HP Spectre Review: Design Elegance Combined With Performance

DusBus tech wiz Ashish is wowed as he reviews HP’s Spectre laptops. Read on for a detailed HP Spectre Review.

Since it launched its Spectre laptops in the market, HP has been marketing it as the thinnest laptop in the world. However, it turns out that size isn’t the only thing spectacular about this high-end ultra portable machines. There’re many things that one would love about them. What are they? We try to find out in our review.

 Hardware and Software (8/10)

The specs sheet of this high-end laptop is mostly impressive, except for one compromise. I’d like to start with the positive things first. Despite its thin profile, HP has managed to load a considerable amount of power inside this laptop – such that you won’t find in most other high-end models.

Usually manufacturers pack a Core M processor inside their laptops if they want to keep it thin, but HP managed to squeeze in 6^th Gen Core i5 and Core i7 processors inside its thinnest laptop. Those state-of-the-art processors have been combined with 8GB of RAM and a sizeable 256GB of SSD, all of which are more than enough for most users. Needless to say that with Spectre, you’ll rarely need more performance power or storage.

Now let’s move towards the compromising part. The 13.3-inch display of this laptop is just Full-HD, which feels slightly disappointing when you look at what other laptops in the same price range are offering (i.e. Macbook). However, according to HP this is a trade-off that was necessary to provide the biggest feature of this ultraportable: its extraordinarily slim profile.

Build Quality (8/10)

Since we’re on the topic of slim profiles, let’s address that thing first. The 10.4 mm thin Spectre will barely take any room in your bag. And at 1.1 kg it’s also the lightest of all laptops out there. In fact, the weight doesn’t feel even 1.1 kg  because the weight is spread across a wider size. However, the wide size also means that you’ll have to tightly squeeze it inside those 13-inch laptop sleeves.

Another notable thing about the looks of this laptop is its color scheme. Ditching the usual black, silver and grey shades, HP has gone for a dark shade of brown and smokey gray, combining both of them with a golden rear panel and hinges. This unusual design not only draws attention to the laptop but also gives it a glittering look. And actually it feels like it has been designed to glitter from all angles: whether its glass touchpad, golden rear panel or the HP logo on the lid – all of them are reflective. No surprise this laptop reflects the light coming from anywhere, including its own display. However, that doesn’t make working on it hard. It actually looks cool!

However, so much shiny material also means so many fingerprints, and unfortunately, HP couldn’t do anything about it. The reflective parts of this laptop, which consist most of its body, are fingerprint magnets. The company has packed styling in every element of this laptop (including speakers), which is welcome, but the build quality could be called flawless if they’d also have added some smudge resistance to complete the package.

Performance (9/10)

Both Core i5 and Core i7 versions of Spectre are pure marvels when it comes to performance. There’s more than enough performance power inside this thing to run multiple productivity apps, office suite of apps and play HD video at the same time. Now that’s some serious level of performance. It’s faster than Apple’s latest 12-inch Macbook, and also from company’s own EliteBook Folio, both of which run on Core M processors. Now since even Core M works perfectly fine for most day-to-day computing tasks and multitasking, you can expect how far ahead you’ll be with Spectre.

HP Spectre: Official Promo Video

Battery Life (7/10)

According to HP’s claims this laptop can last for 9 hrs. However, as with most other claims of battery life, this one also depends on what you do with the device. Watching HD content for long duration can drain the battery faster than that – in 6 to 7 hrs at most. When compared to other laptops that’ll compete with it, this battery life is average at its best. The Macbook can easily last for 10-12 hrs. However, it still manages to last longer than company’s own EliteBook Folio and Razer Blade Stealth laptops, which is not too shabby.

 Verdict 9/10

At the close of this review, I can comfortably say that with Spectre, HP has provided a marvelous piece of elegant design and performance power. If you can fork out over 100,000 INR on your laptop, this beast is certainly worth considering. Give it a serious consideration, especially if you’re okay with its golden rear!

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