HP Spectre x360 16 (OLED + RTX 3050) REVIEW

This is the review of the HP Spectre x360 16t (2021) by Andrew Marc David
#HP #SpectreX360 #HPSpectre
HP Spectre x360 16: tidd.ly/3soas9z
HP Spectre x360 16: (Best Buy): shop-links.co/cgxcEZSKoPV
HP Spectre x360 16 with OLED & RTX 3050 graphics (Best Buy): shop-links.co/cgxcKpFaKXw
Check out my unboxing & first look video: • NEW HP Spectre x360 16...
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Video Index:
00:00 Intro
01:07 Specs & Pricing
02:03 Unboxing, Build & Size
03:31 Ports & Connections
04:16 User Upgradeability & Internals
05:32 Display
07:32 Webcam, Internal Mics & Fingerprint Reader
09:03 Hinges, Keyboard & Touchpad
10:01 The Modes & The Pen
11:05 Battery Life & Charging Times
12:02 Performance, Benchmarks & Gaming
13:17 Thermals, Surface Temps & Fan Noise
14:17 Audio
14:31 Pros & Cons
16:42 The Score
16:55 Final Thoughts

[@andrewmarcdavid]

***DEAL ALERT*** ON SALE AT BEST BUY FOR $1379.99 (the model with the integrated Xe graphics and the 3K+ IPS Display). Great deal: shop-links.co/cgxcEZSKoPV

[@littleandlewis]

My HP 16" OLED arrived a few days ago. Not a gamer, I was looking for a 16" OLED screen and was happy to see HP's model. I actually picked up an Asus 16" OLED from Costco recently when my custom HP was delayed by a month. I had some time to compare the two units side by side. While both had beautiful screen images ( the Asus was a bit brighter) the webcam and audio on the HP was so much better over the Asus....that it sealed the deal and the Asus was returned. The HP touchscreen ( which I don't think you mentioned in your review) was also a selling point. The Asus did not have touchscreen. My HP replaced a 16" LG which is so light...the heft of the HP is taking a bit to get used to. A little disappointed in the battery life....but I run my laptop without much battery saving option ( ie. full brightness) so I am only getting about 5 hours or so. That said....I am loving the screen upgrade and the excellent webcam...especially during these days of zoom.

[@deanthompson1156]

Another excellent review, Andrew. The specs on this model are very good and agreeing with Rafael, there is no perfect PC. Thanks for the hard work.

[@gavinturner5565]

Awesome description Andrew!!! Thank-you!!!

[@andrewmarcdavid]

Glad you liked it!

[@mb14ch]

Great Review Andrew. We see that you love what you do and the Reviews are amazing. It is very helpful to make a buy choice. This Hp is very good. Great design, great Display, great Webcam and so on. A great package! 😎👍🏻

[@andrewmarcdavid]

Thank you really appreciate it!

[@DavidGillooly]

Nice review as usual! Looks like a winner but not needing to immediately upgrade I'll wait till April/May/June to see what the suppliers offer in 12th Generation Intel CPUs

[@TheMadcowintucson]

And so it begins! Another excellent review!

[@paulkoigi7566]

Hey, Andrew! It is good to see you again. I've missed tuning in for The Live Show - School and work have been ridiculously intense, but I expect that that should change quite a bit from next month when one of the courses ends. Meanwhile, this is a clearly exceptional performance by HP on this model. I love the ridiculously incredible screen, with its 16:10 aspect ratio. I do think, however, that they could have made better choices on the placement of the Th4 ports, the lack of a Numpad is a bummer, and there is more than enough space on that motherboard for a Cat-16 modem. I think that if they put these in, then this would probably be the perfect 1-screen laptop... Cheers!

[@andrewmarcdavid]

Hi Paul, glad to hear you are doing well! No worries, as I know life can get in the way. Look forward to seeing you in the live stream soon.

[@paulkoigi7566]

@@andrewmarcdavid See you soon, my friend. Btw, I am really impressed by the thermals on this device - it by far excels that of my Spectre 15...

[@md.sydulislam4362]

I had pre-ordered my HP specre 16t with a huge discount (pre order, student and cyber monday). 1TB, WLED, 16GB, no GC, only for $1250. Thanks to HP.

[@SensationalInsights]

Salam, from where ?

[@md.sydulislam4362]

@@SensationalInsights from HP during cyber week in usa as a pre-order. I also added an Education discount as well!

[@KarlDahlquist]

Another great video! 👍

[@razkrat8803]

Loving my Hp Spectre oled 16. Screen is aces.

[@va9944]

Webcam is great and has less noise, that Dell should implement this type of webcam. I love OLED ❤️. Keep on Andrew and hp.

[@RobelMelaku]

This video single-handedly sold me this computer. I am buying it within a week. This guy knows his stuff.

[@crawlgsx]

Thanks for the review. Real bummer they don't offer the OLED on the Blue!

[@amberm9022]

Hey Andrew! Question about the track pad! I just got my Spectre 16 with all the premium specs. Right out of the box I noticed when sliding my finger across the track pad that the right side moves down slightly...like a soft half click, as I'm gliding across the top. The left side stays solid but the right side almost seems slightly loose, like if I apply very gentle pressure, it moves/rocks up and down. Does yours do this or do I have a defective track pad? Thanks for the help!

[@bobsimmons1470]

WOW! That anti-reflective coating on the other model certainly works!

[@flexlabz]

Would a bamboo ink plus or surface pen slim work better for drawing? Than the stock pen?

[@YT-cd2vi]

Gr8 really in details

[@micro7567]

thanks I love 16 inch laptops I have IdeaPad 5 pro 16 and it's good in general productivity

[@GuSiTaJuBa]

Is the screen resolution very different from 4K? I have a Spectre X360 15.6 4K. Thanks!

[@pvsamorgan9803]

The mic sounds really good... Can compete with MacBooks. And better than all other Windows laptop. Very impressive. Camera could be a little better.. Though much better than the previous generation.

[@mervynng5745]

I have difficulty of selecting between hp spectre 360 or Lenovo's X1 yoga G6

[@haydermahmood387]

thank you, David! does HP has software to protect the Oled screen from the burn-in effect? also any recommendations/steps we do in windows to protect this OLED screen since I just ordered one. thank you Again!

[@andrewmarcdavid]

Thanks! The screen saver comes on after a few minutes of inactivity to protect the screen. I have not experienced any screen burn in on my unit

[@haydermahmood387]

@@andrewmarcdavid Thank you for prompt response. I have another question and since you have alot of experience in laptops. I already ordered this laptop from bestbuy but best buy also have a discount now on MSI creator 17 inch 4k ips 120mhz for 2099, almost the same price of this hp laptop. Which laptop you think it better? Especially regarding the screen/color quality and battery life? Thanks

[@charleskuhn382]

I so wish I could have the same specs in a 14 form factor

[@pvsamorgan9803]

I am also waiting for that move. A Spectre with intel 12th gen in an Envy 14 body. And a full-sized SD card slot.

[@rafaelperez9652]

The OLED display is simply gorgeous, the 1080p internal webcam quality is great and the internal mics are nice and clear! The 16:10 display is also very welcomed in 2022. A lot to like here although not perfect with what it brings but no PC is perfect! I'm loving this and at a starting price of $1499 you get a lot for your hard earned money. I think it's a Winner!! Thank you Andrew for another Great review. 👍😁

[@andrewmarcdavid]

Thanks Rafael

[@rogerl7533]

I echo Rafael's praise of your reviews; I find them very helpful.

[@michaelharvey9083]

Thanks!

[@sharons5035]

Hi Andrew could you please provide a link for downloading prime 95 stress test ,thank you

[@stennan]

Does it include support to limit the battery charge level? Other HP laptops have had support for "Battery Health" management in Bios, could you check if such a setting exists in the BIOS, and are you free to set any % or limited to 80%?

[@andrewmarcdavid]

I will check.

[@liamoreilly783]

How does it fair with raw photo editing in lightroom ?

[@DouglasMcLaurin]

I'm drooling over this one. I just need to make more money so I can justify buying it (I already own 3 laptops!)

[@jozikafire1743]

Please make review on HP Spectre x360 16 with i7-12700H Refresh NOONE HAS REVIEWED IT YET

[@IIAxisHaloII]

How does this laptop compare to the Dell XPS 15?

[@crashbandicoot8510]

Which notebook is better for playing games like fifa or cs:go? Hp spectre 15 eb0036ng (=RAM 16gb with geforce gtx 1650ti) or this spectre 16 (=RAM 32Gb with rtx 3050)?

[@priyeshrana]

Which laptop will you suggest some one who is starting with 3d? Budget is approx. $2000-2300 USD.?

[@MotivationSucsess]

Excellent review Andrew, most appreciated. I was holding back for the OLED 32gb ram version but for the price (£2,150.) here in the UK it appears a bit expensive considering the low refresh rate, no option for a high performance GPU, soldered RAM & not DDR5, no number pad and not 12th generation processor. If this was possible then happy to pay a higher price of course. I would be interested to know your thoughts as to what you suggest for a new 16/10 business 2 in 1 or High performance laptop for also doing content creation, excellent video calls etc Many thanks and keep up the great work. Regards, Paul Hamilton

[@BlackCeII]

If you know of a two-in-one that has the things you mentioned, I'm all ears.

[@oscnarparrot]

U don’t get a pen here

[@FOOTYAS]

@@BlackCeII closest is x1 yoga g7, rog flox x13, and the upcoming yoga 7i g7 and yoga 9i g7

[@ptan54]

I have the 2018 spectre 15 inch. That has a numpad. Pity this one doesn’t.

[@BlazeingGoldReviews]

good video andrew. But this just a general question for anyone who wants to answer it.. why does no one on youtube wanna review the new version of this laptop? 12th gen cpu with an intel arc gpu. I've seen no youtubers review that model.

[@andrewmarcdavid]

Waiting for HP to send a review unit

[@SensationalInsights]

Please compare it to 2020 10750H OLED

[@anthonygarrett5790]

Question - If I put it in TV mode and get an external keyboard and mouse with the laptop, would the laptop still work as a normal laptop while in TV mode. I'm deciding whether to get this or the New Dell.

[@karankapila2008]

Yes it will.

[@jimmyboyles2868]

Deciding between this and Dell Dell - Inspiron 2-in-1 16” OLED Touch Laptop - 12th Gen Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - 512GB SSD - NVIDIA GeForce MX550 - Atlantic Green Model: i7620-7648GRE-PUS - Same price. HP has 1TB.

[@acemeek4088]

Waiting for the Huawei Matebook X Pro 2022 unboxing please...

[@rottennewtonsapple]

I was told that the hinges will loose and break after a year or two. What are ur thoughts on this?

[@vimalramachandran]

Not right. I have an HP Spectre x360 from 2016 that still has a sturdy hinge after 7.5 years of use! Its battery is dead and performance is sluggish, but it still works quite well.

[@littleandlewis]

I am a bit dismayed at the battery life with my 16" OLED. I am getting maybe 5 hours at most and all I am doing is surfing the web. I do have the screen cranked up pretty high with brightness ( but not all the way) and I have the " smart sense" feature engaged. But compared to my non-OLED LG 16" which gave me 17+ hours on a charge....this is disappointing. Any suggestions to increase battery life?

[@ucanthavemyname9802]

Go into the NVIDIA control panel (if you don’t have it install it) and change the preferred graphics to the Intel graphics instead of NVIDIA graphics. This should help the battery tremendously if the NVIDIA graphics are currently in use.

[@Rene2438]

Do you recomend this computers for a dental student?

[@andrewmarcdavid]

Sure

[@Sjreyesc]

Pls a vs with lenovo yoga 9 i

[@nazeerkamdar9008]

As much as I want to get this for my next PC, this for sure looks like a laptop designed a year ago that's been delayed. The emphasis in their marketing materials around VC features vs. the current times when things are opening up again and people are returning to work physically. The 11th Gen processor in a laptop that's reaching the market in late-Jan 2022 when the 12th Gen processors have already been announced. This laptop would have been brilliant with the new 12th gen chips, and a certain buy from me. But now I'll wait for the Lenovo X1 Yoga and see how it does with alder lake once released

[@BlackCeII]

If you need more processing power, you should be using a desktop computer. Laptops aren't really portable if they have a multi-core bleeding-edge processor that you're probably hardly ever going to fully utilize anyway.

[@nazeerkamdar9008]

@@BlackCeII Of course they are, look at M1 macbooks or the G14's with Ryzen CPU's. Look at the Alder Lake CPU mobile SKU list. You may not be getting desktop grade CPU's in laptop bodies, but you can certainly get more processing power in 12th gen Alder Lake CPUs with 12 core/16 thread design over the 11th gen 4 core/8 thread design. The point of my comment is that we already have 12 core/16 thread 28W CPUs from Intel that can work easily in the Spectre 16, but they're instead opting for a significantly lower performance previous gen chip when latest-gen chips are already in the market

[@amanjindal28]

What is tdp of rtx 3050. No one is talking about that

[@Rahumburni]

Would this be good for 3d rendering?

[@BG-mr6bo]

HOPEFULLY

[@user-mq2ui7sn6e]

Good laptop for graphic designers

[@williamcohen3351]

Nice PC. The 1080p camera and microphone on this unit are both excellent. Like the many options included using this webcam. It seems on many laptops you have shown that when the camera is better the microphones are worse and vice versa. This is not the case here. Display is excellent. Like the easy access to opening this unit. Glad to see they got away from putting screws under rubber strips. It would be nice if they offered two iterations of this PC one with a numpad and one without. This would then satisfy both camps of users. I notice many manufacturers of the 16in are also not including numpads on their units. One option is the following: Recently I purchased from Amazon two separate numpads. The Foloda sells for $38.99 and the other a Havit sells for about $20.00. Both of these are full size numpads with an excellent layout and feel. They are small and light and easily fit in a travel bag. Both also connect to the PC using bluetooth and are rechargeable. This could be an excellent option for those who need to use a numpad when using applications that require it. Best Buy has shown this unit in their weekly ads for $2,029 for many months now as "Coming Soon". By the time they actually have it probably a newer model will be coming out. As always an excellent review.

[@abelpod5764]

I love this pc, unfortunately it doesn't have a numpad. I use Excel in my daily use, I need a numpad. It seems ThinkPad it's the way for the number crunching.

[@rogerl7533]

I hate number pads - makes of mess of my typing. Different strokes (so to speak) for different folks.

[@omegamalkior1874]

@@rogerl7533 same. Absolutely hated the numpad on my Spectre 15 2020. Preferred using the number row if I ever needed to use numbers

[@williamcohen3351]

One alternative is to use an external num pad. Look at my comment on where to get one on Amazon. I still agree a num pad on the laptop is still the best.

[@mhossain333]

About 15 yrs HP is making Laptops. Unfortunately till now its battery back-up & cooling system not upto the mark.

[@gideonrockson4766]

Andrew is back with another gem..This is a cool laptop but having said that, I'm not a fan of any laptop above 15.6 inch. 🇬🇭🇬🇭

[@micro7567]

16 inch has the same width as 15.6 it's just a little taller, but it makes a huge difference my 16 inch laptop is even smaller than my old 15.6 laptop

[@tappersreviews4677]

No 12th gen Intel CPU? Really odd to see an 11th gen in this 2022 Spectre.

[@SteveRunciman]

can't wait till this machine gets intel 12th gen

[@neodidi]

Wow... $2k is steep... But I think we are paying for the finish.. I've always loved the Spectre... But I don't like the non RAM upgrade.. $2k! Wow

[@thibaldus3]

I'd rather hae 2mm more of width and have upgradable RAM. THat's a pass for me. If we let them companies will never let you upgrade anything on your computer again and charge you 300$ for 8GB more of RAM...

[@rayanbanerjee6174]

Will it be available in India?

[@BG-mr6bo]

Definitely!

[@waijaywong2176]

Just got my spectre x360 16"

[@BG-mr6bo]

me too

[@waijaywong2176]

@@BG-mr6bo but mine was so shit......within a month the TouchPad kept stop working .......and I complained to customer service a couple times and they finally refunded me the money

[@BG-mr6bo]

@@waijaywong2176 SO SORRY!!!

[@waijaywong2176]

@@BG-mr6bo no need to be sry.....hp should be the one who should be sorry

[@bakihanma6086]

@@waijaywong2176 but was it worth it before the touchpad stopped working

[@oscnarparrot]

Can you please make people aware that the pen is NOT included in all markets you don’t get one in UK but much cheaper laptops from hp do

[@andrewmarcdavid]

Thanks for letting us know

[@SuperPudley]

Looks like it finally can compare with MacBook Pros! Although the battery life won’t beat the MacBook, but it will be the best laptop outside of the Apple world for now!

[@akshay5569]

Thsts some shitty packaging ,2021 model has a phenomenal packaging it felt so premium

[@blue4059]

You should note that this laptop is using outdated last-gen OLED and last-gen MPP technologies.

[@andrewmarcdavid]

OLED display looks great to me

[@blue4059]

@@andrewmarcdavid It's a Gen 2 OLED which means color accuracy will drastically shift when you change brightness, and looking at close range there is screen-door effect due to older subpixel arrangement. The new Gen 3 panel fixes these issues.

[@BryanELC]

:v

[@onodanaoto1]

I hate this key board layout

[@karankapila2008]

Yes I know what you mean. I brought my dad the older 15.6" version solely because of the inclusion of the Numpad.