Your smartphone isn't the only thing that companies are
obsessed with making thinner. Focus has turned to laptops as well, with
the belief that making thin-as-paper and light-as-air notebooks will
draw in more of the forever-on-the-go working professionals. Thinness
also lends itself to design challenges that both excite and loom over
OEMs—on one hand, thin laptops should be inherently sexy, but on the
other hand, it can be a challenge to make a truly powerful,
performance-driven pancake notebook.
Enter HP's new Spectre 13 laptop. The company bills it as the
thinnest notebook in the world, and its sleek, metallic-accented design
complements that title. However, unlike Apple's newest MacBook, HP
managed to fit full Core i5 and i7 processors into the Spectre, in
addition to three USB Type-C ports and a 4-cell battery. While it
doesn't come cheap with a starting price of $1,169, it does do its best
to offer more power and a fresh design compared to the likes of
the MacBook and Dell's XPS 13.
Look and feel
HP reps have said the main goal with the Spectre 13 was to make it
"distinctly thin," and they managed to do that with the 10.4mm-thick
laptop. While the Spectre 13 weighs more than Apple's ultra-thin
MacBook (2.06 pounds), and even the company's own
Elitebook Folio G1
(2.14 pounds) at 2.45 pounds, it seems to lose weight when you pick it
up because it appears so svelte. When I unboxed the Spectre 13 for the
first time, I was only partially surprised to see that its packaging
weighed more than the laptop itself did.
While dimensions speak volumes, HP carried over the svelte aesthetic
to the design of the entire notebook. The body is mostly matte black,
made of an anodized aluminum and carbon fiber mix, and it's accented in
copper with the HP logo on the top of the lid and with the recessed
piston hinge that connects the lid to the chassis.
Specs at a glance: HP Spectre 13 (as reviewed) |
Screen |
13.3-inch, 1920 x 1080, IPS |
OS |
Windows 10, 64 bit |
CPU |
Intel Core i7-6500 |
RAM |
8GB |
HDD |
256GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD |
GPU |
Intel HD 520 |
Networking |
802.11ac (2x2) and Bluetooth 4.0 combo |
Ports |
1 USB Type-C, 2 Thunderbolt |
Size |
12.8 x 9.03 x 0.41 in |
Weight |
2.45 lbs |
Battery |
4-cell, 38 Wh Li-ion |
Warranty |
1 year |
Starting price |
$1,169 |
Price as reviewed |
$1,249 |
Other perks |
HP TrueVision webcam |
Back when the Spectre 13 was first announced, the hinge is what
caught everyone's eyes—not only because of its blinged-out copper
coating, but also for the way it basically keeps the lid and display
hovering over the back portion of the chassis with two curved hooks. HP
reps say the company was inspired by furniture design when creating the
Spectre 13, and the hinge is the perfect example of that influence.
However, some might be disappointed that the hinge prevents the screen
from tilting back more than 120 degrees.
But at the same time, the hinge keeps the display sturdily stuck in
place, so it won't fall back or forward at will. The display itself is a
13.3-inch, 1920 x 1080, IPS screen with a .04-inch layer of Corning
Gorilla Glass 4 on top of it. My only issues with the display are that
the bezel at the bottom is a bit thicker than I'd like (1 inch, compared
to the other sides' .5-inch bezel) and the display as a whole can be
overcome by glare at some angles. Otherwise, the brightness, contrast,
and colors are all good, but if you're looking for a 4K option, you
won't find one on the Spectre 13's model list.
HP focused a lot on the Spectre 13's appearance but didn't sacrifice
productivity either. On the back of the hinge are a headphone jack and
three connectivity ports: one USB Type-C port and two Thunderbolt ports.
Any of these three ports can charge the laptop, and the Thunderbolt
ports can be used for data transfer, 4K monitor connects, and more. HP
seems to be adding more and more ports as it debuts new laptops; its
EliteBook Folio G1 has two USB Type-C ports that indirectly (or
directly) one-upped Apple's one-port MacBook. Having multiple ports is
crucial for me, especially in such a portable laptop that I would likely
be traveling with a lot and would need to connect my phone, camera,
mouse, and possibly an external display to at once. HP thankfully
includes one regular USB to USB Type-C adaptor with the Spectre 13, so
if you're like me you'll make use of that to connect older accessories
and products to the laptop. However, HP's other USB Type-C adaptors,
including Ethernet and HDMI, are optional accessories and cost $49 each.
The last thing to note about the Spectre 13's design is something you
cannot see. HP partnered with Intel to build a hyperbaric cooling
system inside the notebook that works to keep it cool even when you're
pushing its processor to the limit. The system basically draws in cool
air through the bottom vents and pushes it over the processor to keep
the entire system from overheating. While the hinge did get a little
warm sometimes, the rest of the notebook remained comfortable. However,
the dual fans involved in the hyperbaric system were loud at times. HP
issued a software update that fixed this a bit, but it didn't render the
fans completely mute.
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HP Spectre 13.
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Valentina Palladino
Copper-accented keyboard deck with etched glass trackpad.
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It's made of anodized aluminum and carbon fiber.
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Recessed piston hinge.
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The back of the hinge has one isolated USB-C port.
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As well as two ports that are USB-C and Thunderbolt.
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There's also a headphone jack.
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HP's new geometric logo on the lid.
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The Spectre 13 weighs just 2.45 pounds.
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The 13.3-inch, FHD, IPS display.
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Curved design around the edges of the keyboard give it a uniform feel.
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The sides of the keys are all accented in copper, giving it a faux-backlit (and luxurious) look.
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Grill for Bang & Olufsen speakers.
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Underside of the Spectre 13.
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At its widest point, the Spectre 13 is 10.4mm thick.
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HP claims nine hours of battery life for the Spectre.
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Valentina Palladino
It runs Windows 10 and is available with up to 8GB of RAM and 512GB of PCIe SSD storage.
Keyboard and trackpad
The Spectre 13's keyboard follows the design of the rest of the
laptop with its symbols and sides highlighted in copper. With 1.3mm of
travel between keys, they're slightly snug, but I didn't feel cramped
while typing on the keyboard. The corner keys—Escape, Delete, right
arrow, and Control—are curved at the edges so the entire keyboard is
encased in a rounded, rectangular figure. It mimics the design of the
lid and the chassis making it look just slightly more fluid and pulled
together than other keyboards. The left and right sides of the keyboard
are hugged by speaker grills that let the Bang & Olufsen speakers
work their magic.
The etched glass trackpad is a Synaptics SMBus Clickpad and it sits
in the middle of the keyboard deck just under the space bar. It's
incredibly smooth to use even if it is small at just 3.7 x 2.2 inches.
While some trackpads, like that on
Lenovo's X1 hybrid, can
feel a little cramped if they have extra buttons at the top or bottom,
the Spectre 13's trackpad felt cramped simply because it's too narrow of
a rectangle. Aside from the lack of room, gestures like pinch-to-zoom
and controls like two-finger scrolling worked just fine.
Software
HP doesn't weigh down the Spectre 13 with bloatware. In fact, the
only HP-branded apps are HP Welcome where you can register your Spectre
13 for better warranty support; HP ePrint for monitoring printouts; and
HP Help and Support, which includes apps like HP Recovery Manager where
you can run some computer maintenance tests and reinstall drivers if
need be.
Otherwise, the Spectre 13 is your general Windows 10 notebook. The
only thing it's really lacking is the fingerprint privacy features of
Windows Hello since it doesn't have a fingerprint sensor. The most you
can do to protect your notebook is add a password to your account,
create a PIN, and select a photo password.
Performance
The Spectre 13 is a pretty capable laptop. Our review unit is powered
by an Intel Core i7-6500 processor, but the base model has Core i5. But
both our model and the base have 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. In
many of our benchmark tests, the Spectre 13 beat out Microsoft's Surface
Book and performed ever-so-slightly better than its cousin, the
EliteBook Folio G1.
I didn't experience any problems working on the Spectre 13 for hours
at a time. Its sustained performance is on par with Microsoft's Surface
Book, and with its Intel HD 520 GPU, it bested the Dell XPS on most of
our graphics benchmarks as well. While I don't expect most Spectre 13
users to be using the notebook for hardcore gaming, it's certainly up to
the task of the occasional Candy Crush session.
Another plus of the Spectre 13 is that it comes with PCIe storage, up
to 512GB. HP ditched the SATA SSD III option from the EliteBook Folio
G1, which simply gives the Spectre 13 an edge when comparing it to the
XPS 13 or to any Apple laptop from the past three years.
Battery life
HP divided the Spectre 13's battery into four polymer cells, so it
could fit within its ultra-thin design. The company promises nine hours
of battery life on a single charge, and in our test, the Spectre 13
lasted an average of 615 minutes, or just over ten hours. That means
you'll get at least a full day's worth of activity before you have to
plug in again, which is promising since the Spectre 13 has been billed
as the ultimate portable notebook. On our WebGL test, which puts the GPU
to work, the Spectre 13 lasted 210 minutes or about three hours.
A recent change to our battery life test has invalidated older test
data. As we work to bring devices back in and re-test them, our charts
may not include as much data as they usually do. Thanks for your
patience.
-
A recent change to our battery life test has invalidated older test
data. As we work to bring devices back in and re-test them, our charts
may not include as much data as they usually do. Thanks for your
patience.
-
A recent change to our battery life test has invalidated older test
data. As we work to bring devices back in and re-test them, our charts
may not include as much data as they usually do. Thanks for your
patience.
Few compromises for the thinnest option
HP ticked all the boxes it wanted to when it developed the Spectre
13. It's an incredibly thin laptop that won't take up much space no
matter where you store it, nor will its 2.45-pound weight break your
back. Thanks to its Core i5 and i7 processors and solid overall
performance, you can get a lot of work done on this laptop without it
slowing you down. It also won't overheat on you thanks to the hyperbaric
cooling system, even if you'll have to deal with the occasional hum of
the fan.
The Spectre 13's metallically enhanced design may not be everyone's
style, but I do give HP props for not making a MacBook or MacBook Air
clone. Windows users have another flashy notebook to choose from in the
Spectre 13, and one that will surely make a couple of heads turn. I also
appreciate that HP didn't try to make the Spectre 13 a hybrid—it's a
laptop for people who prefer laptops thanks to its sturdy hinge and
comfortable keyboard. I only wish the trackpad gave me more room to
breathe.
Overall, there are few compromises to make for the HP Spectre 13. It
doesn't have any 4K or touchscreen display options, so keep that in mind
if you have been wanting a laptop that supports either. You also won't
be able to lean the display back very far due to the hinge's design, but
that's a small price to pay. If you have considered the new $1,299
MacBook but are not married to OS X, the HP Spectre 13 is a good
alternative that has more connectivity options and is also slightly more
affordable.
The Good
- Statement design without being too over-the-top.
- Super lightweight and thin.
- Long battery life.
- Three USB-C ports, two of which are Thunderbolt.
- Comfortable chiclet keyboard.
- Core i5 and i7 processor options.
The Bad
- Hinge design doesn't let the screen tilt back very far.
- Fan can be loud at times.
- No 4K or touchscreen display option.
The Ugly
- Stuffy trackpad cannot compare to the roomy Force Touch trackpad on the MacBook.
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