HP has been providing us with great laptops at an affordable price for years now. Today, we have another HP in our hands, Spectre x360 13-AC023DX. Without further ado, let’s continue to the review.
Check out the latest price for the HP Spectre x360 13
Specs:
- CPU – Intel Core i7 Dual-Core (7th Gen), 2.7 GHz
- GPU – 4162 MB, Intel HD Graphics 620
- Memory – 16 GB DDR3
- Screen – 13 inch Full HD IPS (1920 x 1080) with multi-touch
- Storage – 512 GB SSD
- OS – Windows 10 Home edition
Benefits:
- Looks – The Spectre x360 13-AC023DX looks damn good in the full metal body. It’s a pretty slick and slim model with a weight of just 2.8 pounds. Yep, you heard it right; even less than 3 lbs. So it’s a breeze to carry it around.
- Speed – It easily can handle almost any job that can safely be thrown at a higher mid-tier laptop. It has got a lightning-fast Intel i7 dual-core processor with a solid 16 GB DDR3 RAM. The accompanying 512 GB SDD is a huge plus. It sure is a huge upgrade in comparison with their bit less sophisticated and pricey model Spectre x360 13-AC013DX. Although, the RAM included in is fixed to the board; so, no option for further upgrade. And it’s a DDR3 RAM chip instead of the regular DDR4 chip. It is intended mostly towards to be more battery friendly by eating out less charge.
- Ports – It also offers 2 USB-C ports supporting the latest ‘Thunderbolt 3’ technology for lightning-fast data transfer(possibly even at more than 300 MBps) and ultra-fast charging. These ports are a huge plus for this model as not many laptops at this price range give these ports.
- Feel – The provided backlit keyboard is a pleasure to type in. The trackpad is quite good as well. The laptop also supports HP Active pen for pressure sensitive handwriting recognition.
Downsides:
- Overheating – Let’s face it… Producing excessive heat while doing even some tiny, insignificant task was always HP’s ‘trademark’. It is no different from the others as usual. This model also boasts of ‘heating up the situation’ when running. So it can be a real nuisance while working on one’s lap.
- Battery backup – Now, it’s one of those models for whom HP claimed to give a staggering 15 hours of standby time. But while using it in a standard situation like surfing the net or watching movies, it hardly lasts more than 5 or 6 hours, let alone playing games or doing some graphics intensive stuff. So, it hardly lives up to the promise. And another important thing to mention is that after using for an extended period of time in a warm environment it can heat up terribly; exceeding the safe corridors of temperature easily.
- No SD card slot – Spectre 13-ac023DX doesn’t include a slot for an external SD or micro SD card. It could have been handy had they decided to include it.
Verdict:
It’s not a machine which performs like a beast. It’s a great overall performer. One last piece of advice- if you have some room in your budget then, go for this one instead of the previous version of this model, Spectre x360 13-AC013DX. This one is far superior to the latter one. If you need a laptop for your day to day chores, then this should be at the top of your list.