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FIVE THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR WHEN BUYING A 2-IN-1
WE LIKED: Well-priced; makes
the most of Iris Plus integrated
graphics; good connectivity
and battery life.
WE’D IMPROVE: Display is
only regular HD; SSD is
decidedly unimpressive; no
USB-A port for flash drives.
THE LAST WORD: The XPS
13 7390 is a great, capable
hybridlaptopthatwe’d
recommendtoall.WE LIKED: Keyboard and
stylus both feel great to use;
display has incredible colour
density; shortcut buttons for
Adobe software are useful.
WE’D IMPROVE: Battery life
is lacklustre; could use a more
modern GPU; weak speakers.
THE LAST WORD: Good,
but hindered by being
tooexpensiveand
overlyspecialised.DELL XPS 13 7390
From £1,239, dell.comHP ZBOOK X2
From £3,656, hp.com01 DOES IT USE
INTEGRATED GRAPHICS?
One of the first things to
look for in any computer
is whether or not it uses
processor-integrated
graphics (as opposed to
a discrete graphics card,
like the HP ZBook X2’s
Nvidia Quadro GPU). The
former is typically less
powerful and puts more
strain on the processor,
but the latter will
negatively impact
battery life. If you
need powerful graphics,
a discrete GPU is the
way to go.02 HOW DOES THE
MACHINE CHARGE?
There are few things more
frustrating than needing
to charge your laptop but
also needing that port for
something else. The HP
Spectre x360 and Dell
XPS 13 are powered via a
USB-C port, which bars
use of that port while the
device is charging. The
ZBook X2 has a dedicated
power port.03 HOW MUCH STORAGE
IS THERE?
Modern 2-in-1s almost
unilaterally use M.2 solidstate drives, which boast
extremely fast read and
write times. Drive
capacities will typically
range from 128GB up to
2TB – when deciding on
the model you want,
consider the type of files
you use and the space
you’ll need.04 WHAT RESOLUTION
IS THE SCREEN?
If you need to work on 4K
video footage on your
laptop, you’re going to
want a 2-in-1 equipped
with a 4K display. It’s
worth bearing in mind thatsome laptops and
tablets use esoteric
resolutions that may
require some tweaking.05 HOW LONG IS THE
BATTERY LIFE?
This varies quite a lot
between machines. If you
have a small commute and
keep your laptop plugged
in when you’re in the
office, a shorter battery life
might not be a big issue.
Pay attention to the spec
to see what the minimum
battery life is, as this will
give you an idea of what to
expect with typical use.HP SPECTRE X360 13.3
£1,799,hp.comTHE OVERALL
WINNER IS...
WE LIKED:
Awesomely sleek and
aesthetically pleasing
design; nifty built-in
security features to help
safeguard you and your
data; 4K display looks
bright, sharp and colourful;
plenty of storage with
super-fast internal transfer
speeds and Thunderbolt 3
support; comes packaged
with HP’s Tilt Pen; great
all-around performance.WE’D IMPROVE:
A bit pricey for an
unspecialised laptop; fans
can get a little noisy;
plastic casing doesn’t feel
super durable.THE LAST WORD:
The Spectre x360 wins
because it simply feels
the best to use, with solid
performance and a
flexibledesignthatalso
looksgreat.April 2020 | |^77
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2-in-1 laptops group test