Surface Clone - HP Spectre 12 x2 - Wow

[nogridbag]

How anyone seen the HP Spectre 12 x2? Pcworld has a very good early look at it here:

HP Spectre 12 X2 hands-on: Surface Pro-like performance without the Surface Pro price

Loved the SP4 keyboard, but the HP Spectre might be better...!

Key points:

• Looks extremely similar to a Surface
• The kickstand is a U shape so more space is available for internal components
• The keyboard:
  • All metal on the input side, Surface-like fabric on the rear for grip - looks great!
  • Included in the price
  • 1.5mm key-travel
  • Attaches exactly like the Surface
• 4G LTE included (Verizon only?)
• Core M processors (m3-m7)
• Two USB-C ports (one on each side)
• IPS display - Lower resolution (1920x1280 - 3:2 ratio)
  • Large bezels
• Cheap price ($800 for m3, 128gb storage, 4gb memory, and keyboard)
• Wacom stylus optional ($50)
  • No magnetic connector
• Weight:
  • 1.84 lbs (tablet)
  • 2.68 lbs (tablet and keyboard)

What do you guys think?

 

[daniielrp]

This bit was kind of hilarious:

(Talking about the Kickstand):

HP said it did this to mostly increase battery life; the U-shape means it doesn’t have to mill more material out of the back of the body. That maybe only 1 or 2 millimeters, but that extra space can be dedicated to more cooling or a bigger battery. For the record, the Surface Pro 3 is about 9.1mm thick and packs a 42.2 watt hour battery. The Spectre is 8mm and also packs a 42 watt hour battery.

...So they said they used that ugly looking kickstand so there was more space for battery, but then made the whole thing thinner and used the same size battery? Derp!

 

[benjitek]

Looks functional, especially the keyboard, which looks a lot better to type on than a Type Cover. Doesn't look very lap-able. The giant HP logo casts a veil of fugly over it -- they could use some rebranding, starting with a logo comprised of something other than 2 capital letters. Prefer the Surface Pro's kickstand, which is highly engineered compared to a u-shaped piece of metal. Makes me wish even more that my SP2 had more than 1 USB port.

Pricing is more in line with what a SP+keyboard should be. Nice to see the market segment getting some attention, though I doubt the HP will break any sales records.

 

[GreyFox7]

X2 1.84 lbs ugh. SP3 is 1.76, SP4 1.73 or 1.69 for Core m.
That Kickstand... looks cheesy.
Core m processors only, less performance range.
No RealSense front camera so no Windows Hello.
RealSense camera on the back means you can do other nifty tricks, like make 3D scans of objects.

"The RealSense camera in back of Dell’s Venue 8 7000 tablet lets you use the camera as a ruler. Unfortunately, the last time I tried it, it was mostly good just for parlor tricks."​

+1 @daniielrp and not only did they use the same size battery but it's heavier and only uses Core m processors.

It's passible but the weight weighs it down. Props for the 2 USB-C ports but no DP or Hdmi and you have to charge with one of the USB-C ports so in the end it's not really an improvement.

Overall it's cheaper with lower specs. Which is exactly what we've come to expect from the hardware vendor establishment, they are always looking to give you the lowest common denominator. Microsoft will have to continue setting the example by showing them what they should be doing.

 

[leeshor]

Thread moved to vs others.

 

[vxm]

Stand looks weak and fragile, I'm sceptic about it holding tablet and my hand few hours per day. Plus, it's HP- would you like Surface-like device from company that's main PC is called Pavulon?

 

[jrioux]

Hummm... it looks like the HP is a deal for folks who want LTE and a bigger tablet. As the article points out, the m3 Spectre 12 x2 costs costs less than an S3 with 128 GB, keyboard and LTE. However, it almost weighs half a pound more than the S3.

It's also $230 less than the base SP4 with keyboard, but the SP4 also give you a pen, which is worth less than the HP's included LTE.

 

[FlatSurface]

What about battery life? Better/worse than the SP4?