HP Spectre x360 13.5 Review

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HP Spectre x360 13.5 Review

The HP Spectre x360 13.5 (starting at $1,149.99; $1,749.99 as tested) is an update to the Spectre 14, which won PCMag's Editors' Choice honor in January 2021. It has the same 13.5-inch OLED touch panel with 3,000 by 2,000 pixels and 12th-generation Intel silicon. As a premium 2-in-1, the new HP wins another Editors' Choice honor, but the Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 7, another high-end consumer convertible with an OLED display, is very close. Depending on whether you prefer the Yoga's 16:10 screen aspect ratio or the Spectre's 3:2.

The Yoga 9i is a quarter-pound bulkier than the Spectre x360 13.5, which weighs 3.01 pounds. The HP is 0.67 by 11.7 by 8.3 inches and covered in natural silver metal (Nightfall Black or Nocturne Blue add $10). 14-inch foldable Lenovo ThinkBook 14s Yoga Gen 2 has a 16:9 widescreen. 0.67 by 12.60 by 8.50 inches. HP.com's $1,149.99 base configuration features an Intel Core i5-1235U processor, a 1,920-by-1,280-pixel IPS touch screen, 8GB of RAM, and a 512GB NVMe SSD. It costs $40 more for a privacy-filtered monitor. Our $1,749.99 Best Buy configuration has a Core i7-1255U chip (two performance cores, eight efficient cores, and 12 threads), an HP "3K2K" OLED panel, doubled RAM (16GB) and storage (1TB), and Windows 11 Pro instead of Home.

Though slightly less wedge-shaped than previous models, the x360 13.5 keeps Spectre hallmarks like contrasting brass accents and diagonally-cut back corners that house interfaces (audio jack on the left, USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 port on the right). The left side has a USB 3.2 Type-A connector, a second Thunderbolt 4 port on the right, and a microSD card slot. Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth, and a USB-C AC adapter handle wireless connections.

HP includes a USB-C mini-dock to make up for the lack of an HDMI port. (The dock has HDMI and two USB-A ports.) HP's 5.5-inch Rechargeable MPP 2.0 Tilt Pen with two buttons and a USB-C adapter is included. The screen's tip magnetizes the pen.

The Spectre x360 13.5 is light and sturdy, but it's hard to open the top with one hand. The bezels are thin (HP claims a 90% screen-to-body ratio), and a face-recognition webcam and fingerprint reader—which replaces the right Control key—allow Windows Hello to skip passwords.

The 5-megapixel camera takes bright, clear selfies. It records 1080p video at 30 frames per second in 16:9 (2,560 by 1,440 pixels), 4:3 (1,920 pixels), and 3:2 (1,706 pixels) aspect ratios. A key LED and tiny diagonal lines across the lens show that a top-row keyboard key disables the camera. The webcam has backlight correction, a blemish filter, and auto frame so you can walk around during conference calls (within reason). HP Enhanced Illumination mimics ring lights onscreen.

HP Command Center, activated by another top row key, optimizes network traffic, controls cooling fans, and enhances webcams (GlamCam). Performance mode was quiet for benchmark assessments. Focus Mode saves battery by dimming everything but the open application window.

The keypad is well-lit, comfortable, and responsive. We're disappointed it doesn't have the right-hand column of dedicated Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down keys found on the Spectre x360 14, and that it follows HP's annoying policy of placing the cursor arrow keys in a clumsy row with half-size, hard-to-press up and down arrows stacked between left and right instead of the correct inverted T. The large, buttonless touchpad glides and pushes smoothly and quietly.

HP Spectre x360 13.5 Review

The four speakers deliver crisp highs and mids but no bass. Overlaps are easy to spot. Bang & Olufsen Audio Control software contains settings for music, movies, voices, an equalizer, and microphone noise cancellation for single or numerous speakers.

The OLED display's contrast and hues are stunning. White backdrops are stark and clean. Pixelation-free details are sharp. Although the touch glass reflects at extreme angles, the viewing angles and clarity are good. HP Display Control lets you choose sRGB, DCI-P3, Adobe RGB, or the preset. In tablet mode, the 3:2 aspect ratio is most like a sheet of paper, and the included pen has superb palm rejection, 4,096 pressure sensitivity, and inclination control. It equaled my fastest swipes and scribbles.

HP includes Photo Match, which uses artificial intelligence to scan your image collection for faces; HP QuickDrop, which transfers photos and files between the PC and your phone; Concepts, a drawing and sketching app; and trial versions of Adobe Creative Cloud, McAfee LiveSafe, LastPass, and ExpressVPN on the Spectre x360 13.5.

HP's Spectre x360 speakers feature Bang & Olufsen. It was productive, and I think the phantom will keep going. The Spectre played Arlo Parks' "Softly" clearly. It filled my room, and the vocals, keys, and synths were distinct. Laptops often lack low end in beats.

The Bang & Olufsen audio control app has equalizer adjustments, and patience with the bass section enhanced percussion. I liked desktop mode's bottom-firing speaker hitting my desk to tablet mode's lid-firing speakers. The change was insignificant.

I'm impressed. I've examined HP laptops with fasteners under adhesive strips that were unrepairable without professional help. The repair manual for the Spectre x360 13.5 (opens in a new tab) surprised me by stating that these strips (which are still present on the 14) do not need to be removed to open the laptop.

Four Torx fasteners secure the computer's bottom case. Phillips-head fasteners, per the repair manual. Different. Keep the screws away from the hinges because they're longer. After removing these, gently pry the base from the laptop.

The m.2 2280 SSD, network card, and battery are all changeable when you enter. An sticky paper heat shield protects the network card, while two Phillips-head fasteners secure the SSD to a copper heatsink. HP laptops have attached RAM. The battery's right has some empty room. It makes me wonder if a larger battery or motherboard with room for an extra storage drive could have been included. However, you can engage with this ghost.

The ghost shouldn't be overwhelming. We measured our skin temperature during our Cinebench duress test to see how hot the Spectre x360 gets. The laptop's keyboard recorded 37.4 degrees Celsius between the G and H keys (99.5 degrees Fahrenheit). The laptop worked despite my palms being hot. The trackpad was 31.8 degrees Celsius (89.24 degrees Fahrenheit). The laptop's back bottom was 42 degrees Celsius (107.6 degrees Fahrenheit) hotter than the rest.

HP takes the Spectre x360 camera seriously. Adjustable 5-megapixel zoom. "GlamCam" is in HP Command Center. Camera works well. The camera captured everything from individual hairs on my head to sleep-deprived bags under my eyes at my office desk, which is well-lit by windows and electric lights.

GlamCam's auto-frame tool follows you around like the iPad's Center Stage. I rarely leave my workstation during phone talks, but I found that it worked but was jarring. Wearing a facemask and using a laptop in public made it less likely to track me. I think it needs a face. Lighting correction slightly adjusted my office desk lighting.

Home windows illuminate my workplace. HP's software reduced contrast by changing hue, but it couldn't make that light less sharp. "Retouching" your face was the most effective filter. Fine lines and under-eye bags disappeared in steps two and three. The final phase seemed fake. Hairs were also leveled with extreme means. My eyebrows appeared thinner.

I'm undecided. If it helps someone feel more comfortable, great, but laptop companies shouldn't perpetuate these appearance standards. However, these elements are off by default and not required. A separate keyboard button activates the built-in camera shutter. Windows Hello face recognition works with infrared sensors, except when I forgot to disable the privacy shutter.

The laptop comes with Dropbox, ExpressVPN, McAfee LiveSafe, and McAfee WebAdvisor demos and more than 13 HP-branded programs. Some have Edge browser bookmarks, which are usually found on cheaper laptops.

HP Command Center is useful. It has HP GlamCam customizations and multiple power packs. I recommend adding pen-settings and mode-selection apps. HP Quickdrop transfers files between your laptop and mobile device, Concepts draws and sketches, Duet mirrors your PC screen, and Palette sorts and matches photos. Concepts has in-app sales for more brushes. It's a full creative suite with a lot of preinstalled software. HP warranties the Spectre x360 for one year. HP's website sells laptops with extended services.