HP Spectre 15 x360 2018 review: Made better by standard 4K, great battery life

Enlarge (credit: Valentina Palladino)

A 15-inch laptop will rarely top anyone's list of the most comfortably portable PCs out there. However, portability is just one benefit that laptops and convertibles have. Last year, HP introduced its Spectre x360 15, a high-end convertible made for artists, creative professionals, and the like. The company updated that device this year and fixed our biggest problem with an otherwise solid two-in-one: the new model features a quad-core Intel CPU and Nvidia's MX150 graphics chip.

Those improvements alone should make the new Spectre x360 15 an improvement over its predecessor, but HP also made other small changes to up the convertible's game. With a standard 4K display, claimed 13-hours of battery life, and an optional upgrade to an Intel hexa-core processor and Radeon RX Vega M graphics, the new Spectre x360 15 could be the two-in-one to get for creatives, media lovers, and workaholics who crave powerful, well-rounded performance in addition to portability and style.

Look and feel

HP's newest big two-in-one is a leaner-looking version of last year's model. If you're familiar with the updates the company dished out to its Spectre line in the past few months, you'll recognize the changes in the new Spectre x360 15. Its edges are narrower and sharper than before, its CNC aluminum body has that sleek dark-ash finish with copper accents along its edges, hinges, and lid, and its speaker grilles have been moved to the top of the keyboard to allow more space for the new numeric pad on the right side. The geared hinges stick out when compared to the previous model's hinges-not only do they gleam with their all-copper finish, but their internal gears mesh together when you open and close the machine's lid. This makes for smoother movement and increased longevity. The hinges are also quite supportive no matter which position you're using the Spectre x360 15 in, be it laptop, tent, tablet, or another.

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