Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 vs HP Spectre x360: What?s the best convertib

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Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 vs HP Spectre x360: What?s the best convertible?



Samsung recently launched the Galaxy Book 2 Pro series, and that includes the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360, one of the lightest convertibles around. The original Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 was already a fantastic lightweight laptop, but if you’re considering its successor, it’s important to know how it compares to other devices on the market. The HP Spectre x360 is one of the best laptops in HP’s lineup, so we’ll be comparing it to the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 to see which one you should choose.

We’ll be comparing the two across a handful of different categories to help you decide which one you should choose. It’s worth noting that both laptops come in different sizes, which can affect the specs. The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 is nearly identical in both sizes, but there are some big differences between models of the Spectre x360.

Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 vs HP Spectre x360: Specs

Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 HP Spectre x360 CPU

• 12th-gen 28W Intel Core i5-1240P (12 cores, 16 threads, up to 4.4GHz, 12MB cache)
• 12th-gen 28W Intel Core i7-1260P (12 cores, 16 threads, up to 4.7GHz, 18MB cache)

• Spectre x360 13, 14, 15
  • 11th-generation 15W Intel Core i5-1135G7 (4 cores, 8 threads, up to 4.2GHz, 8MB cache)
  • 11th-generation 15W Intel Core i7-1165G7 (4 cores, 8 threads, up to 4.6GHz, 12MB cache)
  • 11th-generation 15W Intel Core i7-1195G7 (4 cores, 8 threads, up to 5GHz, 12MB cache) (Spectre x360 14 only)
• Spectre x360 16
  • 11th-generation 35W Intel Core i7-11390H (4 cores, 8 threads, up to 5GHz, 12MB cache)

Graphics

• Intel Iris Xe graphics

• Integrated:
  • Intel Iris Xe graphics
• Discrete (Spectre x360 16 only):
  • NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop

Storage

• Up to 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD

• 256 GB SSD (Spectre x360 13, 14, 15)
• 512GB SSD
• 1TB SSD
• 2TB SSD

RAM

• 8GB LPDDR5
• 16GB LPDDR5
• 32GB LPDDR5

• 8GB LPDDR4 (Spectre x360 13, 14)
• 16GB LPDDR4
• 32GB LPDDR4 (Spectre x360 16)

Display

• 13.3-inch
  • Full HD (1920 x 1080) Super AMOLED, 16:9, 120% DCI-P3, 500 nits (for HDR), touch
• 15.6-inch
  • Full HD (1920 x 1080) Super AMOLED, 16:9, 120% DCI-P3, 500 nits (for HDR), touch

• Spectre x360 13
  • 13.3 inch IPS, Full HD (1920 x 1080), HP Sure View, touch
  • 13.3 inch OLED, 4K (3840 x 2160), 400 nits
• Spectre x360 14
  • 13.5 inch IPS, Full HD+ (1920 x 1280), touch, 400 nits
  • 13.5 inch IPS, Full HD+ (1920 x 1280), HP Sure View, touch, 1000 nits
  • 13.5 inch OLED, 3K2K (3000 x 2000), touch, 400 nits
• Spectre x360 15
  • 15.6 inch AMOLED, 4K (3840 x 2160), touch, 400 nits
• Spectre x360 16
  • 16 inch IPS, 3K+ (3072 x 1920), touch, optional anti-reflection coating
  • 16 inch AMOLED, 4K+ (3840 x 2400), anti-reflection, touch

Battery

• 13.3-inch
  • 63Wh battery
• 15.6-inch
  • 68Wh battery

• Spectre x360 13
  • 60Wh battery
• Spectre x360 14
  • 66Wh battery
• Spectre x360 15
  • 72.9Wh battery
• Spectre x360 16
  • 83Wh battery

Ports

• 1 x Thunderbolt 4 / USB Type-C
• 2 x USB Type-C
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• microSD card reader

• 2 Thunderbolt 4 ports
• 1 USB Type-A port
• HDMI 2.0b (Spectre x360 15, 16)
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• microSD card reader

Audio

• 13.3-inch
  • Dual stereo AKG speakers (4W total), Dolby Atmos
• 15.6-inch
  • Dual stereo AKG speakers (5W total), Dolby Atmos

• Spectre x360 13
  • Dual stereo speakers, audio by Bang & Olufsen
• Spectre x360 14, 15, 16
  • Quad stereo speakers, audio by Bang & Olufsen

Webcam

• 1080p Full HD webcam

• Spectre x360 13, 14, 15
  • 720p HD webcam with Windows Hello
• Spectre x360 16
  • 5MP/1080p ClamCam with Windows Hello

Windows Hello

• Fingerprint reader (in power button)

• Fingerprint reader
• Facial recognition with IR camera

Connectivity

• Wi-Fi 6E
• Bluetooth 5.2

• Intel Wi-Fi 6E (AX210)
• Bluetooth 5.2

Color

• Silver
• Graphite
• Burgundy

• Natural Silver (Spectre x360 13, 14)
• Poseidon Blue (Spectre x360 13, 14, 15)
• Nocturne Blue (Spectre x360 16)
• Nightfall Black

Size (WxDxH)

• 13.3-inch
  • 302.5 x 202 x 11.5 mm (11.91 x 7.95 x 0.45 in)
• 15.6-inch
  • 354.85 x 227.97 x 11.9 mm (13.97 x 8.98 x 0.47 in)

• Spectre x360 13
  • 12.08 x 7.66 x 0.67 in (306.8 x 194.6 x 17 mm)
• Spectre x360 14
  • 11.75 x 8.67 x 0.67 in (298.5 x 220.2 x 17mm)
• Spectre x360 15
  • 14.17 x 8.91 x 0.79 in (359.9 x 226.3 x 20mm)
• Spectre x360 16
  • 14.09 x 9.66 x 0.78 in (357.89 x 245.26 x 19.81 mm)

Starting weight

• 13.3-inch
  • 1.04kg (2.29 lbs)
• 15.6-inch
  • 1.41kg (3.1 lbs)

• Spectre x360 13
  • 1.27 kg (2.8 lbs)
• Spectre x360 14
  • 1.34 kg (2.95 lbs)
• Spectre x360 15
  • 1.92 kg (4.23 lbs)
• Spectre x360 16
  • 2.02 kg (4.45 lbs)

Price Starting at $1,249.99 $900.99 (Spectre x360 13)
It’s worth noting here that many models of the HP Spectre x360 are well over one year old, and many of them are getting harder to find. This information includes models that have previously existed, but you may not be able to find all of them today. It’s likely some members of the Spectre lineup will see a major refresh in the next few months.

Performance: The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro comes with Intel’s 12th-generation processors

The first big thing to note here is that the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 is launching with Intel’s 12th-generation Alder Lake processors, and that makes a big difference for performance. The new Intel processors use a hybrid architecture that mixes high-performance cores with efficient cores to deliver a great balance of both performance and battery life. Additionally, Samsung is using a brand new series of Intel processors, the P series. These CPUs have a higher 28W TDP compared to most of the HP Spectre x360 family. The only exception is the Spectre x360 16, which has a 35W H-series CPU, and that shouldn’t be too far off from what’s inside the Galaxy Book Pro 2 360.

Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 in Burgundy


Still, you see a major difference in the maximum number of cores and threads between 11th-generation and 12th-generation processors. Comparing performance isn’t completely exact, but we can use Geekbench to get an idea of how things compare. Because two of the processors being compared aren’t represented on Geekbench’s top charts (due to a low number of unique results), we had to pick a random test for them.

Intel Core i7-1195G7
(average) Intel Core i7-11390H
(see test) Intel Core i7-1260P
(see test) Geekbench (single-core/multi-core) 1,448 / 4,865 1,584 / 5,187 1,445 / 5,953
You can see that the number of cores really pays off for 12th-generation processors, even if this data isn’t always a good measurement of overall performance. Multi-core performance is significantly better on the Intel Core i7-1260P, which will be inside the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360, even if single-core performance is similar to a 15W processor from the 11th-generation. It’s also important to mention that Geekbench 5 is a relatively short test, and performance will take a hit over time, with lower power CPUs usually taking a bigger hit.

For graphics, all laptops have Intel Iris Xe graphics, and they’re all very similar. Core i5 models have 80 execution units and Core i7 models have 96. Here, the Spectre x360 may have an advantage, if you want to go with the 16-inch model. This is the only laptop here that has a discrete GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050, so it can handle some light gaming better than the others. Of course, this is a much larger and heavier laptop compared to Samsung’s device.

The HP Spectre x360 16 is the only laptop here that has a discrete GPU.

figure.center { margin-top: 0px !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; } .quotecenter { width: 80%; float: none; margin: auto; margin-top: 0px !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; color: #de7300; } figure.wp-block-pullquote.quotestyle { border-top: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; padding: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; } blockquote.centerquotestyle { color: #006e95 !important; } @media only screen and (max-width: 600px) { .quotecenter { width: 90%; } } Otherwise, the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 has another advantage over the HP Spectre x360, and that’s RAM. With Intel 12th-generation processors comes support for LPDDR5 RAM, which is faster than the LPDDR4 RAM used in the Spectre x360. While apps have to be more optimized for it, this should result in lower latency in memory-intensive tasks, so performance may see a big boost.

Display and sound: Great screens on both laptops

As for the display, both of these laptops have merits. The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 is special, though, because it does something no other laptop really does: Bring AMOLED to a much more reasonable price point. The only configuration option you get with the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 is a Full HD (1920 x 1080) AMOLED panel, and that means it looks great without taking a huge hit on battery life. Most laptops, including the HP Spectre x360, only use AMOLED for very high-end display options like 4K, but the Galaxy Book 2 Pro makes it more accessible. That means you can get the benefits of OLED, like true blacks and higher contrast, for a lower price.

Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360


On the other hand, that also means you can go much further with the HP Spectre x360. Most of these models come with up to 4K OLED displays, which look absolutely stunning, especially on larger displays. Samsung limits you to Full HD, which should work for most users, but if you want an ultra-premium experience, the Spectre x360 can serve you better.

Another benefit the HP Spectre x360 has, at least in some models, is the aspect ratio. The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro, as well as the Spectre x360 13 and 15, come with a typical 16:9 aspect ratio, but the Spectre x360 14 and 16 have taller screens. Specifically, the Spectre x360 14 has a 3:2 aspect ratio, while the Spectre x360 16 has a 16:10 panel. Taller displays have become increasingly common in premium laptops because the extra vertical space is a big boon to productivity. These screens can fit more text on a webpage or UI elements in complex apps like Photoshop without having to scroll or move windows around, which is great to have.

HP Spectre x360 16 display


For audio, all the laptops should offer a solid experience overall. The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 has a dual-speaker setup in both models, and they can each up to 5W in power. The HP Spectre x360 13 also has two speakers, but all the other models have a quad-speaker setup, so you should get louder and more detailed audio from them, and that should be even more true with the larger models (though HP doesn’t specify).

The Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 has a 1080p webcam, something only the Spectre x360 16 matches.

figure.center { margin-top: 0px !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; } .quotecenter { width: 80%; float: none; margin: auto; margin-top: 0px !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; color: #de7300; } figure.wp-block-pullquote.quotestyle { border-top: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; padding: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; } blockquote.centerquotestyle { color: #006e95 !important; } @media only screen and (max-width: 600px) { .quotecenter { width: 90%; } } As important as the display is what’s above it, and here, the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 beats most models of the HP Spectre x360. Samsung is using a Full HD 1080p webcam with a wider field of view and auto framing, which is significantly better than the small 720p camera HP uses in most of its Spectre models. The exception is the Spectre x360 16, which has the best webcam of the bunch with 5MP resolution, 1080p video, and smart features like auto framing and lighting correction. Considering this is a much pricier and heavier laptop, though, we’d say Samsung wins this round.

Design: The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 is extremely thin and light

One area where the Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 wins almost undebatably is the design, at least from a practical standpoint. This is an extremely thin and light convertible, with the 13.3-inch model being a mere 11.5mm thin, while the 15.6inch version goes up to 11.9mm. That’s compared to 17mm of thickness on the most compact SPectre x360, and 20mm on the thickest model.



As for weight, the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 weighs 2.29lbs in its 13.3-inch form and 3.1 lbs in the 15.6-inch model. Comparatively, the Spectre x360 13 weighs 2.8lbs and the Spectre x360 15 weighs 4.23lbs. There’s no doubt that the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 is far more portable than the Spectre x360.

HP’s laptop may win in terms of looks, depending on your preference. The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 comes in graphite, silver, and burgundy colors, with the last one easily being the standout. Even then, it’s fairly subdued, but it does stand out from the crowd a lot more.

HP Spectre x360 in Poseidon Blue


The HP Spectre x360 also comes in a boring silver color in some of its variants, but options like Nightfall Black and Poseidon Blue use a dual-tone look that’s just stunning. Nightfall Black combines black with copper accents, while Poseidon Blue uses dark blue with gold accents. The Spectre x360 16 also has a Nocturne Blue variant that’s just blue, albeit some edges use a lighter shade of blue to make them pop a bit more.

Ports: The HP Spectre x360 has more robust connectivity

Finally, we come around to the ports and connectivity, and this is where the HP Spectre x360 clearly pulls ahead. Being as thin as it, the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro relies almost exclusively on its three USB Type-C ports, one of which supports Thunderbolt 4. Otherwise, you get a 3.5mm headphone jack and a microSD card reader, too. That means you might need a Thunderbolt dock or USB-C hub to add common ports like USB Type-A or HDMI.

The HP Spectre x360 is more versatile in that sense. For starters, it has two Thunderbolt 4 ports, so you can connect more peripherals that leverage that high-speed connection. You also get a USB Type-A port, so you can connect something like a mouse without needing an adapter. And, if you go with the Spectre x360 15 or 16, you also get an HDMI port, making it easier to connect an external display. Overall, you get more versatility out of the box.

USB Type-A and HDMI ports on the Spectre x360 16


Both laptops support the same wireless standards, including Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2, so there isn’t much of a difference there. Neither one offers cellular connectivity, though HP did say there would be a 5G version of the Spectre x360 14.

Final thoughts

As usual, whether you prefer the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 or the HP Spectre x360 is ultimately up to you, but there are some things that clearly swing things in favor of one over the other. The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 is evidently a much more portable laptop, so if you want something you can take on the road often, it’s obviously the best choice. It’s also got the best display for the majority of users thanks to the Full HD AMOLED panel.



Plus, because it’s coming out with 28W Intel 12th-generation processors, it’s significantly more powerful, too. But this is an advantage that’s only a matter of time. HP will surely update the Spectre x360 line at some point in 2022, and that will balance the scales.

As to why you’d prefer the Spectre x360, there are a few reasons. The design feels much more premium, and it looks stunning with its dual-tone look. And if you want the cream of the crop when it comes to displays, the Spectre x360 comes in some stunning 4K OLED configurations, which are well ahead of what Samsung offers – as long as you’re willing to pay up. And there’s also connectivity, with USB Type-A and HDMI ports on the Spectre x360 making that much more versatile.

Samsung's laptop is lighter and more powerful, but the Spectre x360 has some more premium features.

figure.center { margin-top: 0px !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; } .quotecenter { width: 80%; float: none; margin: auto; margin-top: 0px !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; color: #de7300; } figure.wp-block-pullquote.quotestyle { border-top: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; padding: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; } blockquote.centerquotestyle { color: #006e95 !important; } @media only screen and (max-width: 600px) { .quotecenter { width: 90%; } } If I were choosing for myself, I might actually end up going with the HP Spectre x360 specifically because of those ports and the convenience they offer. But the portability and the AMOLED display of the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 could really push me towards it since I already have a USB Type-C adapter. If you do prefer HP’s offering, maybe it’s worth it to wait and see if an updated version comes soon. Regardless, you can buy either of these laptops below, though it’s worth noting the Spectre x360 13 and 15 are hard to find now. If you want to explore other alternatives, check out our roundup of the best laptops overall.

• Reserve the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360
  
  

• 

• The Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 is an extremely thin and light laptop, but it still comes with powerful 12th-gen Intel processors and a stunning AMOLED display.

• See at Samsung

• HP Spectre x360 14
  
  

• 

• The HP Spectre x360 14 is a taller version of the Spectre x360 13 with an optional 3K2K OLED display along with the Intel's 11th-gen Tiger Lake CPUs. It comes in a beautiful dual-tone design, too.

• See at HP

• HP Spectre x360 16
  
  

• 

• The HP Spectre x360 16 is the latest addition to the Spectre family, featuring a large 16-inch display with a 16:10 aspect ratio, 35W Intel processors, optional NVIDIA graphics, and a 5MP webcam.

• See at HP

The post Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 vs HP Spectre x360: What’s the best convertible? appeared first on xda-developers.



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