Dell XPS 13 2015 or HP Spectre x360?

[MDak280]

Hello. I am in the market for a new laptop and I have narrowed it down to two choices. I want a new laptop because I'll be going to college this fall but I am impatient and would like to buy one as soon as possible. My Surface 2 is getting old :smile:

I am very taken by the new Dell XPS 13 and the recently announced HP Spectre x360. I am not leaning more towards one or the other because they both have things that I really like about them. In terms of performance and pricing, both are very close. I would be looking at the 1080p versions of both. Am I correct in thinking that I should go with the 8GB RAM/256GB SSD i5 configurations? I want this to last through college.

The most important things to me are the display, keyboard, and touchpad. If anybody could offer some input it would be appreciated! Or should I wait until the summer to see what else is out?

 

[imnotevenhererightnow]

I just ordered the Spectre x360 and really boiled the choice down like this:


HP: 1080p IPS (touch), 8GB RAM, 256GB M.2 drive, $999

Dell: 1080p, 8GB, 256GB SSD, that gloriously slim bezel, $1200


If you are buying at the lowest specs, the Dell is the better buy at $799, but if you want the i5, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB drive, then the HP quickly becomes the less expensive option.

For me, the fact that Microsoft was so closely involved in helping HP build the Spectre more or less decided things for me. I can do without that bezel if it means saving a couple hundred dollars.

 

[anon(8532178)]

I just ordered the Spectre x360 and really boiled the choice down like this:


HP: 1080p IPS (touch), 8GB RAM, 256GB M.2 drive, $999

Dell: 1080p, 8GB, 256GB SSD, that gloriously slim bezel, $1200


If you are buying at the lowest specs, the Dell is the better buy at $799, but if you want the i5, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB drive, then the HP quickly becomes the less expensive option.

For me, the fact that Microsoft was so closely involved in helping HP build the Spectre more or less decided things for me. I can do without that bezel if it means saving a couple hundred dollars.

Lol no wonder I loved the Spectre at first sight. But didn't get it out of my price range for now.

 

[MDak280]

I just ordered the Spectre x360 and really boiled the choice down like this:


HP: 1080p IPS (touch), 8GB RAM, 256GB M.2 drive, $999

Dell: 1080p, 8GB, 256GB SSD, that gloriously slim bezel, $1200


If you are buying at the lowest specs, the Dell is the better buy at $799, but if you want the i5, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB drive, then the HP quickly becomes the less expensive option.

For me, the fact that Microsoft was so closely involved in helping HP build the Spectre more or less decided things for me. I can do without that bezel if it means saving a couple hundred dollars.

I did not realize that increasing the RAM and SSD on the XPS 13 ramped up the price that high! I definitely do not want the base model with the i3. The Spectre x360 with those specs at $999 is a very good deal. Definitely leaning towards it now. When you get it please let me know what you think about it. Specifically the touch pad, I have read mixed things about it.

 

[imnotevenhererightnow]

Check out this discussion/review: HP Spectre X360 Ultrabook Review: Sleek, Sexy, Convertible

Check out their discussion of the XPS in January here (SKIP TO 12:56): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTryp_9EhN0#t=12m56s

Compare that with their discussion of the x360 here (the trackpad does get mentioned as having good rejection in the first minute of their conversation. SKIP TO 29:37): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w111kaULx-E#t=29m37s

Hope that helps!
EDIT: Sorry, the time index in the links is off for some reason, so just skip to the indexes I added to the post.

 

[MDak280]

I have decided on the HP Spectre x360! Thank you for your help

 

[xboxonthego3]

Don't know if you know but you might look into student discounts! I know the Microsoft store does student discounts.

 

[hpordell]

I am concerned about the touchpad in HP Spectre x360. How does the right click work? Is there a separate button for right click? Has anyone used the HP x360 yet?
I like HP but if it has an inconvinient the right-click, then I will go for the Dell XPS 13

 

[imnotevenhererightnow]

it has a regular right click and left click. What might be awkward for some is that, because of the increased size (width) of the trackpad, the left/right clicks may seem like a farther reach for the hand.

 

[Mike Gibson]

Big thanks to everyone on this thread. I'm looking into a new laptop and these two machines are ones I'm considering (also a similarly configured Yoga Pro 2 on sale for something like $799 and the Yoga 3 14" model). That HP looks really nice. Tough decision to make!

 

[trip11]

I'm also considering the Yoga 3 14.

Issues I have with the Spectre:
Trackpad is too big for me to type comfortably. My palms occasionally move the pointer around and even worse, they click the track pad sometimes (physical click).
Backlit keys are barely visible due to the shiny metallic color.

Others in the running:
Dell Inspiron 7000 13 2 in 1 Special edition

At this point the Yoga 3 14 seems to be the winner. The keyboard is the best out of the above three for me. The footprint is a bit larger than the other 13.3 laptops but not a dealbreaker.

The Dell is also nice and I don't have any negatives except for the keyboard not feeling quite as good as the Yoga.

 

[imnotevenhererightnow]

I've had a Spectre x360 for a couple of weeks. It's completely premium. My only complaint is that I wish the trackpad was smaller. Other than that, I can't really fault it. The keyboard is great and the battery life is definitely all-day for me. good stuff.

 

[Mike Gibson]

At this point the Yoga 3 14 seems to be the winner. The keyboard is the best out of the above three for me. The footprint is a bit larger than the other 13.3 laptops but not a dealbreaker.

The only thing that makes me hesitate on the Yoga 3 14" are the negative reviews I've seen on Lenovo.com and bestbuy.com. That could be just trollers or a few bad units but even on positive reviews some users note excessive fan noise. The other complaints are getting bad screens or units that die quickly.

I have a Lenovo IdeaPad that's worked fine for years so my good experience there leads me to favor the Yoga 3 14". It's screen is a little bit larger than the others, too.

 

[imnotevenhererightnow]

considering that there's a $150 instant discount for the x360, you can get it configured with:

1080p touchscreen
256GB SSD
8GB RAM

for $850.

That's a pretty great deal and (in my way of thinking) moves it ahead of the Yoga.

 

[RavenSword]

I'm really curious from those who own the soectre x369 how good the trackpad is. I was using a best buy demo unit and thought the trackpad scrolling was bad.

 

[trip11]

I'm really curious from those who own the soectre x369 how good the trackpad is. I was using a best buy demo unit and thought the trackpad scrolling was bad.

I've heard recent driver updates have resolved most of the issues with the trackpad. Could not give you my personal experience with it though.

 

[trip11]

The only thing that makes me hesitate on the Yoga 3 14" are the negative reviews I've seen on Lenovo.com and bestbuy.com. That could be just trollers or a few bad units but even on positive reviews some users note excessive fan noise. The other complaints are getting bad screens or units that die quickly.

I have a Lenovo IdeaPad that's worked fine for years so my good experience there leads me to favor the Yoga 3 14". It's screen is a little bit larger than the others, too.

Yep, I saw those reviews also. My hope was that it was just a few bad units. I believe they come with a standard in home warranty so I was no too concerned. I also noticed the Yoga 3 14 screen maximum brightness (nits) was less than the competition, although in real world use I'm not sure if that is a big deal.

Having said that I'm leaning towards waiting for Intel's Skylake at this point. My current laptop is a clunker but it has an older core i5 with 8gb ram and sata II SSD. I also have a T100 for mobility when needed so I think I can manage for another 6+ months unless I see a spectacular deal somewhere.

 

[Ltauhmise]

The HP Spectre X360. Hands Down. One of the best ultrabook convertibles.

Picked up the i7 256GB model and am very happy with the purchase. Multi-tasking is amazing and battery life is AWESOME. I get anywhere between 9-10hrs of moderate use (World of Warcraft, Browsing, Sim City 2014, MS Office Suite) at 20% brightness. My only chief complaint is that the unit -will- get a little toasty if you rest it on your lap. You can feel the little fan blasting out the air, but its still extremely quiet.

You won't be disappointed if you invest in the HP Spectre X360. I've all but effectively retired my surface pro 3 for this get little clamshell convertible.

 

[MDak280]

I'm really curious from those who own the soectre x369 how good the trackpad is. I was using a best buy demo unit and thought the trackpad scrolling was bad.

When I first got it the trackpad scrolling was a little rough and didn't feel natural, but as someone above mentioned, it works great now! Very smooth and the keyboard is the best that I have ever used (although, the backlighting isn't the best, but this is not a big deal for me).I haven't had issues with the trackpad's size getting in the way but maybe it's just the way that I type. The laptop is fast, the build quality is great, and it has excellent battery life. And you'll be saving a lot of money by buying this instead of other competing ultrabooks.

I am very happy that I went with the HP Spectre x360 over the Dell XPS 13. I love the infinity display on the XPS but that is the only advantage I see that it has over the HP Spectre x360.

 

[DrWMJ]

I have had my Spectre for the past week. I love the pen input; I am using the Dell active pen (most recent generation) and I think inking on this machine feels no different from the N-trig on my Surface Pro 3 (yes, I still use both machines, just for different things...). Maybe it's the way I type, but I haven't hit the track pad yet with my palms or wrists (I hold my hands the way one would play a piano, supporting my forearms on the table, and not resting on the laptop itself). I find the track pad controls are flawless; I have no problem whatsoever in getting a right click. All in all, I am very pleased with this machine. I think it would be perfect for a university student who might write on the screen as well as type for note taking.
The really tough dilemma in my mind would be Surface Pro 3 vs the Spectre; SP wins in terms of portability, but the keyboard of the Spectre is likely better for long-distance typing.