HP Spectre x360 14 review: A compact 2-in-1 with a superb 3:2 OLED screen Review

HP’s Spectre X360 14 guarantees a terrific deal, like eleventh generation Intel processors up to the Core i7 in my review unit, an OLED display and up to eleven.5 hrs of battery lifestyle (or up to 17 hrs if you forego OLED). You also get quad speakers, Wi-Fi 6, a webcam with a privateness protect and Thunderbolt 4, so there’s a great deal on board to appeal to anybody trying to get a able and versatile laptop for the workplace and/or dwelling.  

The Spectre X360 14 looks like a 2-in-one that signifies business. My review unit arrived in silver, but relying on the specification you choose for there are also blue and black finishes the blue variant sports silver chassis edges and hinges, though these highlights are bronze on the black variant. 

The silver livery will match extra conservative potential buyers, though the blue and black variants supply some welcome decision. As on other HP laptops, the back again edges, major and bottom, are angled at 45 levels, building an eye-catching indent at the back again of the laptop. 

The suitable-side USB-C Thunderbolt 4 charge port is located on this angle. When sitting at a desk and operating in laptop mode, this port is awkward to access due to the fact it isn’t very easily noticeable. I experienced to possibly stand up or swivel the Spectre x360 14 about to get to it.  

The very long edges are chamfered alternatively than flat. The USB-A port on the still left edge has a pair of mini-chamfers suitable into the port, which appear alternatively neat. But on the suitable edge the remaining connectors — a headset jack and a next USB-C Thunderbolt 4 port — do not get this treatment method, and appear a small untidy. The USB-C port is even a little bit off-centre. The MicroSD card reader is beneath the upper chamfer, so it can only be noticed if you bend to the side or raise the laptop up. With the display flipped into tablet mode, the MicroSD card slot is totally noticeable, nonetheless.  

The shell could scratch if carried in a bag without having a protective sleeve, but it is really sound. You will detect the one.34kg fat, and the electric power brick is bigger than some, introducing more fat to the complete package. You can expect to also will need to find secure bag room for the furnished HP Tilt Pen, which comes with the laptop. The stylus is relatively rotund, and there’s no housing for it on the chassis. The Tilt Pen clings magnetically to the still left edge, but only to that edge, and you is not going to want to shop it right here very long-expression.  

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The 13.5-inch OLED touchscreen in my review unit has 3000-by-2000-pixel resolution (267ppi) and 400 nits brightness, and was an absolute pleasure to use. I appreciated the screen’s anti-reflective end, though the 3:2 facet ratio gave files a small little bit extra duration and spreadsheets a several extra cells than 16:9 models. 

No matter if you choose for OLED or the IPS choice, the Spectre x360 14 incorporates a range of colour options. You can select amongst them manually by using the HP Screen Handle pop-up in the Program Tray, or open up the complete application to make state-of-the-art options, which can automatically kick in when you start an application. If you will need great control above colour options throughout the sRGB, Adobe RGB and DCI-P3 areas, this is truly handy.   

The display sits in little bezels all spherical (HP’s data sheet quotes the display-to-body ratio at 90.33%), so the total dimensions of the Spectre X360 14 convertible is about as little as it can be at 298mm vast by 220mm deep by 16.9mm thick. 

The good news is there’s space for a webcam previously mentioned the display. This can be shielded by a privateness protect, and HP has eschewed the effortless selection of a bodily slider and as a substitute furnished a Fn row critical that, when pressed, leads to a protect to slip above the lens.  

A display as superior as the OLED panel on my review unit warrants terrific speakers, and there’s a quad array right here, with grilles previously mentioned the keyboard and on the underside. The speakers are furnished by Bang & Olufsen, who also model an audio control application that contains an equaliser and some pre-sets for music, movie and voice. Fiddling with the options does make a big difference, but – as on so numerous laptops — I would have preferred extra bass. 

The keyboard is silent in use, and particular person keys have a great deal of bounce. HP has located room for a fingerprint sensor in the bottom row, but the flattened critical room is visually jarring, and the sensor could be superior located in the on/off button on the Fn row. The substantial trackpad is responsive. My contact-typing was slowed only by accidental strays into the column of function keys to the suitable of the Enter critical. I would get utilized to this in time, but located it disheartening for the duration of the review period of time. 

There are three off-the-shelf specifications offered on HP’s United kingdom web page at the time of crafting: 

• Intel Core i5-1135G7, Windows ten Property, 13.5-inch one,920 x one,280 pixel contact-responsive IPS display, Intel Iris Xe graphics, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD
  £1,a hundred and fifty (inc. VAT) 
• Intel Core i7-1165G7, Windows ten Property, 13.5-inch one,920 x one,280 pixel contact-responsive IPS display, Intel Iris Xe graphics, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD
  £1,349.99 (inc. VAT) 
• Intel Core i7-1165G7, Windows ten Property, 13.5-inch 3,000 x 2,000 pixel contact-responsive OLED display, Intel Iris Xe graphics, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD
  £1,549.99 (inc. VAT, as reviewed) 

As mentioned earlier, the OLED version of the Spectre x360 14 has an believed battery lifestyle of eleven.5 hrs, though the lower-resolution IPS version will give you up to 17 hrs. My battery take a look at involves each day productivity workloads — crafting into net apps, searching and media streaming. A normal three-hour period of time noticed a totally billed battery drop to sixty eight%, on which foundation I would anticipate numerous men and women to be capable reach a day’s operate on battery electric power.  

HP claims the Spectre x360 14 supports quick charging, citing the potential to go from -50% in somewhere around 45 minutes. Right after just one operate session, with the battery at 42%, I established it to charge for 45 minutes, immediately after which time the battery was at 75%, having set on a continuous eleven% each fifteen minutes.  

Conclusions 

The HP Spectre x360 14 has a sound if sometimes quirky components design and style – witness the USB-C Thunderbolt 4 port at an angle on the back again suitable edge. The OLED display on my review unit was exceptional, and the potential to very easily tweak colour gamut options is a as well as stage. Beware, though, that picking out OLED above IPS will effect both of those battery lifestyle and your wallet. 

HP’s inclusion of its Tilt Pen stylus is welcome, despite the fact that you may will need to be watchful not to mislay it as there’s no on-chassis housing. Even at the entry stage this is a premium-priced laptop, but if you worth display top quality and will need a multipurpose 2-in-one design and style, then it truly is undoubtedly advisable. 

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