HP is looking to alter the definition of the high-end PC with its new Spectre Folio. For the Spectre, being high-end doesn’t just mean good performance, but also a premium build, this time with a leather (!) build. This finish is available in Cognac Brown and Bordeaux color variants.
Design
The leather exterior blends with the aluminum frame. The Spectre falls under the convertible category, being a 2-in-1 with a large battery life.
The focus on increasing the battery size was so much that Intel shrunk the motherboard size by 20% so that it is one of the top 5% of the smallest boards in the market. It’s believable when you hear that Spectre Folio had been in development for nearly two years.
In terms of specs, the 13.3-inch IPS display comes with 1080p resolution (with 4K options in the future), Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection and pen support. The 1W panel will be an optional upgrade. It weighs 3.28 pounds, and the keyboard is backlit.
Hardware
Under the hood, you get an option of either Core i5-8200Y or Core i7-8500Y processors, with 5W TDP each. There’s either 8/16 GB of LPDDR3-1866 RAM and between 256 and 2 TB of NVMe SSD.
For connectivity, there’s 2 USB-C 3.1 Thunderbolt 3 ports, headphone jack, and Wi-Fi ac. The laptop also comes with a new Intel LTE 7560 modem, with communication being another area of interest of its maker. There’s a USB-C to A dongle while for sound there are four B&O speakers.
Battery and Price
Most 2-in-1 convertibles have a long battery life, and the Spectre Folio doesn’t disappoint, lasting 18 hours on average. HP makes use of one of the new 1W display panels to reach that number.
Pricing for the convertible starts at $1299 and is already available in some markets. In the premium laptop category, HP is pretty much all there is with the Spectre Folio.
