HP introduces new Specter convertibles with Meteor Lake CPUs
At the CES in Las Vegas, HP is showing new laptops and convertibles based on an Intel Meteor Lake processor. The Specter x360 14 and 16 convertibles also have a new housing, a 9-megapixel webcam and a 120Hz OLED screen.
The new generation Specter x360 convertibles are equipped with an Intel Meteor Lake processor from the powerful H-series. The 16″ model is only available with the sixteen-core Core Ultra 7-155H CPU; the 14″ laptop can also have a Core Ultra 5-125H processor with fourteen cores. Only the 16″ laptop can be optionally equipped with an Nvidia Geforce RTX 4050. Both laptops have 16 or 32GB Lpddr5x RAM, an SSD with a capacity of 512GB to 2TB and Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7.
The pair of Specter x360 convertibles will be available with an OLED touchscreen with 2880×1800 pixels, although you can optionally order the 16″ model with an IPS touchscreen with 2560×1600 pixels. The previous Specter x360 16 2-in-1 also had a 16: 10 aspect ratio, but the old 14″ model had a 3:2 aspect ratio. The panels in the new generation of Specter x360 convertibles support a 120Hz refresh rate, instead of 60Hz in the previous generation. The screen can drop the refresh rate to 48Hz to save power. HP also promises a maximum brightness of 500cd/m² in HDR mode and full DCI-P3 coverage.
Compared to the previous generation of Specter x360 convertibles, the new Specter x360 14 and 16 also have a new housing with less pointed corners. HP has omitted the microSD card reader on the new series, but otherwise the connections remain the same: two USB-C connections with Thunderbolt 4, one USB-A port and a 3.5mm headphone jack, with a 16″ model also has an HDMI port. The housings are still made of aluminum and partly consist of recycled material. Both Specter x360 convertibles have a haptic touchpad, with vibration motors instead of physical buttons. Also new is the sound system with four speakers and the 9-megapixel webcam, which should offer improved image quality in low ambient light thanks to 4-in-1 pixel binning. You can log in using facial recognition as well as a fingerprint scanner in the power button.
Both Specter convertibles are now available in the US with a starting price of $1,499 for the 14″ model and $1,599 for the 16″ version. Recommended retail prices and availability for the Benelux are not yet known.
In addition to the luxury Specter laptops, HP also promises to soon equip its Pavilion series with Intel Meteor Lake processors. For example, in a presentation prior to CES, the brand speaks of refreshed Pavilion Plus 14 and 16 laptops, which should be released this month and in April respectively. Even fewer luxury HP laptops that aren’t called Pavilion will be released with Meteor Lake CPUs from March.