HP’s $5,000 Spectre Foldable PC has a lot to prove
HP's foldable-screen PC. [credit: HP ]
HP Spectre Fold
(Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs.)HP is the latest company to announce a foldable-screen PC. The 17-inch Spectre Foldable PC has a keyboard that can be used wirelessly with the device propped up on its kickstand. Or you could magnetically attach the keyboard to the screen's bottom half or even slide the keyboard toward you for a 1.5-screen-like experience. The OLED device addresses concerns around battery life and portability by including two battery packs instead of one. But the bendy, Intel 12th-gen computer will have to do quite a lot to even begin rationalizing its staggering $5,000 price.
The Spectre Fold works as a 17-inch, 0.33-inch (8.5 mm) thick OLED tablet. Uniquely, it has an integrated kickstand for propping the PC up at a 120 angle. This is key because HP cites the kickstand as one of the reasons the computer is so costly, but this also means you don't have to deal with separate origami stands/sleeves. With the PC propped up, it should be easy to work with the included wireless keyboard or stylus, which both charge wirelessly on the device.