For the perfect balance of productivity and portability, consider getting a 2-in-1 laptop. With just a flip, you can use them in tablet mode for some light entertainment, or in laptopmode for all sorts of school- or work-related tasks. The best ones are equipped with the most powerful processors, making them some of the best laptops that you can own. For a premium convertible experience, HP is a good place to start. Right now, Amazon lets you save as much $510 for the HP Spectre Folio and the HP Spectre x360 13.
HP SPECTRE FOLIO – $890
The gorgeous HP Spectre Folio is a combination of vintage mixed with modern functionality. It mimics a fine leather portfolio (hence the name) and is even wrapped in the kind of crepe paper that’s usually reserved for designer dress shirts. We normally don’t care about packaging, but the way the Folio is presented is simply exquisite. Since it’s made of genuine leather with magnesium alloy components, it needs to be treated the way you would care for a leather jacket or luxury handbag. You can only use a soft cloth to clean it, and you should not use any harsh chemicals on it or you’ll risk ruining the material.
The Folio’s 13.3-inch touchscreen is also a thing of beauty. It offers a bright and crisp picture with wide viewing angles. It’s also quick and responsive, keeping up with taps, swipes, and multi-finger gestures. What’s even better is the screen isn’t a power hog. It uses Intel’s power-efficient display technology and runs on as little as 1 watt of power even at maximum brightness. Normal laptops use 2 watts of power with the same brightness setting. This contributes to the Folio’s tremendous battery life. During our web-browsing test, it was able to last an outstanding 10 hours. It performed even better in our high-definition video loop test, managing 17 hours.
Normally, 2-in-1 systems have notoriously shallow and mushy keyboards. Thankfully, the Folio does not. The backlit keys are large and nicely spaced, they don’t bottom out when pressed, and keystroke was precise and comfortable. The touchpad is also pretty responsive, but for some reason, HP is still not willing to embrace Microsoft’s Precision Touchpad protocol. It’s also a little too small for our taste.
This laptop is powered by Intel’s Core i7-8500Y processor, which also sips power like the touchscreen. It runs quietly and doesn’t heat up as much as other processors, which comes in handy since this laptop is made of leather. Paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal memory, the Folio is well-suited for standard productivity tasks like web browsing, Office work, and multimedia consumption. Finally, the Folio is bundled with HP’s Bluetooth-connected Digital Pen, which offers smooth and accurate pen strokes, perfect for notetaking and sketching.
Amazon is selling the HP Spectre Folio for $890, a whopping $150 savings over its normal price of $1,400. To make the deal even better, you can get an additional $50 off instantly upon approval for the Amazon Rewards Visa Card, cutting the cost to $840.
HP SPECTRE x360 13 – $1,199
The HP Spectre x360 13 is one of the rare electronic devices we’ve reviewed that has earned a perfect 5-out-of-5-star rating and the coveted Digital Trends Editors’ Choice stamp of approval. It has a lot going for it. First is how incredible it looks, like a fine jewel in a sea of gray blandness (well, except for the leather-bound Folio of course). HP has nicknamed the Spectre x360 the “gem-cut” model, and we can definitely see why. Every facet has been shaped to reflect light from as many angles as possible. Trust us when we say that Spectre x360 is one gobsmackingly beautiful laptop. It’s also pretty sturdy, with zero flexing on the keyboard and chassis unless you put your back into it.
HP also made sure to equip the Spectre x360 with some of the best security features. You can log in via Windows 10 Hello, an infrared camera for facial recognition or the fingerprint scanner, which can be found on the side to the keyboard deck. They both work seamlessly.
A laptop’s keyboard is one of the most important factors to consider when evaluating it. After all, you’ll be spending countless hours typing on it. Fortunately, the Spectre x360 doesn’t disappoint. The backlit keys are snappy, precise, and very comfortable to type on. The touchpad also works wonderfully well, although just like the Folio, it isn’t optimized with Microsoft’s Precision Touchpad protocol. The package includes the HP Pen for flawless scribbling of notes and drawing as well.
The 13-inch 1,920 x 1,080 Full HD panel looks great and runs with Intel’s power-saving display technology, just like the Folio. Not only is it awash in gorgeous colors and details, but it also sips on as little as one watt of power, effectively prolonging battery life. This 2-in-1 was able to last for more than 12 hours in our web-browsing test, which is quite spectacular.
At the heart of the Spectre x360, you’ll find Intel’s latest 8th-generation quad-core i7-8565U processor, and it works a great for any productivity tasks. However, its Intel UHD 620 integrated graphics chip doesn’t make it a great gaming laptop. It performed adequately for less demanding games and older titles, but it won’t handle most modern AAA titles.
Normally $1,300, you can now get the HP Spectre x360 13 for $1,199 on Amazon. And if you pay via the Amazon Rewards Visa Card and gets approved, you’ll enjoy an additional $50 off instantly, bringing the price even lower to $1,149.
The HP Spectre Folio and the HP Spectre x360 13 represent the pinnacle of 2-in-1 laptop engineering. They both look phenomenal and boast superb performances, incredible hardware components, and tremendous battery life.
Looking to save on 2-in-1 laptops, Chromebooks, or Apple MacBooks? Visit our curated deals page for the latest discounts on premium tech items. And click here for the best Black Friday deals of 2019.
