HP's new Spectre 13.3-inch laptop, runningWindows 10, is gorgeous and only weighs 2.45 pounds. At 0.4 of an inch thick — as thick as a AAA battery — it's also the world's thinnest laptop available on on the market (includes laptops that have shipped over 1 million units as of Feb. 10) according to HP's research. My own findings confirm as much, too.
The Spectre 13.3-inch looks like a piece of jewelry that belongs in a high-end fashion store on Fifth Avenue. The "Ash Silver" laptop's hood and body are made of sturdy aluminum, and its base is made from lightweight carbon fiber. The copper-polished hinge, inspired by cabinet door hinges, helps make the display appear like it's floating above the keyboard.
You'd think with thinness such a priority, the laptop would be a weakling. It's not.
Instead of a fanless (and potentially underpowered) Intel Core M processor, HP's going with a sixth-gen Core i5 or i7 processor (depending on configuration) with 8GB of RAM. HP says it's using Intel's hyperbaric cooling system, which uses two fans to suck in air and then redirect them over the processor and other vital components to keep the laptop cool. For storage, the Spectre 13.3 comes with up to 512GB in a fast-performing PCIe solid-state drive (SSD).
The 13.3-inch IPS display is full HD resolution (1,920 x 1,080), but there's no 4K display option. Surprisingly, the display isn't a touchscreen, and there's no option to get one. Honestly, I'm okay with that. The IPS screen still looks sharp from a working distance and while a touchscreen and 4K would have been nice, it also would mean getting lower battery life.
On the back of the laptop are three USB Type-C ports (two of them support Thunderbolt 3 speeds) and a 3.5mm headphone jack. And this is cool: Allthree of the USB-C ports can be used to charge the Spectre 13.3, output video and transfer data.
This is what a laptop from the future looks like — three tiny versatile ports that do it all. (Not to mention, the ports look so neat on on the computer.) Sure, you'll need to buyall-new USB-C accessories or use an adapter to get your full-sized USB gear to work with it, but we're all going to have to make the switch sooner or later.
I briefly tried out the chiclet-style keyboard and the glass trackpad. I can report they're both great. The 0.05-inch (1.3mm) key travel feels excellent, and I didn't notice any lag on the trackpad like I have on theSpectre x360.
Flanking the keyboard are stereo speakers tuned by Bang & Olufsen.
HP says the Spectre 13.3 has up to 9 hours and 45 minutes of battery life. To achieve that, it combined four batteries together, maximizing every bit of space within the thin chassis.
The sleek laptop starts at $1,249.99 and will available on HP.com and BestBuy.com on April 25 at in Best Buy stores on May 29.
In addition to the Spectre 13.3, HP also announced updated hardware to the Envy 15.6 and Envy 17.3 laptops.
Both Windows 10 machines have slightly tweaked designs that are slightly lifted off the surface for better airflow.
The 15.6" gets up to 9 hours of battery life and the 17.3" gets up to 6.5 hours.
The 15.6" is configurable with up to a Core i7 processor, Intel integrated graphics or Intel Iris GFX graphics, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of PCIe solid-state storage (SSD) with storage options that go up to a 1TB hard drive (paired with a smaller SSD so performance doesn't suffer too much).
The 15.6-inch gets up to 9 hours of battery life and the 17.3-inch gets up to 6.5 hours. The 17.3-inch has an Intel Core i7 processor with Nvidia GeForce 940MX graphics, 16GB of RAM, up to 1TB of hard drive or up to 512GB of SATA SSD and an optical disk drive.
For ports, both laptops come with three USB 3.0 ports, one USB Type-C port (data only, no charging), an HDMI port, and an SD card reader. The 17.3-inch also has an Ethernet port.
The Envy 15.6-inch starts at $779 and will be available on HP.com on May 27 and in stores on June 12. The Envy 17.3-inch starts at $1,079 and will be available on HP.com on June 1, BestBuy.com on May 9 and in Best Buy stores on June 12.
Huge 2-in-1 laptops that transform into tablets aren't for everyone. But if you're into them, they can be awesome.
The Envy x360 15.6-inch, which starts at $679, isn't as premium as the pricier Spectre x360 15t, but it's still a solid 2-in-1. At 4.5 pounds it's a clunker.
The 15.6-inch IPS screen comes in full HD (1,920 x 1,080) resolution. It's also configurable with a UHD 4K display for extra.
It's also configurable with a UHD 4K display for extra.
Intel's latest sixth-gen Core i processors (available up to Core i7) power Windows 10. Graphics options include Intel Iris GFX or AMD FX 9800P quad-core processor with Radeon R7 graphics. For storage, the laptop's configurable with single- or dual-storage options with up to 2TB of hard drive or up to 256GB of PCIe SSD. It's got up to 11 hours of battery life.
It also has Bang & Olufsen-tuned speakers.
The Envy x360 15.6-inch has two USB 3.0 ports, one USB-C port for data transfer, an HDMI port, and an SD card slot.
The laptop comes out on HP.com on June 1, BestBuy.com on May 29 and in Best Buy stores on June 12.
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