Speaking of plugging in peripherals, one of the main
problems with doing so is that the cord will almost
always stick out of the left or right edges where the ports
reside, cluttering up your desk at best and impeding
external mouse movements at worst. Ports typically can’t
be relegated to the back edge, because the hinge needs
that space to enable the 360-degree rotation that
converts the machine into a tablet. Placing the plug in the
corner solves both problems. It won’t stick out and block
your mouse movements, nor will it impede rotation. Even
better, because the Spectre x360 13 uses a USB Type-C
charging cable, in many cases the corner-mounted port is
the only one you’ll need to use.
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right edge, where it lives on last year’s model, to a more
conventional placement next to the keyboard. This
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reader is hard to access in Tablet mode, but HP says
customer feedback shows that people prefer it this way.
Perhaps I’m in the minority in preferring an edge-
mounted reader.
A SPECTRE FROM THE PAST: WHAT’S THE
SAME?
Aside from the slight rejiggering of weight, height, ports,
readers, and buttons, much about the Spectre x360 13’s
physical design remains the same. That’s a good thing.
With its angular, faceted edges, this laptop isn’t exactly
sleek, but it’s gorgeous. The unit I tested is clad in Dark
Ash Silver with Copper Luxe accents, and the overall
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get a Spectre x360 13 in Poseidon Blue with Pale Brass
accents. The faceted edges and corners come with either
color choice, of course, which gives it a vague
resemblance to a precious gemstone and completes the
upscale look.
With its
angular,
faceted
edges, this
laptop isn’t
exactly
sleek, but
it’s
gorgeous.