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HP Spectre 13
81
Engadget Review
There's lots to like about the Spectre 13 -- especially given the low price. For the money, you can expect an attractive design, bright display, fast performance and a generous warranty. But you should also prepare yourself for middling battery life and one frustrating trackpad.
Pros
- Attractive design
- Fast performance
- Good specs for the money
- Bright display
- Generous warranty, Adobe Lightroom included gratis
Cons
- Heavy for a 13-inch Ultrabook
- Middling battery life, especially considering the heft
- Trackpad needs a driver update
- Shallow keys have an occasionally "sticky" feel
View All Critic & User Reviews
HP Spectre 13
- Critic Reviews (10)
- User Reviews (1)
- 78AVERAGE CRITIC SCORE10 ReviewsPC Mag70HP Spectre 13t-h200 x2The HP Spectre 13t-h200 x2 is a detachable hybrid ultrabook/tablet with an elegant design, but it doesn't compare well to ultrabook competitors.Engadget80HP Spectre 13 Ultrabook review: a good deal, but wThere's lots to like about the Spectre 13 -- especially given the low price. For the money, you can expect an attractive design, bright display, fast performance and a generous warranty. But you should also prepare yourself for middling battery life and one frustrating trackpad.PC Mag80HP Spectre 13T-3000The HP Spectre 13T-3000 is a premium ultrabook without the premium price tag. This reasonably priced alternative offers great battery life and an extra-wide trackpad, along with all the other bells and whistles.Technology Review70HP Spectre 13 Laptop ReviewThe HP Spectre 13 has the looks, it has the feel, and it even has a killer app in Adobe Lightroom 5, but still can't compete with ultra-portable laptops from Apple and Samsung. Why? Performance.PC World80HP Spectre 13 review: an exceedingly well-executedThe HP Spectre 13 nails the fundamentals, and its innovative trackpad works great with Windows 8.CNET80HP Spectre 13 Ultrabook review: A slim laptop thatThe HP Spectre 13 is an excellent all-around ultrabook, with a great keyboard, display, and battery life. The unique Control Zone touch pad is interesting, but I wish it were a little more useful and intuitive.Laptop Magazine80HP Spectre 13 Ultrabook ReviewHP's Spectre 13t-3000 has everything you want in an Ultrabook: a sleek design, fast performance and long battery life. And while you can always use the full HD touchscreen to navigate Windows 8.1, HP gives you an excellent alternative with its Control Zone touchpad.PC WorldNot RatedHP's Envy 17 notebook lets you control apps with aThe Spectre 13 Ultrabook has a fixed display, but it features a new trackpad design that HP has dubbed the HP Control Zone and it’s optimized for navigating Windows 8. You stroke your finger in from the right edge of the trackpad to bring up the charm bar.Laptop MagazineNot RatedHP Spectre 13 Ultrabook Hands-on: Windows 8 TouchpIn addition to this novel touchpad, the Spectre 13 has all the trappings of a premium Ultrabook. Weighing just over 3 pounds, its lid, deck, and underside are all an attractive brushed aluminum.EngadgetNot RatedHP lays claim to the first fanless Haswell PC andUnder the hood, the Spectre 13 has pretty much all the components you'd expect in a high-end Ultrabook: Haswell Core i5 / i7 processors, a nine-hour battery and up to 512GB of solid-state storage. HP didn't skimp on the display either: the base option is a 1080p panel.CNETNot RatedThe HP Spectre 13 comes in ultrabook and hybrid flIn my demo time with the X2 -- HP had the ultrabook version at our meeting, but the prototype unit was not working at the time -- the tablet felt like a well-designed, surprisingly light high-quality device with a fairly thin slate and a large comfortable keyboard with tactile metal keys.CNET AU70HP Spectre 13We can't deny the excellent construction quality of the Spectre 13, which is as sturdy as it is attractive. However, overall system performance wasn't quite as fast as the price would suggest, especially when it comes to games.Computer Shopper80HP Spectre 13 ReviewIt isn't the fastest 13.3-inch ultrabook, but the Spectre 13 is a sleek, solidly built contender with an innovative touch pad that reduces the need to swipe and tap its 1080p touch screen. Add nine-hour battery life, and it's a good value at $999.Digital Trends90HP SPECTRE 13T REVIEWThe display is wonderful, the speakers are loud, the chassis is sold and reasonably attractive, the touchpad works well, and the battery provides plenty of juice.
- 90AVERAGE USER SCORE1 ReviewsEngadget Reader90February 9, 2014Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Pros: Form-factor, display, battery life (>7hours with average use), weight, processing power.Cons: Slow processing at times, display lags, display blanking when coming back online from sleep-mode, display font size at highest resolution is too small.
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Key Specs
TYPE
Midsize
SCREEN SIZE
1322
SCREEN RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
BUNDLED OS
Windows
POINTING DEVICE
Trackpad
VIDEO OUTPUTS
Displayport, Hdmi
MAXIMUM BATTERY LIFE
Up to 920
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