Is there a better alternative?

There aren’t that many Windows notebooks that are quite as thin and light as the Spectre 13. One of the more direct comparisons is the Asus ZenBook S, which is slightly thicker and heavier but still manages to fit into the same class of machine. It’s also equipped with the Intel Core i7-8550U CPU, and offers similar performance and competitive battery life even with a 4K display. The ZenBook S is a little more solidly built — and a bit thicker and heavier — while also costing $1,500 with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD.

　　If you’re willing to accept just a little more thickness and weight, the excellent Dell XPS 13 is a good alternative. It’s most recent update brought some nice aesthetic and performance updates, and it provides stronger performance and battery life. At $1,450 (on sale for $1,400) for a Core i7-8550U, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD, it’s also priced similarly to the Spectre 13.

　　We also just recently took a look at the Asus ZenBook 13 UX331UN, an interesting thin-and-light notebook that manages to squeeze in a discrete GPU — the low-end Nvidia GeForce MX150 that’s still considerably faster than the Spectre 13’s integrated graphics. That one runs $1,400 for a Core i7-8550U, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD — so it’s similarly priced but more powerfully configured.

　　

How long will it last?

The Spectre 13 is well-built, but it’s also very thin. You’ll want to make sure you treat it gently, at least if a slightly flexible chassis gives you pause. It’s equipped with eight-generation processors and plenty of RAM and storage space, and it uses futureproof USB-C ports. If you take care of it, you should get quite a few years of use. In addition, HP offers a typical one-year parts and labor warranty for the Spectre 13. As usual, that’s disappointing for a machine that costs over $1,000.

　　

Should you buy it?

No, unless you really need the thinnest and lightest touchscreen notebook around. Some other recent machines are more attractive, such as the XPS 13 and ZenBook 13, with either better designs, better battery life, or both.