CES 2017 | New 2017 HP Spectre x360 15 is now thicker and more powerful

The 15.6-inch Skylake Spectre x360 15 is already quite large for a 2-in-1 convertible, so it was only logical to expect the eventual Kaby Lake update to be thinner and lighter. HP has thrown us a curve ball as the new and upcoming Kaby Lake Spectre x360 15 is not only thicker, but will have a shorter battery life than its outgoing predecessor.

If this sounds like a downgrade, don't fret - the manufacturer has a very good reason for the changes. All 2017 Spectre x360 15 SKUs will come with dedicated GeForce 940MX graphics and 4K UHD displays. Integrated-only GPUs or FHD screens will not be an option this time around. In turn, the bezel is now narrower for a smaller footprint similar to the recent Spectre x360 13, so the increase in thickness should be offset by the smaller length and width.

Initial specifications include:

• 15.6-inch 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) touchscreen, 72 percent NTSC
• Intel 7th generation ULV Core i7 Kaby Lake CPU options
• Nvidia GeForce GT 940MX w/ 2 GB GDDR5 VRAM
• Up to 1 TB NVMe SSD
• 17.89 mm thickness (compared to 16 mm on the 2016 model)
• 2 kg (compared to 1.8 kg on the 2016 model)
• 1x HDMI, 1x USB 3.0, 2x USB Type-C (1x gen.1, 1x Thunderbolt 3)

The dedicated GPU should greatly improve system performance as the weak integrated Intel GPU was a major complaint in our review of the Skylake Spectre x360 15. The new Spectre will also be compatible with active styluses to be sold separately from HP.

The new system launches on February 26 with prices starting at $1280 USD through HP.com. Ash Silver is currently the only color available.

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