HP Spectre 13 Is World's Thinnest Laptop
HP recently introduced a new laptop, the 13.3-inch HP Spectre or HP Spectre 13. It's only 10.4 mm (0.41 inches) thick or as thick as an AAA battery, which makes it currently the thinnest laptop in the world.
The new HP Spectre beats the 12-inch MacBook, MacBook Air, Dell XPS 13, and Razer Blade Stealth when it comes to thinness. Apple's 12-inch MacBook is 0.52 inches thin, while its MacBook Air is 0.68 inches thin. The Dell XPS 13, meanwhile, is 0.59 inches thin and the Razer Blade Stealth is 0.52 inches thin.
In what appears to be HP's attempt at a modern MacBook Air, the Spectre is dressed in dark gray aluminium with lightweight carbon fiber at the bottom and bronze accent along its edge. HP also did away with its circle logo for its newest laptop and used instead a new, angular logo which looks much sharper.
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Opening the laptop reveals a curved, open arced hinge, reminiscent of cabinet door hinges. HP's Vice President of Consumer PCs Mike Nash says this particular design element takes inspiration from cabinetry or the high end furniture department. On either side of the chiclet-style keyboard are the laptop's speakers with a repeating-triangle or lacelike design.
Time believes HP Spectre's simple and premium design makes it a potential competitor to Apple's product.
The HP Spectre boasts a 1,080p display, 8 GB RAM, and 256 of storage. It is powered by a either a Core i5 or a Core i7, processors consumers would typically find in the MacBook Air or an ultrabook. However, Nash told The Verge it's something their customers want.
"We know that. We've seen Apple do that," he says. "But our customers want Core i, and I'm here to tell you today we pulled it off."
The Core M chip is usually what powers laptops of HP Spectre's size because although it's slower it doesn't get as hot and provides space for a smaller battery. Speaking of heat and battery issues, HP used a heat pipe to handle the former and a thin unit for the latter. The heat pipe sucks in air and distributes it away from the processor. Two fans also help push out the heat. As for the battery, HP claims it can deliver up to 9.5 hours, which is lower than the MacBook Air's 12 hours but still considered to be good. HP placed three USB Type-C ports and a 3.5 mm headphone jack, all of which can be used to charge the laptop, output video, or transfer data.
The HP Spectre 13 will be available for pre-order starting at $1,169.99 on April 25 with shipping date estimated to be in May. Those who prefer to buy it personally can get the laptop at Best Buy stores on May 22 for $1,249.99.
