spectre x360 vs surface pro 8

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 Review: Windows 11 Rejuvenates Surface

The best surface pro yet..

Tom's Hardware Verdict

Windows 11, a 120 Hz display, new cameras and a redesigned Type Cover help make the Surface Pro feel modern again.

Windows 11 is more touch friendly

120 Hz display makes for smoother writing and drawing

Improved cameras

Great Audio

Type cover isn’t included

Rear camera can be fuzzy

Battery life could be longer

Why you can trust Tom's Hardware Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test .

The Microsoft Surface Pro 8 is finally here, introducing Windows 11 to the Surface line, plus a 120 Hz display and a bunch of refreshed internals that put the Surface Pro’s power back on par with the market’s best ultrabooks , even if it’s a little late to the Intel 11th Gen party.

While you won’t find too much added functionality here, what you will find is a refinement of everything that makes Surface Pro tablets great, which when combined with the added touch friendliness of Windows 11, easily makes this the best Surface Pro yet.

Specifications

Design of microsoft surface pro 8.

The Surface Pro 8 looks roughly the same as the Surface Pro 7 on first blush, in that it’s a mostly plain looking tablet with a kickstand that can attach to an optional type cover for expanded usability. But when you look past the, well, surface, you’ll see just how many changes the Pro 8 brings to the Surface Pro line.

First up, the 3:2 display has significantly thinner bezels, which many Surface devotees have been asking for for years. It’s also 120 Hz now, which makes for smoother writing and drawing. The right hand side of the tablet also no longer has a USB Type-A port, as Microsoft opted to replace it with a Thunderbolt 4 port. The optional Surface Pro Signature type cover now has a magnetic charging slot for a Surface Slim Pen 2, and you can actually remove the device’s SSD by lifting up the kickstand and using a SIM card removal tool. Aesthetically, it's the biggest change since the Surface Pro 3, with rounded corners and anodized aluminum. It's refreshing to see the Pro get a makeover.

Note that the SSD removal is meant for technicians to be able to recover data more than anything else, and that swapping out the SSD on your own will void your warranty.

Still, it’s a nice bit of internal accessibility for a tablet. Unfortunately, there’s also some losses here that haven’t made it over from the Surface Pro 7 yet. LTE models of the Surface Pro 8 won’t be available until 2022, and while you can technically get the Surface Pro 8 in black, several configurations are currently only available in silver. 

As a general tablet, the Surface Pro 8 is a fairly small device when compared to 13 inch laptops and convertibles with comparable specs. Its 11.3 x 8.2 x 0.37 inch footprint is compact when compared to the 11.6 x 7.8 x 0.6 inch footprint on the Dell XPS 13 laptop and the 11.75 x 8.67 x 0.67 inch footprint on the HP Spectre x360 14 convertible. Even the ThinkPad X1 Nano , which makes size a top consideration, is still generally larger than it at 11.75 x 8.67 x 0.67 inches. Of course, those all have built in keyboards.

At 1.96 pounds, The Surface Pro 8 is also lightweight. The ThinkPad X1 Nano is close to it at 1.99 pounds, but the Dell XPS 13 and HP Spectre x360 14 are much heavier than it at 2.8 pounds and 2.95 pounds respectively.

Unfortunately, as a tablet, the Surface Pro 8 doesn’t have many options when it comes to ports. You’ll only have access to two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a proprietary Surface Connect port for either charging or connecting your device to a dock.

Productivity Performance of Microsoft Surface Pro 8

Aside from its move to Windows 11 , you won’t find any major changes to the Surface Pro 8’s components except for a generation refresh. Apple may have iPads with its proprietary M1 chip now, but the Surface lineup is sticking with Intel. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though. In testing with our Core i7-1185G7 review model with 16GB of memory, the Surface Pro 8 generally outperformed other 13-inch computing options.

In Geekbench 5, a synthetic benchmark for testing general PC performance, the Surface Pro 8 had the highest multi-core score among all of the 13-inch laptops we tested, though it had the lowest single-core score. Meanwhile, the Dell XPS 13 was right on the Surface’s tail on multi-core performance, plus it boasted the highest single core score.

The Surface Pro 8 assumed a hefty lead in our Handbrake video encoding test, where we track how long it takes a computer to transcode a video down from 4K to FHD . In this test, it finished the transcode at least 3 minutes faster than rivals, with the ThinkPad X1 Nano being the next quickest machine. 

Our file transfer test, where we measure how quickly a machine can move files, is the only place where the Surface Pro 8 and its 256GB SSD definitively stumbled. With a file transfer rate of 415.17 MBps, it was the slowest of the devices we tested. By comparison, the Dell XPS 13 was able to reach transfer speeds of 806.2 MBps.

We also ran the Surface Pro 8 through Cinebench R23 for 20 simultaneous runs, in order to simulate a long work session. During this test, the Surface Pro 8’s CPU clock speed averaged 2,576.58 MHz, while its CPU temperature sat at an average of 55.41 degrees Celsius. Scores began in the 5000s and eventually fell off to wind up mostly in the high 3000s, with a short-lived spike happening on run 17.

Display of Microsoft Surface Pro 8

The Surface Pro 8 comes with a 2880 x 1920 3:2 display that’s bright and vivid in both light and dark environments, but most importantly, it’s also got a 120 Hz refresh rate now. I tested it first by watching the trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home on it, and found that I could accurately make out the picture regardless of the viewing angle. Glare was also virtually nonexistent, and the bright colors on Spider-Man’s suit stood out as rich and vibrant. Blacks were a little shallow, but not enough to be distracting against the vivid colors.

I also used the Surface Pro 8 to take notes, write, and browse the web. Here, the display’s aspect ratio helped it feel almost as natural to work with as paper, especially in portrait mode. Meanwhile, that new 120 Hz refresh rate made the pen feel way less laggy and contributed to the feeling of working with a real notebook.

Still, the 13-inch laptop space is full of great screens. The Surface Pro 8 only took second place in both color and brightness among the devices we tested, with the HP Spectre x360 14 being more colorful and the Dell XPS 13 being brighter. But for a great balance across both color and brightness, the Surface Pro 8 was the clear leader.

Keyboard, Touchpad and Surface Slim Pen 2 with Microsoft Surface Pro 8

If there’s one thing the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 has over more traditional laptops, it's a wide variety of input methods. The device comes with touchscreen controls by default, which are now easier to handle thanks to the larger icons and more tap friendly UX in Windows 11, but buying a type cover will also give you a full-sized tenkeyless keyboard complete with an Fn row, touchpad and media keys. And, of course, the Alcantara fabric is soft on the wrists. Plus, you can get the Type Cover now in a bundle with the Surface Slim Pen 2 stylus, complete with a magnetic charging cradle that can be hidden away while you type. This is similar to what we first saw on the Surface Pro X' s type cover. The Signature Type Cover bundled with the Surface Slim Pen 2 costs $279.99 on top of the Surface Pro 8, while a Signature Type Cover on its own is $179.99. 

The Type Cover itself has pleasant to use chiclet style keys with surprisingly generous feeling travel for how thin it is. In my time with the Surface, these keys didn’t leave any marks on the tablet screen when I closed the type cover, but it’s possible that this could change over the course of long-term ownership. I was also impressed with how fast I could comfortably type on the type cover, reaching up to 85 words-per-minute on 10fastfingers.com. I’m a conscientious typer, so that’s a fairly high score for me.

That said, the Type Cover does feel unstable and bendy in its default, angled position. You can sit it flat against your desk if you prefer, although I found this was less comfortable and cut my wpm down to 78.

The precision touchpad that comes with the Surface Pro 8 is surprisingly large at 4 x 3.25 inches and is arguably smoother than the touch screen. I had no issues using it to input two-finger multi-touch gestures like scrolling. Unfortunately, I couldn’t reliably input three-finger gestures like switching apps, usually having to perform the gesture multiple times to get the tablet to do what I wanted.

The Surface Slim Pen 2 provides a smooth and tactile writing experience with plenty of programmable buttons. I didn’t notice its new haptic feedback feature, which uses rumble to help simulate the feeling of writing on paper as well as let you know how much pressure you’re exerting, at first. But after I adjusted the rumble to 75% intensity, I had a comfortable level of haptics that made writing feel just a little more natural. Setting the effect to 100% intensity made it a little too overbearing to actually tell how much pressure I was using, plus a little too distracting to be useful. But once you find a level that you’re comfortable with, it is a nice if not entirely life-changing bonus. Writing by hand became more satisfying, at the very least, although I’m not sure my doodles got any better. If you don't get the Slim Pen 2 with the Type Cover, it costs $129.99 on its own.

The new magnetic charging cradle for the Slim Pen 2 that’s built into the Surface Pro 8 Type Cover makes storing the stylus a breeze, and to be honest, I don’t know if I would bother using the stylus much without it.

Audio of Microsoft Surface Pro 8

The Surface Pro 8 has better speakers than any 13 inch device has a right to have. Sound comes out of the side of the laptop with the webcam on it (top-firing if resting on its kickstand), and presents clear vocals and deep bass with very little lost information.

In fact, when I listened to Montero (Call Me By Your Name) on the Surface Pro 8, I had an easier time making out some lyrics than I do on my Sennheiser headphones. Audio can also get loud, with the speakers easily filling my entire 2-bedroom apartment with music at 100%. My comfortable listening volume was around 35%.

The only downside here is there’s no included audio software, so you’ll have to go to third-party solutions if you want to play with an equalizer.

Battery Life of Microsoft Surface Pro 8

As a tablet that’s designed to serve as a daily sidekick for both work and play, battery life is important for the Surface Pro 8. Unfortunately, it had only decent results in our in-home battery life benchmark, which continually streams video, browses the web, and runs OpenGL tests over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of average brightness. While it lasted for just over 9 hours under these conditions, competing devices were able to reach up to 12 hours. 

Heat on Microsoft Surface Pro 8

Since the Surface Pro 8 is a tablet with a detachable keyboard, I only measured the heat on the tablet part of the device. I did this during the 15th of 20 consecutive Cinebench R23 runs, to get a feel for how hot this device gets during heavy workloads.

At the center of the tablet, I read a temperature of 42.6 degrees Celsius (108.68 degrees Fahrenheit), although there was a hotspot slightly above it that came in at 44.9 degrees Celsius (112.82 degrees Fahrenheit). While these temperatures aren’t hot enough to damage your device, I would recommend propping the Surface Pro 8 up on its kickstand for heavy workloads. Unless, of course, you need to warm up your hands.

On that note, we didn’t notice any change in the Surface Pro 8’s temperature based on whether it was propped up on its kickstand or not.

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 Webcam

With rear cameras and the ability to remove the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 from its keyboard and hold it like a phone, having a good built-in webcam is more important for this device than the average 13-inch laptop. Luckily, the Surface Pro 8’s 1080p front camera and 4k rear camera deliver on this use case, although not without the occasional artifact or oversaturated color.

The first issue I noticed with this webcam is that bright colors tended to be oversaturated in photos I took with the front camera. I normally picture myself as a dirty blonde, but my hair hardly looks faded at all in photos taken with the front camera. That’s not necessarily a problem, and can be flattering in a way. But if you’re looking for accurate colors, it’s something to keep in mind. On the plus side, this issue became less noticeable in photos I took under dimmer lighting.

The rear camera fidelity is perhaps the bigger problem here. Despite featuring a technically more advanced sensor, I found photos I took with this camera appeared far dimmer and more full of artifacts than photos I took with the front camera. If you’re just planning to make video calls with the Surface Pro 8, this won’t be a problem. Just don’t expect to shoot your next 4K masterpiece on it.

Front Camera Pics

Rear Camera Pics

Software and Warranty Included With Microsoft Surface Pro 8 

A benefit to buying a device straight from Microsoft is that you don’t have to deal with much bloatware. Most of the time, at least. Our Surface Pro 8 only came pre-installed with Surface-based utility apps and the default Windows 11 programs. This is roughly the same assortment of apps the Windows 10 ships with by default, although there is a new, free, browser-based video editor called Clipchamp hidden away in the new Start menu. Microsoft acquired Clipchamp in September of this year, so be prepared to see it more often across the company’s devices.

Of course, Windows 11 is here. You can read more about Windows 11 over in my colleague Andrew E. Freedman’s launch day impressions , but it makes the Surface Pro 8 feel far more usable. While we’ve expressed complaints about the Windows 11 UX refresh before, it’s plenty at home in a touch environment. That’s thanks to larger icons, a Start menu that’s organized like a phone’s app tray and the ability to quickly snap where apps show up on your screen to match preset layouts.

As far as utility apps go, there is an app simply named Surface that shows you your warranty and serial number, plus lets you adjust your Surface Slim Pen 2 settings if you own one. Microsoft Whiteboard also gets some more prominence here, as while it’s been around for a while, there’s now a dedicated (but reprogrammable) button on the Surface Slim Pen 2 to open it.

The Microsoft Surface Pro 8 comes with a 1-year limited warranty.

Configurations of Microsoft Surface Pro 8

The Surface Pro 8 currently has 8 configurations up for order, with the one we reviewed having an Intel Core i7-1185G7 CPU, 16GB of LPDDR4x RAM and a 256GB SSD. This model costs $1,599 for just the tablet. 

On Microsoft's site, it is promoting the Surface Pro Signature Keyboard with Slim Pen 2, a bundle with both peripherals for an extra $279.99. That Type Cover by itself is $199.99 (and still has the slot for the pen), while the Slim Pen on its own is $129.99.  A version of this keyboard with a built-in fingerprint reader is $199.99.

If you need to save some money, you can lower your specs down to a Core i5 model with 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD. This costs $1,099 (without the type cover). Other i5 permutations with varying RAM and SSD capacities exist up to $1,399 (again, without the type cover), but you can also go more expensive than our review configuration if money is not an issue. 

The most decked out configuration of the Surface Pro 8 you can get right now costs $2,599 (for just the tablet) and comes with the same CPU as our review configuration but has 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.

Microsoft did confirm to us that you can continue to use Type Covers from some older Surface models on the Surface Pro 8, which might make upgrading more approachable than buying this as your first Surface. Unfortunately, the company did not give us details on which covers are backwards compatible.

Bottom Line

Much of what makes the Surface Pro 8 unique compared to previous models comes more with the move to Windows 11 and an upgrade to its accessories than in any changes to the device itself. The thin-bezeled, 120 

Hz, 3:2 screen is brilliant and convenient for both play and productivity, and the refreshed internals make this tablet powerful for a 13-inch device, but you won’t find too much has changed in terms of functionality.

The Surface Slim Pen 2’s new haptic feedback feature is also a nice touch, although it isn’t worth upgrading for on its own. It's also helpful to have a place to store it and charge it in the Type Cover. It's nice to see this come over from the Surface Pro X.

But aside from these changes, you’ll probably continue to use the Surface Pro 8 as you used previous Surface devices. You’ll just be doing so with a new 120 Hz display that’s more suited for productivity, surprisingly high fidelity audio, better webcams, a more touch friendly operating system and more powerful processing.

If you want a device that has most of those benefits but is also cheaper, you might want to opt for the Dell XPS 13 , which offers a more traditional laptop experience. True, it’s actually more expensive than the Surface model we reviewed, but that’s no longer the case once you add on a type cover.

Meanwhile, the ThinkPad X1 Nano mostly keeps up with the Surface Pro 8 on power, but has a longer battery life and is still fairly thin despite being a laptop as opposed to a tablet. Unfortunately, it’s also about the same price as the Surface Pro 8 (with a type cover) if you buy it with comparable specs.

Finally, the HP Spectre x360 14 is generally weaker than the Surface Pro 8, but will give you a similar experience for cheaper (assuming you buy a type cover for your Surface) thanks to being a convertible.

Michelle Ehrhardt is an editor at Tom's Hardware. She's been following tech since her family got a Gateway running Windows 95, and is now on her third custom-built system. Her work has been published in publications like Paste, The Atlantic, and Kill Screen, just to name a few. She also holds a master's degree in game design from NYU.

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2022 HP Spectre x360 13 vs. Surface Pro 8

Here is a side by side comparison between 2022 HP Spectre x360 13 and Surface Pro 8 specs including CPU, RAM, storage, battery, display, and more.

2022 HP Spectre x360 13 Pros

Reasons that 2022 HP Spectre x360 13 is better than Surface Pro 8.

2022 vs. 2021

Intel Core i7-1255U inside 2022 HP Spectre x360 13 has a 31% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i7-1185G7 inside Surface Pro 8.

The 2022 HP Spectre x360 13 has better versatile I/O connectivity than the Surface Pro 8. It has four versus two commonly used ports and slots on the Surface Pro 8.

Surface Pro 8 Pros

Reasons that Surface Pro 8 is better than 2022 HP Spectre x360 13.

Surface Pro 8 weighed 1.96 pounds, 35% lighter than the 3.01 pounds 2022 HP Spectre x360 13.

Surface Pro 8 has more ports and slots count than the 2022 HP Spectre x360 13. It has six versus five amount of ports and slots on the 2022 HP Spectre x360 13.

Similar characteristics share between 2022 HP Spectre x360 13 and Surface Pro 8.

Both laptops supports up to 32GB of system memory.

Both laptops supports the same 4267MHz LPDDR4X RAM.

Here are the latest price updates and offers for both devices.

Comparison Summary

HP has released the Spectre x360 13 , a 13.5-inch machine, in mid-2022. It is powered by up to 10-core Intel Core i7-1255U with a boost clock speed up to 4.70 GHz. The laptop has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics (96 Execution Units, → 1250 MHz).

On the other hand, we have the 13-inch Surface Pro 8 was introduced by Microsoft about a year earlier in late-2021. It comes with up to a quad-core Intel Core i7-1185G7 with a boost clock speed up to 4.80 GHz. It has an integrated graphics option up to Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics (96 Execution Units, 400 → 1350 MHz).

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Geekbench 5 multi core.

The 2022 HP Spectre x360 13 has a 13.5-inch display which is slightly larger than the 13-inch Surface Pro 8. In addition, the 2022 HP Spectre x360 13 weighs 3.01 lbs. about 53% heavier than the 1.96 lbs. Surface Pro 8. Moreover, measured at 11.73” x 8.68” x 0.67”, the 2022 HP Spectre x360 13 is much bulkier than the Surface Pro 8 at 11.3” x 8.2” x 0.37”.

There are a toal number of 5 ports and slots available on 2022 HP Spectre x360 13. That includes a USB-A port, a headphone jack, a Thunderbolt 4 port, and a microSD card slot. With that said, it has a port or slot fewer than the Surface Pro 8 that has a headphone jack, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a Surface Connect, a Surface Type Cover, and an SSD slot.

Moving over to upgradability, HP claims that the 2022 HP Spectre x360 13 supports up to 32GB 4267 MHz LPDDR4X memory. However, it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users. Fortunately, it comes with a single removable M.2 SSD slot that users can replace and upgrade in the future.

For Surface Pro 8, it supports up to 32GB 4267 MHz LPDDR4X memory. Like 2022 HP Spectre x360 13, it has an onboard memory module that is not upgradable by the users. Luckily, it has a single removable M.2 SSD slot that users can replace or upgrade when needed.

Specs Comparison

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How the Surface Laptop Studio and Surface Pro 8 stack up against other creator laptops

Picks from acer, hp, apple, and more compared.

By Alice Newcome-Beill

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Microsoft announced a new version of the Surface Pro last week, along with the Surface Laptop Studio . The Surface Pro 8 feels very much like a logical evolution of Microsoft’s tablet / laptop. Some of the more notable improvements include a 120Hz display with slimmer bezels, Thunderbolt 4 support, as well as a reworked surface keyboard that includes a dedicated space to store and charge the new Surface Slim Pen 2 .

Meanwhile, the Surface Laptop Studio features a uniquely hinged screen and more powerful hardware. This is effectively a replacement for the Surface Book 3, with a three-point adjustable display that can lay flat for drawing or snap upright to deliver a more traditional laptop experience. This laptop comes equipped with an Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU and a four-core, 4.8GHz, 11th Gen Intel processor.

Perhaps the coolest thing to come out of the event was the Surface Slim Pen 2, which aesthetically appears like any other stylus, but includes haptic feedback to simulate the subtle tactile response you get from putting a pen to paper. While the inclusion of a stylus is hardly revolutionary, improvements to the overall user experience are nice to see.

But how do the new Surface Pro 8 and the Surface Laptop Studio stack up against other laptops that occupy the creator and power user space? We’ve collected a few of our favorites below for comparison based on our early impressions and spec sheets, with full reviews to follow in the coming weeks.

How to preorder all of the new Surface hardware

• Here’s how much buying into Microsoft’s pro Surface vision actually costs

Versus the Surface Laptop Studio

We chose the 14-inch models of the HP Spectre X360 and the Acer ConceptD Ezel because of their competitive pricing, which includes a stylus, and also for their ability to reorient themselves in some creative ways. (The new Microsoft devices don’t include the Surface Slim Pen 2, which costs $130 separately.) The Spectre is technically a 2-in-1 and can operate effectively as a tablet if you flip the screen over, though it doesn’t hold it up at an angle quite like the Surface Laptop Studio. The ConceptD Ezel , meanwhile, can flip out its screen and prop itself up like an easel or lay flat like a tablet.

Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio

The Surface Laptop Studio is equipped with a three-point adjustable display that can lay flat or snap upright, along with an Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU and a four-core, 11th Gen Intel processor.

We also threw in the Laptop Studio’s predecessor, the 13.5-inch Surface Book 3 . The screen may not fold or flip, but it can still operate as a tablet when detached from its keyboard. We considered adding the 15-inch version of the Surface Book 3, but its starting price of $2,300 made it just a little too expensive when stacked against its competition.

Still, the Surface Laptop Studio sets itself apart by offering a greater battery life and likely a superior dedicated GPU option to any of these other machines. It also has the distinction of being the only laptop in our lineup with a 120Hz refresh rate display, a feature typically reserved for gaming laptops. You’d generally need to look at a gaming-class laptop if you need a higher-end GPU.

Surface Laptop Studio Comparison

Versus the surface pro 8.

The unique form factor of Surface devices makes them tough to compare, but the Lenovo Yoga 9i and Apple MacBook M1 Air make a strong case as ultraportables outside the Surface ecosystem that cater to creatives, and we’re also including the previous-gen Surface Pro 7 for comparison.

Like previous generations of Surface, the new Surface Pro 8 doesn’t come with a pen or keyboard to start. The new Slim Pen 2 and Surface Pro Signature Keyboard will cost you $130 and $180, respectively, but can also be bundled for $280 . Obviously, the other laptops we’re discussing come with built-in keyboards, and the Yoga i9 includes the pen as well.

Microsoft Surface Pro 8

The Surface Pro 8 is Microsoft’s biggest upgrade in years. The excellent 2-in-1 touts Thunderbolt 4 support, a 120Hz display, a better camera, and a more modern design. This package is bundled with a black keycover.

The Lenovo also shares many of the same hardware specifications as the Surface Pro 8, with options for an 11th Gen Core i5 or i7 CPU. It does make a couple of compromises, most notably in the resolution and refresh rate of its display. These caveats could be overlooked by anyone who needs to save a little more money, though.

The MacBook M1 Air is really the outlier of this lineup, not just because of its OS, but because it’s also the only laptop we picked that doesn’t have a touchscreen or can operate as a 2-in-1. It does, however, strike a solid balance in terms of features, performance, and price.

The biggest draw for the Surface Pro 8 — besides its unique form factor — is the display, which boasts the highest resolution and refresh rate out of the contenders below. It’s also the only model that features a 4K rear camera.

Surface Pro 8 Comparison

Correction October 1st, 2:13PM ET : The Microsoft Surface Book 3 features a USB-C 3.1 port, not a USB-C Thunderbolt 3 port as initially stated in this article. We regret the error.

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HP Spectre vs Surface Pro: Which Laptop is a Better Choice?

Has the time come for you to get a new laptop, and you’re stuck between the Spectre and Surface series? If yes, then welcome to the right place for an in-depth comparison of the HP Spectre vs Surface Pro.

By Omoyeni Araokanmi | Updated March 3, 2023 | 27 minutes read | 1.0k Reads

Laptop enthusiasts know that a good laptop is more than just an appealing design. Hence, our focus in this comparison will be on design alongside CPU, RAM, storage, graphics, and battery life.

Furthermore, we will touch on the features and performance of these laptops while also rating them on a scale of one to ten. Thus, after reading this article, you should have no trouble deciding which laptop is best for you based on your preference.

Browse Post Topics

My Initial Thoughts

To start with, both the HP Spectre x360 13 and the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 are termed ‘2-in-1’ laptops. This means that they have both the features of a conventional laptop and a tablet to offer flexibility and versatility.

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By that, one can definitely expect that the HP Spectre x360 13 and Surface Pro 7 share many similarities. However, despite their similarities, both laptops are different in certain aspects, most especially in price.

Specifically, at the time of publishing this article in April 2022, the Surface Pro 7 comes at a reasonable starting price of $816.99. The Spectre x360 13, on the other hand, aims to dig deeper into your wallet at $1,069.99.

With that knowledge, you are most likely asking yourself if the difference in price really means a difference in quality. Well, to get an answer to that, you have to read this article all the way through.

HP Spectre vs Surface Pro Design, Dimension, and Weight Comparison

Starting with the HP laptop, it’s difficult not to rate the Spectre an absolute 100% right off the bat in this category! In fact, HP went ahead to nickname it “the gem-cut,” which shows they knew exactly what they were creating.

It is almost as if the company handed an aluminum slab to a master gem cutter and told them to “go to town.” Where most laptops have rounded corners, the HP Spectre has diamond-cut edges and angles.

These bold design elements give the Spectre a luxurious and attention-grabbing form. To further get your attention, there’s HP’s stylized four-slash logo decorating the laptop’s lid.

Impressively, despite its appealing design elements and stylish diamond-cut edges, the HP Spectre is available in different colors. To be precise, you can get this convertible laptop in natural silver, nightfall black, or Poseidon blue.

Moving over to the Surface Pro, it is not quite different from its predecessors. This laptop has a slim and sleek look, but ultimately nothing users haven’t seen before.

Apparently, that also means the Surface Pro 7 has the same high-quality build as other Surface Pro devices. Another unchanging design element is the familiar Microsoft logo on the lid of the Surface Pro 7.

The only improvement is the addition of more color options to the Alcantara fabric and aluminum chassis of the laptop. Specifically, you can get the Surface Pro in either black, cobalt blue, burgundy, or platinum color.

Besides, for a laptop that weighs a maximum of 790 g, the Surface Pro feels rigid and sturdy. Interestingly, the weight of the laptop varies depending on the type of processor you intend to purchase with it.

Nevertheless, the laptop cannot have a weight of more than 790 g. In addition to its weight, the Surface Pro 7 also has a dimension of 292 x 201 x 8.5 mm (W x D x H).

If you think this laptop is heavy or too thick, then what will you say about the HP Spectre that weighs 1270 g? Its dimension is also not the same as the Surface Pro 7, measuring 306 x 218 x 13.6 mm (W x D x H).

Anyone familiar with the Microsoft Surface series probably already knows that they look more like tablets than laptops. Hence, just by placing the Surface Pro beside the Spectre x360, the latter looks every bit a laptop than the former.

As a matter of fact, you will definitely describe the Surface Pro as a 2-in-1 laptop before ever guessing that the Spectre is also a 2-in-1.

This is particularly evident when you attempt to open the lid of these laptops. Starting with the Surface Pro, you’ll need both hands to open its lid.

The reason for that is not exactly because of the solid hinges but because the laptop’s touchscreen display is heavier than the keyboard. Besides, the Surface Pro comes with a built-in rear kickstand which holds the display when the laptop is used in the conventional laptop mode.

Comparatively, you will also need both hands to open the Spectre’s lid. Nonetheless, in this case, the hinges are the reason and not a feeble keyboard at the base.

Regardless, the hinges of both laptops allow you to flip and fold the display from laptop to tent, stand, or tablet modes. However, unlike the Surface Pro, the Spectre does not get wobbly in whatever mode you place it.

Before talking about the keyboard, I’ll first highlight the display features of both laptops. Starting with size, the HP Spectre features a 13.3-inch display, while the Surface Pro has a 12.3-inch display.

Looking at their displays, you’ll notice the obvious thick bezels of the Surface Pro. Compared to this, the HP Spectre’s razor-thin bezels have a more modern look than that of the Surface Pro.

In terms of display features, a Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution is what the HP Spectre has to offer. This is not as impressive as the 2K (2736 x 1824) resolution of the Surface Pro.

To make more sense, the FHD of the Spectre allows the display offers vivid colors and good contrast. Viewing angles are also not disappointing, making pictures on the Spectre’s display be visible and accurate from every angle.

As good as this sounds, it is not as impressive as the Surface Pro. The 2K resolution of the Surface Pro’s display makes all the difference with its lifelike picture quality.

Apart from the resolution, the brightness level of a laptop’s display is another factor that lets you enjoy the viewing experience. On that note, both the Surface Pro’s display and HP Spectre’s display are bright enough, with a maximum brightness of 400 nits.

If you didn’t know, nits would refer to the measurement of brightness. Hence, having 400 nits of maximum brightness means that the Surface Pro and HP Spectre are useable outdoors.

Also, colors will be punchy when you’re streaming Netflix or watching YouTube videos on the laptops.

One additional feature that is probably the selling point of these laptops is the touchscreen feature. You were probably expecting this; after all, both laptops are 2-in-1 laptops that can be used as a tablet – what’s a tablet without a touchscreen?

Another likely expectation you have about these laptops is the use of a stylus pen. Fortunately, a stylus pen is actually usable on both the HP Spectre and Surface Pro.

There is a twist, though; instead of having a stylus pen in the box like the Spectre, the Surface Pro does not. Therefore, you will have to separately purchase a stylus pen for the Surface Pro at an extra cost.

However, having a stylus pen is advantageous for those who are big on sketching or note-taking.

On a different note, right above the display of these laptops is an obvious webcam. Asides from being functional for video calls and taking pictures, the webcams also support the Windows Hello feature.

This means you can skip using passwords to unlock the laptops and use your face instead. Basically, by activating the facial recognition setting via Windows Hello , the HP Spectre and Surface Pro 7 can be unlocked by just detecting your face.

Having said all there is about the top area of these two laptops, let’s talk about the base. The base of both laptops includes the speakers, keyboard, and touchpad.

Starting with the speakers, luxury audio brand Bang & Olufsen commandeered the Spectre’s speakers as usual. To give more details, the laptop features dual bottom-firing speakers that produce fine sound quality with a decent punch.

In contrast, the Surface Pro’s dual front-firing speakers can fill a medium-sized room with detailed, undistorted audio. However, if you’re craving that deep bass sound, consider buying a good pair of noise-canceling headphones.

Next up is the keyboard. Both laptops boast pretty impressive keyboards that are precise, snappy, and with excellent key travel.

Speaking of key travel, the Spectre’s keyboard has key travel of 1.5 mm, while that of the Surface Pro is 1.3 mm. Hence, they both should offer a comfortable typing experience.

For the record, key travel is the total distance between a key’s resting point to full depression. In addition to their impressive key travel, both laptops’ keyboards are backlit, making typing less stressful in the dark.

Away from key travel and backlit features, there is an interesting thing about the Surface Pro 7’s. Precisely, while the HP Spectre’s keyboard looks every bit like a typical keyboard, the Surface Pro’s keyboard is detachable.

In fact, it looks like a flip cover, which is perhaps why it is referred to as the Surface Type Cover . Moreover, this Surface Type Cover magnetically attaches to the base of the laptop.

In my opinion, this keyboard or Surface Type Cover is what actually makes the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 a 2-in-1 laptop. This is because, without it, the laptop would just be an overly-priced tablet.

Do note though, that the Surface’s keyboard is a little flimsy if you press down too much, especially if you’re not using it on a desk. Irrespective of that, it is still more than serviceable and one of the best among all detachable 2-in-1s.

Before moving to the next component on the base of these laptops, it is worth noting that you can get a fingerprint reader for these laptops. There is a clause, however.

While HP included a fingerprint reader on the Spectre at no additional cost, the opposite is the case for the Surface Pro. Remember I said the keyboard (Surface Type Cover) of the Surface Pro is detachable?

Well, you will only be getting a fingerprint reader on the Surface Pro, depending on how much you’re willing to spend. Specifically, the Surface Type Cover can be sold differently, and the model with a fingerprint reader is more expensive than the one without a fingerprint reader.

Hence, be ready to spend more than the starting price if you want a stylus pen and fingerprint reader with the Surface Pro 7. This makes me wonder if Microsoft actually wants to give their customer more options or are just interested in making us spend more!

Moving on, the next component that accompanies the keyboard is the touchpad. As good as both laptops’ touchpads are, the Surface Pro’s smoother Precision touchpad outshines the Spectre x360’s Synaptic touchpad.

This is to say that the Surface Pro has a more enjoyable touchpad than the Spectre. However, this does not make the Spectre’s touchpad unusable.

Connectivity is another area of significant difference between these laptops. To start with, the Surface Pro comes with a USB Type-A port and the magnetic Surface Connect port for charging – all located on the right side.

To add to that, there’s also a USB Type-C port on the right side of the laptop. Meanwhile, on the left side is a headphone jack, while a microSD card slot hides behind the Surface Pro kickstand .

The Spectre x360, however, has an audio jack and a USB Type-A port on its left side. Following that, there’s a microSD card slot, a webcam kill switch, and a Thunderbolt port on the right.

It does not end there for the Spectre, though. The diamond-cut left and right rear corners of the laptop hold the power button and a second Thunderbolt 3 port.

At this point, it is realistic to say that we’ve touched all the design features of the Spectre and Surface Pro. As it stands, the Surface Pro is more lightweight and has better display features than the Spectre.

Furthermore, the Surface Pro makes some features like the stylus and fingerprint reader optional, while the Spectre does not. Also, the HP Spectre has more appealing build and connectivity options than the Surface Pro.

Hence, considering all these, the HP Spectre deserves a rating of nine out of ten. Meanwhile, for the Surface Pro, a rating of eight out of ten is ideal in this HP Spectre vs Surface Pro design comparison section.

HP Spectre vs Surface Pro Processor (CPU) Performance Comparison

It is almost a trend these days to have laptop manufacturers offer buyers various processor options. Well, in the case of these two 2-in-1 convertible laptops, things aren’t so different.

To start with, the HP Spectre has just one processor option, which is an Intel Core i5-8250U. This is a quad-core processor with a 6 MB cache memory.

As for its speed, this Core i5 processor has a base and boost frequency of 1.60 GHz and 3.40 GHz. respectively.

Rather than being like its counterpart, the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 has as many as three processor options. Starting with the least powerful, this laptop offers an Intel Core i3-1005G1 processor.

This Core i3 CPU is a dual-core processor with a 4 MB cache memory. Additionally, its base and maximum frequency are 1.20 GHz and 3.40 GHz, respectively.

The second and more powerful processor option you can opt for on the Surface Pro 7 is an Intel Core i5-1035G4. This Core i5 processor is a quad-core processor with a 6 MB cache memory.

Moreover, in terms of speed, it has a base and maximum frequency of 1.10 GHz and 3.70 GHz, respectively. Finally, the third and most powerful processor option of them all is the Intel Core i7-1065G7.

This processor is also a quad-core processor, just like the second processor option but comes with an 8 MB cache memory. Furthermore, it has a base frequency of 1.30 GHz and a maximum frequency of 3.90 GHz.

As mentioned in the previous section, the Surface Pro’s weight varies depending on the kind of processor it uses. Well, the Surface Pro model with the Intel Core i3 or Intel Core i5 processor weighs 775 g.

Meanwhile, the model with the Intel Core i7 processor weighs 790 g. Nevertheless, our review unit of the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 comes with the Intel Core i5-1035G4 processor.

Having said all that, you are probably asking yourself how the performance of the Surface Pro’s processor and HP Spectre’s processor varies.

To answer that, we were able to discover the processor performance of these two laptops using a benchmark test tool. In specific terms, the benchmark tool I am referring to is the Cinebench R15 .

Since we cannot determine a processor’s performance simply by looking at its specifications, Cinebench R15 does the job of carrying out a series of tests. In these tests, the Cinebench R15 puts the processor under a lot of pressure and workload to determine how much it can handle.

Moreover, the higher the score on the Cinebench R15 test, the better the performance of the processor. So, according to the test result, the Core i5 processor of the Surface Pro got a score of 650 points.

For the HP Spectre, its Intel Core i5-8250U performed slightly lesser, with a score of 630 points. Even though the Surface Pro performed better than the HP Spectre, both laptops should be able to comfortably handle most computing tasks.

Specifically, they should be able to stream videos, run demanding apps, and handle productivity workloads without glitches. In fact, they should be able to multitask with ease.

By and large, both laptops appear to be in good shape in terms of processor performance. However, the Surface Pro definitely has the edge over the Spectre, with more processor options and a higher performance score on a benchmark test.

Thus, I will rate the Surface Pro and Spectre a score of nine and eight, respectively, in this section of the HP Spectre vs Surface Pro comparison.

HP Spectre vs Surface Pro Memory (RAM) Performance Comparison

For short-term or temporary data storage, a computer’s random access memory (RAM) is necessary to keep things moving smoothly. Thankfully, these laptops have what it takes.

Starting off, the HP Spectre comes with 8 GB LPDDR3-2133 SDRAM. Unfortunately, this laptop has only one RAM slot that is solidly soldered directly on the motherboard.

Consequently, you cannot upgrade the RAM of the lapotp. Hence, if you need more memory, you’ll have to get the HP Spectre model that comes with 16 GB of RAM.

On the part of the Surface Pro, though, the case is not so different. Specifically, you can get this 2-in-1 laptop with either 4 GB, 8 GB, or 16 GB of LPDDR4x RAM.

Moreover, like the Spectre, the RAM of the Surface Pro is also soldered to the motherboard and cannot be replaced. Hence, if you buy the laptop with a particular RAM, you cannot upgrade it to a higher one unless you purchase another model with a higher RAM.

From the various RAM options, you will definitely need some clarity as to the performance of the Surface Pro and HP Spectre. To give you some perspective, 8 GB RAM on both laptops has enough muscle to run demanding workloads.

In fact, you should be able to stream four 1080p YouTube videos on the laptops without experiencing issues. Impressively, while that is going on, you can also have an album playing on YouTube Music and streaming on ESPN simultaneously without a hitch.

To back these claims up, there is a benchmark test tool that analyzes memory performance. This tool is PCMark 10 , which simultaneously runs productivity workloads on a computer with the aim of measuring its memory ability.

Just before I provide the test results, you should know that a high score means better performance. Hence, we discovered that the HP Spectre outperforms the Surface Pro with a score of 4100 points.

Meanwhile, the Surface Pro scored 3600 points. Thus, a rating of nine and eight is best suited for these laptops, respectively, in this HP Spectre vs Surface Pro comparison section.

HP Spectre vs Surface Pro Storage Options and Performance Comparison

So far, we’ve seen the HP Spectre and Surface Pro sharing some similarities as well as differences. Well, in the aspect of storage, things are not so different either.

To begin with, the HP Spectre comes with a 256 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD . Unfortunately, 256 GB is also the maximum storage capacity that this laptop supports.

Hence, you cannot upgrade the laptop’s storage to more than 256 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD. Honestly speaking, 256 GB of storage space will find it hard to suffice for most users’ storage needs.

Nevertheless, you can expand the laptop’s overall storage by utilizing its microSD card slot.

When it comes to the Surface Pro, you can purchase it with either a 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, or the maximum supported storage capacity of 1 TB SSD.

Just by looking at the laptop’s respective storage capacities, it is quite obvious that the Surface Pro has a lot more to offer. However, the storage offerings of the Surface Pro largely depend on how much you’re willing to spend.

By that, I mean to say the Surface Pro will vary in price depending on the storage size you opt for. Basically, the higher the amount you spend, the larger the storage capacity you get.

Nonetheless, like the HP Spectre, the Surface Pro features a microSD card slot for storage expansion.

With the storage features of both laptops out of the way, you may be asking if there’s anything more to know. To be factual, there is the read and write speed, which lets you know how fast or slow your laptop’s storage drive is.

If you are curious, read speed estimates of how long it takes a storage drive to open a file. The write speed, on the other hand, measures how long it takes the storage drive to save a file.

As expected, we cannot get the read and write speed just by knowing the storage type. As a result, I consulted a benchmark test tool called the CrystalDiskMark .

This benchmark test evaluates a computer’s storage drive’s performance by measuring its read and write speed. Furthermore, based on the setting of the benchmark tool, a higher “MB/s” value means faster read and write speed.

So, from the test result, the HP Spectre has a sequential read speed of 1890 MB/s and a sequential write speed of 530 MB/s. Comparatively, the Surface Pro has a sequential read speed of 1700 MB/s while its sequential write speed is 1235 MB/s.

Looking at that, the results suggest that the HP Spectre’s SSD will open files faster than the Surface Pro’s SSD. However, the Surface Pro’s SSD will save files faster than the HP Spectre’s SSD.

To further give you an idea of the laptops’ storage performance, let us talk about their transfer speeds. The SSD of the HP Spectre takes about 13 seconds to duplicate 4.97 GB of multimedia files, equating to a transfer rate of 452.6 MB/s.

On the other hand, the Surface Pro’s SSD takes about 19 seconds to duplicate 4.97 GB of multimedia files. Thereby equating to a transfer rate of 267.9 MB/s.

Despite the faster write speed of the Surface Pro’s SSD, the HP Spectre’s SSD appears to be faster in file transfer. However, judging by the storage features of these laptops, the Surface Pro still has the edge over the Spectre.

This is because of the various storage capacity options available for the Surface Pro as compared to the HP Spectre. As for storage performance and speed, I guess it is a tie between both laptops.

Nonetheless, I will rate the HP Spectre an eight and the Surface Pro a nine in this section of the HP Spectre vs Surface Pro comparison.

HP Spectre vs Surface Pro Graphics Card Performance Comparison

Wondering how these laptops survive graphics-related tasks? Thankfully, that is what this section is all about.

Before I begin to talk about graphics performance, let me start with specifications. First off, the HP Spectre comes with an integrated Intel HD Graphics 620 GPU.

This GPU has a base and boost frequency of 300 MHz and 1100 MHz, respectively.

Moving over to the Surface Pro, you’ve probably noticed how Microsoft equipped this laptop with numerous options and configurations. Yeah, the GPU is not different, either.

To be exact, you can get the Surface Pro with an Intel UHD Graphics 615 or Intel Iris Plus Graphics 650. However, do have it in mind that both GPUs are actually integrated.

As a quick digression, I will take the time to explain what an integrated GPU means. In simple terms, an integrated GPU is one that is embedded into the CPU of a computer.

Hence, it lacks a dedicated VRAM and shares the system memory with the computer to carry out graphics-related tasks. In contrast to that, there’s a dedicated GPU that features dedicated Video RAM (or VRAM).

This VRAM is responsible for and helps the GPU in handling graphics-related tasks. Hence, dedicated GPUs do not have to share the system memory with the computer as opposed to Integrated GPUs.

By that explanation, it’s only expected that a dedicated GPU will outperform an integrated GPU. Also, it is apparent that neither the Spectre nor Surface Pro offers a dedicated GPU.

Back to the GPU specifications of the Surface Pro, its Intel UHD Graphics 615 GPU option has a base and boost frequency of 300 MHz and 900 MHz, respectively. Also, the Intel Iris Plus Graphics 650 GPU option has a base and boost frequency of 300 MHz and 1100 MHz, respectively.

With all that being said, you are most likely more interested in the graphics performance of the HP Spectre and Surface Pro 7. On that note, there is a need for yet another benchmark test.

The 3DMark is one of the most reliable test tools for measuring the graphics performance of a computer. Basically, by rendering 3D graphics, 3DMark lets you know how well your computer can perform in terms of graphics.

Having established that, it is worth noting that, like every other test in this article, a high score means better performance on the 3DMark test. Hence, we discovered that the Surface Pro scored about 4500 points on the 3DMark test.

It is important to note that our review unit of the Surface Pro has Intel Iris Plus Graphics. Thus, this 4500 points gotten on the 3DMark test is mainly meant for that laptop model.

Comparatively, the HP Spectre scored a whopping 6400 points on the 3DMark test. Since a higher figure is obviously better, it is realistic to say that the Surface Pro is ideal for graphics-related tasks.

To provide a more realistic definition of this, we were able to discover how these laptops perform in real-world gaming tests. If you love playing Bioshock Infinite , then keep it in mind that the HP Spectre will play the game at about 40 fps on medium graphics settings.

The Surface Pro, on the other hand, will serve you a lot better when playing this game. To be exact, the Surface Pro will play this game at about 75 fps also on medium graphics settings.

Surprisingly, the Surface Pro offers a better gaming performance despite having a lower score than the Spectre on the 3DMark test. Well, this simply suggests that a test score may not be all you need in making a decision in some aspects of performance.

The downside to this, however, is the difficulty in rating these laptops. Nevertheless, both laptops perform decently in terms of graphics despite being non-gaming laptops.

While one does better on the GPU benchmark test, the other does better in gaming. Judging by that, I will rate both laptops an even score of eight in this HP Spectre vs Surface Pro comparison section.

HP Spectre vs Surface Pro Battery Life and Performance Comparison

In the battery department, the Spectre and Surface Pro are obviously different. To be more specific, the HP Spectre comes with a 3-cell 60 Wh Li-ion polymer battery.

Meanwhile, the Surface Pro comes with a 43.2 Wh Lithium-ion battery. Most times, manufacturers provide an estimated battery life of their product.

While Microsoft did that, we could not find one from HP. All the same, Microsoft estimated the battery life of the Surface Pro to be about 10.5 hours.

Well, whether or not the manufacturer provides the battery life estimate, we were able to figure out the actual battery life from a battery rundown test. This battery rundown test involves continuous web browsing on the laptop while its brightness level is set to 50%.

With that said, it is worth knowing that the HP Spectre can last a day’s use. Specifically, this laptop lasted about 12 hours at the end of the battery rundown test.

Sadly, the Surface Pro does not have what it takes to meet up with the HP Spectre’s battery life. To be more specific, the Surface Pro lasted about 8 hours on the same battery rundown test.

That aside, we were also able to discover how long these laptops can last when you decide to stream videos continuously. Precisely, with the Wi-Fi turned off and the battery saver turned on, the Surface Pro will last about 12 hours, streaming videos continuously.

With the same Wi-Fi and battery settings, the HP Spectre may go as far as 20 hours of continuous video streaming.

From the look of things, battery “anxiety” will definitely not be a problem if you opt for either laptop. Regardless, the HP Spectre is a clear winner in this aspect.

Hence, the HP Spectre and Surface Pro are best rated a nine and eight, respectively, in this HP Spectre vs Surface Pro comparison section.

Our Rating Summary

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, but to an extent. This is because the laptop is not a gaming laptop, and it features an integrated graphics card. Hence, it can only handle light gaming.

Whether or not the Surface Pro is expensive will largely depend on your budget. That said, the Surface Pro 7 starts at a price tag of $816.99 at the time of publishing this article in April 2022.

Absolutely! As a convertible laptop, the Spectre x360 has a 13.3-inch touchscreen display.

Definitely. It is, however, a misconception by many gadget users to think of the Surface Pro as a tablet because of its flexibility. Nonetheless, the Surface Pro is definitely a laptop and can be considered as one.

It sure does. The fingerprint reader allows you to unlock the laptop faster.

Not exactly! If you need a stylus pen for the Surface Pro, you will have to purchase that separately.

Unfortunately, you will not find an HDMI port on this laptop.

Sadly, you cannot upgrade the RAM of the Surface Pro because it is onboard (soldered directly on the laptop’s motherboard).

Considering its specifications, the HP Spectre x360 13 should be sufficient for some video editing tasks.

The HP Spectre x360 13 starts at a price of $1,069.99 in April 2022, when this article was published.

My Final Thoughts

HP and Microsoft sure gave their best in creating devices that check almost all the boxes. While the HP Spectre and Surface Pro 7 share some similarities, they are also different in some aspects.

Hence, our recommendation is that if you want a laptop that is versatile and lets you configure it as you please, the Surface Pro is best. Also, if you have extra cash, we recommend spending $899.99 on a Surface Pro model with an Intel Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a 128 GB SSD.

Alternatively, the HP Spectre is yet another great option, especially if you are not interested in tweaking the device. If you like the features of the Spectre just as they are, then do go for it.

After all, you will still spend approximately the same amount as the Spectre when configuring the Surface Pro.

I hope you found this HP Spectre vs Surface Pro comparison review helpful. If you found the review helpful, kindly spare few minutes to share your thoughts with Itechguides Community .

You may also ask questions or make comments regarding this review at Itechguides Community . Our team and other community members will respond to your questions or comments as soon as possible.

Finally, for more laptop comparison reviews, visit our  Laptop Comparison Reviews  page. You may also find our  Laptop Specs  page very helpful.

References and Further Reading

• techradar.com – Microsoft Surface Pro 7 review
• pcmag.com – Microsoft Surface Pro 7 Review
• pocketlint.com – HP Spectre x360 13 review
• verge.com – MICROSOFT SURFACE PRO 7 REVIEW
• cnet.com – HP Spectre x360 (13-inch, 2019) review
• laptopmag.com – HP Spectre x360 (13-inch, 2019) Review
• pcmag.com – HP Spectre x360 13 (2019) Review
• theguardian.com – Microsoft Surface Pro 7 review
• businessinsider.com – Microsoft’s new Surface Pro 7
• Itechguides Community

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Microsoft Surface Pro 8 8PN-00013 Laptop vs HP Spectre x360 14-ea0077TU Laptop

Quick Comparison

Related products.

Detailed Comparison

Price and launch.

The cost of Microsoft Surface Pro 8 8PN-00013 Laptop is Rs. 88900. The cost of HP Spectre x360 14-ea0077TU Laptop is Rs. 143999.

Display comparison

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 8PN-00013 Laptop has screen size of 13 in inches which falls short to HP Spectre x360 14-ea0077TU Laptop's 13.5 in inch screen. Microsoft Surface Pro 8 8PN-00013 Laptop has PixelSense Flow Display Screen type whereas HP Spectre x360 14-ea0077TU Laptop has LED Screen type. Both have same 267 PPI.

Memory comparison

HP Spectre x360 14-ea0077TU Laptop's larger 16 GB RAM is better for playing games and all with respect to Microsoft Surface Pro 8 8PN-00013 Laptop's lower 8 GB RAM. And both have same HDD of.

Processor Comparison

First Laptop has Intel Core i5 processor whereas second laptop has Intel Core i7-1165G7 . Microsoft Surface Pro 8 8PN-00013 Laptop has greater CPU Clock Speed of in comparison to HP Spectre x360 14-ea0077TU Laptop's clock speed. Microsoft Surface Pro 8 8PN-00013 Laptop has CPU Cache of 8 MB which falls short to HP Spectre x360 14-ea0077TU Laptop's 12 MB cache.

Related Comparisons

Full Comparison

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Best laptops for grads 2023

These laptops will help you with adulting.

Congratulations, graduates! A powerful laptop will be a valuable tool in your arsenal to tackle anything life throws at you. Whether you're job hunting or are already on your journey to adulting, a laptop will help you stay productive, communicate with friends and family, pay your online bills, and keep you entertained whenever you have downtime. 

Hopefully, now that you're out of school, you'll have a bit of a bigger budget to spend on a laptop than while you're in school. This should hopefully give you an even more powerful processor, discrete graphics, and more importantly, more storage to handle all your digital files. Regardless of your budget, our list has something for everyone. 

Microsoft Surface Pro 8

Our expert review:

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid.

Microsoft has been iterating on and refining its iconic tablet for 10 years now, and the Surface Pro 8 is the best result in design, utility, and performance. The built-in kickstand allows this Intel-powered Windows 11 tablet to convert between tablet and laptop, provided you add the optional Type Cover keyboard case. The brilliant display looks superb no matter what you're doing. 

Unlike a lot of laptops on the market that use a wider 16:9 or 16:10 display, the Surface Pro 8 relies on a squarer 3:2 aspect ratio, which helps in juggling multiple windows, browsing long webpages, and reading e-books and PDFs. Though the Surface Pro 8 doesn't come with a discrete GPU, making it only suited for light, casual gaming, it comes powered with Intel's 11th Gen processor. It can be configured with an optional 4G LTE modem for mobile productivity on the go. Digital artists and note-takers can use the Surface Pen to doodle on the touchscreen. 

Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio

If you're headed into a creative field, the Surface Laptop Studio  shines with its bright, color accurate screen, discrete GPU options, and a design that brings in an easel-like kickstand into a laptop form factor. The Surface Laptop Studio delivers a mobile workstation experience in a well-engineered and impeccably designed package. 

Given that this laptop can be configured with a discrete GPU, it's a suitable laptop for productivity tasks, creative workflows, and some moderate gaming at the end of the day. The Surface Laptop Studio supports Microsoft's Surface Pen, which will allow you take digital notes and doodle on the screen for a versatile computing experience. 

Dell XPS 13

Sleek and chic, Dell's XPS 13 is among the best Windows Ultrabooks on the market, and with good reason. This thin-and-light laptop punches above its weight with a stylish design, the latest processor, and a brilliant display. Resolutions top out with a 3.5K OLED panel, which will render crisp text, vivid images, and stunning videos.

Though it was originally conceived to take on Apple's MacBook Air, iterative changes to the XPS 13 over the years let this notebook take on its own character and personality. Dell helped to popularize the minimalist bezel design, and the XPS 13's Infinity Edge display doesn't disappoint. There's lots to love with this laptop. 

HP Envy x360 (AMD)

HP proves you don't have to spend a fortune to carry a premium laptop. The HP Envy x360 stunned us with its dazzling display, solid performance with its AMD Ryzen processor, and good trackpad. And to top it all off, you'll also get a convertible laptop with a 360-degree hinge that converts this rig into a tablet. A pen is included for drawing and taking digital notes. You're definitely getting a lot of bang for the buck with this notebook, given its affordable starting price and all the performance you'll be getting.

Some compromises were made, like more middling performance on the solid-state drive, but HP didn't skimp where it matters. A solid edge-to-edge keyboard with backlighting is standard, and the HP Envy x360 still gets a nice display with minimal bezels. 

ASUS ZenBook 14

The ASUS Zenbook 14 is designed for those who live inside spreadsheets but also want a lightweight, portable laptop. This is quite the challenge, as typically anything more compact than a 15- or 17-inch notebook won't come with a number pad. To solve this problem, the 14-inch ZenBook packs in the number pad into the laptop's trackpad, saving space and innovating with a useful secondary display.

Solid computing performance with a 12th Gen Intel processor and Intel Iris Xe graphics, a brilliant 2.8K OLED panel, and terrific keyboard make this laptop stand out in the premium segment. And while the laptop benefits from an aluminum-clad construction, be warned that this laptop also easily picks up smudges. 

Razer Blade 15

Razer's Blade 15 is a powerful mobile gaming rig, but the all-black construction of this notebook helps it easily transition to battle station at home and workstation at the office. Though a pricier option on our list, the Blade 15 delivers excellent performance with its Intel silicon and discrete NVIDIA RTX graphics. Even if you're not a gamer, you'll appreciate the many advanced configurations of this laptop, including Thunderbolt 4 support, DDR5 memory, and Wi-Fi 6E. 

There are also plenty of screen options from which to choose, depending on your needs, including a 4K panel with a fast 144Hz refresh rate or an FHD resolution display with a 360Hz refresh. This makes the Blade 15 an excellent laptop for video production, game design, creative work, and serious gaming. 

HP Spectre x360 13.5

HP combined some of the best features of its Spectre x360 13-inch and 14-inch models when it refreshed the line for 2022 with Spectre x360 13.5. This 13.5-inch model comes with a 3:2 aspect ratio OLED display boasting a resolution of 3,000x2,000 pixels, making it great for productivity. It comes with an anti-reflective coating, color-accurate screen, and inking capabilities with the included digital pen.

Support for Intel's 12th Gen processor delivers solid performance. For those who like Microsoft's Surface Laptop series but want a convertible notebook without compromises, this is it. Quad speakers deliver unmuffled sound no matter how you hold this device, allowing you to freely switch between portrait and landscape orientation in tablet mode.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 10)

Though its boxier all-black silhouette may not look as exciting as some other laptops, Lenovo's ThinkPad line has long been seen as the business class standard. This no-frills laptop delivers all the performance and power that you'll need to get work done, in a slim, travel-ready Ultrabook form factor. 

New options this year for the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 include OLED screen choices that top out with a 2.8K resolution, color-accurate panels that support 100% of the DCI-P3 color space, and Dolby Vision HDR400 support. Given that this laptop is designed for work, you're going to get more security and business-class features compared to regular consumer offerings, including Lenovo's Computer Vision technology that can analyze whether you're sitting in front of the laptop. If the ThinkPad sees someone else, it can try to lock the PC to prevent unauthorize data access. 

Bottom line

Why you can trust Windows Central Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test .

The right laptop for life after college can last for years to come. When it comes time to upgrading your college notebook to a laptop that will help you start navigating your adult life, you'll want to consider what you need from your PC. Are you a gamer or a designer who may want to upgrade to a higher resolution screen with a faster refresh rate, or will you be living in Excel and need a number pad to make your life easier? Will you use your PC primarily for general productivity tasks, or will you be editing videos and making Photoshop edits? Will you be traveling a lot, or is this a desktop replacement?

If you're a gamer or a creative, you'll definitely want to focus your budget on getting a system with discrete graphics, like the Razer Blade 15 that tops out with NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPU. If you're primarily focused on productivity tasks, you can save money and choose a high-end processor, like Intel's 12th Gen, and get away with an integrated GPU. And if you foresee yourself a frequent business traveler, you may opt for a smaller 13- or 14-inch laptop that fits in with Intel's EVO standard for Ultrabooks. Microsoft's Surface Pro 8 is an excellent choice for travelers, as it comes with a kickstand and can easily transition between tablet and laptop modes. 

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Chuong's passion for gadgets began with the humble PDA. Since then, he has covered a range of consumer and enterprise devices, raning from smartphones to tablets, laptops to desktops and everything in between for publications like Pocketnow, Digital Trends, Wareable, Paste Magazine, and TechRadar in the past before joining the awesome team at Windows Central. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, when not working, he likes exploring the diverse and eclectic food scene, taking short jaunts to wine country, soaking in the sun along California's coast, consuming news, and finding new hiking trails. 

• 2 Microsoft is officially the best company in the world, at least according to TIME
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Microsoft Surface Pro 8 contre hp Spectre x360 14 (14-ea0147nf)

• + L'écran plus grand
• + Les performances
• + Le clavier et le stylet, très efficaces
• - L'autonomie est décevante
• - La connectique est trop minimaliste
• - Surface, c'est toujours bien trop cher !

Microsoft Surface Pro 8...

Microsoft Surface Pro 9 (5G)

Nokia PureBook Fold 14

Microsoft Surface Pro 9

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Best 2-in-1 Laptop for 2023

Whether you want something that's more tablet than laptop or vice versa, there's one here to meet your needs and budget.

Updated on Sept. 21, 2023

• More than two decades experience writing about PCs and accessories, and 15 years writing about cameras of all kinds.

CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise. Read how we test products and services .

If you need both a laptop and a tablet for specific tasks but hate carrying two devices around, there's good news: There are tons of excellent two-in-one laptops out there that offer the best of both worlds with a touchscreen display that can easily fold flat so you can use it in tablet mode. The best two-in-one laptops are extremely versatile machines, and the best two-in-one laptops help you do more than a traditional laptop without a significant increase in size, weight or price.

Most of the best two-in-ones are convertible  laptops , with 360-degree hinges where the keyboard and trackpad rotate around to the back of the display. There are some excellent two-in-one laptops that are essentially Windows 11 or ChromeOS tablets with a detachable keyboard. They work better as tablets but are still good in laptop mode, and we've included models like the  Surface Pro 8 and the  Lenovo Duet Chromebook . Both styles of two-in-one feature touchscreens and typically support pen input. Most also include a headphone jack and backlit keyboard.

And if you're only thinking of a hybrid device as a detachable tablet and a laptop, here are  five other uses for a two-in-one  that you might not have considered. These are the best two-in-one laptops 2023 has to offer.

Read more :  Best Laptop for 2023

This thin, 3-pound convertible is a solid choice for anyone who needs a laptop for office or schoolwork. The all-metal chassis gives it a premium look and feel, and it has a comfortable keyboard and a responsive, smooth precision touchpad. Though it's light on extra features compared to its premium linemate, the Yoga 9i, it does have one of Lenovo's sliding shutters for its webcam that gives you privacy when you want it. And it has a long battery life to boot at 12 hours, 45 minutes in our tests. The latest version with 13th-gen Intel processors starts at less than $1,000 . 

Read our Lenovo Yoga 7i Gen 7 (14-inch) review .

Best 2-in-1 for most people

Lenovo yoga 7i (14-inch).

This thin, 3-pound convertible is a solid choice for anyone who needs a laptop for office or schoolwork. The all-metal chassis gives it a premium look and feel, and it has a comfortable keyboard and a responsive, smooth precision touchpad. Though it's light on extra features compared to its premium linemate, the Yoga 9i, it does have one of Lenovo's sliding shutters for its webcam that gives you privacy when you want it. And it has a long battery life to boot at 12 hours, 45 minutes in our tests. The latest version with 13th-gen Intel processors starts at less than $1,000 . 

Samsung's 16:9 big-screen two-in-one doesn't look all too different from its predecessor, but inside is a 12th-gen Intel processor that gives it a sizable multicore performance bump. However, the other, smaller updates Samsung made to the Pro 360 improves the overall experience, making it one of the best two-in-ones available even more than a year after its release. And if you have other Galaxy devices, this is absolutely the two-in-one to get. Well, other than this year's larger 16-inch version at least . 

The basic configuration lists for $1,500 but is currently sold out, so you'll have to upgrade to the 1TB model, which starts at $1,650.  Read our Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 review .

Best 15.6-inch 2-in-1

Samsung galaxy book 2 pro 360.

Samsung's 16:9 big-screen two-in-one doesn't look all too different from its predecessor, but inside is a 12th-gen Intel processor that gives it a sizable multicore performance bump. However, the other, smaller updates Samsung made to the Pro 360 improves the overall experience, making it one of the best two-in-ones available even more than a year after its release. And if you have other Galaxy devices, this is absolutely the two-in-one to get. Well, other than this year's larger 16-inch version at least . 

The basic configuration lists for $1,500 but is currently sold out, so you'll have to upgrade to the 1TB model, which starts at $1,650.  Read our Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 review .

The Surface Pro continues to hit all the right notes if you're looking for a do-it-all Windows tablet that doubles as a Windows laptop. Microsoft recently updated it for the  Surface Pro 9 , but little has changed beyond a processor upgrade from 11th-gen Intel Core processors to 12th-gen chips as well as an option for a Microsoft SQ 3 processor with 5G wireless. If you were contemplating a Pro 8, it's still around but now with a lower price, and we recommend it for most people instead of  the Surface Pro 9 . 

Read our Microsoft Surface Pro 8 review .

Best detachable 2-in-1

Microsoft surface pro 8.

The Surface Pro continues to hit all the right notes if you're looking for a do-it-all Windows tablet that doubles as a Windows laptop. Microsoft recently updated it for the  Surface Pro 9 , but little has changed beyond a processor upgrade from 11th-gen Intel Core processors to 12th-gen chips as well as an option for a Microsoft SQ 3 processor with 5G wireless. If you were contemplating a Pro 8, it's still around but now with a lower price, and we recommend it for most people instead of  the Surface Pro 9 . 

The Lenovo Duet Chromebook (aka Chromebook Duet 3) is an awesome little 11-inch ChromeOS tablet with a detachable keyboard and touchpad. Its small size and performance aren't ideal for full-time use. But the Chromebook Duet 3 is a good pick if you're looking for an affordable ultraportable device to get some work done on the go, sketch or jot down notes in class, or do simple stuff like email, web browsing, gaming, reading and streaming video.

The original 10-inch version of the Duet Chromebook is also still available for  $300 or less  when it's in stock. 

Read our Lenovo Duet Chromebook review .

Best detachable 2-in-1 Chromebook

Lenovo duet chromebook.

The original 10-inch version of the Duet Chromebook is also still available for  $300 or less  when it's in stock. 

Acer had one of the best Chromebooks available in 2021 with  the Spin 713 , and now it's repeated that success with the Chromebook Spin 714. The premium two-in-one doesn't stray far from its predecessor in terms of what it offers -- sturdy design, nice-looking display, strong performance and long battery life -- but Acer did make some changes to keep it competitive, like including a USI pen that stores and charges in the 714's body. There are less expensive options, but if you want a Chromebook that'll last for years, this is it. Keep an eye out for a sale on this one: Its normal price is $729, but can oftentimes be found on sale for less than $600. 

Read our Acer Chromebook Spin 714 review .

Best 2-in-1 convertible Chromebook

Acer chromebook spin 714.

Acer had one of the best Chromebooks available in 2021 with  the Spin 713 , and now it's repeated that success with the Chromebook Spin 714. The premium two-in-one doesn't stray far from its predecessor in terms of what it offers -- sturdy design, nice-looking display, strong performance and long battery life -- but Acer did make some changes to keep it competitive, like including a USI pen that stores and charges in the 714's body. There are less expensive options, but if you want a Chromebook that'll last for years, this is it. Keep an eye out for a sale on this one: Its normal price is $729, but can oftentimes be found on sale for less than $600. 

Gaming laptops with 16-inch screens are common enough. What's unusual is finding one with a 360-degree hinge to become a foldable two-in-one that can be a laptop, a tablet and a couple of things in between. Add another level of ingenuity and you've got the ability to plug in a more-powerful external GPU for even better performance. It's expensive, to be sure, but the unique design and features as well as solid performance make it stand out.

Best 2-in-1 for gaming

Asus rog flow x16.

The HP Spectre x360 16 doesn't have "pro" in its name, but it deserves to. It's not a business laptop, so you won't find an Intel vPro processor or IT management features. However, its premium features, beautiful OLED display, good looks and speedy performance are just about perfect for anyone looking for a versatile laptop with an awesome work-play-and-create design.

Best 2-in-1 for creatives

Hp spectre x360 16.

The HP Spectre x360 16 doesn't have "pro" in its name, but it deserves to. It's not a business laptop, so you won't find an Intel vPro processor or IT management features. However, its premium features, beautiful OLED display, good looks and speedy performance are just about perfect for anyone looking for a versatile laptop with an awesome work-play-and-create design.

How we test computers

The review process for laptops, desktops, tablets and other computer-like devices consists of two parts: performance testing under controlled conditions in the CNET Labs and extensive hands-on use by our expert reviewers. This includes evaluating a device's aesthetics, ergonomics and features. A final review verdict is a combination of both those objective and subjective judgments. 

The list of benchmarking software we use changes over time as the devices we test evolve. The most important core tests we're currently running on every compatible computer include: Primate Labs Geekbench 5 , Cinebench R23 , PCMark 10 and 3DMark Fire Strike Ultra . 

A more detailed description of each benchmark and how we use it can be found in our How We Test Computers page. 

The list of benchmarking software we use changes over time as the devices we test evolve. The most important core tests we're currently running on every compatible computer include:  Primate Labs Geekbench 5 ,  Cinebench R23 ,  PCMark 10  and  3DMark Fire Strike Ultra . 

A more detailed description of each benchmark and how we use it can be found in our  How We Test Computers  page. 

We run a battery of performance tests, and in the individual product reviews you'll see more meaningful performance results than the ones we present here. In reviews, we provide apples-to-apples results -- products from the same pool that you're trying to choose from, with similar prices and configurations -- rather than the fruit salad sampling of results here. However, this group does give you an idea of how varied in performance and battery life the category can be, depending on price and size. 

Primate Labs Geekbench 5 : We run both single-core and multicore CPU tests, and either the Vulcan (Windows) or Metal (MacOS) Compute test. On Android, Apple devices and Chromebooks, we run the CPU tests and the Compute test. Geekbench's CPU tests measure the performance of a mixed workload.  

Geekbench 5 (multicore) scores

Battery life test : For all computers with a battery, we change the settings to keep the system from going to sleep or hibernating, disable pop-ups and notifications that may interfere with the test, and set screen brightness and volume (output to earbuds) to 50%. We then stream a looped, custom YouTube video over Wi-Fi in Chrome and use a timer app to track how long the system remains active.  

Online streaming battery drain test (minutes)

Best laptops for 2023, a selection of the best laptops you can buy right now..

• Most universally useful: MacBook Air M2
• Best budget laptop: HP Pavilion Aero 13
• Best Chromebook:  Acer Chromebook Spin 714
• Best budget gaming laptop: Dell G15/G16  

See the full list of best laptops for 2023 . 

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

The HP Spectre x360 continues to be one of our favorite laptops

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Hp spectre x360 13.5 (2023): price and availability, performance, should you buy the hp spectre x360 13.5 (2023).

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 (2023)

The 2023 HP Spectre x360 13.5 packs 13th-generation Intel Core processors in a sleek and stylish design, and it comes with upgraded Intel processors and optional Intel Arc graphics for workloads that require more GPU power.

• Beautiful design
• 3:2 display is still a rarity in convertibles
• Great keyboard
• A bit on the heavy side
• No 5G option

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Microsoft Surface Pro 9 vs HP Spectre x360 13 (2022)

Key Differences

• Higher screen refresh rate: 120 versus 60 Hz
• Significantly easier to carry: weighs 500 grams less (around 1.1 lbs)
• Thinner bezels and 2% higher screen-to-body ratio
• Better webcam recording quality
• 56% sharper screen – 266 versus 171 pixels per inch (PPI)
• Smaller footprint: 9% more compact case (93 vs 101.8 square inches)
• Includes an old-school USB-A port
• Features a much bigger (~38%) battery – 66 against 47.7 watt-hours
• Provides 122% higher max. screen brightness: 1000 vs 450 nits

Value for money

Tests and specifications, graphics card, connectivity, cast your vote, related comparisons.

HP Spectre x360 13.3" Intel Core i5-6200U 2.3GHz / 8GB / 256GB

Microsoft Surface Pro 6

170 facts in comparison

HP Spectre x360 13.3" Intel Core i5-6200U 2.3GHz / 8GB / 256GB vs Microsoft Surface Pro 6

Why is hp spectre x360 13.3" intel core i5-6200u 2.3ghz / 8gb / 256gb better than microsoft surface pro 6.

• Has a backlit keyboard ?
• Uses flash storage ?
• Has an HDMI output ?
• 8.13% bigger screen size ? 13.3" vs 12.3"
• 21.05% faster CPU speed ? 4 x 2.3GHz vs 4 x 1.9GHz
• Has sleep-and-charge USB ports ?

Why is Microsoft Surface Pro 6 better than HP Spectre x360 13.3" Intel Core i5-6200U 2.3GHz / 8GB / 256GB?

• 8GB more RAM memory ? 16GB vs 8GB
• 2.41x higher resolution ? 2736 x 1824px vs 1920 x 1080px
• 653.9g lighter ? 784g vs 1.44kg
• 1.5h longer battery life ? 13.5h vs 12h
• 1.62x higher pixel density ? 267ppi vs 165ppi
• 800MHz higher ram speed ? 2400MHz vs 1600MHz
• Has anti-reflection coating ?
• 744GB more internal storage ? 1000GB vs 256GB

Which are the most popular comparisons?

Lenovo Yoga 9i 14" Intel Core i7-1185G7 3GHz / 16GB RAM / 512GB SSD

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet

Samsung Galaxy Book S

Microsoft Surface Pro 4

Lenovo ThinkPad T480 14" Intel Core i5-8350U 1.7GHz / 8GB RAM / 512GB SSD

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7

Lenovo Legion Slim 7i 15.6" Intel Core i9-10980HK 2.4GHz / 32GB RAM / 1TB SSD

Microsoft Surface Go

Microsoft Surface Go 2

Microsoft Surface Pro 3

Microsoft Surface Pro (2017)

Apple iPad Air (2022)

Microsoft Surface Pro 7 12.3" Intel Core i7-1065G7 1.3GHz / 16GB RAM / 256B SSD

Apple iPad Air (2020)

Cheap alternatives

XPG Xenia 15 KC Intel Core i7-11800H 2.3GHz / Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop / 32GB RAM / 1TB SSD

Dell Alienware Area-51m R2 17.3" Intel Core i9-10900K 3.7GHz / 64GB RAM / 4TB SSD

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 GA401IH 14" AMD Ryzen 7 4800HS 2.9GHz / 8GB RAM / 512GB SSD

Asus TUF Dash F15 (2022) 15.6" FHD Intel Core i7-12650H 2.3GHz / Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop / 16GB RAM / 512GB SSD

Acer Swift X SFX14-51G-71Y1 14" Intel Core i7-1260P 2.1GHz / Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop / 16GB RAM / 512GB SSD

Lenovo Yoga 9i 15.6" Intel Core i7-10700T 2GHz / 16GB RAM / 1TB SSD

Acer Nitro 16 AN16-51-56VR 16" Intel Core i5-13500H 2.6GHz / Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop / 8GB RAM / 512GB SSD

Asus TUF Gaming F15 (2022) 15.6" FHD Intel Core i5-12500H 2.5GHz / Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop / 16GB RAM / 512GB SSD

Samsung Galaxy Book3 15.6" Intel Core i7-1360P 2.2GHz / Intel Arc A350M / 16GB RAM / 512GB SSD

HP Victus 16-e0097nr 16.1" AMD Ryzen 7 5800H 3.2GHz / Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop / 16GB RAM / 512GB SSD

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Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (HP Spectre x360 13.3" Intel Core i5-6200U 2.3GHz / 8GB / 256GB)

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Microsoft Surface Pro 6)

1920 x 1080px

2736 x 1824px

IPS, LCD, LED-backlit

Performance

2400MHz ( Intel Core i7-8650U )

4 x 1.9GHz ( Intel Core i7-8650U )

8 ( Intel Core i7-8650U )

300MHz ( Intel Core i7-8650U )

2712 ( Intel Core i7-8650U )

927 ( Intel Core i7-8650U )

6417 ( Intel Core i7-8650U )

2175 ( Intel Core i7-8650U )

1299 ( Intel Core i7-8650U )

365 ( Intel Core i7-8650U )

Connectivity

1080 x 30fps

Miscellaneous

19 ( Intel Core i7-8650U )

111 ( Windows 10 Pro )

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