HP Spectre x360 - First Impressions, pictorial

It's been a while since I contributed to this forum, simply because I'm mostly a "full-tower-PC" user and up until recently, was content with my last Notebook (Netbook) purchase, my ~2010 Acer 1810-TZ.

2010... ? Yeah, high time to upgrade. But as I noted, I'm more a PC user so I was using my PCs to do the heavy lifting (Photoshop, 1080p video, 3D gaming). The 1810-TZ still manages to serve me for general web-browsing as well as for small Photoshop projects and 720 (or less) video. Heck, I even accepted the free Windows 10 for it, lol.
But I digress. The real problem was that my main working PC was on its last leg, and I was loath to keep building/ maintaining two PCs. That, along with the fact that my 1810-TZ couldn't pull its weight any longer led me to a more modern solution, one that I've been using in the office for the past eight years; a Notebook / Docking-Station solution to replace both the one PC and the Netbook.


click-the-pics for hi-res goodness

While I started my search with Notebooks that had built-in docking interfaces, I decided this was too limiting and instead, chose to go the "Universal Docking Station" route (Dell D3100 USB 3.0 Ultra HD Triple Video w/Display-Link's DL-5910 chip). Alas, the landscape will change with the upcoming USB-C / Thunderbolt 3 specifications but I couldn't wait any longer.

I also wanted to future-proof my acquisition in terms of [built-in] display interface so I really wanted a [mini-]Display Port. That and also an HDMI for my existing monitors. For legacy purposes, I use a DVI to HDMI adapter. Last but not least, it had to have a built-in and up-to-date SD-card reader (SDXC capable). These requirements are of course on top of the basics (good panel, usable keyboard, reasonable battery and so on).

So with the above prerequisites, I did some modest research on the [newer] Notebooks settling on the following possible candidates:
Dell XPS 13 "2015" - Excellent design, lightweight and compact, but long wait times (on orders), and a "splitting-hairs" issue, SD card sticking out...
Acer Aspire S7 - Interesting design, ticks most boxes but lacked DP, halved the storage (RAID 0) limited battery life, ...
Acer Aspire R13 - convertible concept, but outdated in some ways.
Lenovo ThinkPad X250 - Real "workstation" Notebook with all the bells & whistles (including built-in broadband!) but with a matching price-tag (€2K plus)

And a few others, more workstation-oriented, either too heavy, too expensive or well, too boring... to be considered. And then there was the Spectre x360, which (obviously) won this round. It almost ticked-off all the boxes and with few penalties, but like everything else in life, nothing's perfect.



Pros
-Awesome-looking. Who doesn't love aluminum and check out those curves!
-Nice selection of interfaces (Mini-DP, HDMI, 3 USB ports, 3in1 SD slot, ...)
-Convertible offering tablet-functionality - both "Tent" and "Presentation" modes rock!
-A sweet 13" IPS(!) Touch screen that functions as good as it looks.
-Keyboard is above average (no bending, decent key-travel for an ultra-portable).
-The Illuminated keyboard (yes, despite the silver-colored keys, I've had no problem ...so far).
-This over-sized "ClickPad" works well!
-BlueTooth and WLAN reception are both great (although I need more testing in the field).
-No cross-talk when using the audio jack!
-Best fit & finish from all of my Notebooks, incl. the venerable XPS 13 (2007 1st Gen).
-Bloatware is down to a minimum.



Cons
-Not the lightest "Ultra", but the norm for (13") convertibles.
-Needs two hands to open (...and manicured finger nails... that or a Swiss-Army-Knife, your choice).
-The fan is as loud as any of my other Notebooks, quiet up to the ~25% CPU mark (...not particularly hard to reach).
-Tablet mode is awkward (weight, size, mashing the keyboard; yes, it's automatically disabled, but still...).
-Soldered-on anything is bad news and the 8GB RAM fall victim the the iron
-Really, really low-profile "feet" (necessary for full tablet mode). I find it hard to believe there's enough air circulation... .
-The "brightest F5 key" (constantly-illuminated) was not the "brightest idea" (but now it can disabled in BIOS!)
-I could have gone with the 1920x1080 but took the [available] 2560x1440 panel instead (scaling for the most part works flawlessly though).
-When will the industry stop using mascots (chimpanzees?) to place the Intel-inside stickers as crooked as possible? Sigh.



The above is by no means a comprehensive list and this is by no means a review, only "first impressions". Besides still having to test everything else (like DP with 4K, more time with the audio / webcam / etc.) I am trying to come to grips with Windows 10 and I have to attribute a few odd moments to the OS / default settings and not the HW. Notice I haven't even mentioned the CPU / RAM / SDD setup yet because all the candidates I had on my short-list had roughly the same, current-market setup. Here, a full list of the 13-4001ng package's configuration:

-13.3" "HP Radiance QHD Infinity" LED IPS 10pt-touch panel w/pen support (2560x1440)
-Broadwell [email protected] & 5500 "GT2"
-8GB LPDDR3 1600Mhz (soldered onto mainboard)
-256GB SSD (M.2 80mm form factor)
-SD reader - 3in1 incl. SD/SDHC/SDXC (low profile - card doesn't stick out far)
-Intel 7265-NGW 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Dual-Band Wireless AC 2x2 Wifi with BT 4.0 (M.2 form factor)
-Realtek HD Audio, Webcam with array mic (top of panel).
-Mini-DP, HDMI, 3xUSB3.0, audio 3.5mm I/O
-Power, Windows and volume keys (for use in tablet modes)
-3-cell, 56WHr polymer Lithium battery
Approx. size/ weight 325x218x154mm/ 1.5Kg (12.8x8.6x0.6"/ 3.3Lbs)

Performance-wise, I can't really comment so far due to both the lack of testing and my lack of experience with recent mobile solutions. Needless to say this configuration runs rings around my older Notebooks and only my multi-media PC can compete (as pointless as that comparison may be). In fact, cutting-edge performance was (for a change) the last thing on my mind. Functionality (and form) were first and foremost. I was however elated at the fact that the Broadwell platform, or more precisely, the HD 5500, supports multiple LUTs... This means one can profile more than one monitor (and I've already managed it with my Spyder3Express.)



To wrap this up, my first impressions of the HP Spectre x360 are extremely positive and I've no regrets with the purchase, especially when I consider the quality to price ratio. Runner-up candidates would have been the XPS 13 2015 (but I'd have to do without the tablet features and wait and wait and...) and the ThinkPad X250 ($$$ and certainly not eye-catching in form...).




Among the photos shown here, I maintain an album which you can browse here:
Spectre x360 Pictorial

A thin, silver strip covers the slot made in the al cover to improve the antenna's reception, situated directly below it...


limited passive cooling, downward-firing speakers...


A very functional layout, nice keyboard and ClickPad...


Profile in tablet mode...


Outer buttons to control the x360 in tent/ presentation/ tablet modes...


The four rubber "feet" raise the keyboard/ palm-rest off a table in "presentation" mode...


Illuminated keyboard works for me, despite the silver keys...


Illumination off and on...


Speaking of LEDs...


Webcam activation-LED & lens (top), LED on (bottom)...


Lowest profile "feet" ... ever?


The good and the bad-slash-ugly...


Panel at ~75% brightness, my standard indoor settings


Panel at ~75% brightness, viewed at 45° to verify IPS characteristics...


Just for the heck of it: 2010 1810-TZ Netbook vs. 2015 ultraportable...

 

Excellent review. Love the photos too.

Same here. No regrets going with the x360. I'll have this one for the long haul.

 

Super review!

The fan is loud? Louder than a Macbook Pro?

 

Thanks What cfg do you have? How long have you had it?

Thanks But I'd like to quote myself - it's a "first impressions" only and every day I'm collecting more info and/or revising my thoughts on the x360.

Yes. The fan is loud. At full speed, you can't hear yourself think. Ditto with my XPS 13 (2007), as well as my Acer 1810-TZ. I don't own a MBP so I can't say... .
However, today I played a test video - this time on battery (as opposed to plugged in) and I'm pleased to report that the fan was inaudible. Perhaps HP/Intel adjusts fan2temp ratios based on your power supply status. At least that's my latest assumption. This is certainly the case with Acer's 1810-TZ.*
*I even installed a popular tool for it written by an NBR member to adjust the ratios to more reasonable values.

Here's a test video and stats during playback (fan inaudible):


Here are the stats during a stress-test
(fan @100% was like a vacuum cleaner, but then again, look at the CPU and temp values...)


I will refine my opinion further as my testing goes on. Again, please consider the above post a a first-impressions only for now.

 

Although the concept was valid, execution failed miserably. So I highly recommend that you update your BIOS, so that at the very least, you have a choice... !

 

I have the 13-4005dx with the QHD (2560x1440) screen, 512 GB hard drive, and Core i7 processor.

I also bought a 128 GB SD card for miscellaneous storage like my music and some photos.


Ideally, I would've liked to have waited for Skylake but my Surface Pro (1st Gen) died on me. I debated the Surface Pro 3, but I have a cheap Lenovo tablet for quick use, so I went with the x360. Plenty of ports, and both HDMI and DisplayPort.

Here's some pics of my setup that I posted in a different thread.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/post-your-hp-spectre-x360.776094/


I also made my own wallpaper:
http://tempest790.deviantart.com/art/HP-Spectre-Wallpaper-535700919


And this is my lock screen:
http://tempest790.deviantart.com/art/Windows-10-Metro-PC-Wallpaper-Lockscreen-537220980

 

^Yes, I saw your setup before - very nice and very nice artwork you got there

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A few more "just for the heck of it" shots, this time compared to my oldie-but-goodie XPS M1330. Amazing to see what has transpired in the past eight years...


click-the-pics for hi-res goodness



IPS vs TN panels (highest brightness setting on both)


IPS vs TN panels (~30° angle)


memory lane! 65nm... 65nm!!!

 

Scaling is quite good when a program can use it.
Install Eclipse IDE and take a look at how bad scaling can be when an app doesn't support it.

 

i had that dell, amazing to think that was consider ultrathin when it was released.

but boy did that thing run hot! had to get the motherboard replaced about 4 times in the 2 year period that i had it

please tell me that the hp doesn't run that hot, nor is it that loud

 

I'm not familiar with "IDE" but I do have [at least] one app that doesn't scale at all and as it's a small window (dial-up window for a Huawei Broadband dongle) it's literally unreadable... . So I believe you. Again, I would have gone with the 1920x1080 had it been an option in my area.

I honestly can't make the time (nor does it make a lot of sense considering the difference in format and age) for an A:B comparison but the fact is under "stress-tests" the x360 will get loud enough; after all, it's the very same cooling solution as the Dell's (and pretty much everything that hit the shelves in between) - a heat-pipe-blower combo. This great review has some photos of the inside so you can see the cooling solution doesn't differ much from the M1330's.

In real-world usage (and I don't expect to play any serious 3D games on any Ultrabook) it runs quiet, particularly on battery mode. You may be sitting there surfing - even watching some youtube / Adobe-Flash -embedded page (like FB) without incident and then some background process will crank up the CPU utilization a notch further and then you may hear the fan. As already shown above, these temps will certainly cause the fan to go to Mach1...


But here I'm watching a video and the temps are nominal...



~~~

One small correction to my OP; I spent well over an hour the other night surfing in Tablet Mode with the Spectre x360 laying on my thighs (legs hiked up while sitting on a bench) and I'll be damned, that worked great! It's too heavy to be walking around with it in one hand, like you would do with say, an iPad, but once it's laying somewhere, the weight is no longer a topic and tablet mode rocks!
Speaking of "tablet mode", I literally allow Windows 10 to make the interface more "tablet-friendly" (you're asked by the OS if it should switch to said interface). Maybe this is common practice with all Tablets but as I noted in my OP, I've had no prior experience with 2in1s...

So far so good! I'm still ironing out some issues that are mainly OS-oriented (such as Win10 + Synaptics drivers not loading my ClickPad profiles on login) but I am still quite pleased with this ultrabook. I installed Futuremark's PCMark8 and ran that head2head with my "old" (Jan. 2013) customized PC but the PC killed it (but I guess an i5-3570K & GTX 660 is no fair competition to a ULV processor/GPU...). For the benchmark geeks, the x360 scored 2361 while the PC hit 3989. Interestingly enough, I reran the test with the x360 connected to my Dell D3100 Universal Docking Station and the score increased to 2646! This would imply that the D3100's interface to the monitor (DisplayLink's DL-5910 chipset) is sharing the load with the x360's onboard HD 5500... !

More to come.