HP Spectre x360 14 (2024) laptop review

If you're looking for a machine to work with graphics or a convertible 2-in-1 to view media, the HP Spectre x360 14 has something for everyone. 

Packaged with a digital stylus pen, it's unchanged in its design compared to last year's model— but that's no bad thing. Its premium build quality and high-end feel underline a machine with plenty to offer. Geared to creatives, HP's well-engineered device is fitted with the latest components—including a high-end Intel CPU and a whopping 32 GB RAM — and a stunning OLED display that lets colors pop.

If you are looking for dedicated graphics for astrophotography or image work, this 2-in-1 is also well worth considering. We registered a hefty amount of graphical power in this machine during testing, coming close to matching Apple's M3 chip. We were also impressed with its battery life, although it does land on the heavier side—something to consider if you'll be carrying it around with you a lot.

HP Spectre x360 14 (2024) laptop review

HP Spectre x360 14 (2024) laptop: Design

• Available in nightfall black, natural silver and nocturnal blue
• Fantastic build quality
• On the thicker and heavier side

While HP hasn't changed the design of the HP Spectre x360 14 on its previous model, that's fine by us, given how good it looks and the high build quality of the aluminum chassis. Our version of the HP Spectre x360 14 was coated in a nightfall black finish, but you can also pick it up in natural silver or nocturnal blue variants. We loved the little details that went into the design, including the gold accents on the clipped edges on either side of the rear. The quality of the keyboard and touchpad complements a handsome-looking device that's stylish both in laptop and tablet configurations.  

If we're picking holes, the use of capital letters to label some of the keys is an odd design choice, and somewhat undermines that bid for ultimate elegance, and it's also on the heavier side. As a comparison, the 13-inch HP Elite Dragonfly starts at 2.18 lbs (0.99 kg) — while the HP Elite Spectre x360 14 weighs 3.09 lbs (1.44 kg). We can forgive this to some extent, given it has a slightly larger display, but even the Lenovo Yoga 9i with its 13.3-inch display weighs less, at 2.98 lbs (1.35 kg).

HP Spectre x360 14 (2024) laptop: Performance and features

•  Great performance — but not best-in-class
•  Strong performance with an Intel GPU
•  Excellent battery life 

The HP Spectre x360 14 includes some of the best components out there, including an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H mobile CPU, 32 GB RAM, and dedicated Intel Arc Graphics. With a huge 2TB SSD, there's plenty of room to store media and work with intensive programs like Adobe Photoshop. 

We confirmed as much when we put it through its paces in our performance benchmarking — registering a score of 2,110 in single-threaded performance and 10,480 in multitasking. That might seem abstract, but you can compare it against the M3 MacBook Air, which clocked 3,065 and 11,959 based on public benchmarks. There's no competing with Apple's custom silicon, as we're finding with many devices, but it gives it a run for its money. Similarly, a benchmarking score of 24,993 for the Intel Arc GPU is excellent — as it approaches the 25,842 that the M3 MacBook Air registered. 

Its best quality, however, is its battery life—the HP Spectre x360 14 lasted a very impressive 14 hours and 29 minutes in our looped video playback testing. This is certainly long enough to see you through the day, and you also get fast charging of up to 50% in 45 minutes.  

The device also features 2 USB-C ports and a USB-A slot alongside a 3.5mm headphone jack — which is all welcome considering many 2-in-1s now only include USB-C ports. The device also comes packaged with an HP Rechargeable MPP2.0 Tilt Pen that clips onto the chassis magnetically. You can also tap F2 to hide the 9MP webcam behind a shutter — which is a great touch in the interests of privacy. 

HP Spectre x360 14 (2024) laptop: Image editing

• Fantastic OLED display
• Incredibly accurate and vibrant colors with deep blacks
• Screen could be a little brighter

Like all conventional OLED displays, the 14-inch 2.8K (2,880 x 1,800 pixels) display is a stunning triumph of deep, inky blacks and a cacophony of vivid colors. It's a great fit for any work involving graphics and photo editing, and that's all despite it being a much smaller display than you might otherwise find.

We confirmed these instincts by testing using a specialized display calibrator — which measured the color accuracy and brightness of the display. Our results showed the HP Spectre x360 14 registered 100% coverage of the sRGB color gamut — meaning it covers the full breadth of colors in the RGB space — and scored an extremely high 187% for volume (vibrancy). We didn't notice any undersaturation or oversaturation for red, green or blue — and it also boasts an infinity:1 contrast ratio.

That said, we need to highlight that its maximum brightness is just 365 nits — which isn't terrible by any means but does slightly let down an otherwise fantastic display. By contrast, the MacBook Pro can hit 500 nits. We wouldn't say this is enough for you to avoid using this machine for any work that involves image editing or running graphically intensive software — and you could always plug it into an external monitor if you need to.

HP Spectre x360 14 (2024): User reviews

Chiming with our experience using the HP Spectre x360 14, most people tend to love it. They typically praise its lengthy battery life as well as its design and high build quality. Simply put, it's a stylish piece of kit that has a great display and performs well. Some customers, however, bemoan the lack of an SD card slot — which is important if you're using one of the best cameras to, say, capture images of the night sky and want to upload them as quickly as possible. The speakers aren't anything to shout about either — and while not as tinny as you can get, they aren't to the usual standards of the supplier, Bang & Olufsen.  

Should you buy the HP Spectre x360 14 (2024) laptop?

We should stress that the highest configuration of the HP Spectre x360 14 is on the pricey side for a laptop — and for that price, you may well consider a MacBook Pro.  That said, it's a machine geared towards creatives and includes features like 360-degree hinges that mean you can use it as a tablet as well as a stylus, making working with images much easier.

There's plenty to love about this machine, and we especially loved its long battery life and strong performance, not to mention the stunning colors of its OLED display. It's just a little shame it isn't a brighter machine, but it's certainly not a deal breaker. 

If the HP Spectre x360 14 (2024) laptop isn't for you

If you're looking for a machine that's similar, the Lenovo Yoga 9i comes close and might be available for a little cheaper than the HP Elite Spectre x360 14 depending on the configurations you're comparing.

If you can afford to part with a little more money, then we would also consider the aforementioned HP Elite Dragonfly Gen 4. This is the latest machine in an exquisite series of devices that tend to be almost entirely fault-free and incredibly portable. 

For a much cheaper alternative, the Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 will set you back roughly $1,000. It is relatively underpowered compared with the HP Elite Spectre x360 14, but it's still a great laptop in its own right and great for those who don't need the highest-end specs.