2017 HP Spectre x360 15" Review for Artists

In this video Lisa Gade focuses on the early 2017 HP Spectre x360 15.6” Windows 10 convertible as a tool for artists. She compares it to the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 / Surface Book and brings in several other competitors like the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1, iPad Pro and Wacom MobileStudio Pro in terms of pen and PC performance. Programs include Photoshop CC, Sketchbook Pro and Corel Painter 2017.
The Spectre x360 15” has a 7th generation Intel Core i7 CPU, 16 gigs of DDR4 RAM, a 512 gig PCIe NVME SSD, 4K display and an N-Trig active pen digitizer. It lists for $1,499. It’s one of the few big screen notebooks with pen support.
** Be sure to watch our general review of the 2017 HP Spectre x360 15” here: • Early 2017 HP Spectre ...
** And here’s our review of the 13” model (the late 2016 edition without active digitizer): www.mobiletechreview.com/noteb...
**Get it on HP.com: bit.ly/2KoRkUn

[@noxmoonyisadork]

Thank you so much for a review focused on artists! It's really hard to find reviews that talk about things from the perspective of an artist. It was great seeing the comparison and I had no idea that HP released new Spectre laptops with digitizer support! SOOOOO EXCITING!!! And the price is amazing. Btw your orange and tree looked really nice. I like the textures on them!

[@kalyankarakheti6383]

I am also in same dilemma which one to choose. HP spectre is great in all things as well so budget friendly compared to other products but i wish to have 4096 level pressure sensitive screen. Samsung notebook 9 pro is also really great but with no thunderbolt 3 support, no 4k screen, really bad speaker and poor battery life makes it not so great to pick. Lenovo launches new yoga 920 but its 700-800 dollar more. What do you think?

[@kalyankarakheti6383]

Thank you for your advice Sapphire, but I love the new Lenovo Yoga 920 and I think this one will be better although its expensive.

[@kalyankarakheti6383]

Yeah. This one insanely brilliant but you see Surface Book 2 is too expensive. More than $2500, i can't afford that.

[@kalyankarakheti6383]

Yeah I also think this way is better. If I get Surface book 2 with my matching tech spec at below $1700 then I can go for it.

[@jayyzee5708]

Sapphire Skills will it be able to handle the heavy softwares such as photoshop, after effects and maya?

[@EpisodeAnon27]

Finally a review for the digital pen experience of this laptop. I was searching for the detailed descriptions and features for thr pen and I found it in here.

[@bigwilly81z28]

This review helped me more than I can say! The internet seems so swamped with reviews of devices for digital art and for the most part, many don't provide enough information. This however, explained all things I was curious about and as mentioned I cannot stress how incredibly helpful it was! So thank you for that!

[@tominfhl]

Can't get enough of these pen comparison videos. Helps clear up so much confusion. Thanks Lisa.

[@deidaraobito]

You’ve really helped me alot with getting my new computer and not regretting it thank you

[@aleka1017]

That was a great review! You addressed a lot of my questions

[@JasonThomasBrown-UK]

This review is amazing, I was looking specifically for art reasons and a lot of other people have different criteria.

[@starbrand3726]

Have been shopping for an artistic tablet/laptop with pen. Had three units in mind, and couldn't decide. I think you just made up my mind. HP all the way. Thanks for the great artist's review.

[@DEVUNK88]

Hey Lisa! thanks for the review, you do a great job

[@ShallowCult]

Lisa, Thank you SO much for doing so may fantastic reviews that cover not only laptops with digitizers, but how they actually feel to use in photoshop & other art applications! I'm still tossing up between a few different Surface, Yoga, HP & Samsung devices, but these reviews have been invaluable! Thank you!

[@albuscurra]

Awesome ! That's exactly what I was looking for !

[@pfergusovegas]

I just bought a 2019 Spectre x360 15t, but with a 10 gen i7. Even though the model is slightly different from yours, this review was incredibly helpful to me, because I'm a Photoshop user and am looking for an iPad Pro style drawing experience, but with the features of a Windows laptop. Thanks for this thoughtful review!!

[@MLHPChanel]

Thanks for the review:) In addition, you're a wonderful artist!

[@WillieFourMilli]

Thanks for these reviews Lisa. I'm an artist doing digital work. Very helpful.

[@you2nosey188]

Congratulations for reaching half a million

[@jmms93]

Thank you for this review Lisa, it's exactly what I was looking for as an artist that wants to be able to work on the go. I'm still not 100% sure if should get this one or wait to see what the surface pro 5 will have to offer, but the spectre's price sure it tempting

[@caueegea5160]

I love your videos!!!

[@keggerous]

I love your reviews!!!

[@waltzie]

very glad you did this!!!

[@ispeakmucho]

Just ordered the pen with a x360, 14 inch. 8gb ram. 1tb storage, Pentium 44 something chip. Was right under the i3 in performance. Thank you for this artist review

[@gaea2007vm]

In terms of drawing experience alone, how would you compare this to the iPad Pro? Would've loved to see samples! :) (was expecting it when I saw it on the table at the beginning) Great review Lisa as always, thanks for all your hard work!

[@zaiahwolfe]

Great video :) helped me decide that I want to purchase it

[@LazyVocalist]

I just ordered this and I'm so excited! I haven't really experimented much with digital but i definitely will now

[@kriss._.1041]

How was it so far😅😅

[@chrisspeakman6439]

I'm deciding whether or not to wait for the surface pro 5 or get one of the artist 2 in 1s that are out now.

[@kazkomperda2118]

Have this computer for a week now and it's just great.

[@roostersideburns3440]

there is an HP tilt pen now not sure if it was around in 2017

[@nicoletran4373]

very informative, thank you!

[@yuzuyuri]

I wonder if the new x360 13" have the same pen sensitivity? The pen pressure on the 15" is incredible, I hope it's the same on the little one. I wanna see a review, if that's possible. Thank you. I love watching your reviews

[@TobiLotta]

is it possible to connect this notebook to the macbook pro and use it as a second display (as a graphic tablet) ?

[@JasonSecrest]

Good morning Lisa, do you know if the latest Windows Surface pen works with the HP Spectre still? I thought I read they were modifying some of the hardware in the pen. For some reason I didn't get a pen when I purchased the spectre and the Bamboo I bought is pretty worthless. HP has made it surprisingly hard just to buy the pen but I can pick up the Surface pen at the mall today. Just wanted to know if you had any success with it. Thanks for the feedback. Jason

[@terrytigner9600]

Would love a 15" Windows 10 Tablet or 2 in 1 with the 3:2 ratio and good pen. Perhaps MS will roll out a 15" Surface device in March! 16:9 ratios are such a waste in tablet mode. One thing great about the 12.9 iPad Pro is the iPad ratio of 4:3.

[@joelschafer]

I just picked this up for more real estate relative to my Surface Pro 4 and your review is dead on. I agree with the impression that palm rejection is superior to the Surface Pro. I do find the nib too slick on the HP pen so I've been using my Surface Pen. Given that it's a convertible the screen bounce is fairly annoying however so I hope to use it primarily in tent or tablet mode. I'm trying to get Tablet Pro configured so I can avoid a keyboard but the setup is pretty fiddly. Great review!

[@juulsommen4320]

But how does it feel when laying it down like a tablet? And could you maybe do a note taking demo on either a surface product or an hp, if you are known with onenote etc? Thanks!

[@noahplato4068]

"Bob Ross moment in action" I instantly un-did fullscreen and subscribed. XD

[@MrNoahFTW]

Lisa, thanks for your fantastic content. I just ordered a Spectre x360 15 and I'm wanting to annotate on pdf s and powerpoints for work. Do you recommend a screen protector before using an active stylus? I've noticed that the Surface Pen has what looks like a softer, felt-like tip. I really don't want to scratch up my new laptops nice 4k screen. What are your suggestions?

[@hasanahmad3420]

What a great comparison. Showing pro apps I would actually use!

[@maxxsee]

have to have have to have have to have great reviews, really superb

[@friedrice7404]

maxxsee wat

[@tiam7722]

Does new Spectre x360 13 inch that supports stylus use the same stylus as the 15 inch Spectre x360?

[@theprophe]

Since you can use the surface pen, would the surface top button open onenote on the spectre?

[@launcher7859]

theprophe yep it does

[@LiekeBeunders]

I'm confused about which versions of the spectre x360 work with pens, is it the new 13" version too? And it didn't work for the older models, right?

[@marshmallowpuff4899]

I love the art reviews you do for convertibles . What kind of digitizer does the Spectre x 360 13 use ? I know it's not an n trigg.

[@aperire0401]

Exactly what I was looking for! Thanks for your great reviews. I'm hanging between this and the upcoming Surface 5 (although th HP Spectre pricing is looking very attractive). Debated the Mobile Studio Pro but I have the 2nd Gen Cintiq Companion and am quite disappointed in it.

[@vaskooo]

Do you believe, for the 13" version, if it's worth getting the 4K vs the FHD?

[@xXPoisonShotsXx]

Great video as always Lisa, I have a few questions though. Do you think this configuration would be enough for music production? I'm talking software like Ableton Live, also what about video editing (fhd) with Premier Pro? And lastly do you know anything about the upcoming Lenovo Yoga 720? Thanks for keeping us informed on current tech! 😃

[@est9949]

Great review! I'm choosing between these pens and laptops and this helps a lot. Btw, does Surface Pen work well with the latest 13" Spectre?

[@aashanyoutube]

hi, how would you compare hp with wacom mobile studio pro? because im an artist and planning to buy studio pro 16 soon.

[@educationalchannel3815]

Would be really helpful if you can address my query: Can I do screen recording while writing using stylus (inking pen) and produce the same in form of a video?

[@OllyReid]

You won't get palm rejection problems on the surface if you download the "app"version of Sketchbook. It has less features currently, but it works really nicely with SP4. (Palm rejection is fine with photoshop too I find...)

[@Bonjour-World]

Greetings Lisa. Really liked to video on the various digital pen technologies. You might consider adding it to the links in this video as well. Have you done a a review of the HP Tilt pen (part 2MY21AA) yet and/or MPP 2.0 yet?

[@MrBausa89]

IS it possible for you to test the HP tilt pen? Thanks a lot

[@bobwhiteside9950]

I'd love if you could do a similar video on the use of the touch screen and pen in some architecture packages like sketch up pro and autodesk revit.

[@thibaldus3]

Great review Lisa! As someone who plans on doing some digital drawing, those reviews are incredibly useful! Just two questions: What is the reference for the model you are testing? Is it part of the bL00xx models? And are the 13" 2017 models (the ac-00X ones) as good for drawing?

[@muzboz]

Does it support any sensitivity at all? Like, actual pressure that makes the Photoshop brush wider and narrower, lighter and darker, etc?

[@Metalpazallteway]

Very nice review.. I have a quick question, I know that the computer be extended to 16gig ram and it's just dual core and not quad core as wanted. Although, can this computer be suffice for heavy video/sound editing software. For example is it very responsive for cinematic music using DAW software programs?

[@DanielCamacho_DISACC]

I've recently picked up a Lenovo yoga 720 with a meko high sensitive stylus on Amazon. The stylus gives me no issues when using it on my laptop, but when I go to Photoshop it refuses to recognize my pen in the canvas. I am able to use it off the canvas to adjust brush sizes and such with no issues though. Is the problem with me using the wring stylus for Photoshop or is it a software issue where I need to get a specific plugin?

[@fahminagi5397]

Adobe Photoshop Elements 15 & Premiere Elements 15 or cyberlink Director Suite 5 , which one is the best for this laptop ?

[@lucky23081988]

Thank you for your amazing video and experience, Which software would you suggest to start with for practicing drawing

[@jrosenbomb]

Thanks for the review. I currently have a Fujitsu T904. it's acting up and I'm thinking of a new computer. I like the larger screen for this device and the affordability (especially for the RAM and SSD space) not to mention a number of ports. My Fujitsu is Wacom EMR. I'm not sure if it has 1024 levels or what. I'm wondering what kind of difference I would expect moving to this device? I also wonder about the difference between NTrig and Wacom AES. I've seen a few reviews from a couple of years ago. Has anything has changed? I've heard that AES was better, but with Microsoft backing NTrig I'm wondering if it has gotten better. I would use this device for web/graphic design and illustration. I originally was looking at those "Surface Pro" form factors, but realized that you pay a premium for its compact size, and after all I like the larger screen. Any advice would be great. Maybe there's another computer to consider?

[@AlbertoAmoni]

Nice review! and thanks for doing and artist version of it, no one seems to care about the pen and its limits when reviewing it. With the pens being interchangeable, didn't the tilt work when you used the surface pen? Hp also has a "Tilt pen", sorry if I'm bothering you, is just that I haven't found anyone else testing those the way you did here.

[@LEARNING-MEDICAL-EDUCATION]

I am a student. i do lots of note writing in laptop. which laptopo to buy ( hp spectre of dell xps 15)?

[@ericrollins4607]

Lisa, whats your favorite 2-in-1 to date? For general use

[@tungstenwhizard4361]

Is this a good laptop for college? And does the stylus support the sensor that detects erasing? (My dad had a VERY old HP tablet with a stylus that would write with the tip, but erase if flipped around.)

[@bhegseth1]

I went to Best buy and sampled one today, trying both the hp pen and the surface pen. For drawing, the pen was quite a bit worse than the surface. touching the screen with a lighter brush was only picked up half the time, and it felt much more unnatural when compared to the surface book. Did you not experience this at all?

[@meggansloas7658]

Maybe you can help; I have the 4k 15" HP Spectre x360 15-blxxx and bought the Bamboo Ink pen with it, and I can't get the pen pressure to work. I've just been told by Wacom it "may not". I need to use this computer I just bought for art, and I need the pen pressure. What pen can I use?

[@MakeItRight4u]

Having issue on latest version on Painter 2018 where in the pen tilt is not working. Is there any settings that I need to be done to make it work?

[@kychkaaa]

which is the best for retouch: hp or surface?

[@dombyrashyKZ]

Hello, are you here showing the handles of different manufacturers? Or did they compare the iron tablets themselves? What is all so good option for artists brand and iron tablets? I now think between Microsoft Surfake Pro 4 and XPS 13 2-in-1 7th Generation Intel® Core ™ i7-7Y75 Processor 16GB? Thank you!

[@adriennedupree9719]

I was woundering if you can cover 2 in 1 laptops with pens and which one has better draw response when it comes to pen strokes

[@EB.Consulting]

hi, is there any info on the AAAA battery life? How long would it last if you, say, use it for 2-3 hours per day? Thanks!

[@maconmomentsphoto5779]

Do you know if there will be any ryzen laptops coming out this year? I'm looking for a travel laptop for 4k video editing

[@anzatzi]

went back to using the glove this year--its a much better experience

[@MaN2Mega]

Have you tried Tablet Pro on screen hotkeys app? I could not use my surface pro without them when drawing but no major site has done a review of it yet

[@DivaCam]

Hi ! What pen are you using exactly on the Spectre? Thank you

[@tombombadilofficial]

Wondering if you'll review the Eve V? I heard you can use SP 2017's pen on it.

[@drobinsingh1]

DO you believe that the HP Spectre 2018 pen is better than Microsoft surface book 2 pen, when it comes to (a) Note taking (b) Latency?​

[@ViacheslavStudio]

Hi ;) I know that HP Tilt Pen in presentation mode can highlight (change the cursor to look like laser pointer), but I don't know how to turn on this highliting. Any idea?

[@frankfei1557]

Is the pen pressure sensitivity supported in Sai and FireAlpaca? I rly want to buy the 13 inch for school and as a mobile sketchbook

[@johntruongpictures]

Thank you for all your reviews Lisa. We need more reviews with these pen based tablets geared more towards artists. How is the pen on the x360 when you lightly draw in Photoshop? Does it have a low initial activation? A lot worse than Wacom EMR or just slightly worse? Also, fellow lefty! :)

[@michaelzschoche2746]

I cannot find sketchbook pro in the store. did you get it from somewhere else?

[@LiekeBeunders]

Is it the same pen as the one for the X2 ? It seems like the pen doesn't come in the box in my country and I'm trying to find a place to order it.

[@thedeltronic1]

Hello, I was wondering if you know what stylus is compatible for HP ENVY X360 17 CORE i7 7th gen.

[@dluciano2288]

Hi Lisa. I really like your KZbin page. I was wondering if you would do a review on say a lower priced device. One such as the Nextbook Flexx 11A. I haven't been able to find any video reviews of that particular device. It would be cool to see you do that. :)

[@princedemiterios2488]

Great reviews any used notebooks i may Buy from you ?

[@discodinosaur1313]

So I was wondering anyone could answer my question about problem I'm having with the Hp Spectre 360 15. I have this laptop for over few months and have not touch any of the settings for the pen. But lately in photoshop it won't work correctly. Meaning when I try to use the pen it just moves the screen. I have to hold down the top button to paint, erase etc. I have tried to reset the pen and also uninstall photoshop. Nothing it fixing it. Anyone have any clues on how to fix this? Thanks!

[@mathilda1168]

I really wanted to get the dell pen (AAGN), but there's a lot of reviews saying that the pen dies/stops working after a couple of weeks. I can't decide, and since I already have the hp spectre, I think it's unnecessary to buy a cheap wacom tablet. But I don't want to spend money on a pen that only will work for some weeks. Also after watching other reviews, the dell pen seems more nice to draw with than the hp one. What should I do?

[@Sodium779]

Lisa, do you know if the Intel 620 alone has enough oomph to handle photoshop? Could you try disabling the gtx940m and seeing how art performance drops? (and if reducing the displaying to 1080p helps bring it back up)

[@rightwingsafetysquad9872]

Yes, it does. Photoshop can be run on a potato. The more layers and the larger the canvas the more memory you need (8 GB is enough for almost anything), but processor performance isn't particularly important anymore.

[@carolinehonse35]

Thank you so much for this video. I just bought the 15 inch Spectre and am chomping at the bit to learn how to use it with photoshop. Is there any chance for a basic how to start video on this? Please? My I ply you with honest compliments that of the zillions of tech videos Ilve watched, yours are the best. No kidding!

[@bccron]

Solidworks with HP Spectre 360 i& if connected to a an External GPU?

[@AlexaHeartsNails]

Does the pressure sensitivity work with Paint tool sai or Photoshop at all?

[@BlkBruceWayne86]

Any comparison between this and the new Lenovo Thinkpad X1 yoga? Trying to decide between the x360 spectre, x1 yoga, and p40 yoga for graphic design ( Illustrator)

[@LiekeBeunders]

My 2017 spectre didn't come with a pen, should I buy the surface pen? :)

[@briandillard6625]

I am buying the Spectre x360 15 with the Vega dGPU primarily for note-taking in school and to do some light gaming while away from my desktop. I saw in your review of the Spectre that the palm rejection was very poor, which is the only thing stopping me from buying it right now. Do you know if HP has fixed it as of July 2018?

[@dragames]

She said the palm rejection in the hp was good, it was the surface that had problems with palm rejection.

[@anabelruiz8041]

i want the new spectre 360 for handwritten notes , how do you feel it works for you?

[@michaelcerda5514]

great video

[@saadqasim75]

Can I use the Surface Pen with Spectre 360 2016 and then solveing the Bad HP 2016 Stylus ?

[@tomrogalla2966]

I assume it will also work with the 13" Kaby lake model?

[@leodunadan]

Anyone knows what's the pressure sensitivity of the Spectre vs the surface pro 4 and the surface book? Couldn't seem to find it anywhere.. And also, the pens showed up in the video are interchangeable but there is that new pen kit for the Surfaces, does that work with the Spectre as well?

[@silyang7446]

Hey Lisa, I love watching your videos on laptops for artists. Lately, I have been having severe headaches and severe dry painful eyes from current monitors. Now days I feel like giving up on digital drawings. There is a rise on blue light affecting our eye health. I was wondering if you know a great labtop that is a more eye care for artists?

[@nvc.]

Lisa, make a video on gaming with x360 15 2017!! just too see how it performs

[@federicogiovannipische2835]

Good morning, I need help. In my country (Italy) the 15” comes without the pen, wich is basically impossible to find even on the official store. Anyone can tell me where could I buy the Hp Pen? Thank you!

[@maximebayingana9979]

Can you recommend the Hp spectre x360 to an Architect student ? Thank you