If you need the best battery life laptop, thin and lights are usually the way to go. They come with fairly low powered components (e.g., low powered mobile Core i5 processors, integrated graphics, etc.) to save on battery life. But the HP Spectre x360 13t comes with a Core i7 processor inside and provides long battery life. Basically, it offers the best of both worlds, making it a massive contender for the best laptop with i7 processor and the best laptop crown. And its small size also makes it very travel-friendly. In fact, it is actually the best travel laptop too, below $1500. Read on to find out if it is a contender for the top-rated laptops.
Why We Like It – HP Spectre x360 13t
Smaller thin and light convertible laptops are awesome for artists and designers because of their flexibility. And the new Spectre x360 13t is pretty much the best laptop with those kinds of flexibilities below $1500. And the Thunderbolt 3 ports are a lifesaver in case you ever need to connect an external graphics card enclosure.
- Dual Thunderbolt 3 ports
- Full HD IR camera for Windows Hello face unlock
- 512GB PCI-E NVME M.2 SSD
- It might be difficult to use for users with big hands
Power & Performance
This laptop launched over three years ago. But the hardware inside is still pretty capable, as this model had a huge uplift in performance compared to the previous Spectre laptop at the time. The Intel Core i7-8550U is a couple of generations old at this point, but it still performs very well. And the 16GB of RAM is plenty for an ultrabook of this nature. Obviously, you won’t be able to play AAA games with the integrated graphics. So if you need a gaming laptop that is similarly portable, you can grab the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M gaming laptop instead. You may also want to take a look at our HP Spectre X360 13 8th Gen review.
Battery
Depending on your use case, you do get long battery life out of the three-cell 60WHr battery. It probably isn’t gonna be as good as the battery life champ Microsoft Surface laptop series (e.g., the Microsoft Surface Book 3), but it’s good enough.
Ports & Expandability
The two Thunderbolt 3 ports (USB Type C) are a lifesaver, as we mentioned before. And those two USB C ports are USB PD compliant so you can charge the laptop from that too. Also, you get one full-sized USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A port and a headphone/microphone combo jack. And don’t worry, there’s a micro SD slot too for all your photography needs.
Build Quality
The build quality of this 2-in-1 convertible laptop is excellent. The hinge feels fantastic, and once you detach the keyboard and start using it in the handheld tablet mode, you’ll realize how sturdy the device is. But that doesn’t mean the keyboard is poorly built or anything like that. It’s just that the keyboard and the trackpad are just a tad bit small for our liking. But it’s completely understandable why HP would make that design choice, for portability. That’s really what this convertible laptop is all about. If you don’t like that, you should go for the MSI P65 Creator. Take a look at the HP Spectre X360 15T review if you want a laptop with an exquisite build quality and nice brightness.
Value
At just above $1000, the HP Spectre x360 13t is an excellent deal for users. You are not going to find a better thin and light convertible 2-in-1 ultrabook than it at this price range. And the best part is that HP includes the stylus in the box. Not many manufacturers do that with their mid to low end models anymore. Overall, the HP Spectre x360 13t is an excellent value for money laptop in our opinion.
HP Spectre x360 13t Wrap Up
All in all, the HP Spectre x360 13t is an excellent 2-in-1 ultrabook for artists and students alike. It’s a great entry-level thin and light laptop that performs exceptionally well for its age.
