The rollout of Intel’s highly anticipated discrete GPUs has been slow and confusing. But today, they just scored a big win with the announcement that HP’s most premium laptop, the Spectre x360 16, will be sold with Intel’s Arc instead of Nvidia’s RTX graphics.
The new Spectre x360 16 comes with an option for an Arc A370M on board, in addition to an option for Iris Xe graphics for the $1,650 base configuration. The Arc A370M comes with 4GB of GDDR6 dedicated memory. That is on top of the 16GB or 32GB of onboard device RAM, as well as the up to 2TB NVMe solid-state drive on the device.
The Arc configuration also comes with the latest Intel Core i7-12700H, while the base configuration is limited to a lower-powered 25-watt Core i5-1260P.
HP didn’t have specs or benchmarks and performance claims on the new Intel GPU available for us at the time of writing, but early tests of the mobile GPU in the MSI’s Summit E16 have shown that, in terms of performance, it could rival Nvidia’s own dedicated RTX 3050 graphics, which was found on last year’s model. This is especially true in 3DMark Time Spy, a demanding generic graphics test.
“Today’s hybrid world requires a new perspective on what to create with, which is why HP is launching a diverse set of devices across its Spectre and Envy portfolios to enable creation without limitation,” said Josephine Tan, Global Head, Consumer Personal Systems, HP Inc.
Overall, the new model should look and feel just like last year’s Spectre x360 16, with no major differences in terms of connectivity, display (there is still an OLED option,) or ports. It is the under-the-hood changes that matter most, as well as the new software like HP Palette. That is a digital workspace that can help simply creative workflows and offer cross-device collaboration with apps like PhotoMatch, HP QuickDrop, Duet, and Concepts.
Just like last year’s model, there’s also the HP True Vision 5MP IR camera with camera shutter, temporal noise reduction, and integrated dual array digital microphones onboard.
Note that the HP Envy 16, also launching today and starting at $1,400, comes with options for this same Intel Arc Graphics card, too, though you can choose to configure that device with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 if you want.
You can buy the new HP Spectre x360 16-inch at HP.com. The device will also be available at BestBuy.com and select Best Buy retail locations.
