HP’s Spectre is not just a looker, for it packs in the firepower to impress as well. The Spectre is a top-shelf laptop worthy of being a flagship product.
Right from the moment you set eyes on the HP Spectre you know you want it. It is so sleek and so subtly styled that it appeals to you in an instant. And why shouldn’t it? It’s got a nice matt finish and some shimmering metal at the rear edge, while the new HP logo is set on the centre of the back of the screen. In its ash silver and copper colour combination the Spectre does look slick.
Lift up the laptop and it feels so light and slim to hold that you begin to appreciate it more. And you would for with its 1.1 kg weight, the Spectre is not just a breeze to carry around but to pick up and place swiftly. Measuring 10.4mm at its thickest point, the Spectre is not just lighter than the Apple MacBook Air, but slimmer too.
We were testing the flagship i7 version of the Spectre with 8GB ram. You have to give it to HP for creating such a power packed computer which is as sleek as this. Naturally heating was going to be an issue, so HP pioneered hyperbaric cooling for this laptop. What this means is that instead of using a fan to blow out the hot air it creates a low pressure zone inside the computer to draw in cool air. This was the only way to use this powerful processer in this sleek laptop. And the result is wonderful, for the Spectre really does not heat up at all despite running a host of applications simultaneously, including Photoshop.
This brings us to the performance of the Spectre. Being a Windows person I have never really used a Mac so I can’t really judge it on that scale. But what I can tell you is this. Normally it is very frustrating to use a computer that works slower than you do. So it was a real boon to use the Spectre which can carry out your commands in an instant, thereby increasing your productivity. So if you are looking for a slick high-performance laptop, this is where you stop your search for it really does work.
There are things I don’t like about the Spectre however. It comes with three USB-C ports owing to its compact size. And they are fine on their own. But my only issue is that you have to carry all the adapters around with you for USB, HDMI and projector which makes this otherwise slick computer a little fidgety.
Having said that, the other aspects I appreciate about the Spectre are its speakers and display. With its 1080p HD IPS screen, the Spectre’s 13-inch display is very clear and crisp, which compliments the high quality videos rather well. And that custom tuned audio system developed in sync with Bang & Olufsen means you get very good sound clarity too, making for an enjoyable viewing experience.
The HP Spectre is very much a flagship Windows laptop for those looking for a top-of-the-line dervice. And it does justice to its title fantastically.
