OLED laptop buyer’s guide

The HP Spectre x360 14 equipped with OLED 3000 x 2000 display is not a cheap laptop, but it is definitely a quality piece of technology, and the best all-round 2-in-1 laptop out at the moment. For those who don’t know, 2-in-1 laptops combine the form factor of a laptop with an ability to fold backward into a tablet-like device, and the Spectre x360 with its touch screen makes a great flexible machine for creatives on the move. The 3K2K OLED display has superb contrast, a fairly high peak brightness of around 340 nits, and a superb color gamut, covering well over 100% sRGB and 100% DCI-P3, making it ideal for any sort of color accurate workflow.

The OLED version is powered by up to an Intel Core i7-1195G7 CPU with either Intel Iris Xe onboard graphics or the more powerful Nvidia GeForce MX450 (2GB). You won’t be able to do much in the way of gaming on this machine, but combined with 16GB of RAM then this will definitely do well for light workstation use.

Although looks are subjective, most people would agree this is a nice-looking laptop. We think the metallic detailing around the edges and joints and the thin bezels around the screen give the machine a quality aesthetic. In terms of build quality, the Spectre x360 is the best 2-in-1 device you will find, with the hinge joint in particular (often a weak point on cheaper models) feeling sturdy, which is exactly what you’d want. Most of the machine is made from aluminium, meaning the chassis feels robust with little flex, though it remains not too heavy despite this.

The keyboard of the HP Spectre x360 14 is particularly good for such a thin machine: it uses scissor switches and has 1.5mm key travel, and is the best typing experience you will get from a 2-in-1 laptop, with nice tactile responsiveness as well as nicely sized and arranged keys. The trackpad is also of good quality, and features a fingerprint scanner for added security.

The port coverage of the HP Spectre x360 14 is also good despite its slimline design, with two USB-C ports that support Thunderbolt 4 and DisplayPort 1.4, a USB-A port, and a microSD card reader in addition to the usual headphone/mic jack. A nice selection for any content creator needs. The included stylus pen is of decent quality, has two programmable buttons, and is rechargeable via USB-C.

The speakers are solid (for a laptop), with respectable bass replication and sound quality, though not quite up there with the MacBook’s. The webcam is unfortunately not the best, and its image quality (not terrible but not great) is one of the few criticisms we can level at this machine, though it does at least have InfraRed functionality supporting Windows Hello.

Although the 14 in the name would indicate a 14-inch laptop, the actual diagonal screen size of the HP Spectre x360 is 13.5-inches (technically the same if you’re rounding up but still, a bit sly from HP).

Compared to the Galaxy Pro 360 it has better build quality, and more high-end upgrade options for its core components, though the Galaxy’s touchpad is larger. Compared to the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 it has superior port coverage, better colors, and a slightly better keyboard. Ultimately though, any one of these three machines are great choices for a high-end 2-in-1 machine.