HP’s CES 2017 kicked off with the unveiling of a new convertible Elitebook x360 and refreshed Spectre x360. As the name implies, the Elitebook x360 adopts the folding hinge from the Spectre; while the Spectre x360 now comes with a 15-inch display.
As has always been the case with the Elitebook family, the Elitebook x360 is an enterprise grade machine designed for professionals. HP claims that it will run for about 16 and a half hours without recharging to cater to people who spend most of the day out of the office.
Beneath the hood, the Elitebook x360 runs on an Intel Core i5 processor paired with up to 16GB RAM. Storage comes in the form of various SSDs, but ranges all the way up to the relatively uncommon 360GB model. Connectivity ports, on the other hand, are limited by the size of the 13.3-inch machine. These come in a single Thunderbolt 3, two USB 3.1 ports, and one HDMI 1.4 port. That being said, it still includes a microSD card reader.
HP is offering quite a range of display options for the Elitebook x360; even more than it has options for processors. These start from a regular FHD display with Corning Gorilla Glass, all the way up to a 4K Touch-enabled screen.
The Spectre x360 also receives a makeover, and is now featured with a 15.6-inch display. This is quite a change from the much smaller 13.3-inch display of its predecessor, although the extra space gives HP more room to play with.
At it’s heart, the new 15.6-inch Spectre x360 still has the same Intel Core i5-7500U as the smaller model. Storage is also kept the same with a 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD, while the two USB Type-C (one with Thunderbolt 3 support), single USB 3.0, and HDMI port are retained.
That being said, the new Spectre x360 fits twice as much RAM as its smaller brother; and now packs 16GB of it. HP has also fitted the machine with a discrete GPU. This is only an Nvidia GeForce 940MX, which feels a little last generation and somewhat underpowered.
The HP EliteBook x360 is expected to be available at the end of January 2017 for $1499 (about RM6700). Those who are impatient can pre-order it starting from 3 January on HP.com. The HP Spectre x360 15.6-inch is expected to be available 26 February, 2017 starting at $1279.99 (about RM5700).
