The New MacBook is widely regarded as one of the thinnest laptops in the world, but to get there Apple made plenty of compromises with a nearly travel less keyboard and only one port. Now HP is saying nuts to that with an even thinner Envy 13 notebook packing Intel Core i7 power and no less than four full-sized USB 3.0 ports.
Like its bigger brothers in the Envy family, this 13.3-inch laptop comes wrapped entirely in aluminum. Likewise, it also features a rear hinge, which bends past the edge of the laptop to act as a sort of stand when the screen is open.
Measuring only 12.98mm thin, it even gives the 13.1mm thick New MacBook a run for its money with 10 hours of battery life to boot. Despite having such a thin profile, this slim notebook has a full complement of four USB 3.0 ports, plus a full-sized HDMI port and SD-card reader.
The HP Envy 13 can be outfitted with either a full-HD monitor or a 4K screen and up to an Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 processors. Users will also be able to configure their system with up to 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.
The only drawback, is the Envy 13 has a rather generous footprint that's substantially larger than a 13-inch MacBook Pro. Still we can't wait to get our hands on it for review and it will arrive to shelves on October 18 for $849 (about £557, AU$1,186).
HP Spectre x2
The Surface Pro 4 wasn't the only hot, new tablet-laptop on the block. HP has also announced a new convertible slate of its own with the Spectre x2.
Rocking a 12.5-inch screen, this thin and light tablet puts a heavy emphasis on style with an all metal body and and even the magnetic keyboard accessory.
Rather than going with a flimsy cloth keyboard, HP has opted for a much stronger typing peripheral machined from a single sheet of aluminum. What's more, the keyboard cover is also equipped with two speakers that amplify the sound pumping out of the tablet's two built-in tweeters.
Internally, the HP Spectre x2 comes equipped with 6th generation Intel Skylake Core m processors for a thin, fanless design. However, you'll be able to pack this slate with plenty including 512GB of flash storage space and up to 8GB of RAM.
The Spectre x2 will be available beginning on November 8 starting at $799 (about £526, AU$1,137) with the keyboard cover included – unlike one certain Microsoft tablet.
HP Spectre x360 special edition
Last but not least, the HP Spectre x360 is getting a B&O Play limited edition run just as the EliteBook Folio 1020 G1 did before it.
Along with the special ash silver and copper paint job, HP has updated this limited edition version of the Spectre x360 with 6th generation Intel Skylake processors. Given how much we liked the regular HP Spectre x360, we'll probably this new version if it has even better performance and battery life.
HP claims its new convertible will last up to 12 hours even when equipped with a 4K display. We'll just have to put these numbers to the test when we update our review.
Until then you'll have to wait for the HP Spectre x360 limited edition to release on November 8 for $1,299 (about £852, AU$1,811).
- Microsoft has gotten into the laptop game with the Surface Book
