Design and Specifications



12 to 14-inch Intel ultraportable notebook specifications (larger image here)

The revised HP Spectre x360 notebook models with Kaby Lake processors (13-w013dx and 13-w023dx) are using Intel’s top U-series chip in the 15W lineup, the dual-core Core i7 7500U running at 2.70GHz with 3.50GHz Turbo, along with Intel HD Graphics 620, and the choice of 8GB or 16GB of DDR3 1866MHz memory. As for storage, this unit includes a 256GB Samsung PM951 MZVLV256 NVMe M.2 SSD, while the higher-priced model uses the same drive in a 512GB capacity. The first-generation notebook measures 12.79 inches long, 8.6 inches wide and 0.6 inches thick (325 x 218 x 15mm) and weighs 3.17 pounds (1.44kg).

The refresh now brings the size down to 12.03 inches long, 8.58 inches wide and 0.54 inches thick (306 x 218 x 13.7mm) and weighs in at 2.85 pounds (1.29kg).



At first glance, the top of the notebook is strangely reminiscent of a MacBook Air until the sides are revealed, which come finished in matte aluminum. On the left side is a USB 3.0 Type A port and a 3.5mm headphone jack, followed by the CPU fan exhaust and also the power button. On the right side are two USB-C Thunderbolt 3 ports capable of up to 40Gbps, along with the volume slider button.







HP’s convertible design takes a few ideas from Lenovo’s original Yoga series, which was announced in October 2012 and introduced the 360-degree hinge that enables tablet mode, “Stand” and “Tent” modes – and HP is even using the same descriptions for the Spectre x360’s usage modes. While Lenovo’s hinge design allows the Yoga display to sit directly on top of the chassis, HP’s hinge folds slightly inward and lets the display protrude slightly forwards from the chassis by a few millimeters. Even though the two pieces of the device are not perfectly flush with one another, HP’s goal was to ensure that the Spectre x360 would be equally thick when operating in laptop or tablet mode.



The back of the notebook features the same hinge design as existing Spectre x360 models, operating with enough rigidity to give the feeling of a well-built rotation function that should not wear out very easily with extended use.

A teardown from the folks at NotebookCheck.net reveals that upgrades and replacements are limited to the two system fans, the M.2 2232 WLAN slot, the battery unit (SH03XL), and the M.2 2280 SSD slot, as the memory modules are inaccessible from behind the bottom panel. Users looking to upgrade their solid state storage later on should have no issues, while those who prefer the higher 16GB memory option should consider purchasing the higher-priced 13-w023dx model which includes a 512GB SSD.