HP Spectre x360 13.3" Full HD 2-in-1 Touchscreen Notebook, Intel Core i7-5500U 2.4GHz, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, Windows 8.1, Silver, Refurbished by HP

2016-05-30T19:10:47

One of the best computers I have owned. Looks sharp, is light, excellent screen quality, highly responsive touchscreen and a fantastic keyboard. I am a professional who uses this machine for like 10 hours a day.

Dhawal S.

2016-02-17T18:55:09

The first one I received was a dud, refurbished meaning it had a nick on the side, the motherboard was dead, and it didn't boot. Meaning I got unlucky. Sent it back for a replacement and bingo. These things are like a hit or miss. This one is like new, and works perfectly. Got it on sale for 700, and this is worth the price for its performance. The cpu gets hot if you run it on high performance, so I recommend tweaking the hp power plan to lower the cpu so it doesen't get hot. Not a graphics buff laptop, but it can do simple games and editing. Build quality is super solid, feels tough in the hand, but it is scratchable so be careful. Battery is amazing, top of the line, ranging max 10.5 hrs. Use it more as a laptop, than other modes, but it is good. Might want to get cheap keyboard cover to better see the keys and a matte screen protector so it is easier to see.

Ian S.

2015-11-09T11:24:36

I have been using an Asus ul30a (early ultrabook, 3.5 lbs. and still gets 5~6 hrs of battery) for 5 years and 8 months now, but it's beginning to hiccup, so I began the search for a worthy replacement and decided on the Spectre x360. I had been looking for a good sale for the i5 version, for which I would've paid $ retail, when I saw Adorama offering this i7 refurb for only $, so I jumped on the deal. I opened the box and it looked just like a new machine! The build quality is sleek and feels very sturdy and premium compared to the plastic models offered by other brands. You can hold it from the corner of the base or the screen and not worry about it breaking. It is 3.2 lbs., but it's so thin that it doesn't feel at all bulky in the hand. The engineers did an excellent job designing this. However, one of the first things I noticed was that the fan was constantly on and that the left back side of the base got exceptionally warm when not much was running, which would've been a dealbreaker for me had I not been able to fix this in the settings. Changing the battery settings to power saver mode (and adjusting a few other settings since I was in the panel anyway) made it so that I wouldn't be able to tell that it's on most of the time unless the screen is on, and the body stays so cool that my hands get almost cold resting on the touchpad! The CPU is throttled a bit in these settings, but I prefer the cool and quiet, plus the battery now lasts about 10.5 hours and performance is still very good. The i3 and i5 may be able to run on the default power mode without the fan going crazy, and it probably gets better battery life, but overall, the workarounds are worth the $250+ I saved. Mine came with Windows 8.1 installed, but I just upgraded to Windows 10 yesterday by downloading the install file directly from the Microsoft website. 8.1 started in no time, but 10 is a bit slower (probably 10-15 seconds), though it should speed up once it gets used to the upgrade. It will probably be faster once I do a clean install. Other than the moderate decrease in speed, the layout and functionality of Windows 10 fits my workflow much better than 8.1 did. You can always try it out and go back (with a few clicks of a button if within 28 days of upgrading or with a clean install if you make a bootable recovery usb for Windows 8.1) if you don't like it. The touchpad is huge but the Synaptics control panel gives lots of options for customizing things like scrolling, tapping, and clicking to use every inch if you want. After using it about a week, I like it a lot. The keyboard is fine, though typing on it is not quite as comfortable as on my Asus. The FHD screen is beautiful and clear and I can't imagine that the upgraded QHD screen would look much better. Overall, I'm very happy with the unit I received. It just took a little tweaking to get everything just right. I would definitely recommend this computer, though unless you need an i7 or get a huge discount, the i5 version or even the i3 might require less adjustment and cost less. If you're thinking about buying this and want a lot more information, I found the forum at Notebook Review to be very useful. http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/hp-spectre-x360.772405/

Ashley M.

2015-11-03T17:35:35

Was looking for a ultrabook under 1000 and ideally under 3 lbs. For what I was getting on this deal for just 0.2 lbs over my preference I decided to give this a try. The metal finish of the laptop is very good. The display is very nice also. The backlight keyboard is also impressive. The tablet feels very responsive and fast. I don;t really do any gaming. I use it for lightroom, to watch movies and browse the web. It does these things without any lag. The battery life definitely lasts me around 10hrs for browsing and using word. If I watch videos would be a little less. I have absolutely no complaints with the laptop. The other laptop I was considering was ux305 but for what I was getting with this decided on this.

VAMSI P.

2015-10-28T10:12:39

Battery life is a sham, or there is a large crop of defective batteries. I bought the refurb here, and I get about four hours with the screen turned down and settings in Windows 10 optimized for better batter life. If I close the lid with a full battery and leave it overnight, it's DEAD in the morning. Even in power saving mode. Terrible. A quick search online reveals many, many others with the same problem (and other reviewers here as well). Don't advertise a computer with 12 hours of battery life which actually only gets 4 - 5 at best!

Aaron L.