Introduction

     If you find yourself unsatisfied with your current laptop or in the need for a new one, then the brand-new HP Spectre x360 13 may just be for you. Like the previous Spectre laptops, the new Spectre x360 13 comes in a variety of prices and specs, but all of them have gone through some pretty significant upgrades.

     What upgrades, you may ask? Allow me to lay out everything HP has upgraded and tweaked since the previous Spectre 13.

The Upgrades

     Let’s start with the display, the one thing you’ll be staring at for 99% of your time with the laptop.

     While the 1080p display hasn’t seen much of an improvement over previous revisions, the 4K display has. In fact, I think “improvement” is an understatement.

     The old LED 4K display has been replaced by an OLED 4K display, meaning the 4K display will be on par with many high-end 4K TVs when concerning color reproduction/accuracy.

     That’s not all, though! Because of the upgrade to OLED, the 4K display will incorporate True Black HDR–another improvement bridging the gap between the display and other 4K TVs.

     When it comes to the improvements HP made, it’s clear that the display is the magnum opus. These improvements certainly make the high price tag easier to swallow.

     But there are still more improvements, and most of them concern security, which is what I’ll be focusing on. If you’re interested in the numerous, not-as-significant upgrades such as CPU/GPU upgrades, feel free to take a look at the press release for the laptop, which can be found on HP’s website.

     Now, without further ado, let’s discuss the security improvements, which make up a bulk of the press release.

     The webcam and microphone have been significantly improved security-wise. The webcam on the new Spectre 13 is connected to what HP calls their “HP Kill-Switch”, which is, unsurprisingly, just a regular kill-switch. With the kill-switch, you’ll be able to turn the webcam off and on at your discretion, which saves you from the constant paranoia whenever you stare at the webcam.

     The microphone didn’t receive as luxurious of an upgrade, but what it did receive is good enough. The new Spectre 13 will sport a dedicated mute button for the microphone, including an LED indicator to show you whether the microphone is muted or not–a feature that should be on every laptop.

     HP also offers the option for a built-in privacy screen, though this option will not be available until sometime in January 2020. However, it’s a nice addition that I appreciate, especially as someone who spends their time writing in public spaces.

     To wrap this up, we have a free 30-day trial for ExpressVPN that HP will be giving out to all new users of the Spectre 13.  This is, in part, thanks to HP’s new partnership with ExpressVPN. Along with the free 30-day trial, the Spectre 13 will come with the VPN preinstalled, saving you some time having to install the program and setting it up.

Conclusion

     HP has made many improvements to their Spectre 13, not only in performance but in display and security. I’d go as far as to say the Spectre 13 could be its own laptop, shedding the Spectre name.

     If you’re in the need for a new laptop and need one that takes your security and privacy in account while having a screen that rivals the best 4K TVs, then you may want to check out HP’s new Spectre x360 13. It just released, so get your hands on one while you can.