Hewlett-Packard (HP) first announced its Spectre series in 2012. Showcased at CES, it was the pinnacle of the ultrabook revolution which
Intel was pioneering at that time. It had a glass body and specs to die for. But sadly the price of the device ensured that it never came to India, at least not officially. Four years down the line HP is finally bringing in a Spectre device to the country, the HP Spectre 13.
The HP Spectre 13 is the world’s thinnest laptop. And you don’t need any validation for this, just one look at the device is enough. I guess it must also be the most stylish notebook in the market, full with golden hinges and strip at the back. It has an artistic speaker grille of the type I have never seen before in a computer. Yes, it is suave. Yes, it is unique. But is this the best?
What is good?
Let’s start with the design. As I mentioned before, this is one stylish notebook. It has premium written all over it. It is the thinnest notebook at just 0.41 inches. And that number is no gimmick. The HP Spectre 13 has been made to awe. But then you hold it, and hardly feel it in your hands. That’s what happens when a laptop is all of 1.11 kg, and actually feel lighter.
The 13.3-inch Full HD LED is a pleasure to work on. You don’t really need a 4K display if you have a screen like this. It is also one of the brightest screens on a laptop at 300 nits.
The keyboard is a pleasure to work on. It has the perfect amount of travel and is well spaced out, despite this being a compact notebook.
I have over the past year or so come to believe that Windows 10 works best on top-end devices and the experience in the middle range is not really that smooth. But in this device, with its Intel Core i7 processor and 8 GB RAM, you will not be thinking of performance even for a minute. The battery is good enough to last you a regular day at work.
What is not that good?
This is not necessarily a bad thing. I tried the so called Saffron SKU, with the gold bands and saffron backlights. The Bang & Olufsen speakers are a bit underwhelming.
My biggest issue with the HP Spectre 13 is the price. It is almost R18,000 more than its US price for the i5 model and the markup for the i7 model is more.
Should you buy?
Yes, if you want to buy a top-end Windows 10 device. I guess this is certainly among the best bets out there now. You will not regret this purchase, if you can really afford a device this premium. If you have made it good in life, then these are the sort of indulgences you should be able to afford without feeling guilty.
