HP Spectre 13 Specs and Price: World's Thinnest Laptop Beats MacBook Air, 12-Inch MacBook and Dell XPS

Apr 08, 2016 02:46 AM EDT

HP continues to prove that it can develop the most powerful and start-of-the-art laptops. The company claims its new HP Spectre 13, unveiled April 5, is "the world's thinnest laptop." Now, here's what is currently known about HP Spectre 13 release date, specs and price.

Spectre's body size measures 10.4 millimeters (0.41 inches) thick. The laptop is slimmer than MacBook Air (0.68 inches), 12-inch MacBook (0.52 inches) and Razer Blade Stealth (0.52 inches). It is also thinner than 0.59-inch Dell XPS 13.

Most of the Spectre's body is made from a dark gray aluminum and its bottom is a lighter-weight carbon fiber.

Its base model offers 1920x1080 full HD display, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB. Inside, the laptop is powered with either a Core i5 or a Core i7 processor. These processors are also present in MacBook and powerful laptops in the market.

According to the Verge, making a 13-inch laptop with a Core i processor means dealing with heat and battery issues. However, HP handled the problem by using a heat pipe that redirects the heat away from the processor. Also, there are two fans that help to cool down the laptop.

As for the battery, HP installed a thin hardware that takes up most of the parts inside the laptop. As the company claims, it is supposed to deliver 9.5 hours of battery life.

In a review from CNET, it says HP Spectre 13 looks great and it sports the company's new, angular logo on the back. In addition, the inclusion of Core i-series processors will help the machine to perform heavy-duty tasks. The Spectre has three USB-C ports that act as power and accessory connector.

Furthermore, its keyboard looks impressive for a slim laptop. It is really clicky and natural to type on.

On the other hand, the Spectre 13 doesn't offer any hybrid features like other top-of-the-line laptops which have screens that can detach from their keyboards to function like a tablet. HP's new laptop has simplicity and premium design that can go up against Apple's MacBook Air.

HP will begin taking pre-orders for the Spectre 13 on April 25. The price of the laptop will start at $1,169.99. The shipping will begin sometime in May. Later that month , on May 22nd, it will become available on Best Buy for $1,249.99.

For more information about other HP's laptop, check out previous report on Spectre X360.