HP Spectre x360 review: As sleek and suave as 007 but expensive

The HP x360 is not an ordinary laptop. It is sleek, suave and premium - both in terms of design and specifications. And all that extravagance comes at a cost - more than 1.5 lakh rupees. Does HP's flagship laptop offering have the chops to command that price? Or is it just a pretty face? Let's find out in our full review:

Dressed to impress

There are no two ways about it - the aluminum clad Spectre x360 looks gorgeous. The glossy gold (HP calls it copper) finish scattered across the laptop complement the all grey (HP calls its Dark Ash Silver) colour palette beautifully. The laptop is thin, light (just 1.3 kg) and dressed to kill - just like James Bond whose movie it shares a title with.

The build quality is impeccable with the level of craftsmanship akin to products made by Apple. This laptop screams premiumness - both in terms of look and feel. For many folks, the stellar design of the Spectre x360 might be the sole factor behind their purchase decision.

The x360 earns its name because of the hinge present below the display. You can spin the display around 360 degrees and use the laptop as a tablet. You can also use it in 'Tent' mode or 'Display' mode to show off a movie or a presentation to a group friends or colleagues - it is all rather nifty and convenient.

However, the Spectre x360 still has a long way to go before it can replace a traditional tablet - most convertibles do. Despite the fact that the x360 is quite thin and light for a laptop, it is still considerably heavy to use as a tablet for more than 20 minutes at a stretch.

However, the convenience is unmatched - the joy of using the same device for work and then flipping it around and using it as a tablet to watch Narcos on Netflix at home is unparalleled. Just make sure you prop it on a pillow or your legs otherwise your hands will become sore very quickly.

Stellar display, average stylus

The display is another highlight of the Spectre - it is sharp, vivid and pixel dense. Let's get the numbers out of the way first - the laptop come with a 13.3-inch FullHD panel with a resolution of 1920 x 1080. The brightness levels are on point and the colors are vivid and punchy.

The touch response is also great - I did not experience any latency during my testing. The only drawback I found during my three weeks of use is that the display is quite reflective which makes using it in harsh sunlight a bit tricky.

Simply put - the display will put a smile upon your face and go a long way towards justifying the Spectre's not so insignificant price tag. The icing on the cake is the fact that the screen is covered with Gorilla Glass 3 for protection against nicks and scratches.

You can also scribble notes on the display via the HP Pen stylus which is included with every Sepctre x360. While nothing to write home about, the pen is good enough for casual drawing and note taking. It is not as accurate and precise as the Apple Pencil or the pen offered with the Microsoft Surface. I also found the erase functionality a bit tricky to master.

Keyboard, Touchpad

The keyboard is a massive improvement from the one found on the non-touchscreen HP Spectre - which I found fiddly and tough to type on. This time around, the keys have more travel, good feedback and a nice, even backlighting.

Yes, you still feel as if you are typing on an ultrabook - the regular problems that come with trying to cram keys in such a slim chassis till remain but HP has done a great job within the limits of the segment.

The Spectre x360 feels special and is crated with exquisite attention to detail

The typing experience of the x360 is eons better than the one found on Apple's new Macbook Pros which come with with a fiddly butterfly mechanism which results in almost zero key travel and a very shallow feeling keyboard.

The TouchPad is very smooth and tracking is nice and consistent but the odd wide shape takes some time getting used to. The trackpad gestures are iffy and inconsistent - with Windows 10 and to an extent the bizarre shape of the trackpad to blame here.

Great performance but mediocre graphics

The HP Spectre x360 is available in two variants. The entry level variant comes with 8GB of RAM, the Intel Core i5 processor (7th gen) and a 360GB SSD for Rs 1,24,467 (selling for Rs 1,15,000 online). The high-end model, which we have here for review, retails for a pricey Rs 1,72,808 (Rs 1,57,000 online) and comes with 16GB of RAM, a 512 GB SSD and the Intel Core i7 (7th gen) processor.

Let's be done with the bad news first. The Spectre x360 has a propensity to overheat, even in moderately intensive situations. Even though HP has crammed two fans inside the laptops chassis, I experienced a rise in temperatures (CPU touching 60 - 65 degrees Celsius) even during simple use case scenarios like browsing chrome, watching HD movies and YouTube videos.

Apart from slightly toasting your hands and legs, this causes thermal throttling and reduces performance levels. Also, the fan noise sometimes becomes a bit too much. Secondly, the GPU on board (Intel HD Graphics 620) the Spectre will not satiate the needs of video editors or gamers. This device is meant for those who want a snappy laptop for day to day use in an incredibly thin and light form factor.

And for day to day use, it succeeds massively on the performance front (apart from the overheating issues talked above). The PCLE NVme SSD HP has strapped onto the Spectre is super-fast with insanely quick read and write speeds, much more so than off the shelf SSDS. An example - the laptop boots in less than 10 seconds.

The 16GB of RAM is also plenty for multi-tasking - the laptop never feels as if it is crumbling under the load of too many open applications. I do wish HP had used DDR4 RAM instead of the older DDR3 standard - one should expect only the best in such an expensive laptop after all, shouldn't they.

All in all, the Spectre x360 performs quite superbly considering its ultra slim profile - only gamers and those who use their laptops for intensive tasks like video editing will be left wanting.

Audio prowess

The four Bang and Olufsen speakers on board the Spectre x360 are quite fantastic - delivering crisp highs and layered mids. The bass performance is average - but still better than what most laptop speakers offer. All in all, the speakers are good enough for watching a movie or a YouTube video in a pinch without desperately having to look for external speakers.

The Spectre x360 has a propensity to overheat, even in moderately intensive situations

Connectivity: A mix of the old and new

Apple has started a rather unfortunate trend amongst laptop manufacturers of ditching as many legacy ports as possible. With the Spectre x360, HP has bucked the trend somewhat. Along with two USB C ports, HP has managed to squeeze in a regular type A port which support USB 3.0 speeds. This helps avoid the mess of dongles and adapters. Full credit to HP for embracing the future while still providing convenience by keeping one leg in the present.

The only drawback is the absence of an SD card reader - but that I am willing to forgive considering how slim and light the laptop is. USB C also has many advantages. The USB C ports support Thunderbolt 3, which is great for fast data transfer and 4K video output. USB C is a very versatile port as well - it can be used to draw power, output video and connect any USB peripheral.

Battery life

The battery life is not spectacular but is quite good nonetheless. In my three weeks plus of use, I managed to eke out around 9 hours from the Spectre x360 on average. While nine hours is not bad by any means, comparable offerings from Apple break the 10 hour barrier easily on a single charge.

What is really impressive is the fact that the laptop does not throttle or slow down whilst on battery - the performance remains more or less the same as experienced when connected to mains. Also, the fact that it charges via USB C ensures not only ensures a speedy charge (under 2 hours) but also compatibility with almost any Thunderbolt certified power adapter.

Verdict: HP's premium play

The Spectre x360 is not just another run of the mill laptop. Much like Apple's offerings, it feels special and is crated with exquisite attention to detail - reason enough to buy it for many. The sleek and svelte design is paired to a sharp and vivid display, an ergonomic keyboard, good connectivity options that do not leave users with dongles in their bags and great performance.

Is it worth the price? That is a tricky question. If you are looking for a portable laptop for day to day use with looks to impress, then yes, the Spectre is all you are looking for and more. But those looking for a laptop that will handle everything you throw at it will be left a bit disappointed by the overheating issues and the sub standard GPU on board.