I bought the Spectre 360x 16GB RAM, 2GB graphics card. I decided against the 4K display in hopes of excellent battery life.
While this computer runs great so far (over the last few weeks I’ve had it), the battery life isn’t as great as was claimed. A selling point of this laptop is the 9-10 hr battery life. While disconnected from power, it lasts maybe 4 hours while running Microsoft Word or browsing the web. A lot less when running a game (maybe an hour and a half).
The performance is fantastic, ignoring the random program crashes. It’s weird because it’s never due to lack of computing power. When looking for a file, for instance, it might get stuck and freeze the file window. The 16GB RAM does just fine running SolidWorks (3D modeling program for engineers) or Fruity Loops (music software).
The computer is capable of running high graphic-demand games like Subnautica, albeit at a noticeably low frame rate. If you’re running games, you might be advised to go for the 4GB graphics card. This wasn’t a major buying point for me so it is enough if it can run on low graphics settings.
It doesn’t get super hot while doing so, considering the performance stats. At the same time, the fan is very quiet.
The aesthetic appearance of this device is slick. I like how they cut the corners where the body meets the screen (seriously, no pun intended); they removed a lot of weight from the design. It feels extremely sturdy, unlike other laptops I’ve had (Lenovo makes good technology but sometimes their computers feel like their plastic is cheap and would shatter if dropped.)
The reversible tablet option is helpful to me in my engineering coursework. Whereas before I didn’t like opting for electronic textbooks, it actually makes more sense now than buying a hard copy. This is because I can edit those textbooks with tablet mode+stylus. The software design of Microsoft OneNote is a great partner with tablet mode since I can do things like input handwriting and automatically convert that into text (it uses machine learning to adapt to your particular handwriting).
The speakers are enough. Some will complain that they sound “tinny”... just buy external speakers dude. Something has got to give. This device is about compact performance, not stellar sound quality.
So all in all, I’d give this 4.5/5. The random, unexpected freezes can be annoying and the battery life is not as great as I’d been led to believe. Overall it is an excellent machine and I’d refer others with similar needs to me to this particular model of the HP Spectre.
| Standing screen display size | 13.3 Inches |
|---|---|
| Screen Resolution | 1920x1080 |
| Max Screen Resolution | 1920x1080 |
| Processor | 1.8 GHz core_i7_family |
| RAM | 16 GB DDR4 |
| Memory Speed | 2666 MHz |
| Hard Drive | 512 GB SSD |
| Graphics Coprocessor | Intel HD |
| Chipset Brand | Intel |
| Card Description | Integrated |
| Graphics Card Ram Size | 2 MB |
| Wireless Type | 802.11ac |
| Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 1 |
| Number of USB 3.0 Ports | 1 |
| Average Battery Life (in hours) | 7 Hours |
