HP Spectre x360 14 Convertible Review: An Instant Favorite

The Spectre x360 14 is HP's latest flagship convertible in its high-end Spectre series joining the existing 13.3-inch Spectre x360 13 and 15.6-inch Spectre x360 15. Despite what its name may suggest, the Spectre x360 14 utilizes a 13.5-inch display instead of a 14-inch one but in a squarer 3:2 form factor that's becoming increasingly common on newer Ultrabooks. HP is hoping to capture a wider audience of professionals and office users with the new aspect ratio as opposed to the traditional 16:9.
Current configurations range from FHD (1920 x 1280) to OLED (3000 x 2000) with 400 nit or 1000 nit options, the Core i5-1135G7 or Core i7-1165G7 CPU, 8 GB to 16 GB of RAM, and up to 2 TB of SSD storage starting at $1300 to over $1700 USD. All options come with integrated Iris Xe graphics only. Our specific test unit is a middle configuration sporting the Core i7 CPU, 400-nit FHD touchscreen, and 512 GB SSD for approximately $1500 USD.
Competitors in this space include other 16:10 or 3:2 subnotebooks like the Huawei MateBook X Pro, Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 13, Dell XPS 13 9300, Razer Book 13, or Asus ZenBook S.
More HP reviews:
Primary Camera: 0.9 MPix
potential competitors in comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
89 % | 12/2020 | HP Spectre x360 14t-ea000 i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.3 kg | 17.2 mm | 13.50" | 1920x1280 | |
88 % | 12/2019 | HP Spectre x360 13-aw0013dx i7-1065G7, Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU) | 1.2 kg | 16.9 mm | 13.30" | 1920x1080 | |
86 % | 10/2019 | Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7 i7-1065G7, Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU) | 1.3 kg | 13 mm | 13.40" | 1920x1200 | |
86 % | 12/2020 | Huawei MateBook 14 2020 Intel i7-10510U, GeForce MX350 | 1.5 kg | 15.9 mm | 14.00" | 2160x1440 | |
85 % | 10/2020 | Asus Zenbook S UX393JA i7-1065G7, Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU) | 1.4 kg | 15.7 mm | 13.90" | 3300x2200 | |
87 % | 12/2020 | Lenovo Yoga 9i 14ITL5 i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | 1.4 kg | 15.7 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 |
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Case
If you've handled a Spectre x360 13 or 15 in the past, then you'll know exactly what to expect from the Spectre x360 14. HP has translated the existing luxurious Spectre design and metal materials to the new 3:2 form factor without any surprises. Both the base and lid exhibit little flexing and no creaking when attempting to twist their corners or depress their surfaces. Chassis rigidity doesn't feel any better or worse than the Asus ZenBook S or XPS 13, but its gold trims are arguably classier.
One thing we would improve is the rigidity of the hinges at certain angles. The lid falls over too easily once it reaches past 120 degrees which can be annoying when typing or transporting the laptop. This also doesn't give a good sense of longevity as the hinges will inevitably become weaker over time.
The system is larger and slightly heavier than the 13.3-inch Spectre x360 13 and so tablet mode is a bit more cumbersome to handle as a result. Of course, owners get a larger display in return without needing to opt for the even bigger Spectre x360 15. Note that the Dell XPS 13 9300 is smaller than our Spectre x360 14 in every dimension due in part to its smaller 13.4-inch 16:10 display.
Connectivity
Port options are identical to the Spectre x360 13 but with a couple of minor changes. Firstly, both the power button and camera kill switch are now directly on the keyboard instead of the rear corner or right edge of the chassis, respectively. Secondly, both USB-C ports now support Thunderbolt 4 in addition to Thunderbolt 3 for users who can take advantage of the extra bandwidth.
The corner USB-C port can feel a little weird at first. We would've preferred a USB-C port on both the left-hand and right-hand edges so users can charge the laptop on either side much like on the Razer Book 13.
SD Card Reader
SDCardreader Transfer Speed | |
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
HP Spectre x360 14t-ea000 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 microSDXC 32GB) | |
HP Spectre x360 13-aw0013dx (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 microSDXC 64GB) | |
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Asus Zenbook S UX393JA (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II) | |
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
HP Spectre x360 14t-ea000 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 microSDXC 32GB) | |
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II) | |
HP Spectre x360 13-aw0013dx (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 microSDXC 64GB) | |
Asus Zenbook S UX393JA (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II) |
Communication
Networking | |
iperf3 Client (receive) TCP 1 m 4M x10 | |
Asus Zenbook S UX393JA | |
HP Spectre x360 14t-ea000 | |
Huawei MateBook 14 2020 Intel | |
Lenovo Yoga 9i 14ITL5 | |
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7 | |
iperf3 Client (transmit) TCP 1 m 4M x10 | |
Huawei MateBook 14 2020 Intel | |
HP Spectre x360 14t-ea000 | |
Lenovo Yoga 9i 14ITL5 | |
Asus Zenbook S UX393JA | |
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7 |

Maintenance
The bottom panel is secured by two T5 Torx screws and four Philips screws hidden underneath the rear rubber feet. These latter screws are annoyingly difficult to access which can make simple SSD upgrades more involved than it needs to be. Both RAM and WLAN are soldered.
Accessories and Warranty
The retail packaging include a carrying sleeve and the HP MPP2.0 active pen free of charge. The standard one-year limited warranty applies with plenty of extension options if ordered directly from HP.com.
Input Devices
Keyboard
HP has some of the best laptop keyboards for its Spectre and EliteBook families. Feedback feels crisper and deeper for a more satisfying typing experience when compared to the oftentimes shallower and spongier keyboards on most other Ultrabooks. keys on the XPS 13 keyboard, for example, are shallower and with lighter input pressure. It all comes down to user preference, of course. We recommend testing out the keyboards on the Spectre x360 13 or 15 to get a good sense of what the Spectre x360 14 keyboard feels like.
Key layout is a mixed bag. The fingerprint reader in particular replaces the Ctrl key meaning users who have been relying on this key on other laptops will find the change annoying. Meanwhile, the power button takes slightly more force to depress than the surrounding keys to avoid accidental presses, but we would have preferred a fingerprint-enabled power button instead.
Touchpad
The clickpad is larger than the one on the Spectre x360 13 (11.5 x 7.4 cm vs. 11.1 x 5.6 cm) due to the longer length of the chassis. Texture is similarly smooth and with very little sticking when gliding at slow speeds for accurate cursor control. Clicking on the clickpad has a satisfying audible click even though feedback could have been firmer.
Display
The base LG Philips FHD panel is a high quality IPS panel worthy of the Spectre name. It excels in offering a very high contrast ratio of over 2500:1 compared to half that on most other flagship Ultrabooks. Black-white response times, however, are relatively slow for noticeable ghosting. Upgrading to the pricier OLED option will solve that problem completely.
HP offers 1000-nit brightness options to be at least two times brighter than anything from the Dell XPS, Lenovo Yoga, Microsoft Surface, or Asus ZenBook series. This feature is available only for the FHD IPS SKUs and it can also be found on certain EliteBook laptops. The base 400-nit option is otherwise sufficient if you mostly plan on using the convertible indoors as it's already brighter than the display on the Lenovo Yoga 9i.
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Brightness Distribution: 78 %
Center on Battery: 443.5 cd/m²
Contrast: 2609:1 (Black: 0.17 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 2.7 | 0.6-29.43 Ø5.7, calibrated: 2.61
ΔE Greyscale 3.4 | 0.64-98 Ø5.9
98.5% sRGB (Argyll 3D) 62.1% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 3D)
Gamma: 2.09
HP Spectre x360 14t-ea000 LG Philips LGD0663, IPS, 13.50, 1920x1280 | HP Spectre x360 13-aw0013dx AU Optronics AUO5E2D, IPS, 13.30, 1920x1080 | Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7 Sharp LQ134N1, IPS, 13.40, 1920x1200 | Huawei MateBook 14 2020 Intel TV140WTM-NH0, IPS LED, 14.00, 2160x1440 | Asus Zenbook S UX393JA AU Optronics B139KAN01.0, IPS, 13.90, 3300x2200 | Lenovo Yoga 9i 14ITL5 LG Display LP140WF9-SPE2, IPS, 14.00, 1920x1080 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Response Times | 5% | 25% | 41% | 6% | 12% | |
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 62 (32, 30) | 60.8 (26, 34.8) 2% | 47.6 (23.2, 24.4) 23% | 37.6 (18, 19.6) 39% | 56.4 (26.4, 30) 9% | 55.2 (26.8, 28.4) 11% |
Response Time Black / White * | 39.6 (21.6, 18) | 36.8 (15.6, 21.2) 7% | 29.2 (16, 13.2) 26% | 22.4 (11.6, 10.8) 43% | 38.8 (23.2, 15.6) 2% | 34.4 (18.8, 15.6) 13% |
PWM Frequency | 2500 (25) | 59520 (30) | ||||
Screen | -28% | 1% | -12% | -19% | -16% | |
Brightness middle | 443.5 | 447.4 1% | 549.8 24% | 458 3% | 444.1 0% | 365 -18% |
Brightness | 394 | 420 7% | 520 32% | 448 14% | 423 7% | 346 -12% |
Brightness Distribution | 78 | 85 9% | 86 10% | 89 14% | 89 14% | 82 5% |
Black Level * | 0.17 | 0.31 -82% | 0.39 -129% | 0.25 -47% | 0.37 -118% | 0.23 -35% |
Contrast | 2609 | 1443 -45% | 1410 -46% | 1832 -30% | 1200 -54% | 1587 -39% |
Colorchecker DeltaE2000 * | 2.7 | 4.23 -57% | 2.12 21% | 3.4 -26% | 2.94 -9% | 3.65 -35% |
Colorchecker DeltaE2000 max. * | 4.36 | 9.34 -114% | 3.66 16% | 6.7 -54% | 7.37 -69% | 6.69 -53% |
Colorchecker DeltaE2000 calibrated * | 2.61 | 1.32 49% | 1.37 48% | 1.7 35% | 3.05 -17% | 1.61 38% |
Greyscale DeltaE2000 * | 3.4 | 6.1 -79% | 2.6 24% | 4.9 -44% | 2.9 15% | 4 -18% |
Gamma | 2.09 105% | 2.11 104% | 2.3 96% | 2.16 102% | 2.1 105% | 2.33 94% |
CCT | 6144 106% | 6136 106% | 6884 94% | 7704 84% | 6766 96% | 6873 95% |
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 62.1 | 64.8 4% | 65.4 5% | 63.5 2% | 78.2 26% | 60.1 -3% |
Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 98.5 | 98.9 0% | 99.7 1% | 99.1 1% | 99.8 1% | 93.9 -5% |
Total Average (Program / Settings) | -12% /
-23% | 13% /
4% | 15% /
-4% | -7% /
-15% | -2% /
-12% |
* ... smaller is better
Color temperature is slightly too warm out of the box which our X-Rite colorimeter is able to address. RGB balance is merely average even after calibrating the panel ourselves.
Display Response Times
↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
---|---|---|
39.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 21.6 ms rise | |
↘ 18 ms fall | ||
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.8 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 96 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (24.3 ms). | ||
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
62 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 32 ms rise | |
↘ 30 ms fall | ||
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.8 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 96 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (38.5 ms). |
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
Screen flickering / PWM not detected | |||
In comparison: 51 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 9686 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 142900) Hz was measured. |
Outdoor visibility is about the same as the Spectre x360 13 or Asus ZenBook S since they all have similar maximum brightness levels. The higher contrast ratio of the Spectre x360 14 display, however, helps to mitigate washed out colors by just a bit when under sunlight. Glare is otherwise almost unavoidable. We recommend the 1000-nit option if outdoor visibility is priority.
Performance
The 11th gen Tiger Lake Core i7-1165G7 directly replaces last year's 10th gen Ice Lake Core i7-1065G7. Unlike the Envy series, there are unfortunately no AMD options available on this Spectre since it is an Intel Evo-certified laptop. The Spectre would lose its Evo certification if it came equipped with AMD options.
We set our unit to Performance mode via HP Command Center prior to running any performance tests below for the highest possible scores. We recommend owners become familiar with Command Center since it includes manufacturer-specific performance and network controls.
Processor
Much like on the Dell XPS 13 9310 with the same Core i7-1165G7 CPU, processor performance can be unsteady when running high loads for long periods as clock rates will cycle to keep core temperatures in check. However, the amplitude and range at which clock rates cycle on the HP is tighter than on the Dell for a more predictable level of performance. Our CineBench R15 xT loop test below illustrates this as our Spectre 14 would generally score between 770 and 820 points compared to 620 and 750 points on the XPS 13. The HP system is seemingly better at sustaining both tighter and faster clock rates than the Dell as a result.
Raw multi-thread performance is about 20 to 40 percent faster than the Core i7-1065G7 in the Spectre x360 13. Some laptops with the same Core i7-1165G7 CPU are able to run even faster like the Razer Book 13.
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender 2.79: BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 -mmt1 | 7z b 4
Geekbench 5.3: 64 Bit Single-Core Score | 64 Bit Multi-Core Score
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
Geekbench 5.3 / 64 Bit Single-Core Score | |
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7 (1265 - 1595, n=23) | |
HP Spectre x360 14t-ea000 | |
Lenovo Yoga 9i 14ITL5 | |
Asus Zenbook S UX393JA | |
Huawei MateBook 14 2020 Intel | |
Asus ZenBook 14 UX434FL-DB77 | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14ARE05 82A20008GE |
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14ARE05 82A20008GE | |
Lenovo Yoga 9i 14ITL5 | |
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7 | |
HP Spectre x360 14t-ea000 | |
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7 (1.39 - 8.47, n=22) | |
HP Envy x360 13-ay0359ng | |
Dell XPS 13 7390 Core i7-10710U | |
Asus ZenBook 14 UX434FL-DB77 | |
Huawei MateBook 14 2020 Intel | |
Asus Zenbook S UX393JA | |
HP Envy x360 13-ar0601ng |
LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF | |
HP Envy x360 13-ay0359ng | |
Asus ZenBook 14 UX434FL-DB77 | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14ARE05 82A20008GE | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE | |
HP Spectre x360 14t-ea000 | |
Huawei MateBook 14 2020 Intel | |
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7 (42.2 - 88.1, n=21) | |
Lenovo Yoga 9i 14ITL5 | |
Asus Zenbook S UX393JA |
R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean | |
Asus ZenBook 14 UX434FL-DB77 | |
Asus Zenbook S UX393JA | |
Huawei MateBook 14 2020 Intel | |
HP Envy x360 13-ay0359ng | |
Lenovo Yoga 9i 14ITL5 | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 14ARE05 82A20008GE | |
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7-14ARE | |
HP Spectre x360 14t-ea000 | |
Average Intel Core i7-1165G7 (0.553 - 1.002, n=22) |
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender 2.79: BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 -mmt1 | 7z b 4
Geekbench 5.3: 64 Bit Single-Core Score | 64 Bit Multi-Core Score
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
* ... smaller is better
System Performance
PCMark 10 results are where we expect them to be relative to other laptops with the same Core i7-1165G7 CPU. The HP system edges out ahead of Ultrabooks sporting older generation CPUs like the Asus Zenbook S or Spectre x360 13.
We experienced no software or hardware issues with our test unit save for an interesting Smart Sense observation that we will note in our Power Consumption section below.
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 4409 points | |
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 3039 points | |
PCMark 10 Score | 4955 points | |
Help |
DPC Latency
DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
Asus Zenbook S UX393JA | |
HP Spectre x360 14t-ea000 | |
Lenovo Yoga 9i 14ITL5 | |
Huawei MateBook 14 2020 Intel |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices
Our unit ships with the Samsung PM981a which is a high-end PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSD. Running DiskSpd Read in a loop shows that the motherboard interface is able to utilize the high x4 transfer rates of the SSD. Optane options are available much like on the Spectre x360 13, but most office users will be just fine without it.
See our table of SSDs and HDDs for more comparisons.
HP Spectre x360 14t-ea000 Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ | Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7 Toshiba BG4 KBG40ZPZ512G | Huawei MateBook 14 2020 Intel Lite-On CA5-8D512 | Asus Zenbook S UX393JA Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8 | Lenovo Yoga 9i 14ITL5 Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB256HBHQ | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
AS SSD | -80% | -2% | -27% | -21% | |
Copy Game MB/s | 1724.84 | 926.53 -46% | 1411.35 -18% | 1257.67 -27% | |
Copy Program MB/s | 919.95 | 560.31 -39% | 599.57 -35% | 521.87 -43% | |
Copy ISO MB/s | 1644.15 | 1292.6 -21% | 1458.83 -11% | 1962.17 19% | |
Score Total | 3970 | 2583 -35% | 3059 -23% | 2251 -43% | 1822 -54% |
Score Write | 2063 | 388 -81% | 1328 -36% | 1071 -48% | 660 -68% |
Score Read | 1282 | 1472 15% | 1206 -6% | 781 -39% | 802 -37% |
Access Time Write * | 0.076 | 0.625 -722% | 0.028 63% | 0.118 -55% | 0.058 24% |
Access Time Read * | 0.055 | 0.069 -25% | 0.046 16% | 0.041 25% | 0.052 5% |
4K-64 Write | 1807.55 | 208.96 -88% | 1099.21 -39% | 840.34 -54% | 398.47 -78% |
4K-64 Read | 1010.09 | 1252.59 24% | 856.15 -15% | 589.76 -42% | 531.43 -47% |
4K Write | 123.69 | 67.02 -46% | 147.65 19% | 124.93 1% | 180.04 46% |
4K Read | 53.52 | 39.7 -26% | 56.58 6% | 50.76 -5% | 53.18 -1% |
Seq Write | 1319.57 | 1125.2 -15% | 810.46 -39% | 1061.64 -20% | 812.74 -38% |
Seq Read | 2187.57 | 1801.35 -18% | 2933.05 34% | 1405.04 -36% | 2177.45 0% |
CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6 | -10% | 25% | -12% | 4% | |
Write 4K | 82.21 | 106.7 30% | 161.8 97% | 129.5 58% | 139.6 70% |
Read 4K | 45.7 | 49.94 9% | 60.59 33% | 53.98 18% | 37.3 -18% |
Write Seq | 2000 | 1223 -39% | 2209 10% | 1265 -37% | 1827 -9% |
Read Seq | 2206 | 1801 -18% | 2473 12% | 1410 -36% | 2253 2% |
Write 4K Q32T1 | 451.2 | 325.3 -28% | 514 14% | 420.3 -7% | 467.9 4% |
Read 4K Q32T1 | 351 | 550.5 57% | 585.6 67% | 357.7 2% | 366.7 4% |
Write Seq Q32T1 | 2982 | 1224 -59% | 2205 -26% | 1799 -40% | 2349 -21% |
Read Seq Q32T1 | 3529 | 2350 -33% | 3352 -5% | 1616 -54% | 3540 0% |
Total Average (Program / Settings) | -45% /
-55% | 12% /
10% | -20% /
-22% | -9% /
-12% |
* ... smaller is better
Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
GPU Performance
Graphics performance is excellent and towards the higher-end of the spectrum when compared to other laptops with the same GPU. 3DMark scores are notably well above the GeForce MX350 by about 30 percent, but real-world games will still run faster on the Nvidia GPU more often than not due to its more mature game-ready drivers.
Frame rates when gaming on the Spectre 14 tend to fluctuate due to the fluctuating clock rates when under stressful conditions. When idling on Witcher 3 on the lowest settings, for example, frame rates would constantly cycle between 80 and 95 FPS instead of remaining constant as shown by our graph below. This behavior is similar to the XPS 13 albeit it is even more pronounced on Dell's machine. We explore this further in our Stress Test section.
See our dedicated page on the Iris Xe 96 EUs for more technical information and benchmarks.
3DMark 11 Performance | 7067 points | |
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 17116 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Score | 4769 points | |
3DMark Time Spy Score | 1718 points | |
Help |