HP Announces The Spectre Folio: Leather Laptop
by Brett Howse on October 1, 2018 6:20 PM EST
This morning at an event in NYC, HP revealed the HP Spectre Folio, which is a very unique take on the laptop, thanks to its all leather exterior. Featuring 100-percent chromed tan, full-grain leather, the Spectre Folio is going to be an even more luxurious feel than we’ve been accustomed to in the laptop space. It’ll be offered in two colors, with Cognac Brown and Bordeaux Burgundy leather choices.
The Spectre Folio is also a convertible PC, with the ability to transform from a laptop into a tablet form factor, as well as an easel mode which would be similar to the tent mode in a Yoga form factor. But rather than the fold around keyboard like you’d see on a Lenovo Yoga, HP has gone the same route as Acer did with the Aspire R 13 several years ago.
Powering the HP Spectre Folio is the Intel Core i5-8200Y processor, which is the latest in the Y series, featuring a 5-Watt TDP for fanless operation, a base frequency of 1.3 GHz, and a maximum turbo frequency of 3.9 GHz. For those that need a bit more grunt, there will also be a Core i7-8500Y which is 1.5-4.2 GHz. You can get either 8 or 16 GB or LPDDR3 RAM, and up to 2 TB of NVMe SSD storage.
| HP Spectre Folio | |||||
| Core i5 | Core i7 | ||||
| CPU | Intel Core i5-8200Y 1.3-3.9 GHz 5W TDP |
Intel Core i7-8500Y 1.5-4.2 GHz 5W TDP |
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| RAM | 8 to 16 GB LPDDR3-1866 | ||||
| Storage | 256GB to 2TB NVMe SSD | ||||
| Display | 13.3" 1920x1080 IPS Corning Gorilla Glass 4 UHD Panel Available Soon |
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| Wireless | Intel 802.11ac Wi-Fi Intel XMM 7560 LTE Advanced Pro optional |
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| Audio | Bang & Olufsen quad-speakers | ||||
| Keyboard | Full-size backlit | ||||
| I/O | 2 x Thunderbolt 3 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C 1 USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A (via included dongle) Headset jack |
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| Battery | 54.28-Wh battery 65-Watt AC Adapter |
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| Dimensions | 12.6 x 9.23 x 0.60 inches | ||||
| Weight | 3.28 lbs | ||||
| Ships with | Digital Pen USB-C to A dongle |
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| Prices | $1299.99 and up | ||||
There are a couple of display options, with the base model coming with a 1920x1080 13.3-inch panel HP is rating for 300 nits, or a 1-Watt model that’s rated for 400 nits. Later this year, there will be a UHD panel as well. All of the displays of course offer touch, and pen support.
HP is claiming up to 19 hours of battery life in “mixed” usage from the 55 Wh battery, and the 65-Watt AC adapter should charge it quickly.
The laptop isn’t as thin and light as other recent 13-inch models, but it should still be fairly easy to tote around thanks to the 0.6-inch thickness and 3.28 lb weight.
Those that need lots of connectivity will be happy to see the two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 3 support though, and the laptop will be available with LTE as well.
At HP’s event, their tagline was “HP Reinvents the PC” and on some level they have done that. The leather form factor is definitely an interesting idea. The leather is used as the hinge, and there are magnets strategically placed to lock the laptop into the various positions. The form factor itself has been done before though, with reasonable success by Acer.
For those that want to take the new Spectre Folio for a spin, it is available today starting at $1299.99.
Source: HP
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Inteli - Monday, October 1, 2018 - link
Leather, of course, is widely renowned for its durability compared to conventional laptop materials, like aluminum and plastic.WorldWithoutMadness - Monday, October 1, 2018 - link
HP gains a lot of benefit from this. Uh my cover is scratched... how much to replace it? Another business sales gained.selenite - Tuesday, October 2, 2018 - link
Let’s not forget about excellent heat conductivity.Strunf - Tuesday, October 2, 2018 - link
Cause plastic is a very good thermal conductor...It's a 5W CPU not really something hard to keep cool.
Targon - Tuesday, October 2, 2018 - link
Yea, dual-core for a $1200+ laptop. Form over function seems to work well for those with too much money it seems.GreenReaper - Saturday, October 6, 2018 - link
Well since it won't be able to cool four cores, maybe two is the right number? 😅I get the whole "more cores better" thing but in practice you have to consider the purpose, too. This system is meant for low power and doing *one* thing at once plus virus checking in the background. That's why it's in a leather folio case, because it's a digital replacement for that. And it's also why they're trying to claim 19 hours, although it'd be nice to know their definition of "mixed".
I just bought a dual-core i5 upgrade for a home server, because I wanted a faster system but still within the TDP limit. Sure, I could have whacked a Xeon in there with four real cores in there (possibly even for cheaper) but it's for 24/7 database replication and light nginx while not firing up the fan up too high. A higher-core CPU would've probably been worse for that particular use-case.
BedfordTim - Tuesday, October 2, 2018 - link
Aluminium is not that cosmetically durable. Having had leather phone cases for the past few years my experience is that they wear very well and provide effective protection. It is a vast improvement on the glass backs earlier Spectres had.PeachNCream - Tuesday, October 2, 2018 - link
It's a bit over the top with the leather, but there's just something about the leather exterior that looks really sharp and professional. If I had a legitimate need for a new computer right now, this thing would be someplace close to the top of my list. It just looks like it would blend into my desk landscape at work next to the few paper notebooks and my nameplate rather than stick out like a more conventional PC.Manch - Tuesday, October 2, 2018 - link
BC a metal/plastic friction hinge has NEVER failed on a laptop?Valantar - Tuesday, October 2, 2018 - link
Well, yes, actually. Full-grain leather is _very_ durable, and generally only looks better with handling, use and time as the leather wears gracefully and gains a (protective) patina from handling. Aluminium scratches and dents easily, and plastic is ... garbage, unless you're looking for cheap, disposable "protection". And rubberized/soft-touch metal tends to wear out too easily.