HP Spectre Folio hands-on: A folio like no other

HP’s latest convertible style PC was announced at an event in New York City, showing consumers that style and fashion can be blended seamlessly into one product – without sacrificing on the productivity side. The HP Spectre Folio, dubbed as the world’s first leather convertible PC, is unique for the fact that its frame is crafted from genuine leather, as in the material is actually bonded with its aluminum and magnesium frame.

At first glance when it’s completely closed, it reminds us of a typical folio, the same kind that you’ll find business professionals carrying around. Upon opening it, however, its convertible laptop design becomes more apparent. Unlike other detachable convertibles, the HP Spectre Folio employs a rather intriguing hinge design that integrates the screen and keyboard together. Articulating the screen can make it go from a traditional laptop, to a tablet, and even another position for multimedia viewing.

Some of its highlights include the following:

From a design standpoint, the HP Spectre Folio is no doubt impressive, especially how everything is fitted into an incredible svelte body. Sure, the genuine leather differentiates it from the majority of convertibles out there, but we’re eager to know how it’ll handle in the long run. And due to its extreme thinness, HP had help from Intel to create its custom-made motherboard – one that takes up little space as possible, while packing in a large battery. Speaking of that, HP claims that it’ll provide upwards of around 18 hours of battery life. And for those that need constant connectivity, it’ll also will pack in an LTE radio.

Pre-orders are now available starting at $1300 for the base model with an Intel Core i5 processor, while the one leveraging the Intel Core i7 with LTE will start at $1500.