The new HP Spectre x360 13.5 is 2-in-1 premium laptop that comes with a redesigned chassis and is built for everyday portability and productivity. The laptop features the latest Intel Alder Lake 12th-gen Core i5 processors and Intel Xe Graphics. It boasts a 13.5″ FullHD touchscreen, 8GB of RAM, 2TB of SSD storage, and a rechargeable stylus.
The HP Spectre x360 is perfect for today’s work-anywhere lifestyles with its beautiful touch screen, excellent battery life, Thunderbolt 4 support and stylish design.
To be Intel Evo certified, laptops should be able to wake from sleep in less than a second, offer at least 9 hours of real-world battery life (with 1080p displays) and support fast charging (four hours of power with just 30 minutes of charge), include Tiger Lake processors, Wi-Fi 6 and Intel’s new Thunderbolt 4 standard.
Specifications
The model we received for this review is the HP Spectre x360 14-ea0003ne with the following specifications.
| CPU | Intel Core i5-1235U (up to 4.4 GHz, 12 MB L3 cache, 10 cores, 12 threads) |
| RAM | 8 GB LPDDR4-4266 RAM |
| GPU | Intel Xe Graphics |
| Storage | 2TB PCIe NVMe TLC M.2 SSD |
| Display | 13.5″ diagonal, WUXGA+ (1920 x 1280), multitouch-enabled IPS, Low Blue Light, 1000 nits with integrated privacy screen |
| Ports | 2x Thunderbolt 4 with USB Type-C 40Gbps signaling rate (USB Power Delivery, DisplayPort 1.4, HP Sleep and Charge) 1x USB Type-A 10Gbps signaling rate (HP Sleep and Charge) 1x headphone/microphone combo |
| Connectivity | Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (2×2) Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Webcam | HP True Vision 5MP IR camera with camera shutter, temporal noise reduction |
| Audio | Quad speakers Audio by Bang & Olufsen Integrated dual array digital microphones |
| Battery | 66Wh lithium-polymer battery 65W USB Type-C power adapter |
| Dimensions | 29.74 x 22.04 x 1.70 cm (WxDxH) Approx. 1.35 kg |
Packaging, Design & Build
The HP Spectre x360 13.5 comes in elegant white cardboard box packaging. Inside are the laptop, stylus, charging adapter, laptop sleeve and manuals.
The laptop comes in three color options – Nightfall Black, Nocturne Blue, and Natural Silver. The laptop has a stylish CNC-machined aluminum chassis with chiseled edges but the lid is prone to fingerprint smudges.
The Spectre x360 13.5 is ultra-portable, measuring just 16.1mm thin and weighing only 1.35kg, making it easy to carry with you in a backpack. It is also well-designed, with a focus on sustainability by using ocean-bound plastic and post-consumer recycled plastic in parts. The chassis and lids are made from durable aluminum; however, the lid is prone to smudges.
As a 2-in-1 convertible, the HP Spectre 13.5 offers a versatile experience, with the ability to flip the display to use it as a notebook, tablet, stand, or tent. The display can also be rotated to provide a comfortable viewing experience. The chassis is quite rigid, there is no flex in the chassis or screen wobbles, however It’s difficult to open the lid with one hand.
The HP Spectre x360 also features a fingerprint sensor, The built-in reader scans your finger, so you don’t have to go through multiple steps or worry about forgetting your password.
Ports
In terms of wired connectivity, there are quite a number of ports on the HP Spectre x360 13.5 considering its size. There are no connections at the back, all ports are on the right and left sides of the notebook.
On the right side are the ports for 2x USB4 Type-C with support for Thunderbolt 4 (Power Delivery, DisplayPort) which lets you enjoy dual 4K and single 8K display connection using one Thunderbolt port. The USB4 ports also promise a transfer speeds of up to 40 Gbps and next-gen interface support. Located is here also the microSD media card reader port.
On the left is a single USB Type-A 10Gbps and a headphone/microphone combo jack.
In terms of wireless connectivity, the laptop comes with an Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 network card and Bluetooth 5.3.
Display & Webcam
The HP Spectre x360 13.5 features a 13.3-inch WUXGA+ (1920 x 1280) touchscreen display and is supported by very narrow bezels and good brightness for use in outdoor or well-lit spaces. The display offers high brightness of 1000 nits, colors are rich, vivid, and saturated and really pack a punch with no signs of stuttering or ghosting, and the viewing angles are great.
At the top of the display, there is a high-resolution 5-megapixel webcam that works well for video calls. The infrared sensor also allows signing in via Windows Hello, and the webcam also features a physical shutter for added privacy.
Keyboard & Trackpad
The backlit chiclet-keyboard has a short key-travel and feels great to type on. The first row of function keys are smaller in size which allows adjusting simple things like screen brightness, multimedia controls etc. Typing experience is good and has solid feedback.
The HP Spectre x360 also features a fingerprint login on the lower right corner of the keyboard, making waking up the laptop as simple as unlocking your phone. Coming to the touchpad, it’s easy to navigate, multi-touch gestures are recognized and handled properly.
Typing experience is good and has snappy feedback, although it may take some time to get used to the smaller keys. The touchpad is large but has a weak click response. The multi-touch touchpad supports four-finger gestures, allowing for easy scrolling, zooming, and navigation with simple gestures.
Performance & Benchmarks
Powered by the latest Alder Lake 12th Generation Intel Core i5-1235U processor, The Spectre x360 13.5 offers 8GB of LPDDR4 4266MHz RAM, Intel Iris Xe graphics and 2TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD storage.
CPU, GPU & RAM
The Core i5-1235U comes with 2 performance cores and 8 efficient cores for a total of 10 cores, 12 threads and 12 MB of cache. The P-cores are clocked at 1GHz base and 4.4 GHz boost, while the E-cores get a 1GHz base and 3.3 GHz boost clock with a max TDP of 55W.
The Spectre x360 13.5 is powered by Intel Iris Xe graphics which is powerful enough for daily tasks, work and photo editing. However, gaming performance is really poor and most games fail to achieve playable frame rates.
In terms of RAM, the laptop comes equipped with 8GB of LPDDR4 RAM at a frequency of 4266MHz.
Storage
Our review unit came with a 2TB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD. However, depending on the region, they may be different. The SSD offers excellent performance with read speeds of up to 6,615MB per second and write of up to 5,234MB.
Benchmarks
In Cinebench R20 tests, the i5-1230U scored 558 in single core benchmark and 1,864 in multi-core benchmark. In PCMark 10 Benchmark, the laptop scored 4,081.
Since this isn’t a laptop built for gaming, we haven’t benchmarked any games with the HP Spectre x360 13.5. With the said the hardware can run games at low-res with low quality settings.
| BENCHMARK | SCORE |
| Cinebench R20 single core | 558 |
| Cinebench R20 multi core | 1,864 |
| PCMark 10 Benchmark | 4,081 |
| 3DMark Time Spy | 1,302 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike | 3,560 |
| 3DMark Night Raid | 12,400 |
Temperature & Noise
With typical day-to-day tasks and using the silent profile, the noise and heat remained at very low levels. Even with resource-intensive tasks, the noise is minimal and the laptop does not get excessively warm.
Upgradability
In terms of upgradability, the RAM is soldered on board and isn’t upgradeable. There is no slot for a second NVMe SSD either.
Battery & Audio
The HP Spectre x360 13.5 comes with a 66Wh lithium-polymer battery and 65W USB Type-C power adapter. On a full charge, based on the usage and screen brightness, the laptop lasts between 10 to 14 hours. On normal usage, you can expect around 12 hours of battery time.
The HP Spectre x360 13.5 features a quad speaker sound setup tuned by Bang & Olufsen. The sound quality is good and loud enough much distortion at high volume. But as with most laptops, we recommend using a headset.
HP Spectre x360 13.5 Verdict
The HP Spectre x360 13.5 combines versatile form factor, some solid display panel choices, and the right mix of performance and battery life. The laptop offers a premium experience with its top-notch display, Alder Lake processor, solid build quality, and battery life.
It can handle everyday tasks and work with ease thanks to its powerful Core i5-1235U processor, which is a significant improvement over its predecessor.
It does have some limitations, such as limited upgrade options, and the absence of an HDMI port. However, the biggest downside is that it’s sibling, the Envy x360 13.5 offers nearly the same package at a more affordable price.
