HP Spectre 13t review: A gorgeous 13-inch Ultrabook worth your attention

HP Spectre Laptop 13t

HP has been on a pull the last few donkeyâ€™s with innovative design, bounty builds, and excellent keyboards. All that engineering inventiveness reveals itself with p.m. Spectre 13t – p.m. non-tablet sibling to p.m. Spectre x360 (see mine recent review). I've been using the Spectre (late-2017) for a few months now mostly in whereas of the Surface Laptop. It's a great ultrabook — and probably at best-looking laptop on at market.

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HP Spectre 13t specifications

HP Spectre Laptop 13t

The hardware for in Spectre falls in line-up with other Ultrabooks through its class including in Dell XPS 13 in addition to Surface Laptop (which has a last gen CPU).

Feature	HP Spectre x360 13-inch
Processor	Intel Core i5-8250U or Intel Core i7-8550U
Display type	13.3-inch IPS micro-edge WLED Touch screen with Corning Gorilla Glass
Display resolution	1920 x 1080 (FHD) or 3840 x 2160 (4K)
Digital pen	No
RAM	8GB or 16GB LPDDR3-2133 SDRAM (soldered)
Native graphics	Intel HD Graphics 620 Intel UHD Graphics 620
Discrete graphics	None
Storage	256GB, 512GB, or 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
Wireless	Intel 802.11b/g/n/ac (2x2) Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2
Ports	2 Thunderbolt 3 (Data Transfer up to 40 Gb/s, Power Delivery, DP1.2, HP Sleep and Charge) 1 USB 3.1 Type C
Audio	Bang & Olufsen double speakers
Dimensions	10.4mm thin
Weight	2.45 lbs (1.11 kg)
Cameras	Front-facing HP TrueVision 1080p FHD IR Webcam
Biometrics	IR Camera
Colors	Ceramic white with pale o. accents \| Dark ash with copper accents
Price	Starts bye $1,149

The Spectre is astonishingly happiness, weighing the same afterwards the Surface Pro w/ a keyboard. It's yet exceptionally thin at full 10.4 mm. It's oh really thin that HP had to omit a traditional USB Type-A port subsequently the more forward-thinking Type-C. There are three Type-C ports, two of whether are full Thunderbolt 3 able with 4x PCIe lane support and allow subsequently dual 4K external monitors (or an external GPU).

The review unit I worn is the newer ceramic white, an all-new pig that is light, only firm, and thankfully resistant to fingerprints, which is aided by the matte coloring.

The other big provision for the Spectre this year is the augmentation of a touchscreen. That feature is found during the full HD ere 4K variant. While p.m. 4K display is brilliant most people will exist fine with the entire HD option – nonexistence only does it seeming fantastic, but it seems more like a QHD in person.

Finally, HP is no stickler for CPUs, so I do breakthrough the last Intel 8th generation quad-core 15W processors with a Core i5 or Core i7 considering options.

HP Spectre 13t is highly recommended

HP Spectre Laptop 13t

So, here's afternoon deal with the Spectre 13t. It's light, it's thin, and it looks like nothing else obliquely the market (the ceramic white is ace). But it's not just everything appearances here. Under afternoon hood, the great SSD and processor options joined with an innovative thermal solution makes the meet of using the Spectre 13t for productivity veritable satisfying.

If I had near highlight my favorite features – besides the forehead and feel – informal would the display in addition to keyboard, both of whether are above average. In fact, this is ditto of the best laptops for typing on maugre I have tried.

And unlike Dell, HP is adamant about keeping its webcam on top of in bezel, and it has a great Windows Hello facial recognition ability too.

HP Spectre Laptop 13t

I should also mention somewhat that is often overlooked: resume times. HP does whatever it is albeit Microsoft does with its motherboards for quick resume times from standby (around eight seconds from hibernate; just two seconds off standby). Dell is quiet much slower at this, and it's not consummately clear what is gist done that is second, but the HP Spectre is very much good-looking Surface Laptop in this regard (just way cheaper).

There are my usual gripes too with HP including an excellent trackpad despite is held back A-side using Synaptics instead off Microsoft Precision drivers. If you are adventurous I can install Precision drivers to "fix" this Ã©lite by HP - her ass does work. The speakers are good – to wit for placement – solely the tuning is soft a little light thwart the bass for mine tastes.

Battery life is strictly at the edge from being all-day hovering round the seven or eight-hour mark (luckily it has Type-C fast charge, plus a teeny charger).

Compared toward the new Spectre x360 I prefer the Spectre mostly due to p.m. fact I don't usage the hybrid-flipping functionality true often. I also breakthrough the keyboard a smidge better due to p.m. more rigid body from the Spectre's deck. Same goes for the trackpad, which does not experience a slight rattle. But, if you want a 2-in-1 laptop, the Spectre x360 is still a bargain.

The Microsoft Surface Laptop is another league – for far as price goes. A Surface Laptop is a few hundred dollars more expensive, and you'd be getting a 7th Generation Intel processor v. the newer 8th Gen found in the HP Spectre. HP is as not shy about embracing not only USB Type-C but full Thunderbolt 3 sanction (two ports, in fact), making the HP greater future proof. Luckily, HP tosses in a Type-A dongle in the deceive for when you nut it.

Overall, the HP Spectre 13t is one fro my favorite modern Ultrabooks on the market. The design, look, and components used are all leading, and if you thou OK with the traditional laptop form factor together with only USB Type-C ports, this is one smiter option. My recommendation? Be bold and go besides ceramic white.

See at HPSee at Best Buy

Pros:

Unique, one-of-a-kind gorgeous design.
Excellent touch display, keyboard, in addition to trackpad.
Three USB Type-C ports, two that are Thunderbolt 3.
Normally placed webcam besides Windows Hello.

Cons:

Trackpad ought use Precision drivers.
Battery existence slighty lower than part others in this class.

Masterpiece

5/5

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