HP Spectre X2 (2017) Review by Engadget

The HP Spectre X2 is, in many ways, the ideal way to counteract Microsoft’s Surface lineup. It retains the slick, high-end style that we loved from the original model, while improving things a bit to make it much more user friendly. Its unique design is a way for HP to show it can make premium devices on par with the likes of Apple. But while it’s a better Surface Pro competitor than before, there’s still plenty of room for improvement.

Among other small changes, HP moved the X2’s speakers from the sides to the front. They sound decent for a laptop, but they certainly won’t replace a decent pair of external ones or headphones. There’s a 13-megapixel camera on the rear of the tablet, along with a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with Windows Hello infrared capabilities (for logging in with your face).

As for ports, the X2 features two USB 3.1 Type-C connections (which can handle both external displays and charging), a microSD slot and a headphone jack. HP also includes a USB-C-to-USB-A dongle in the box, for connecting your older gear. While it might be annoying to carry that around, it’s nice to see HP make the transition to USB-C, especially when Microsoft is still refusing to adopt it on the Surface lineup.

The Spectre X2 starts at $1,150 with a seventh-generation Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD. And don’t forget, that includes a keyboard and stylus. You can also spec out the X2 all the way up to a Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM and 1TB SSD for $1,970. The Surface Pro, meanwhile, starts at $799 for an underpowered model, and those accessories will cost you even more. If you want a Surface Pro on par with the X2, you’d have to shell out for the $1,299 model. HP isn’t trying as hard to undercut Microsoft’s pricing this year, but it’s still offering a decent value.

Source: Engadget