The HP Envy x360 stands out as one of the best premium Windows 10 laptops you can buy because it offers excellent performance, stunning design, and high-quality components. The HP Spectre x360 is an alternative for those who want a lightweight laptop with more features included in its price tag.
HP Envy vs HP Spectre is a debate that has been going on for years. The two devices are often compared because of their similarities.
HP is a major participant in the global industry, with a wide selection of decent to excellent laptops and convertibles. The newest generation of HP laptops, in particular, may impress, as seen by the positive reviews. The HP Envy x360 and the HP Spectre x360 are compared in this article. The test results are presented in the form of a ranking below. Below the ranking, you’ll find an in-depth study of each of the two laptops.
Result of the Test
April 2020 Result of the Test 9.6/10 Excellent
April 2020 Result of the Test 9.2/10 Very Good
CPU
Quad-Core AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
Pros
- The best performance is when a group of people work together to achieve a common goal.
- Convertible
- Fast SSD
- Excellent Work
- Excellent Battery
- Several Ports
Cons
- Sunlight Reflection on a Display
Winner
Test Result
April 2020 Test Result 9.6/10 Excellent
Pros
- The best performance is when a group of people work together to achieve a common goal.
- Convertible
- Fast SSD
Cons
- Sunlight Reflection on a Display
Best Deal
Test Result
April 2020 Test Result 9.2/10 Very Good
CPU
Quad-Core AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
Pros
- Excellent Work
- Excellent Battery
- Several Ports
HP Spectre x360 comes in first.
9.2 out of 10 for the HP Spectre x360
- Excellent performance
- Convertible
- Fast SSD
- Sunlight Reflection on a Display
HP’s Spectre x360 series is a line of high-performance convertibles with a distinctive look. With a great display, fast hardware, and a big SSD, the Spectre x360 with Intel Optane shines. This makes it appealing to anybody searching for a flexible and durable laptop capable of handling hard work without complaint.
In the editorial office, we’ve already received a few notebooks from this series that performed well in the testing. The x360 15 is the first Spectre laptop to have an Intel Optane SSD. But first, let’s look at the technical parameters to see whether and how much additional performance Optane can provide.
The delivery’s scope
The delivery scope is precisely defined. The Spectre x360 comes with a charger and cable, a leather notebook cover, and some documentation that includes setup instructions and a technical statement of compliance.
Overall, the breadth of service fulfills the requirements and expectations. The only drawback is that each component is individually packaged in plastic. That doesn’t have to be the case any longer.
Design
The Spectre x360 series has a stunning design. The convertibles are angular, unlike many other laptops. At the hinge, the display edges are bevelled. On the side edges, there is also a perceptible bevel. Rose gold accents the sides, emphasizing the edges even more. Of course, whether or not one likes it is just a question of personal preference. It is, nevertheless, always an eye-catcher.
The edges are not left untouched. The power button is on the left, while one of the Thunderbolt 3 connections is on the right. Dark Ash Silver is the name of the color. The tone of this name is finally anthracite. The casing is made of aluminum by HP. This is, of course, always fashionable, but it does need a lot of cleaning to eliminate fingerprints. Aluminum’s drawback is that it attracts fingerprints like a magnet.
The mix of rose gold and anthracite is stunning.
The keyboard is tucked away in a nook. If you use the Spectre x360 in stand-alone mode, this assures that it will not be harmed. On the surface, there are also four little spacers. When using the laptop in stand-up mode, they protect the surface from getting scratched. They are placed in such a manner that they are neither obvious or bothersome while in use.
The notebook’s keyboard spans the whole width of the device. Although the touchpad is slightly skewed to the left, it does not interfere with typing. You’ll also find a full Numpad here. The keys have a very little resistance. As a result, typing first feels mushy. However, the sensation passes fast, and even lengthier words on the keyboard become enjoyable.
The fingerprint sensor is also conveniently located in front of the Numpad.
The two Bang & Olufsen speakers are hidden under a thin grid in front of the display.
The display frames are thin on the sides but broad at the top and bottom, which is a nice balance. The bottom display border is adorned with a shiny HP logo. The camera and facial recognition sensors are housed in the top display frame. On the display lid, there is a huge HP logo. The lid is otherwise empty.
There are no sharp edges or burrs, and there are no uneven gaps. Everything else would be an unsatisfactory condition in this price range.
Terminals and connections
When it comes to connections, HP accomplished everything correctly. There are two Thunderbolt 3 ports, one USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type A port, one USB 3.1 Type C port, HDMI, and a microSD card reader. As a result, you may connect whatever peripherals you choose.
The rear of the notebook has all of the connectors. The 3.5mm connection, HDMI port, and power connector are all located on the left side. On the right side, there’s a card reader, a USB-A port, a USB-C port, and a second Thunderbolt 3 connection on the bevelled edge. The benefit of this location is that you can use Thunderbolt 3 to connect the Spectre x360 to an external display, and the wire is routed to the rear. This helps to keep the desk in order.
A little switch is located in front of the USB-A port on the right side. It’s used to turn off the webcam.
Display
The display is a reflective display since it is a 4K touch display. Of course, using a pen or finger to operate the notebook is convenient. Glossy screens, on the other hand, have the drawback of having a lot of reflections. All of your stuff will be bright and sharp thanks to the 3840x2160px resolution.
Touch inputs are fast and accurately recognized. If you wish to utilize touch in typical laptop operation, this also works. This is achievable since the display is stable enough and only wobbles for a few seconds. Corning Gorilla Glass, which is also used in smartphone screens, protects the display from scratches.
In this Spectre x360, HP added an OLED panel. That means rich, vibrant hues and a black that is really black for you. The brightness is also an advantage. You have a fairly bright display here, with an average of 338 cd/m2.
Color space coverage is also a plus for the Spectre x360. Excellent values include 100 percent sRGB, 93 percent NTSC, and 96 percent AdobeRGB. As a result, you can execute color-critical jobs as well. Even minor video editing is no issue with this laptop thanks to the MX150.
Software
Windows 10 Pro 64-bit is preloaded on the Spectre x360. Unfortunately, this 1900 USD laptop comes with a lot of bloatware. Of course, Candy Crush is a part of it. There’s also a Dropbox promotion, as well as McAfee and Netflix. Unwanted software, thankfully, can be totally removed.
HP software, such as the HP Support Assistant, is also available. It allows you to effortlessly update your system drivers and contact HP assistance if necessary.
When the 512 GB SSD is delivered, 418 GB are still available.
Performance
With the strong Intel Core i7, 16 GB RAM, and NVMe-SSD, you’ll be able to handle any work. When it comes to gaming, though, you must make compromises. The MX250 graphics card delivers picture and photo editing acceleration, but it is not designed for gaming. The Spectre x360, on the other hand, isn’t designed for gaming.
Applications load rapidly, and moving between them is seamless and near-instantaneous. Even if you produce a short movie, you can still browse the web or view YouTube without jerking. In benchmarks, the SSD performs somewhat poorer than the one in the Spectre x360 variant without Optane. In ordinary life, though, the disparities aren’t evident.
The 32 GB Optane RAM is the notebook’s standout feature. Simply put, this is a kind of non-volatile RAM, meaning that the information contained within is preserved even when the laptop is turned off.
Finally, Optane is meant to remember how you use your laptop and speed up the system by supplying the essential data.
So far, this has shown to be pretty effective. While the initial start of a program proceeded as expected, the second start was much quicker — regardless of how many times I restarted the notebook. For instance, Photoshop isn’t recognized for being one of the quickest applications to learn. It took roughly 13 seconds for the initial start. The loading times were lowered to six to eight seconds after that.
You may choose which applications and directories Intel Optane will evaluate indefinitely. To do so, right-click the folder/exe file in question and choose “Pin to Intel Optane Memory” from the context menu. Whether the files are in Optane memory is shown by a little blue pin.
With little files, Optane makes no sense. Its power comes into play when dealing with huge files and applications.
Battery
This notebook’s battery capacity is 84 Wh. In the test, the Spectre x360 lasted 4:21 hours. The brightness level was set at 200 cd/m2. This amounts to a brightness of little over 70%. You can improve the battery life even more by turning down the brightness. Because the display is so brilliant, you may simply reduce the brightness to 50% without fear of losing visibility.
Fast charging is supported by the battery, and it should achieve 50% charge in around 45 minutes. If you run out of power on the way, a quick stop at a power outlet would suffice.
Temperature and Noise ( Overheating)
The Spectre x360 is barely audible on rare occasions during typical operation. The fans, like those on the variant without Optane, made a low-frequency whistling noise. The level is hardly audible, drowned out by other sounds in the workplace. The 13-inch Spectre x360 did not include a whistle.
This laptop also had to go through a stress test, which pushes the hardware to the limit. During this test, several laptops get very noisy. The Spectre, on the other hand, does not. The fan’s volume was kept at a comfortable level.
The fans do an excellent job of keeping the temperature in the Spectre from rising to unsafe levels. During the stress test, the CPU achieved a maximum temperature of 68° Celsius, while the GPU reached a maximum temperature of 74° Celsius.
Upgrades
The Spectre x360 may be updated in theory. Two visible screws must be unfastened, as well as the ones buried behind the adhesive rubber feet. If you wish to remove the feet, you must proceed with caution since you risk damaging them. As a result, I’ve decided not to remove the bottom side.
Only the SSD may be replaced in prior generations. With a 512 GB SSD, however, this may not be required.
System of Sound
For a laptop, the sound is extremely handy. The sound produced by the Bang & Olufsen speakers is mainly balanced. The lows are hardly discernible, while the mids and highs are well proportioned. The sound changes more towards the highs when the volume is increased. This behavior, however, is seen in all notebooks. On the plus side, the sound does not become harsh, but rather is just loud.
If you want to unwind while watching Netflix on the Spectre x360 or listening to your favorite Spotify playlist, you can do it at a medium volume without any issues. It’s absolutely loud enough at this volume.
Conclusion
The Spectre x360 15 is designed to blend in with the other convertibles in the series. It’s well made, has a fantastic display, powerful technology, and enough of RAM. It also gets high marks for battery life. The NVMe-SSD is slower than the variant without Intel Optane in several ways. However, in regular life, this is hardly evident. You can also access apps and files quicker than ever before thanks to Intel Optane. This is particularly obvious when working with huge files.
But it’s not a good deal. For the Convertible, HP would like to see a price of slightly about $1579 USD from you. If you don’t like the color anthracite, this model also comes in dark blue.
HP Envy x360 is ranked second.
- Excellent performance
- Excellent Battery
- Several Ports
The HP Envy series is designed for individuals that require a reliable laptop while on the go. On paper, the ENVY 13 seems to be a formidable opponent. 10th generation Intel Core i7 processor, 16 GB RAM, Nvidia MX250 graphics card, and plenty of memory The majority of use cases should be readily addressed. That, too, works out rather nicely.
We’ve previously had a few of these notebooks in the workplace that performed well in the testing. The x360 15 is the first Spectre laptop to have an Intel Optane SSD. But first, let’s look at the technical parameters to see whether and how much additional performance Optane can provide.
Design
Edgy. This was my first impression of the ENVY 13. There aren’t many bends in this area. There are no harsh transitions or ridges despite the angular form. In general, the processing is perfect.
The display frames are small on the sides, with the exception of the top and bottom frames, which are broader. The HD webcam has been positioned in the top frame by HP. Because the grid for the speakers is above the keyboard, the bottom frame is wider. The area in the frame is used by HP to display a glossy HP logo. The frames are mirrored. It is up to each individual to determine whether or not they like this design.
When the ENVY 13 is closed, the keyboard is hidden in a tiny recess so that it does not come into touch with the display. The keys have a quick stroke and provide little resistance. When it comes to typing, I like a bit more resistance. However, after a short time of getting accustomed to it, typing on the keyboard is pretty simple.
When you open the ENVY 13, the display raises the laptop somewhat. On the one hand, the slightly tilted keyboard provides a more comfortable typing experience than a perfectly horizontal keyboard. The small elevation of the bottom, on the other hand, is claimed to allow for improved airflow for cooling.
If you don’t need the camera or wish to turn it off, there’s a little switch on the right side that you may use to do so.
The materials used by HP are completely made of aluminum. As a result, the Envy is exceedingly strong and rigid. It appeals to me much.
Terminals and connections
The connectors seem to be standard: 2x USB-A and 1x USB-C at first sight. You’ll discover that you can get a long way with them.
Only the USB-A connector on the left side is a pure data connection among the ports. If you wish to charge your gadgets, you may use the USB-A connector on the right side. This port also supports HP Sleep and Charge. So you may charge your phone when the ENVY 13 is in standby mode.
Power Delivery 3.0, DisplayPortTM 1.2, and HP Sleep and Charge are all supported via the USB-C connector. As a result, you can connect pretty much whatever you want. If the connections are insufficient, just connect it to a docking station.
The microSD card reader is extremely great, in my opinion. You will enjoy it if you take a lot of images and videos. This functionality should be accessible on a large number of laptops in the near future.
Software
So far, the ENVY 13 has performed well. Unfortunately, it is not a clean Windows version, but it does come with some extra applications. Farm Heroes Saga or Candy Crush Saga are two examples. A McAfee trial version and a Dropbox special are also available. Who loves it: Fantastic! Everyone else: You may remove the programs altogether.
There are other HP applications that are intended to make your life simpler. The HP Command Center, for example, allows you to define thermal profiles and adjust fan performance. The HP Support Assistant is another useful tool. You may choose whether you want updates to be installed automatically or whether you want to report use data to HP. You’ll discover an overview of available updates, the system status, and quick options to contact HP help in the tool itself.
On the SSD, 407 of the 476 GB are still available in the delivery condition.
Performance
Even computing-intensive operations like picture editing and producing smaller films run smoothly thanks to the combination of the quad-core Intel Core i7-10510U of the 10th Gen. (Comet Lake), 16 GB RAM, and the Nvidia MX 250. The CPU has a basic clock rate of 1.8 GHz and can turbo to 4.9 GHz on a single core.
Although the SSD isn’t the fastest in the world, it is fast enough to load even bigger quantities of data rapidly. However, in ordinary life, the differences between the built-in SSD and the top versions should be hardly perceptible.
Battery
According to HP, the battery should last 14 hours. This may be achievable if you keep to the display brightness of 40% set by the energy mode “Balanced” and just do light stuff like browsing or Word. It’s not a major concern if the value isn’t attained in ordinary life since these requirements normally pertain to lab settings.
In ordinary life, things seem to be a bit different. With the specified brightness, Microsoft Office and browsing may be done for about eight hours. As a result, the workday is definitely doable. However, you must tolerate a dim display as a result of this. In the workplace, you can still see everything well. But only if there isn’t any direct light. Working with graphical tools, such as Photoshop, is a chore.
The battery will not last as long if the brightness is increased. I managed to work for well over six hours with a combination of Photoshop, Lightroom, Surfing, and Office at 90% brightness (200 cd/m2) – sure, the brightness does not seem to grow linearly. Of course, the actual runtime is determined on your activity.
HP Fast Charge is also supported by the Envy 13. This implies that a fully depleted battery may be recharged to 50% capacity in 45 minutes. As a result, necessary pauses at the power outlet may be reduced to a minimum.
Temperature and Noise ( Overheating)
The ENVY 13 is seldom heard in ordinary life. Surfing, Office, and YouTube are three of my favorite things to do. There isn’t any noise.
You can hear it if you press hard enough on the notepad. The sounds are so loud that they can’t be drowned out by usual workplace noises. Even then, you’ll only be able to hear them if you pay attention. Because it’s just a bunch of noise. This notebook does not have the high-frequency whistling seen in many flat notebooks.
Temperature fluctuations are also maintained to a minimum. Even when fully loaded, the keyboard and wrist rest remain cool, while the chassis merely warms up in front of the display. Temperatures are also far below 40°. On the bottom, it seems to be the same. As a result, you may easily strap the Envy 13 to your legs and utilize it while carrying a big load.
Upgrades
HP does not make it simple to access the Envy 13’s inner workings.
There are just two screws visible. Under the bonded rubber strips at the bottom, there should be more. I did not do this since the risk of their being damaged when removing them is extremely great.
Given the built-in components, though, it’s unlikely that you’ll need to access your hardware. For a time, the Intel Core i7, 16 GB RAM, and 512 GB SSD should enough.
System of Sound
Now we’ll get to my favorite part of the book. Not. In most circumstances, the sound on laptops, particularly flat notebooks, is terrible. One of the rare exceptions is the Envy 13, which has four speakers. It produces a decent sound. Because the casing lacks a resonance chamber, depths are naturally limited. The mids and highs, on the other hand, are in a sensible proportion to one another.
Fortunately, this does not alter when the amount is increased. The treble becomes so strong in most situations that it hurts your ears. On the Envy 13, they do become more dominating. They are not, however, strident.
Conclusion
Apart from the reflecting display, there’s nothing wrong with the Envy 13 x360, but that’s a personal preference. The craftsmanship is impeccable, and the built-in hardware is perfect for regular usage. A brilliant monitor, an Intel 10th generation processor, a decent SSD with plenty of memory, plenty of RAM, and a dedicated graphics card are all included. Even computationally expensive activities may be completed fast with this. The battery life in particular shocked me. I didn’t anticipate the Envy 13 x360 to survive as long as it did.
For less than $600, you get a lot of value for your money. So, if you’re searching for a portable power source, this is a good place to start.
The “hp envy x360” is a convertible laptop that has been released by HP. The laptop has the specs of an Intel Core i7-7700HQ, 16GB DDR4 RAM, and 256GB SSD.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better Spectre or Envy?
A: This is a difficult question to answer. Both characters are very similar in their abilities and play styles, but they differ in the type of teammates they can bring with them on missions.
Is HP Spectre x360 better than Envy?
A: There is no definitive answer as to which laptop is better. Both have strengths and weaknesses that could sway you into one or the other, but ultimately it comes down to personal preference.
What is the difference between HP ENVY and HP?
A: HP ENVY is a type of computer. It is the next generation model after HP Pavilion laptops, while HP stands for Hewlett Packard Company, which made all types of computers that are similar to its predecessor, but not exactly like it since they do not have to be created in order for market demand.
Related Tags
- hp envy 13
- hp envy x360 vs hp spectre x360 2020
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- hp spectre x360
- hp spectre x360 15
