Introduction
Today, we’re looking at the 2024 HP Spectre x360 14-inch edition. This is HP’s premium convertible 2-in-1 Ultrabook, featuring 360-degree hinges. It’s the most luxurious model in their Ultrabook line. The Spectre x360 is available in slate blue, midnight black, and silver. If you choose the blue or black options, you will be charged an additional $9 when ordering from HP’s website. The laptop comes with a pen (included only with the Midnight Black model) and a USB-C hub.
HP Spectre x360 14 Review Detail
Designs
HP has not followed Apple’s path of only offering USB-C Thunderbolt ports design-wise. The Spectre includes two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, one on the angled edge, giving it that signature diamond-cut look. This design is practical for plugging in the charger, keeping it out of the way.
Additionally, there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack on the other angled edge and a USB-A port on the left side, which features a drop-down jaw due to the laptop’s thin profile. The Spectre weighs just 3.19 lbs (1.45 kg), making it a light and portable option. Acer Nitro V16 Review
Specs
As HP’s most premium product, the pricing is surprisingly reasonable. The starting model, featuring a Core i5 processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD, is priced at around $1,450 on HP’s website. This model includes a stunning 2.8K resolution OLED display and a pen.
Best Buy offers a higher-end version with a Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, and Wi-Fi 7 for those looking for more power. HP also loaned us the top-of-the-line model, which boasts 2TB of storage and 32GB of RAM, showcasing the impressive capabilities of a modern Ultrabook.
The list price on HP’s website is $1,899. However, it’s worth shopping around, and we’ve included some helpful links.
This model features Intel’s 14th generation Meteor Lake H-series CPU, which can be configured to run at either 28 watts or 45 watts, making it suitable for both Ultrabook and gaming laptops. In this Ultrabook, it’s set to 28 watts. Acer Nitro 14 Review
Display
This CPU significantly improved over the 13th generation, with significant architectural changes, including an AI coprocessor and a modular chip design. This allows Intel to evolve the chip more quickly, although this might not make a noticeable difference to most users.
The laptop also includes Intel Arc integrated graphics, which are much more potent than previous integrated graphics from Intel.
These graphics are now on par with AMD’s integrated graphics, making them suitable for casual gaming and older games. While it won’t handle high-end gaming like Cyberpunk 2077 at high settings, it’s more than capable of tasks like Photoshop and casual video editing.
This 14-inch Ultrabook is well-managed in terms of thermals and cooling. It’s not a gaming laptop so that it won’t get excessively hot or loud. It runs more excellently than the Lenovo Yoga 9i from last year.
If you need more performance and a larger size, HP also offers a 16-inch version of this model. You can even get it with Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics. While it’s still not a gaming laptop, this option provides that extra power you might need for projects like Blender.
The show’s real star here is not just the design and build quality, which is always top-notch with the Spectre series. The anodized aluminium finish is stunning, and the magnetically attaching pen, which connects to the right side of the keyboard deck, is held securely by strong magnets.
The display is a 2.8K resolution OLED panel, moving away from the 3:2 aspect ratio that some users loved from the Microsoft Surface days to a more standard 16:10 aspect ratio.
This change makes the laptop less square and more accessible to carry around. The Samsung-made OLED panel looks fantastic, and you can run Windows HDR mode if you prefer.
Software
HP’s software controls colour profiles, including RGB, P3, Adobe RGB, and a native mode. While HDR can slightly reduce the colour gamut, the display looks great even without it. The OLED display doesn’t get as bright as mini-LEDs, but many users, including myself, love the vibrant colours of OLED.
Pen
HP has also improved the screen’s glossiness, making it less reflective and more manageable. Thanks to the 360-degree hinges, the touchscreen can be used in various modes, including tablet, tent, and conventional laptop modes.
The pen supports Microsoft Pen Protocol 2.0, including tilt functionality. It works well for productivity tasks like note-taking and timeline scrubbing, and it’s decent for art, though a matte screen protector might be preferred for severe artists.
Speaker
The laptop features four speakers with Dolby DTS. X Ultrasound for media consumption. They are loud and packed for a device of this size, and the sound quality is impressive, even without the Bang & Olufsen branding. 5 Best Laptop Bags for Men.
Other amenities include a 9-megapixel IR webcam, which supports Windows Hello. This means you won’t look like a grainy mess during Zoom calls. Additionally, the power button has an integrated fingerprint scanner.
Internal
In terms of upgradeability, let’s look at the internals. Thankfully, all the screws are exposed, with only four Torx T4 screws, longer in the back. You don’t need to remove any rubber pads. There’s plenty of ventilation, which is a good thing. The tenacious plastic clips may cause snapping noises. But don’t worry, you’re not breaking anything.
Battery
The battery, an M.2 standard 2280 SSD, and a docketed Wi-Fi card will be found. You can choose between Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 when ordering from HP, though Wi-Fi 7 isn’t widely used yet. The RAM is soldered on board, using low-power DDR5x clocked at over 7,000 MHz.
You can get configurations with either 16GB or 32GB of RAM. Despite its thin chassis, the two fans help keep the laptop cool and performant. You can also see the speaker driver housings and the down-firing speakers.
Laptops with OLED displays usually don’t have the best battery life unless you’re displaying black most of the time, as those pixels are turned off. However, this model did well with its 68Wh battery, which is decent enough.
The laptop has a 68Wh battery and a 65W USB-C fast charger. With the brightness set to 200 nits, which is perfectly usable indoors in an office environment, I managed to get about 6.5 to 7 hours of productivity work.
The battery life will be shorter if you play games like Skyrim or work on Blender projects. You’ll likely want to plug these scenarios for maximum CPU and integrated GPU performance.
Conclusion
So, that’s the 2024 edition of the HP Spectre 14-inch. As always, it boasts a gorgeous design and high build quality. However, if you choose any colour other than silver, be prepared for fingerprints and dust. The silver option might be best if you’re particular about cleanliness.
The Intel Meteor Lake processor for 2024 is a strong performer, and the display is simply stunning. Unlike the Microsoft Surface, I appreciate that the pen is included in the box. Top 10 Earbuds Under $100
