Battery LifeWe use three different tests to determine the HP 685866-1B1 battery life of the systems we review. For the first one - the Battery Eater Classic Test - we turn the display brightness up all the way, activate wireless and bluetooth, and turn the keyboard backlight on. The Spectre lasted for 92 minutes before we had to plug it back in. The Reader’s Test (simulated reading of a text document) is quite the opposite: display brightness is all the way down and wireless turned off. The system lasted over 10 hours using the aforementioned settings. It has to be said though that this scenario is rather unrealistic, especially when we consider the glossy screen, which is almost impossible to read in bright environments when the screen is turned down all the way.
To find the medium ground between the two extremes, we run our WLAN-Surf Test. Here we have the screen brightness set to 150 cd/m2 and have an automated script visit a different website every 40 seconds. The Envy Spectre XT 13 shut down after 5 hours and 14 minutes - an acceptable result for the class and the size of the HSTNN-IB3V battery. HP claims a battery life of up to seven hours but doesn't explain how the test was conducted.
Case
The chassis of the HP Envy Spectre XT 13 is definitely an eye-catching design. Unlike Apple or Asus, HP does not use a one-piece aluminum unibody chassis, but rather combines brushed aluminum (keyboard area, display lid), soft-touch magnesium alloy (bottom), and glossy plastic (display bezel). The mix of black and silver is both timeless and modern. We rather like the visual impact of the notebook - which is accentuated by the angular design and the wedge-shaped chassis.Build quality is also high: no uneven gaps and clean transition areas between the different parts of the chas sis. The notebook itself is pretty solid, although the base unit does deform somewhat when pressure is applied. We don't think that this is something we would notice while using the notebook day in and day out. The display lid is torsionally not very rigid - but doesn't creak when twisted. The hinges are stiff enough, although we noticed that the lid bounces a bit after an adjustment. A slight disadvantage: even though the battery is located in the front of the notebook, the base is not heavy enough to stay put - to open the lid, the base unit needs to be held down.
An important decision factor in this class is the weight including battery. The Spectre XT tips the scales at 1.41 kilogram (3.1 pounds) - pretty average. The Asus Zenbook Prime UX31A weighs about the same, while the Toshiba Satellite Z930 is much lighter at 1.09 kilogram (2.4 pounds) . At 1.35 kilogram (2.98 pounds), the Apple MacBook Air 13 Mid 2012 is only marginally lighter then our test system.
The 14.5-millimeter-thick Spectre XT looks and feels a lot like other ultrabooks we've seen, including Dell's XPS 13, HP's own Folio 13, and even Apple's MacBook Air. Like those models, it has a 13.3-inch screen. Its body tapers slightly toward the front and the lid has a brushed-metal finish that ties it in with the overall look of both Envy and Pavilion laptops from HP.
Connectivity
The left and right side of the Ultrabook house the most-needed ports. Included is a USB 3.0 port, a HDMI out for external monitors, and a RJ-45 network jack for wired communication. Not all notebooks in this class include the latter because of their slim designs. A card reader, audio-combo jack, and one additional USB port complete the selection. While we like both the distribution and the positioning of the ports, we would would have liked for HP to incorporate an additional USB port.
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Communication
The communications options of the Envy Spectre XT 13 include what we've come to expect: aside from Gigabit Ethernet and WLAN 802.11a/b/g/n, there is Bluetooth 4.0 (the module is from Intel). An advantage: the XT supports Intel Wireless Display (WiDi). In conjunction with a receiver, this technology allows wireless streaming of media content to a TV. This consumer Ultrabook does not include an integrated UMTS module (nor is a slot for one available). The 720p webcam features an integrated microphone and offers decent quality. (HP TouchPad 10 batteries)
Keyboard
The keyboard features individual keys (chiclet type) and fits in well with the overall look of the notebook. Getting used to typing doesn't take long. The keys protrude slightly, feature decent travel, and have distinct feedback. The emitted sound is rather low in frequency and doesn't get annoying even while typing for extensive periods of time. The large right shift key and the pleasant labeling of the keys help ergonomics.
In the past, keyboards with backlight were only found on a few of the high-end laptops. Today, more and more offer this feature, including the HP Ultrabook. The illumination is quite pleasant, although there is only on/off - no brightness settings are offered. The backlight gets turned on via a function key (F5). Speaking of function keys: F1 through F12 require pressing of the Fn key. All in all we like the keyboard.
Touchpad
The touchpad sits slightly elevated in a recessed area (which is a bit larger than the touchpad itself) of the palm rest. Its size of 92 x 57 millimeter (3.82 x 2.24 inch) is sufficiently large. The touchpad supports multi-touch gestures; sliding the fingers across the surface is easy. The integrated mouse buttons are separated from the main area through a line. On the upper left there is a switch to turn the touchpad on and off. It usually took us several times before the LED on the left indicated that we were successful. It might have been better to offer a shortcut on the keyboard instead. (HP HSTNN-DB0H batteries)
The touch pad is of the buttonless clickpad variety, but it has a unique look that stands out from similar pads on Dell, Apple, and other laptop brands, with the rectangular touch surface set in the middle of a larger depression in the wrist rest. It's a look you'll find on other current Envy laptops, as well as the Pavilion m6 (although the latter has separate left and right mouse buttons). The matte surface offers enough resistance without being sticky, and two-finger scrolling was smoother than I expected, likely because the multitouch sensitivity seems to be jacked up to the top of the scale.
Display
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The Ultrabook is equipped with a glossy 13.3-inch screen (33 centimeter diagonal) which features a standard resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels and a 16:9 aspect ratio. There is no option for a higher resolution or a non-glare display. The HP Folio 13 Ultrabook offered a matte screen. Asus' Zenbook Prime UX31A is a 13.3-inch Ultrabook with a FullHD display (FHD, 1920 x 1080 resolution) and costs only slightly more. Since the Spectre has HDMI out, it's no problem to hook up an external monitor or a TV. We tested the output and found no issues with the signal quality.
To determine brightness, we use the Gossen Mavo-Monitor. We recorded an average brightness of only 190 cd/m2 for the panel (LGD0368) - middle of the road at best. Brightness distribution is pretty even at 88 percent. We don't think that the offered resolution and the brightness values are good enough for a premium Ultrabook.
The other measurements are not impressive, either. The black point value is high and doesn't allow for true blacks, the contrast is therefore low, and the display doesn't cover the color spaces adequately. Even though the latter won't matter to most users of this Ultrabook, professionals working with photos or videos depend on it. Both the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon and the Asus UX31A are clearly better in that aspect. Overall color reproduction is OK, although for watching movies the black point value needs to be lower and contrast higher.
The Spectre XT 13 is not very suitable for outdoor use. With the display turned up to maximum brightness, working in the shade is possible, even though reflections are already visible. In direct sunlight, the screen becomes unreadable. Glossy screens can be used outside - but the measurements would need to be a lot better. (HSTNN-IB3F Battery)
Viewing angle stability is what we've come to expect from an inexpensive TN panel. Horizontally, even shallow angles don't have a real impact on picture quality, although brightness levels do decrease somewhat. Moving away from 90 degrees in the vertical plane results in an inverted picture very quickly. Color temperature also changes and brightness decreases rapidly.
Speakers
HP sources the audio components for this Ultrabook from sound specialist Beats Audio. The Spectre XT 13 has four speakers: two are located above the keyboard and covered with mesh; the other two are located on the right and left under the chassis. The supplied control panel software allows for almost limitless sound configurations. The sound is very good overall for this type and size of notebook, although we do think that the lower frequencies and bass are a tiny bit lacking. Those so inclined can either use the audio jack or the HDMI connector and hook up higher-end external speaker systems.
Verdict
After the conclusion of our review of the HP Envy Spectre XT 13-2000eg Ultrabook, we are left with mixed feelings. We are impressed with the sturdy and good-looking aluminum and magnesium alloy chassis, the well-designed input devices (including the keyboard backlight), as well as the performance of the components. On the other hand, the system has some negative attributes: a pretty mediocre display, an annoying cooling fan, and the tendency to run really hot. The up-to-date port selection and the speakers from Beats Audio are great features, but don't influence the final result very much.Speaking of the port selection: we would have liked to see an additional USB 3.0 port or a Thunderbolt connector. Expansion is also a weak point: the user needs to remove the entire bottom of the chassis - only to be faced with RAM that is soldered onto the motherboard and a (rather exotic and expensive) mSATA SSD solution. Throttling was observed but is only an issue when the system is under full load. We didn't encounter any issues during daily use.
All in all, this is a not a bad Ultrabook. Because of the strong plus points, the overall rating is still good. We hope that HP will rectify the shortcomings - serious flaws are not really an option in this hotly contested segment. Two very strong competitors are the Asus Zenbook Prime UX31A and the Apple MacBook Air 13 Mid 2012.
More info: laptop-batteries.com.au , laptop-battery.org.uk , battery-store.eu
