HP Spectre 13 x2 is the first fanless tablet with Haswell, runs Win 8 on the hush

posted by Daniel P. / Sep 19, 2013, 9:41 AM

HP Spectre 13 x2 is the first fanless tablet with Haswell, runs Win 8 on the hush

HP outed a lot of new gear today, and among the touchscreen devices it introduced, the new Spectre 13 x2 is billed as the first Haswell-powered tablet that doesn't need a fan for cooling. That probably means that the elegant Sony Vaio Tap 11 still has a tiny fan behind its vents.

It's a bit of a stretch from HP to call the the HP Spectre 13 x2 a tablet, as it sports a huge detachable 13.3" Full HD display part, and an aluminum keyboard dock to go along with it. The processor and storage are in the tablet half, though, so you can just grab it and go, using the full power of Windows 8.

When you need long typing sessions or extra ports, you just plug it back into the keyboard dock, which sports extra battery juice, two USB 3.0 ports, a full HDMI one, and an SD card slot, while the screen part only has a microSD slot, and 64 Gb or 128 GB of internal memory.

HP cites long 7.5 hours of battery life, which can be expected from a Haswell machine, but the most important part here is that Windows 8 will run cool and silent on a fanless Full HD tablet, albeit a giant 13" one. Expect it to ship October 16th from $1099.99 and up.

via Liliputing

FEATURED VIDEO

Options

17 Comments

1. boosook

Posts: 1442; Member since: Nov 19, 2012

Really can't see the point. It's too big to be a tablet, and not powerful enough to be a notebook.

posted on Sep 19, 2013, 9:58 AM 2

2. muhsen

Posts: 281; Member since: Jun 07, 2012

u probably didn't read the title well enough , it runs on haswell i.e the 4th gen core processors (i3/i5/i7)...isn't that powerful enough ???????!!!

posted on Sep 19, 2013, 10:07 AM 9

3. neutralguy

Posts: 1152; Member since: Apr 30, 2012

Forgive him. He lives in a the past, like 5 years ago.

posted on Sep 19, 2013, 10:44 AM 15

10. DukeX

Posts: 327; Member since: Aug 28, 2013

Nah i wouldn't forgive people who never do research. I came to this article expecting someone to get upset at the haswell architecture and that's what always ALWAYS happens in windows 8 tablet pc articles. It never fails...

posted on Sep 19, 2013, 1:39 PM 0

6. boosook

Posts: 1442; Member since: Nov 19, 2012

I didn't say that it wasn't powerful enough, but that it wasn't powerful enough to be considered a notebook replacement. And if you consider it as a tablet, it's too expensive and and too big. First of all, the storage is limited to 64 or 128gb, with a considerable amount of space that will be used by windows, given that it's the full windows 8. That's ok for a tablet or an ultraportable, but this thing is expensive, if the 64gb version will cost $1100. Next, it will be powered by Haswell... which Haswell? There will be many versions of Haswell-based chips, and if the battery will last 7,5 hours (with a 13'' screen to power), you can be sure that they'll choose a low-power solution, and it's obvious, because this thing must become a tablet and the battery should last all day. So, even if it's clear that a new architecture brings better performance and less power consumption, miracles are still our Lord's prerogative. It will never have the performance of a desktop or even of a notebook, that can pack a much heavier and capable battery and thus use a more powerful (Haswell) processor. Bottom line: this object won't be as powerful as a notebook yet it will have a very high price and won't be portable and cheap as a tablet. The market has already left 900 million dollars of Surface tablets on the shelves, when will Microsoft understand that people are not interested in this tablet/pc mixing that is not good neither as a tablet nor as a pc?

posted on Sep 19, 2013, 11:33 AM 0

8. haseebzahid

Posts: 1853; Member since: Feb 22, 2012

wowowow slow dont panic try to think positive like atlest they are moving the technology in correct direction. its powerfull or not but soon this is the trend thats gonna be dominant so let it grow

posted on Sep 19, 2013, 12:38 PM 2

9. duder52

Posts: 27; Member since: Jun 14, 2013

There is a market for tablet/pc hybrids. That is the future and is what I want. Although I'm not sure if this model is the exact format I need. I do some basic graphics work and this is something that suits me. It is plenty powerful to be a notebook as not everyone one is an intense gamer or video editor where they need the best chips out there. For my needs old core 2 duo's from 6+ years ago do just fine, and that is how it is for the majority of and the average person. These new chips will be far superior in speed and battery performance regardless of which version goes in this device.

posted on Sep 19, 2013, 1:09 PM 0

11. Pancholo

Posts: 380; Member since: Feb 27, 2012

It's too big to be a tablet for YOU; it's not powerful enough to be a notebook for YOU. Really, that's just what it is for you. I agree on the expensive part, but we should all wait and see for when they start introducing more variations to compete. I'm not digging the ridiculous price on low memory SSDs/flash memories on everything coming out lately, though.

posted on Sep 19, 2013, 1:41 PM 2

15. Long1

Posts: 399; Member since: May 18, 2013

"First of all, the storage is limited to 64 or 128gb" "limited"???LOL. With 128GB version plus SD and micro SD, you can have 256GB total (ssd) With 64GB version - 192GB

posted on Sep 19, 2013, 8:51 PM 1

14. Long1

Posts: 399; Member since: May 18, 2013

iBS It's as powerful as MBAir , and tablet option is great feature fo touch screen. 7.5h battery is only for the tablet. How much is with keybord battery is unknown yet. No fans, is amazing, if works well. And the price for all that, it is great too. (for now)

posted on Sep 19, 2013, 8:39 PM 0

16. derylrobinson

Posts: 2; Member since: Sep 22, 2013

The popularity of iPad and the way they have replaced PC's for a lot of people proves to me that most people who owned PC's never really needed the power of a PC because all they were doing was email and web surfing. There are many more of us who do need more than a giant phone (ie, the iPad) but don't need the power that someone like a graphics designer or a gamer needs. I for one have a Surface Pro and find it perfect for my needs. I am a heavy user of the whole Windows Office suite and need the full versions of them, not the work-arounds you can get on ios or Droid. I also use a powerful pdf viewer called Bluebeam Revu and use it to mark up plans, specifications, and contracts. Something like an iPad can't do this, but since I am always on the run it's limiting to have to wait to get back to my desk to do a lot of things. So a tablet-sized PC is an awesome solution for me. The Surface Pro does it. Granted the battery life is a drawback, so I eagerly anticipate what they will do with the new chip. For large plan review projects small screen size is limiting, but that's one of the ways that the Surface is superior to an Ipad. With the HDMI port I can plug right into a monitor for those tasks. As for memory, it's not a problem. Between the microSD port, the USB port, and cloud back up, it's just not an issue.

posted on Sep 22, 2013, 10:57 AM 0

17. derylrobinson

Posts: 2; Member since: Sep 22, 2013

I think the reason Microsoft has not moved the Surface Pro's is they did a crappy job of getting the word out to the right people. The original ad campaign was aimed and kids and gamers. Sorry guys, but most kids are too focused on goofing off and playing to get the value of a Surface Pro. For those of us who actually need to produce all day and need to multi-task to stay ahead of the competition, the PC tablet is one of the best tools to ever come along. Windows also should have never let anyone ship a non-touch screen PC with Windows 8. That was plain stupid, because people with only keyboard/mouse interface just don't get it and have only frustration.