13-Inch HP Spectre x360 (2019) Review: Nothing short of Premium

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HP seems to be at the top of its game, a sentiment that’s substantiated by the amazing design of its Spectre line. Indeed design is one big reason why HP Spectre Laptops are widely accepted among the best 2-in-1 options available as of today. (HP Spectre X360 2019 13-ap0101tu हिंदी में पढ़िए)

A couple of months ago, HP refreshed its convertible premium Spectre X360 with new 15-inch and 13-inch 2019 editions. Out of the two, HP India shared the later with us for review. We were quite eager to find out if the Spectre X360 (2019) 13 would be able to outdo Dell XPS 13 2-in-1, Lenovo Yoga or LG Gram in ultrabook and convertible space. Let’s share our first-hand experience in our detailed Spectre X360 (2019) 13 review that follows.

Page Contents:

  • HP Spectre X360 Price and Specification
  • HP Spectre X360 Review: Design and Build Quality
  • HP Spectre X360 Review: Display
  • HP Spectre X360 Review: Keyboard and trackpad
  • HP Spectre X360 Review: Performance
  • HP Spectre X360 Review: Battery and Audio
  • HP Spectre X360 Review: Verdict with Pros and Cons
  • HP Spectre X360 2019 13-ap0101tu Price and Specifications

    Model HP Spectre X360 2019  13-ap0101tu
    Display 13.3-inch, IPS WLED, Full HD 120Hz, Corning Gorilla Glass NBT
    Processor 1.8Ghz Intel 8th Gen Core i7-8550U, (up to 4.6GHz boost) quad-core, eight threads, 8MB cache
    Graphics Intel UHD 620
    RAM 16GB DDR4, 2133MHz
    Storage 512GB SSD
    Connectivity 802.11ac Wi-Fi; Bluetooth 5.0
    Dimensions and Weight 30.9 x 21.8 x 1.5 cm; 1.32Kg
    Battery 4-cell 61 Watt-hours; 65W
    Ports 2 Thunderbolt 3 (up to 40 Gb/s, Power Delivery, DP1.2, HP Sleep and Charge); 1 USB 3.1 Gen 1 (HP Sleep and Charge); 1 headphone/microphone combo; microSD card slot
    Operating System Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Price in India Starts at Rs. 1,72,990

     

    HP Spectre X360 2019 Review: Design and Build Quality

    This premium business laptop looks classy and instantly grabs attention. The all-aluminum chassis with signature multi-faceted gem-cut design ensures that the X360 looks exquisite from every nook and corner. In India, it comes in Dark Ash Silvera and Poseidon Blue hues and we have got the latter one with us. The golden accent on the side frames, on HP logo on the lid, and on display hinge lend a sophisticated appeal to this convertible notebook.

    From a distance, these side edges seem really sharp and create an illusion of an extra slim machine. The HP Spectre X360 built quality is top-notch and the all-metal chassis ensure a great in-hand feel. This is an extremely solid machine with no flexes or creaks to take away from the premium experience.

    Compared to the last generation Spectre, HP has made some changes in the positioning of ports, fingerprint sensor, and power button. The fingerprint scanner has been moved to the right side of the trackpad, closer to the keyboard. I really appreciate the new placement of power button on the shoulder since it is less prone to accidental touches, especially while using the Spectre 360 in the tablet mode.

    The laptop has a decent variety of ports for peripherals that include two multi-purpose Type-C ports, a USB Type-A port, 3.5mm audio jack, and a microSD card slot. Either of the Type-C ports can be used for charing and both support Thunderbolt 3 standard as well.

    Another good that HP has done here is the sleep and charge feature which allows you to charge other devices even when the laptop isn’t in a running state. There’s a toggle on the right edge to disable the webcam feature. Apart from these, the newly redesigned keyboard and Bang & Olufsen speakers on the front also grab eyes.

    At 1.33Kg, the Spectre X360 is a few grams heavier than the LG Gram 14 but this is a tradeoff I am gladly willing to make for the premium feel and solid built the Spectre X360 offers.

    HP Spectre x360 2019 Review: Display

    The 13.3-inch screen on the Spectre 2019 is brighter (300nits) and produces richer colors than the previous generation model. The thick bezels on top and bottom of the screen aren’t that classy especially when edge-to-edge displays are going mainstream. Nonetheless, the full HD IPS screen on this HP laptop is one of the better ones in terms of overall calibrations.

    It has a 120Hz native refresh rate that ensures it feels smooth even when you are using it with your finger touches. The touchscreen panel gets Corning Gorilla Glass NBT protection against day-to-day scratches. HP Sure View Technology also deserves mention. Once enabled, Sure View washes out side-viewing. It really helps conceal sensitive information on your screen when you are using your laptop in a public space, say on a subway ride.

    HP Spectre X360 2019 Review: Keyboard, and trackpad

    The Spectre X360 has a very well laid out keyboard, much like the last generation model. The chiclet keys are large, offer firm feedback and excellent 1.4mm key travel. There is enough space between keys to efficiently avoid accidental presses.

    It is also comfortable to use in the dark, thanks to two backlight stages. By default, backlight goes off when you don’t press any key for 30 seconds. The Spectre X360 has a 4.7-inch wide trackpad that comes from Synaptics, a brand that’s widely recognized as a leader in this space. The trackpad has multi fingers support and we found it to be responsive enough.

    HP Spectre X360 2019 Review: Performance

    Since the HP Spectre X360 is priced at the other side of the Rs 1 lakh mark, we obviously expect powerful performance hardware to smoothly steer through all kinds of expected and unexpected needs. This sleek machine from HP is driven by Intel’s 8th-generation i7-8565U processor paired with 16GB RAM at 2133MHz and a 512GB PCIe SSD. The octa-core processor is assisted by Intel UHD Graphics 620 integrated graphics. As expected, there is no dedicated graphics card in this sleek ultrabook.

    In day-to-day usage, the HP Spectre x360 (2019) proved to be the perfect companion for someone like me who uses his PC for about 12-odd hours a day. The laptop runs Windows 10 out-of-the-box and even though users have their issues with the OS, this ultrabook did handle all workloads quite well – all thanks to the high-frequency RAM and PCIe SSD complimenting the CPU.

    My day-to-day usage involves switching between multiple chrome windows with multiple chrome tabs, editing photos on Abode’s Lightroom and Photoshop CC every day, streaming music and multimedia, etc. All this is no biggie and the new Spectre is powerful enough to breeze through such tasks without breaking a sweat. With SSD in play, the laptop boot-up and shuts down almost instantaneously.

    For a better understanding of how much stress the HP Spectre X360 could take we ran some synthetic benchmark tests. First up was Geekbech 4 multicore test in which it manages to beat Apple Macbook Air 13-inch 2018 handsomely with a score of 13,382. On 3Dmark Ice Strom Unlimited test it achieved a score 90,741 which is also better than contemporaries like LG Gram 14 2-in-1 and Lenovo’s Yoga C930 book. Results on CineBench R15 test were also similar.

    It is worth mentioning here that during all these stress tests, the convertible laptop showed good heat dispensation to prevent throttling. All in all, the Whiskey Lake Core i7 powered Spectre X360 13 didn’t let me down with regards to performance.

    HP Spectre x360 13 Review: Battery and Audio

    It’s a battery champion, no two ways about that. The HP Spectre X360 13, for an average user with regular tasks as working on documents and surfing the internet, offers up to 12 hours of battery life using at 50 percent brightness. I personally managed to watch entire Stranger Things season 3 on Netflix in one go without putting the 65W charger to work. Though we are gettings less than the claimed 17.3 hours of battery life, I would gladly embrace a windows laptop with more than 8 hours of battery mileage any day!

    Another thing that instantly impressed me on this 13-inch Spectre is its audio quality. The Band & Olufsen tuned setup has four speakers –  two on the front and two at the bottom. Quality of speakers placed underneath is really good as they help reproduce loud, clear and crisp audio.

    HP Spectre x360 Review Verdict: Should You Buy It?

    Yes, if you are looking to buy a premium and stylish windows ultrabook which packs top of the line features and powerful hardware that can meet your day-to-day requirements flawlessly while giving an assurance of being future proof. There are significant improvements made in design and innards this year resulting in a very gratifying experience.

    The Spectre X360 signature gem cut design speaks volumes about the craftsmanship that HP engineers have put in. The built quality of the machine is top notch, so is the battery performance. Introduction of HP Sure View is a nifty edition as well. All in all, if your pockets permits, the HP Spectre x360 13 is a worth buy.

    Pros

    • Delightful design
    • Tough built
    • Remarkable battery mileage
    • Excellent keyboard
    • Runs quiet
    • Sounds great

    Cons

    • Trackpad
    • Thick bezels at top and bottom
    • Overall brightness
    Deepak RajawatDeepak Rajawat
    Experienced technology journalist with over 7-years of experience. Before embracing online journalism, he has worked with several legacy publications including print editions at Hindustan Times and The Statesman. He also has a keen interest in Sports, which he used to cover with equal enthusiasm in his early career.

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