Hands On: HP's 2020 Spectre x360 15-Incher Slims Down

Like all 15.6-inch 2-in-1 convertible laptops, HP's Spectre x360 15 is unwieldy when you fold its screen back 360 degrees to use it as a tablet. A revised version unveiled at CES 2020 this week is a bit less unwieldy, though, because HP managed to keep the 15.6-inch screen while reducing the laptop’s overall size and weight.

The new Spectre x360 is 13 percent smaller than the previous version, and it has a 90 percent screen-to-body ratio. With the screen taking up so much of the laptop’s surface area, the thickness of the black bezels above and below the screen is significantly reduced, resulting in a cleaner, more modern look.

In fact, the Spectre x360 15 was already one of the best-looking convertible laptops you could buy, with its diamond-cut edges and sleek copper accents. So the redesign simply adds additional thinness and lightness to an already excellent package.

While the 13-inch version of the Spectre x360 remains a better bet for most buyers, thanks to its increased portability, a larger laptop means more room to cool powerful components. The 15-incher could be a better choice for multimedia content creators; it offers the option for a six-core Intel 10th Generation Core i7 processor and Nvidia GeForce GTX graphics, two powerful chips that you don’t often see in thin-and-light laptops.

We got a chance to check out the first 2020 edition of the Spectre x360 15 ahead of its launch. Read on for our first impressions.

Vanishing Borders

If you’ve been using a 15-inch desktop replacement laptop for many years, you might have grown accustomed to sighing under its weight and staring at its thick plastic display bezel. With its 90 percent screen-to-body ratio, the Spectre x360 15 reverses this experience.

The Screen: All 4K

Opting for a screen this large, HP is betting that you’ll want to touch it and view as many pixels as possible. So the Spectre x360 15 only offers 4K touch screens as panel options, which translates to dimensions of 3,840 by 2,160 pixels. The only upgrade is switching from a more traditional LCD panel to an OLED one, which offers a higher contrast ratio.

One of the downsides of a 4K display, though, is power consumption, since lighting up more pixels generally consumes more power.

Some Handsome Keys

The keyboard offers classy-looking, thin lettering, as well as a dedicated number pad, which you won’t find on every large laptop, including the 16-inch Apple MacBook Pro. This is the standard Spectre keyboard, which we’ve tested before on both the previous 15-inch model and its 13-inch sibling. The keys themselves are sturdy, but don’t expect a generous travel distance.

Unfortunately, the keyboard also offers HP's trademark placement of the cursor arrow keys in a row, with half-size up and down arrows wedged between full-size left and right arrow, instead of the proper inverted T.

A Petite Touchpad

A giant speaker grille takes up a significant part of the Spectre x360 15’s keyboard deck, which means that the touchpad is relegated to a modest-size afterthought below the keyboard. Even with such a high-quality touch screen, you’ll still occasionally need to move the cursor around, so it’s a shame that the touchpad couldn't be bigger.

Cooling Vents

To make sure everything is cool inside, HP added large cooling grilles to the sides of the Spectre x360 15. This benefits the optional Nvidia GeForce GTX graphics chip. Although they are not as powerful as the silicon in the GeForce RTX line, GTX graphics chips are typically only found in gaming laptops, so it’s nice to have the option to add one to a sleek 2-in-1. HP hadn't yet specified the exact GTX inside.

A Webcam Kill Switch

The Spectre x360 15’s left edge features the webcam kill switch, another standard Spectre feature. The tiny sliding switch cuts power to the webcam if you're worried about hackers snooping on you. It's perhaps less visceral than a sliding hatch over the camera lens, but it works just as well.

Corner Port

Even though the laptop’s cooling vents take up a large portion of the Spectre x360 15’s edges, where the ports typically go, you still get plenty of places to plug in peripherals. These include a USB Type-C port mounted diagonally on the right rear corner. (This port also supports Thunderbolt 3 speeds and can be used to charge the laptop.) Its angled orientation means that you can direct the charging cable toward the back of the laptop instead of having it sticking out sideways and taking up room on your desk.

A Bit Unwieldy as a Tablet

The Spectre x360 15 may have slimmed down, but our experience holding it for a minute or two as a tablet suggests you’ll still need two hands to grasp it. It’s just too heavy to use as a tablet for an extended period of time. So the main reason you’d buy it over a clamshell laptop is the option to use it in tent or easel orientation to display things such as movies or sales presentations.

Under the Hood

The powerful components available with higher-end configurations of the Spectre x360 15 are similar to what the previous generation offered. The new laptop also shares the same bottom-cover design as its predecessor. The screws that let you remove the cover are hidden beneath the rubber skids, which makes removing and replacing interior components a bit of an ordeal for DIY-ers.

Check Out Our Video Overview of the 2020 Spectre x360 15...

HP's 15-Inch Spectre x360 Slims Down