Is there a better alternative?

One 2-in-1 that competes with the Spectre x360 is the Surface Book 2. Microsoft’s unique take on the 2-in-1 offers a shockingly light 15-inch tablet that manages to pack in some serious performance. The thing is, the Surface Book 2 is limited to a 15-watt quad-core 8th-generation Core i7, meaning its processor performance is well behind the HP. And although the Surface Book 2 sports a GTX 1060 GPU, its gaming performance isn’t universally as far ahead as one might expect. The Surface Book 2 is also very expensive, at more than $3,000 with a Core i7, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD.

　　The most direct clamshell competitor is the Dell XPS 15. It offers the same CPU and GPU and indeed performance similarly to the Spectre x360, with its display offering the most meaningful advantage. It’s also slightly more expensive, at $2,310 ($2,150 on sale) for the same Core i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, 1TB SSD, and 4K display.

　　Another 15-inch clamshell option is Lenovo’sThinkPad X1 Extreme. It’s a well-built laptop with superior expandability, and it, too, offers the same CPU and GPU. Like the XPS 15, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme has a superior 4K panel that also supports high dynamic range (HDR) for an even better video experience. The Lenovo is also much more expensive for the same configuration, at $3,000 ($2,700 on sale).

　　

How long will it last?

The HP Spectre x360 is a robust laptop that should last as long as you’ll need. It’s built around up-to-date components and should perform well for years. The 1-year warranty is the industry standard, and as usual we wish it was longer.

　　

Should you buy it?

Yes. The Spectre x360 is the first 2-in-1 that didn’t make me feel like I was sacrificing performance for a convenient form factor.