The introduction of the 2016 MacBook Pro was met with a fair amount of criticism, not to mention excitement over the introduction of the Apple’s OLED Touch Bar. The new MacBook Pros are thinner than ever, and, in turn, give up legacy ports, opt for a second-gen keyboard, and house smaller batteries.
More: Apple’s MacBook Pro is too thin, and HP can prove it
HP went in the opposite direction with its refresh of the Spectre x360 15, however, outfitting the Windows 2-in-1 with a thicker chassis designed to accommodate a larger battery, thus allowing it to power the machine’s 4K UHD display. Adding thickness also lets HP outfit the machine with an excellent full-travel keyboard and a few legacy ports to go along with the device’s USB Type-C connections.
Which approach — thicker or thinner — results in the best machine, though? Read on to find out whether it’s the HP Spectre x360 15 or the 2016 15-inch MacBook Pro that benefits the most from the recent design changes.
Specs
MacBook Pro 15-inch
HP Spectre x360 15
Dimensions
13.75 x 9.48 x .61 (in)
14.00 x 9.88 x .70 (in)
Weight
4.02 pounds
4.42 pounds
Processor
6th Generation Intel Core i7 quad-core
7th Generation Intel Core i7 dual-core
RAM
16GB LPDDR3
8 or 16GB DDR4
Display
15.6-inch IPS display
15.6-inch IPS touchscreen
Resolution
2,880 x 1,800
3,840 x 2,160
Storage
256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB PCIe SSD
256GB, 512GB, 1TB PCIe SSD
Networking
802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.2
802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.2
Ports
4 x Thunderbolt 3, 3.5mm
1 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB Type-C, 1 x USB Type-c with Thunderbolt 3, 1 x HDMI, Headset, SD Card reader
Webcam
720p FaceTime HD
1080p webcam with IR camera and Windows Hello support
Operating System
MacOS Sierra
Windows 10
Battery
76 watt-hours
79.2 watt-hours
Price
$2,399+
$1,280+
Availability
Available now
Available late-February
Review
Hands-on
4 out of 5 stars