With the laptop and PC industry growing at such a rapid rate, it’s hard to discern the “best” models from the “good” ones. It’s as if the brands were not competing against each other, rather they’re competing with themselves – HP, for one, never ceases to amaze us with their inventiveness, and their Spectre X360 does prove whichever point we’re aiming at.
This review revolves around a magnificent 2-in-1 laptop from one of the prominent leaders. It’s designed in the most beautiful fashion, boasting a lightweight chassis and superb HD display, not to mention the exquisite sound system. Overall, there are plenty of things you’re going to like about Spectre X360, especially if you’re into music production.
HP Spectre X360 Review – Intelligent design, heavy specs, unparalleled performance, all in one
It’s hard to compare HP’s Spectre with anything but premium-quality models, such as Dell’s, MSI’s, even Apple’s MacBooks. As a matter of fact, all of these brands are in the same class, so it’s obvious most people would expect only the best from them, but Spectre X360 strikes out from the rest.
What’s different about HP’s Spectre x360?
This laptop boasts a high rate of performance, a battery lifetime which is just a bit stronger than competitors, several ports, and even supports micro SD cards. Overall, it’s a bit more user-friendly, and doesn’t cost a fortune – additionally, you can get a major discount if you exclude the on-board camera from the rig, saving up some $200 – $300.
Key Features
- 3-inch display in 1920 by 1080 pixels
- Intel I7 8550U 1.87Ghz CPU
- 8GB LPDDR3 1600Mhz Ram
- 128MB Intel UHD 620 Graphics
- 256GB SSD storage + MicroSD slot
- Two USB-C ports, 1 USB 3.1 port, 1 combo audio
- Bluetooth 4.2 connection
- Windows 10 64-bit operating system
- 8 pounds of weight
Pros
- Absolutely magnificent outward appearance, makes you wonder why they don’t make them all like this
- Lightweight and compact, ideal for travels and remote application
- Great battery lifespan, could be used for nearly an entire day before it runs out of juice
- Comes outfitted with a neat stylus, making writing and drawing much easier
- Amazing quality of sound. This might be the best high-spec laptop for music production
- Cheaper than most high-end laptops – suitable for people who want a powerhouse machine without paying a fortune for it.
Cons
- The system tends to overheat a bit too quickly for comfort. Getting a new, more expensive cooler will certainly solve the issue, but it also adds to the total cost.
- The fingerprint sensor (new feature) is placed a bit awkwardly. It might require some getting used to, so it’s certainly not a deal breaker.
- The keyboard layout is peculiar. While it might appeal to some, most people find it as annoying.
Who is HP’s Spectre X360 ideal for?
In essence, Spectre X360 is absolutely great for people who mainly deal with photo editing. The colors are pretty fine and the rendering is smooth and accurate. On top of that, music producers and DJs will find much use of it.
Namely, the built-in speakers which are outfitted to Spectre X360 are so powerful that they’ll allow you to hear every little detail in your mix. What’s more, it comes with more than capable rig comprised of heavy CPU and plenty of storage, which means that most up-to-date software will run as smooth as a breeze.
On the other hand, there are people who report being happy with how X360 works in the gaming branch. After all, it’s packed with some of the finest laptop components you could get for the buck.
User Experience
“I think this is by far my favorite laptop I have every owned. It is equally functional as a work laptop and for some mild gaming, or even just a good home laptop for everyday use. It is fast, responsive, quiet and has a beautiful touchscreen display. I particularly like the functionality of being able to convert to a tablet or to flip it up into tent mode for a movie while travelling”
“Solid, quick and works as advertised. So far a great laptop and traveling partner.”
“I love this laptop. The screen will blow you away!”
“This computer is well worth the money.Sleek, powerful and easy to use.”
Additional Info
The touchpad of Spectre X360 appears as “faulty” at first. Namely, some people have reported that they’ve had all kinds of problems with it, most of them revolving about the most basic things such as scrolling and “option select” feature.
This, however, can’t be considered as a flaw as it is not a rule, rather it’s an exception. That means that there are high chances that you won’t experience any issues with the touchpad whatsoever, but in the rare case that you do, you should update the corresponding drivers – this will almost certainly solve the issue.
The driver updates are available on HP’s main website. Simply find the Spectre X360 page and you’ll easily find the software updates there.
Conclusion
HP’s Spectre X360 is a remarkably powerful laptop. Better yet, it’s a machine that won’t fail you if you need a reliable music producing platform, a gaming rig, or a genuinely versatile laptop, for that matter. It’s a bit less pricey than most high-end laptops, but it’s capable of going toe to toe with them in the fields of performance, versatility, and overall value.
(54 votes, average: 4.06 out of 5)
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