#14review

The HP Spectre x360 14 is a stylish 2-in-1 laptop with a brilliant 3:2 OLED touch screen for displaying your work. It includes a great keyboard as well as a plethora of ports for all of your peripherals. However, those who value battery life may wish to opt for a non-OLED display.

Price and configurations

The Spectre x360 14 is one of HP’s most costly consumer devices, starting at $1,329 for the base model. The base model comes with a 1920 x 1280 (WUXGA+) display, an Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor with Iris Xe graphics, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD for that price. It’s a significant and welcome change from the PS4, where games were frequently rendered in 1080p at 30 frames per second.

The laptop features a Full HD display, a Core i7-1165G7 processor with 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. The cost of upgrading to an OLED panel is merely $90 more. The Intel Core i7-1165G7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB SSD in the OLED review model cost $1809.99.

Despite the fact that 13-inch and 15-inch versions of this PC exist, the Spectre x360 14 is the first of its kind, so let’s hope the price drops in future editions. On the plus side, HP adds a free rechargeable Tilt Pen stylus and a stylish laptop sleeve.

Design

HP produces a stylish laptop. The Spectre x360 doesn’t make any modifications to a design that has basically become a tried-and-true formula. It’s an aluminum notebook with a sturdy build. Nightfall black with copper accents, Poseidon blue, and natural silver are the colors available for the laptop.

Two of the back two edges, near the 360-degree hinge, have been shaved off to make way for a Thunderbolt 4 connector on one of them. It’s a controversial option, but I’ve grown to like it. With the wire in this position, you can easily switch from a laptop to a tablet while it’s charging.

When you first open the laptop, you’ll notice a significant difference: a 13.5-inch, 3:2 display that seems immensely lavish in comparison to the 16:9 screen on the smaller Spectre x360 13 that we just tested. The bezel is kept to a minimum, allowing you to focus on your job. It also results in a somewhat longer overall profile for the gadget.

Unlike many 2-in-1s, the power switch is located on the keyboard rather than on the device’s side. In tablet or laptop mode, there’s also a fingerprint scanner next to the arrow keys, which, when combined with the IR camera, offers security options beyond a password, which I enjoy. Above the function keys, the speaker grilles add a pleasant touch.

The Spectre x360 14 doesn’t have a lot of ports, but there are plenty for most people’s daily needs. The right side houses the majority of the activity, including two Thunderbolt 4 ports (one in the right corner), a 3.5 mm headphone connector, and a microSD card slot. One USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port is located on the right. The rest of that side of the notebook is magnetized to accommodate the HP Tilt Pen that comes with it. The Spectre weighs 2.95 pounds and has a footprint of 11.75 x 8.67 x 0.67 inches.

Display

The Spectre x360’s 13.5-inch touchscreen has a 3:2 aspect ratio, which means it is taller than it is broad. It’s a lavish amount of space, particularly for work. Because the screen is taller, you’ll be able to see more text, code, spreadsheet cells, or whatever else you’re working on. It’s a significant improvement over 16:9 displays, and it gives the tablet a more natural shape, resembling a pie.

The DCI-P3 color gamut is covered by 139.7% on the OLED panel (the non-OLED, 1920 x 1280 screen covered 74.6 percent ). The ZenBook Flip S, which also has an OLED display, came in second with 113.1 percent. The MacBook Pro covered 78.3 percent of the screen, while the XPS 13 2-in-1 covered 70%. On our light meter, the Spectre’s display measured an average of 339 nits. However, this never seemed to be an issue!

Battery Life

The Spectre x360 14’s battery life isn’t great, as it is with most laptops with OLED screens. It’ll keep you going for the majority of the day, but you’ll need to bring the braided USB Type-C charger with you.

The Spectre lasted 7 hours and 14 minutes on our test, which had laptops continuously browse the web, do OpenGL tests, and stream movies over Wi-Fi at 150 nits.

Conclusions

The HP Spectre x360 14 is currently the greatest 2-in-1 laptop available. In laptop form, the 3:2 display emphasizes your work and is more natural than 16:9 or 16:10 screens in tablet mode. It boasts a good keyboard, respectable performance, and a variety of connectors. It also comes with a stylus.

If battery life is important to you, the OLED screen isn’t going to help you out, but the 1920 x 1280 variant might. In terms of longevity, the MacBook Pro with M1, a clamshell option, is unrivaled. The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 9310 is still a solid option if you prefer a smaller footprint. However, it has fewer connectors and a 16:10 rather than a 3:2 screen.

However, if you’re ready to spend a premium, the Spectre x360 14 essentially has it all, making it an easy recommendation.