HP Spectre x360 13.5 Review

 HP Spectre x360 13.5 Review 

• A 2-in-1 laptop

The current work environment requires flexible technology that can adapt according to any work or leisure activities. HP has come up with the latest HP Spectre x360 2-in-1 laptop which acts as both laptop and tab. The new HP Spectre x360 13.5  features a slim and elegant look along with 360-degree hinges and a powerful Intel Core i7-1255U processor paired with 16GB RAM and 1TB of storage.

In the Box

The new HP Spectre x360 2-in-1 13.5 has a USB-C charging connector, a 5.5-inch stylus rechargeable MPP 2.0 Tilt Pen with two buttons, and two replaceable tips. There is also a USB-C mini-dock with HDMI output.

Design

The new HP Spectre x360 2-in-1 comes with 13.5-inch screen size and offers a very basic yet premium look. The company has used an advanced hinge mechanism to allow the screen to rotate 360 degrees making it look like a tab and truly matching its description of a 2-in-1 laptop. It has Spectre model-specific design cues including ports in the diagonally cut edges on the back. There is a USB 3.2 Type-A connector and a 3.5mm audio jack on the left side. A microSD card slot, a second Thunderbolt 4 port, and a USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 port are located on the right side. Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth are used for wireless connectivity; the AC adaptor features a USB-C port. Two hinges are located just below the tall display and allow the display to swivel 360 degrees. Between the two hinges of the laptop is a very thin ventilation bar that has been used by the company

Keypad & Touchpad

The touchpad on the brand-new HP Spectre x360 2-in-1 13.5 is large and responsive. You can surf with excellent control and without sliding around too much up and down. When using it for any work, then clicking on the touchpad is silent. The keypad has been designed keeping in mind to increase the work efficiency, also HP has removed a few navigation buttons to the right side. A fingerprint sensor can be located on the right-hand side of the keypad which is very fast to respond to the touch providing you with an extra option of security. Just before the delete key on the upper right side is the power button. The keys are composed of plastic and make some noise when you type, which I don't believe consumers would appreciate, especially on a high-end laptop. If you have to use the laptop at late hours of the night, the RGB illumination on the keypad makes it simple to operate.

Speakers 

The company has used four downward-firing speakers in the new HP Spectre x360 2-in-1 13.5. You can easily enjoy your music and movies on the laptop since it incorporates Bang & Olufsen software, which improves the audio quality. Although there isn't much bass, we loved the sound quality of the laptop.

Display

The new HP Spectre x360 2-in-1 13.5 already gives away the size of the screen, which is a 13.5-inch OLED display with a 3:2 aspect ratio. The aspect ratio makes the display appear tall. A 3000 x 2000 pixel screen resolution is present in the new HP Spectre x360 13.5. The screen's bezels are very thin, providing a 90% screen-to-body ratio. The screen is touch-enabled, so it should go without saying that you can scroll on it and do actions immediately, just as you would with a tab. It is recommended to utilize the included pen since it has excellent palm rejection, smooth operation, and tilt control. It also has 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity.

The screen's refresh rate of 60 Hz is fantastic since it provides a fluid touch interface and improves the viewing experience, but we believe the company should have chosen a 90 Hz refresh rate to give the new Spectre 2-in-1 an advantage over its rivals. The colors are reproduced with great accuracy and sharpness on the screen. The videos we viewed on the screen had excellent contrast and were highly clear; we did not notice any graining because the content from services like Netflix was shown in its highest possible quality. The display is extremely visible in all lighting conditions thanks to its SDR 400 nits and HDR 500 nits.

Webcam

With its 5MP webcam, the new HP Spectre x360 13.5 allows you to take pictures in three different aspect ratios: 16:9, 4:3, and 3:2. You can also record videos in 1080p at 30 frames per second. When taking images or joining in video chats, the camera's Auto frame feature always places your face in the center. We found this capability to be useful for attending video calls, especially office meetings. To guarantee optimal illumination when operating the camera, it also features backlight controls. Additionally, it has an appearance filter that prevents blemishes from showing up. The camera's advantage is that it produces photos that are crisp and quite detailed. The company has also added the HP Enhanced Lighting feature, which appears as a halo and brightens the screen to increase light exposure which  I advise turning off because it adds unnecessary brightness.

Processor and Performance

The new HP Spectre x360, which features the Intel Evo Core i7-1225U CPU from the U-series, includes 16GB of RAM and 1TB of PCIe NVMe SSD storage. The Intel Iris Xe Graphics is in charge of the graphic support. As the processor efficiently completes every operation, the laptop performs quite well when compared to laptops from other manufacturers. The used graphics card is not suitable for playing demanding, high-intensity games. As the laptop is not intended for serious gaming, we advise playing games with average needs. To reduce noise, the manufacturer introduced a new thermal design and new fans, which we appreciated. While using it, you won't even notice any fan noise. Since we just discussed the fan, it is crucial to leave room for it to exhaust air; otherwise, you'll notice a slow but steady rise in the laptop's temperature. One can also use any photo or video editing app quite comfortably.

Battery

The new HP Spectre x360 2-in-1 13.5 comes with a 66Wh battery, which is smaller than that of its competitor, the Yoga 9i Gen7, which has a 75Wh battery. According to the company, the laptop can play videos for up to 13 hours and 30 minutes. Generally speaking, the laptop can operate for 9–10 hours on a full charge when used for office work. The laptop included a 65W USB Type-C power adapter and we observed that the adapter began to heat up noticeably when the laptop was getting charged.

Verdict

The new HP Spectre x360 2-in-1 13.5 does a very good job meeting all the requirements which you want to see in a high-end laptop. It truly succeeds the previously launched Spectre x360 14. The new HP Spectre x360 13.5 is against the likes of  MacBook Air M2 and Lenovo’s Yoga 9i Gen7 and it surely will be tough competing against these mentioned brands.