HP Spectre 15 x360 2019 review Carving a niche in a crowded space Ars Technica

Enlarge / The unusual, gemstone-inspired edges are designed to make this laptop stand out.

Samuel Axon

The HP Spectre 15 x360 is a superb laptop, but it appeared we always observed one or two matters to quibble with.

With the 2017 model, we liked a few key layout choices but felt allow down through the overall performance and battery existence. We had been larger fanatics of the2019 update, which amped up overall performance while also enhancing battery life and making the 4K show general. But we felt the trackpad changed into awfully small and did not like that the fingerprint reader and energy button had been separate.

Now we are working with the 2019 model, and it brings an entire new layout at the side of some quicker internals and extras like smart port placement and a hardware webcam kill switch. At its heart, the 2019 HP Spectre 15 x360 still seeks to perform the identical matters as its predecessors. It's an attention grabbing (if a piece bulky) convertible full of most of the functions creatives and heavy consumers of media are seeking out.

Do the 2019 updates remedy some of the quibbles we had in prior years? After a few current trying out, we will optimistically say the HP Spectre 15 x360 stays a terrific pc—but its uncommon design could be alienating in case you're simply looking for something simple.

Specifications

Model	Worst	Best	As Reviewed
Screen	15.6-inch 3840 × 2160 WLED touchscreen
OS	Windows 10 Home 64
CPU	Intel Core i7-8750H (6-core, 2.2GHz as much as 4.1GHz)
RAM	8GB DDR4 RAM	16GB DDR4 RAM	16GB DDR4 RAM
Storage	256GB PCIe SSD	2TB PCIe SSD	1TB PCIe SSD
GPU	Intel UHD Graphics 630 + Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti 4GB
Networking	Intel 802.11b/g/n/ac (2×2) Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5 blend (MU-MIMO supported)
Ports	1 USB-C 3.1, 1 USB-A 3.1, 1 HDMI 2.0, 1 Thunderbolt 3, 3.5mm headphone jack, microSD slot
Size	0.76 × 14,22 × 9.84 inches
Weight	4.8 pounds
Battery	6-cell, 84 Wh lithium-ion battery
Warranty	1 12 months; elective 2- and three-12 months safety plans
Price	$1,499	$2,419	$2,049
Other perks	Fingerprint reader, webcam with privacy switch, active pen

The 2019 HP Spectre 15 x360 is a fantastic bump over its predecessor on the subject of specs. All configurations now include a six-middle Intel Core i7-8750H processor with integrated Intel UHD 630 pictures. That's up from four cores in the previous version.

They additionally include Nvidia's GeForce GTX 1050Ti discrete GPU with 4GB of video memory, which is ideal sufficient to edit 4K video and play current computer games. As stated previously, HP pitches this laptop as an choice for creatives, however this isn't a notebook GPU. That difference could simplest count number to a pick out few specialists, even though.

Last year, HP made the 4K 15.6-inch WLED touchscreen show trendy. That returns here. The screen doesn't seem to have modified, and it is still an awesome show, albeit a chunk dark—we measured the brightness at around 300 nits, that's lots decrease than you'll see on competing laptops just like the Dell XPS 15. That's a perplexing letdown for a laptop made for media introduction and consumption. Nevertheless, the display is sharp and the colours appearance true.

HP would not make any claims about P3 or sRGB colorspace insurance—but again, this is not a professional notebook, it is a personal gadget. For that, the display screen is ideal enough. We've simply visible higher.

The laptop comes with 8GB DDR4 RAM fashionable, and you could upgrade to 16GB. Either ought to be sufficient for maximum use cases for this computer. There's a huge variety of garage options, and given that it is strong kingdom, that is the configuration alternative that can ramp up the rate. Configurations start at 256GB but pass as high as 2TB. Our review unit had 1TB, which, even as pricy, appears suitable for a media laptop in recent times—but most of the people ought to likely get via with the 512GB option.

Other specs of word consist of 802.11b/g/n/ac (2×2) Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5, a front-dealing with digicam, a fingerprint reader, and a six-cellular, 84Wh lithium-ion battery.

Design

The first factor you will be aware when unboxing this pc is its uncommon aesthetic. HP calls it a "gem-cut" look—the angles on the edges resemble the clean, geometric corners and aspects of a gemstone, supposedly. It has a dramatic effect. It looks "polygonal," for lack of a higher term. If you need some thing fascinating, it does that nicely.

The aggregate of the "gem-cut" look and the vibrant, attention-grabbing copper or brass accents do deliver it a certain Vegas-fashion, over-the-pinnacle vibe that might not paintings for all people. I discover it a chunk tons, to be frank, but that's in simple terms non-public. Many other human beings are going to like it. I simply liked the vintage appearance a touch better, as I appreciated the accents in closing 12 months's models very tons and didn't experience greater changed into had to get the factor throughout.

That stated, the substances do not feel cheap in any respect, which helps. If you are the sort to need your laptop to look and experience "top rate," this convertible promises.

The backlit keyboard is much like last 12 months's version, and it is nevertheless stable. It's a chiclet keyboard with 1.5mm of key journey. It has a full numeric keypad, for you to attraction to some users but no longer to others. I sense that squeezing numpads into 15-inch laptops makes the keyboards cramped. But then, I hardly ever if ever use the numpad despite the fact that I even have it. For other human beings, a numpad is essential, and it is in reality a welcome inclusion in that state of affairs.

• The 2019 HP Spectre 15 x360.
  Samuel Axon
• With the lid open and from the the front, it looks as if a quite ordinary 15-inch computer...
  Samuel Axon
• But the uncommon layout is plain on the rims. In one returned nook, as an instance, we've got the strength button...
  Samuel Axon
• And on the opposite lower back corner, there's a USB-C port—the intention right here is to prevent this from interfering with your mouse, even though it may not assist a whole lot if you're left-handed.
  Samuel Axon
• The audio system take a seat above the keyboard.
  Samuel Axon
• A top view with the lid closed.
  Samuel Axon

The trackpad is just like the only in2019's model, and it's excellent. It still feels a little cramped to me—that turned into certainly one of Ars' Valentina Palladino's main criticisms last yr—however not absolutely everyone likes massive trackpads.

With dimensions of 0.76×14,22×9.84 inches and a weight of four.8 pounds, this convertible is a piece too bulky to simply use as a tablet. Most 15-inch convertibles have this hassle, though. I also experience the bezels are instead huge—frequently the lowest. HP says they are 11.9-percentage narrower usual than ultimate yr's Spectre 15 x360, although.

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//arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/05/hp-spectre-15-x360-2019-review-carving-a-area of interest-in-a-crowded-space/
2019-05-10 11:15:00Z
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