HP Spectre x2 (2017) Review

Nothing drastic has changed between the 2017 Spectre x2and the previous version of the product, which arrived in early 2016. Like the Surface Pro, it is foremost a tablet by design. The keyboard is magnetically attached and pulls off easily should you want to lighten the 2.4-pound load by three-quarters of a pound. Since there’s no hinge system (which works to great comic effect when you first accidentally flip it open, laptop style), propping up the screen means extending a kickstand which wraps around the backside of the screen. This combo is unworkable in your lap, but works just fine on a tabletop. You can also bend the hinge back as far as 165 degrees so the screen is only slightly elevated, like a drafting table, should you want to get up close and personal with the included pen.
Overall weight has dropped a few ounces since 2016, but just a fraction of a millimeter has been shaved off of the still 8mm-thick width (14mm with the keyboard attached). HP says battery life has been improved by 15 percent (it’s now a bit over four hours, but I don’t have a benchmark for the last version), and the (oddly-sized) 3000 x 2000-pixel screen is brighter (which is a claim that holds up well), with better (though still not great) color representation.

In testing, performance was surprisingly high given the small stature of the Spectre x2. On most tests, it even outperformed many high-end laptops, not to mention other 2-in-1s that have hit the market of late. Notably, the Spectre x2 handily outclassed HP’s own Spectre x360 laptop, a machine that costs $300 more.
Connectivity is limited to two USB-C ports, one of which doubles as the power input. While HP includes a USB-C to standard USB dongle, most users will likely need to upgrade to a multi-port hub for extended use. Still, that’s miles ahead of the Surface Pro, which features just one standard USB port, and has no USB-C at all.
As for actually using the Spectre x2, it worked like a dream throughout my testing. I had no noteworthy hiccups or headaches. Aside from a somewhat slow SSD, working with the machine is lovely whether you’re in tablet mode or using it as a laptop. That said, a 12.3-inch LCD does limit the keyboard’s size (and your typing speed), and I’d love to have a bit more travel on the keys, but otherwise it works beautifully.
Crow about the Surface Pro all you want: Today the Spectre x2 is the 2-in-1 to beat—across the board in performance, usability, and price.
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