Sometimes finding the perfect laptop can be a hard task and sometimes it can be quite easy. In the case of the HP Spectre X360 13-4193NR it's a pretty easy task since this is hands down one of the best convertibles we've seen to date both in terms of general specs as well as in the price/specs balance. Overall, this is an excellent convertible that stands out in a crowd where many convertibles still opt for hard drive instead of SSD storage and 15 inch displays instead of 13 inch displays.
Without further ado, today we invite you to get to know this model in depth as we dive into our review of the HP Spectre X360 13-4193NR where we explore its pros, cons and everything in between of this amazing and quite affordable convertible.
HP Spectre X360 13-4193NR Review of "la creme dela creme" of convertibles
Aluminium Body and an ultrathin design
From the first moment we laid eyes on the HP Spectre X360 13-4193NR we knew we were looking at something special. This laptop quickly makes itself noticeable in a crowd of convertibles thanks to its aluminium body as well as its razor sharp thickness under 7 inches. Just so you know, standard thickness for this kind of devices is roughly 1 inch so we're talking about a major reduction.
The display is another thing to behold thanks to its 13.3 inch Full HD IPS LED-Backlit infinity touchscreen display. What all this technical jargon means is that movies as well as pictures and even surfing the web will be a very attractive experience on this notebook thanks to its state of the art display.
Being a convertible also means that you can flip the screen 360 degrees but that's not your only choice, you may also opt to use the laptop in tent mode for videoconferences or just as a laptop. Either way, the image is going to be crisp and clearer than most models currently available.
It's also worth noting that this model is pretty portable, not just in size but also in weight, weighing a measly 3.2 pounds, to put this in perspective, most 11 inch laptops weigh anywhere between 3.2 and 3.5 pounds so you'll feel like you're carrying around an 11 inch laptop.
It's all about performance
Aside from the sleek body and stellar display, this notebook is unique thanks to its high end specs which start out with its latest generation Intel Core i7-6500 processor. This is just about the best CPU available for consumer laptops and unless you're looking for a laptop to do some serious gaming this should cover you in just about any situation.
Exploring this CPU in depth you'll find a base speed of 2.5GHz that can go up to 3.1GHz due to turbo boost. There are 4MB of Intel's smart cache and the processor works on two cores with four logical threads.
What does all of this mean? Well it basically comes down to you not having to worry about performance no matter what you're into. Anything from editing video to launching 3 virtual machines at a time are things this processor is more than equipped to handle.
However, a high end processor such as this one would be pointless if it didn't come with plenty of RAM to back it up and in this case we've got an 8GB DDR3L SDRAM module handling all your multitasking needs. Personally I believe that 8GB hit the sweet spot in terms of overall performance and I doubt that most intensive users would have much use for anything more than that at this stage in the game, however you can always upgrade RAM to 16GB which can come in handy down the line.
A great deal of storage and an even more impressive battery life
Storage is a delicate subject these days; some people prefer smaller SSD's that deliver blazing fast performance while other prefer a traditional hard drive that gives them plenty of space. In the case of the HP Spectre X360 13-4193NR, HP has opted to go down the SSD route but don't worry since you won't have to make that much of a compromise because it's a 256GB SSD, delivering a solid balance between storage space and storage velocity.
Overall, short of a 512GB SSD, this is my prefered option, especially because the price remains reasonable.
As far as battery life is concerned, HP promises to deliver up to 11 hours of battery life on this model, something that adds up when you take a look at the high end components that make this convertible. Even if we where to expect actual battery life to be less (think 9 hours of intensive usage) that's still a pretty good benchmark all things considered.
Is the HP Spectre X360 13-4193NR good for gaming?
In short; No. As it happens with most convertibles, this model doesn't house a dedicated graphics chip but rather an integrated Intel HD 520 graphics. This is a great GPU for stuff like Full HD video editing, image editing and even some light graphic design but gaming should be avoided.
To be even more specific, you can play games such as overwatch, Rainbow Six Siege, SIMS 4 and even Fifa 16 at decent frame rates if you lower your settings but anything beyond these games would be a rather frustrating experience that we don't recommend.
What's left to know?
Our review of the HP Spectre X360 13-4193NR is about to come to a close but we couldn't go out without mentioning the key connectivity aspects. In this regard we've got 3 USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI port, a miniDisplay port, SD card reader as well as your standard audio jack.
There's also a Full HD webcam with dual speakers, something we don't really see everyday, WiFi ac connectivity and bluetooth 4.0 support. Overall, it doesn't really get any better than this when looking at connectivity on 13 inch convertibles.
What should I do? Is it worth buying?
We can say without a shred of doubt that this convertible is absolutely worth buying. After reviewing the HP Spectre X360 13-4193NR we've seen not only a magnificent design but also high end components such as a Skylake generation Core i7, 8GB of RAM and, most importantly 256GB of SSD storage. Add to that a massive battery life and a pretty good graphics card if you're not into gaming and you've got yourself a spectacular convertible that leaves no stone unturned.
From beginning to end, this is an excellent laptop and an even better tablet and we can't believe it's so conveniently priced right now.