HP Spectre x360 15 AMOLED review: a 2-in-1 with a bright and pixel-dense 4K screen, but not as fast as other laptops, has average battery life, abysmal trackpad
Dan Seifert / The Verge :
Context & Ripple Effects
This review extends a long-running arc on HP's premium Spectre line: the 2016 x360 was named best premium Windows laptop largely on design and battery life, while the leather-clad Spectre Folio drew fire months ago for a horrible trackpad. The new 15-inch AMOLED model repeats both halves of that pattern — a standout display paired with another subpar pointing device.
It also rhymes with history outside HP: the Toshiba Radius 12 made the same trade in 2015, pairing a gorgeous 4K panel with poor battery life. Dense high-resolution screens in thin convertibles have consistently cost runtime, and this review suggests that trade still hasn't been solved four years later.
First-order effects
- Buyers choosing between HP's two current Spectre convertibles face a stark split: the smaller x360 13 wins on performance and battery life, while the 15 offers the brighter, denser AMOLED panel at the cost of speed and runtime.
- HP's own lineup now contains two consecutive products — the Folio and this x360 15 — reviewed with bottom-tier trackpads, a direct quality problem for anyone buying the brand at premium prices.
Second-order effects
- Rivals with strong input hardware, such as Microsoft's Surface Laptop 2 with its excellent trackpad, gain a concrete talking point against HP in premium Windows comparisons where specs otherwise run close.
- Panel suppliers pushing AMOLED into laptops will see the battery-life penalty documented again, giving OEMs a reason to pair high-refresh or high-density panels with larger batteries rather than thinner chassis.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds across the Spectre line, HP risks its flagship brand being defined by display excellence and input-device mediocrity — the exact inverse of what premium buyers cite when paying up.
- The recurring 4K-versus-battery tradeoff points toward display efficiency, not just capacity, becoming the deciding engineering battleground for thin-and-light convertibles as resolution keeps climbing.
The trend: Premium Windows convertibles are competing increasingly on display quality while trackpads and battery life remain the persistent weak points reviewers keep flagging across vendors.