HP Spectre X360

HP Spectre X360, just like Lenovo’s Yoga 3 Pro, can fold into a tent mode, stand mode, laptop mode and even a tablet mode. But using this 13-inch machine in tablet mode requires strong arms or a table nearby for support—it’s heavy.

Its weight, though, offers a number of advantages: the Spectre X360 has three USB 3.0 ports, a full-sized HDMI port, a mini display port, an SD card slot, a headphone jack and even a volume rocker. You can get a USB to ethernet adapter, and even an HDMI to VGA adapter for this machine.

The base model ships with a full high-definition touchscreen, and you can go up to a Quad HD touchscreen, which allows you to choose the resolution that works best for you. HP claims a 12.5-hour battery life on the full high-definition machine and this will go down on the Quad HD.

To let you fold the machine across its various modes, the Spectre X360 uses a set of three spiral gears for synchronised and precise movement. Modes are thus easy to switch. HP Engineers worked closely with Microsoft Windows engineers to ensure the best possible experience when you use the Spectre X360. This is clearly evident in its precision touchpad, an ergonomically laid out full-sized keyboard with great tactical feedback that lets you use it for hours without getting tired, and a Windows integration that is as bloatware free as it gets.

The Spectre X360 comes with a 128 GB solid state drive, and can go up to 512 GB depending on the model. Similarly, you have an option between Core i5 processor and a Core i7 processor, and 4 GB RAM to 8GB RAM across three models that HP has.

Overall, the Spectre X360 may compete directly with the Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro, and come out ahead, but the Spectre’s palpably improved performance—thanks to its partnership with Microsoft—apart from its full range of ports and better battery life, is an undoubted advantage over the Yoga.

HDMIHP Spectre X360laptopLenovo’s Yoga 3 ProWindows