HP Spectre x360 13.5 (2023) review: HP wins again

The HP Spectre x360 is one of the laptops I look forward to reviewing every year. It's consistently one of the best laptops on the market, being HP's premium brand for over a decade now. The 2023 model of the product is a spec bump, which isn't surprising at all given that the 2022 version was a complete redesign. But if you're coming from something that's three or more years old, you'll see some pretty significant changes.

Ultimately, it's just a great product. HP has some of the best keyboards in consumer laptops, the 3:2 OLED display is beautiful, and the overall laptop design is gorgeous. It's not perfect; it's a bit heavy for a convertible, and there's no cellular model, something I believe HP hasn't been focusing on as much lately in its consumer products. But as long as you're connected to Wi-Fi, it's tough to beat the Spectre x360.

About this review: HP sent us an HP Spectre x360 13.5-inch model for the purposes of this review, and it had no input into its contents.

HP Spectre x360 13.5 (2023): Price and availability

HP's Spectre x360 13.5 is available now starting at $1,399, which is definitely pricey. Indeed, this is the best of what HP has to offer, and it's fair to say that its high-end Envy lineup has everything that most people need. That price does get you decent specs, though, with an Intel Core i5-1355U, 16GB RAM, and a 512GB SSD. The screen is 1920x1280, which is better for battery life than the OLED panel on my review unit, but it's not as pretty.

Packing a Core i7-1355U, 16GB RAM, a 1TB SSD, and an OLED display, this unit is priced at $1,749 at Best Buy, although at the time of this writing, it's $500 off.

The HP Spectre x360 13.5 (2023) is also available in three colors: Natural Silver, Nocturne Blue, and Nightfall Black. The unit that HP sent for review is Nightfall Black.

Design

It's sleek, as expected

Last year's model was a complete redesign, so this year's is understandably a spec bump. Like some other PC manufacturers, HP dropped its sharp corners in favor of softer curves. The company used to use the term "gem-cut," and you wouldn't say that now.

The accents are a lot more subtle, too. The Nightfall Black color used to come with copper accents all along the borders, but it now has silver accents in a very thin line along the edge. It's still beautiful; it just doesn't stand out as much anymore. I always looked at the Spectre x360 like a work of art, but now it's just a really well-designed, premium convertible laptop.

The HP Spectre x360 is the kind of laptop that doesn't blend in with the pack.

Honestly, I feel like I should be praising the design more than I am. The current design only suffers from living in the previous design's shadow. It's a beautiful machine in its own right.

The ports haven't changed from last year. On one side, you'll find dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, one of which is on a flat corner. This is a neat little trick that HP implemented years back so that cables won't get in your way. On the other side, there's a headphone jack on the flattened corner, a perfect place to put it that makes it convenient when using the device as either a laptop or a tablet. Next to it, there's a USB Type-A port with a dropjaw hinge, so you can still use your legacy peripherals.

The overall design of the HP Spectre x360 is unique, as always. It's the kind of laptop that doesn't blend in with the pack.

Display

You can't beat a 3K OLED display

If you're looking for a laptop with a 13.5-inch screen and a 3:2 aspect ratio that's not made by Microsoft, you'll land on the HP Spectre x360. I don't know why HP is the only other company that uses this panel, but it's a win. The 3:2 aspect ratio is pretty much universally loved by people who use them, especially on convertibles since the screen is wider if you're holding it vertically.

To make things even better, you can get the convertible with a 3000x2000 OLED panel, although there's an option for a regular old 1920x1280 LCD, too. OLED is where it's at, though. The blacks are close to life, and the colors are vibrant. Moreover, HP solved the problem of colors being too vibrant a few years ago with its HP Display Control application. By default, it does come optimized for color vibrancy, but you can also optimize it for color accuracy in case you're doing something like editing photos.

The OLED display is beautiful and vibrant, but HP Display Control lets you optimize it for color-accurate workflows.

The HP Spectre x360 13.5 (2023) supports 100% sRGB, 96% NTSC, 98% Adobe RGB, and 100% P3. You really don't get numbers that high unless you're using an OLED screen or super-high-quality LCD panels like the 4K ones on Dell XPS laptops.

Brightness came in at 413.1 nits, which is typical for an OLED panel like this. Also, black came in at 0.00 at all levels of brightness. This is a first for me, frankly, because I assume there's usually some margin of error. Black on an OLED screen should be 0.00, making the contrast ratio infinite.

The top bezel fits a 5MP webcam, which is still among the best in a laptop. It's not packing the same features found on the HP Dragonfly G4, like the ability to switch between multiple webcams, probably because this is more of a consumer product. The additional resolution can reframe your video, automatically zooming in on you if you move around. There's also a cool Enhanced Lighting app, which essentially brightens up your screen, so you look better on calls.

Keyboard

One of the best on a consumer laptop

As always, HP included a best-in-class keyboard on the Spectre x360. It's comfortable and accurate, although I'm spoiled by the HP Dragonfly G4, which was the last product I reviewed. Either way, the keyboards HP puts in its business products are unmatched.

HP's latest design principles are to include all buttons on the keyboard, so that's where you'll find the power button. You'll also find a button that internally disconnects the camera, working as a privacy guard. You'll also see a physical blocker if you use it.

The touchpad is nice and big, taking up most of the available real estate. That's the nice thing about a 3:2 screen. Since it's taller, it makes for a larger palm rest and, therefore, more room for a touchpad.

Performance

Intel 13th-gen is a decent improvement

The HP Spectre x360 13.5 that was sent for review comes with a Core i7-1355U and 16GB RAM, and it's the configuration I'd choose for most people. While Lenovo and Dell chose 28W P-series processors in their Yoga 9i and XPS 13 Plus flagships, respectively, HP stuck with 15W U-series chips. In fact, it did the same in many of its business PCs, too.

It's kind of interesting because until Intel's 12th-generation shipped, there was no 28W tier for laptops. You just got a high-end 28W SKU that really only shipped in MacBooks (back when Macs shipped with Intel). Now, you can get a bit more performance from some extra wattage, but you'll either need to sacrifice battery life to get it, or the OEM needs to include a larger battery to compensate. Thermals are an issue, too.

I think the question that needs to be answered here is how much performance you actually need. I don't know the last time I thought about performance in a productivity laptop. HP prioritized battery life and bet that you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between this and if it included a 28W processor, and it was right. As long as you're not editing video or gaming, you'll do just fine with the Spectre x360. Of course, if you're doing any of those things, you probably want dedicated graphics, too, like you find in the 16-inch Spectre x360 or the larger HP Envy models.

Battery life was solid all around. As usual, I ran my tests by working normally with the power slider set to balanced and the display brightness set to 200 nits, and I timed how long it took for the battery to run out. At best, I got eight hours and 20 minutes, and at worst, I got five hours and 36 minutes. Over eight cycles, the average battery life was six hours and 59 minutes, which is great for a productivity laptop.

Should you buy the HP Spectre x360 13.5 (2023)?

You should buy the HP Spectre x360 13.5 (2023) if:

• You want a laptop that stands out from the crowd
• You want a premium experience
• Your workflow relies on color accuracy

You should NOT buy the HP Spectre x360 13.5 (2023) if:

• You'd benefit from cellular connectivity
• You care a lot about getting the lightest laptop
• You're a gamer

HP always checks off the three big boxes. The Spectre x360 14 (2023) has a design that'll stand out, an OLED display that can be adjusted for different workflows, and a great keyboard. On top of that, the company always delivers great battery life.

Obviously, you'll need something a little beefier if you're into gaming since you'll want dedicated graphics and a more powerful CPU. And, of course, if you want something lighter, there's always the HP Dragonfly to consider. But overall, if you want the best, the HP Spectre x360 14 (2023) is one of the top two.