HP’s latest 2-in-1 convertible is improved, but doesn’t match up to the Surface Pro

Imitation is a form of flattery. Great artists steal. You can choose whatever cliché you prefer, but the truth of the matter is that many of the products we use today are copies of, or at least inspired by, something that came before it. In the laptop world, Apple’s MacBook Air was the inspiration for countless Windows laptops for more than half a decade. In more recent times, Microsoft’s Surface Pro lineup has been the muse by which many PC makers have designed their two-in-one devices.

HP’s Spectre x2 is one of those devices. It’s a detachable two-in-one tablet that purports to replace your laptop. The x2 is basically HP’s take on the Surface, and it borrows many ideas and features from Microsoft. The latest version, which came out this summer, is closer to the Surface than ever before: HP upgraded the display and changed its shape to match the Surface; the speakers have been moved to the front bezel of the screen; and the whole package is thinner and lighter than before.

The main area where HP differs from Microsoft is in pricing: at $1,299.99, as tested, the Spectre x2 offers a more powerful processor and more storage than the Surface Pro. And unlike the Surface, which doesn’t include a keyboard or pen, the Spectre x2 includes both items in the box. A comparably equipped Surface Pro will run close to $1,830 when you add in the keyboard and pen, making the real-world cost difference between the two devices a not insignificant $500.

That’s a big price gulf, so unless HP really dropped the ball with the Spectre x2, it seems like the obvious choice, right? After using the Spectre x2 for over a month, and comparing it directly with the new Surface Pro, I’m not so sure that it is.

The Spectre x2 looks like an obvious clone of the Surface Pro, but it has a more understated, business-like appearance. In place of the light gray frame and colorful, fabric-covered keyboards of the Surface, the x2 is a dark charcoal with a matching dark textured keyboard cover. The only pop in the design is the shiny coppery-gold HP logo and kickstand on the back.

At 1.68 pounds (2.49 pounds with the keyboard attached), and 7.7mm thick, the x2 is right in line with the size and weight of other computers in this class. It’s a very portable and light laptop replacement, but it’s still a bit heavy and unwieldy as a tablet. The kickstand is rigid and sturdy and the keyboard snaps to the bottom of the tablet in the same manner as Microsoft’s. This makes it no worse on the lap than the Surface Pro, but it’s no better either. HP’s kickstand design is a little better when pushed down to its full 165-degree range, and it is more stable to write on than Microsoft’s when using a pen on the screen.

The x2’s display is very similar in size, resolution, and shape to the Surface Pro’s. It’s a 12.3-inch, 3000 x 2000 pixel panel with a 3:2 aspect ratio and pixel density of 293 PPI. I love the squarer shape; it allows for more of a website or document to be displayed without scrolling compared to a wider, 16:9 display, and it’s easier to get work done on it as a result. The screen’s brightness (32 percent brighter than the prior model) and viewing angles are also excellent.

HP trimmed some of the bezel surrounding the display compared to the earlier x2, but it’s still large and I’d love to see it reduced further. I have the same complaint with the bezel on the Surface Pro and on similar computers from Samsung and others: once you get used to the lack of bezels on an Dell XPS 13 or other laptop, you want them on every computer you use.

On each side of the x2 is a USB Type-C port; there’s not even one on Microsoft’s computer. Neither jack supports Thunderbolt 3, but either one can be used for charging or outputting to an external display. The x2 lacks a standard-size USB port — the only other connection is a headphone jack in the upper left corner — so you’ll have to use adapters and dongles to connect most peripherals to it. (A USB C to A adapter does come in the box.) The lack of USB ports doesn’t surprise me too much — it’s definitely in line with 2017 laptop trends — but I wish they weren’t mounted so high up on the frame, which makes anything plugged into them hang from the side of the computer in an unsightly manner.