2016. And HP decided to revamp this beauty slightly and released it at the start of 2018. So we are gonna review HP Spectre x360 15-bl101na (2PG90EA#ABU) today.
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Specs:
- CPU – Intel Core i7 Quad-Core (8th Gen), 1.8 GHz
- GPU – 2 GB DDR5, NVIDIA GeForce MX150
- Memory – 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4
- Screen – 15.6-inch 4K IPS (3,840 x 2,160) with 10-point touchscreen
- Storage – 1 TB SSD
- OS – Windows 10 Home edition
Benefits:
- Performance – Unlike the previous version (which was powered by a 7th gen 7500U processor) it is powered by a more powerful 8th gen Core i7 processor which is accompanied by 16 gigs of RAM and a roomy 1 TB SSD (which is super fast by the way). In effect, it performs super smooth while handling everyday chores. It also houses an NVIDIA GeForce MX150 GPU (with 2 gigs of VRAM) which would make your low demanding titles run even in the High settings in 1080p resolution.
- Aesthetics – Okay, I won’t lie. The copper on the black colour scheme is one of my most favourites in a 2-in-1 till now. Unlike the Lenovo Yoga and Dell XPS, both of which looks nothing more than a boring slab of metal, Spectre x360 would certainly make your fashion quotient a notch higher.
- Battery – The dedicated GPU needs more power than a standard notebook. And the 6-cell 79 Wh battery makes sure you never fall short of battery backup. It lets you stay alive for nearly 8 hours while doing moderately demanding stuff like web surfing and playing videos. That’s pretty good.
- Display – Now, who doesn’t like to watch a movie in a shiny, li’l 4K display? And Spectre certainly delivers that with a 15.6 inch 4K UHD panel. The display is decently bright at around 320 nits. Both the colour coverage (90% in sRGB standards) and the contrast ratio (1200:1) are moderately high as well. And the icing on the cake is the Windows Ink support which lets you scribble right onto the screen with the stylus.
Downsides:
- Portability – It weighs nearly 2.01 kg (4.43 lbs). Now, while that might not seem like a significant number as a general purpose notebook but certainly is a bit weighty as a convertible. But again, it’s not overly heavy. And besides, it’s lighter (and as a result, more portable) than both the XPS and Yoga.
- Cooling – Now there surely is a bit of cooling issue in it. It’s not much but it certainly is prominent. While doing some strenuous stuff (read gaming for a while) the temperature near the keyboard almost reached the 50°C mark. That surely is uncomfortable.
- Price – The steep price tag is an important but indispensible part of a notebook like the Spectre. Priced at £1800, it certainly would be out of the reach of the budget consumers.
Verdict:
The revised and upgraded Spectre x360 is easily is one of my most favourite convertibles till now (and that’s not only due to its looks; okay, the looks do have a prominent share). It has got the style, the power and the Thunderbolt 3 (yep, TB3! That’s important as well). Recommended if you want a convertible with some decent amount of graphical prowess.