Gadgetory

Ultra books have matured in a lot of ways I mean we've seen a tremendous shift in notebook design build quality and features as well if you go back in time let's just say maybe five years are still and compare the notebooks from that damage to what we have right now the difference is pretty significant and I think consumers are starting to appreciate what oh yeah manufacturers are coming up with their flagship design on their ultra books now one thing I want to quickly mention is performance because we really haven't seen a tremendous increase in that department for the past few years until last year when Intel decided to launch their cable a car chips basically incorporates quad core eight threaded processors into these thin and light notebooks and they've really changed the game big-time we're talking about 40% increase in performance and luckily I was able to get my hands on the XPS 13 with both a seven generation CPU and an eighth generation CPU and I was able to compare the performance differences so if you're interested in the raw results you can check it out right over here but today I want to compare two different types of laptops so on one hand we have the Dell XPS 13 featuring the core i7 eight generation processor and this is just a standard ultrabook so you can just take it to work school or whatnot and get work done and on the other hand we have this beautiful HP Spectre x-360 it's a two-in-one convertible so you can use it as either as a tablet or as a laptop and it features an eighth generation Core i5 processor so be interesting to see what the performance difference is like when you compare the i-5 to the i7 but most importantly I just want to go over the build quality differences and features and just the way how they compare to each other so let's dive in right after this are you ready okay watch this so that is what the components must feel like inside the H 500 P measured by Coolermaster check it out in the description below okay so quick disclaimer the XPS 13 laptop that I have over here isn't exactly the newest model that was launched this year in January this is last year's design with just two CPU refresh so it comes with the agency PU buttressed assigned it's exactly the same now the newer model is $200 mark Spencer than the older model so if you're interested in the new design and if you want a much smaller form factor I think going for the new model is a much better option but if you want to save a few bucks and still get the eighth generation CPU and you're pretty compact notebook especially in the XPS lineup you should definitely pick up the older design with the processor because it's $200 cheaper than the newer model and it still looks gorgeous from from the outside and yeah it looks it looks amazing coming back to this comparison let's start with the build quality and design both notebooks are built really well so the XPS 13 features an aluminum unibody construction it feels robust in the hand Dell hasn't cut any corners when it comes to the structural integrity of the chassis and I'm really impressed with it so far the carbon fiber finish on the palm rest feels softer to the touch and it doesn't get too warm while performing heavier tasks although be mindful that it can pick up grease and fingerprints easily but it's fairly easier to clean with a microfiber cloth there's also a fingerprint sensor located at the palm rest it's a quick and secure way to log in to your Windows PC and I think we're starting to appreciate biometric authentication zone notebooks these days because we're so used to them on smartphones so it's just a much better way to improve that on notebooks the HP does come with a fingerprint sensor but it's actually on the side and it's not as quicker I mean it is pretty quick but it's just I feel that the location on the XPS 13 is a little bit more intuitive and quicker to access now Dell does offer this particular model in two different color options so there's a standard silver model and rose gold which oddly enough is recommended by Dell on their customization page for a $50 premium interesting HP Spectre x-360 does not fall behind in build quality the Sassy's primarily constructed out of aluminum and it feels a bit lighter than the XPS but needless to say they're both built really well the aluminum finish continues to spread across the interior including the palm rest and it's mostly comfortable to type on HP does offer the spectre x360 in three different color options there's natural silver dark ash silver and that's a model I have over here and rose gold the last two options have a $10 premium The Spectre x-360 looks gorgeous in this dark ash silver model the copper chrome accents in the hinge and the edges add some visual characteristic to the notebook and it certainly looks unique when compared to the XPS 13 now given that this is a tune one device you can easily flip this into tablet mode and you can start using it right away and if you're working on a word document the on-screen keyboard pops up automatically they can start typing on it but my problem is that I'm not comfortable using the device like this because keyboards kind of get in the way it just feels uncomfortable the edges are a little bit too sharp it just isn't that comfortable and the keyboard by the way the physical keyboard gets disabled so you don't have to worry about registering any presses but yeah it's just I don't see myself using it this way although I mean you could use it in tent mode and start consuming content on maybe like watching Netflix or something with friends but again this is I could do the same thing on the XPS 13 with my hinge open that way I mean it's sure I'm a little farther from the screen but this is I'm not sure if this is fancy I don't know but I love to hear your thoughts on toulon convertible notebooks are you interested in the design I mean is it something that you see yourself using over a traditional ultra boat like the XPS 13 again let us know in the comments down below next up display so both notebooks feature IPS panels so if you angles and contrast ratio are right on par with what you'd expect from a panel of this type the XPS 13 features slimmer bezels resulting in a smaller footprint when compared to the spectre x360 but the location of the webcam on the XPS isn't ideal for conference calls whereas with the spectre it's right where it needs to be and that's at the top both notebooks can be configured up to a qhd+ resolution and during my testing period I noticed that the HP No was a bit on the cooler side when displaying colors but that can easily be fixed with proper calibration needless to say you wouldn't have a problem consuming content on both devices because they feature great displays I should also mention that both notebooks feature touch support it's a quick and easy way to interact with the content being displayed although be mindful that both screens do exhibit a slight amount of wobble it could be a discerning factor for some of you out there but that's just a nature of any touchscreen laptop the screen gets wobbling it's super glossy so expect a ton of fingerprints over time the spectre x360 comes with a stylus so it can use it to take notes doodle around with paint or if you're an artist this could be a great tool to enhance your creativity the response time between the screen of the pen input is very minimum it feels almost natural when joining down quick notes and this is an excellent addition that could help students with their productivity unfortunately it isn't magnetic meaning you won't be able to attach it to notebook like the surface pro but HP does include a nice sleeve out of the box so you can not only use it to protect the notebook while traveling but there's a little hook to store the stylus as well so that's a nice touch the keyboard on the spectre x360 is pretty good I found that the keys were evenly spaced out so that's nice but I have one problem or one major concern and that is the arrow keys the top and bottom I found that to be a little bit too narrow when compared to the left and right keys so it's a little bit confusing when you're trying to navigate through Excel documents and you know folders or just browsing the web if you're using arrow keys and sometimes you can accidentally hit up shift instead of the up key so it could be an annoyance for some of you out there but you could potentially get used to it over time the keyboard is also backlit but it only comes with a single step brightness adjustments so basically on or off and it isn't bright enough when compared to the XPS the keys on the other hand feature great tactile feedback nothing too much to complain about travel distance is pretty short but that's to be expected from a chiclet style keyboard the trackpad is also really good the surface is pretty smooth for navigation and it uses synaptics drivers instead of Windows position so you lose quite a bit on gesture controls however I found the integrated primary left and right buttons we're a little bit further apart due to the long width of the track now when you're using a single hand for navigation you would need to physically move your hand to actuate the left button it's honestly not a deal-breaker but something worth mentioning switching gears to the XPS 13 + layout is well thought out the keys are nicely spaced out and they feature a great tactile feedback it isn't the best keyboard that I have come across on a notebook but it'll you get used to it eventually it is also backlit with three step adjustments including the ability to turn it off the arrow keys are uniform and consistent so there's little confusion when navigating through documents unlike the specter del has also done a phenomenal job the trackpad on the XPS 13 the surface is super smooth for navigation it's not too wide when compared to the spectre x360 so you can easily reach the integrated left and right buttons plus it uses Windows precision drivers so you can take advantage of gesture controls built inside Windows 10 and the tracking is just perfect I have nothing to complain about great job Dale port selection on the spectre x360 is a bit compromised so you only get a single USB 3.1 type-a port combo audio jack power button as well as a micro SD card reader on the left side and switching over to the left you get two USB type-c terrible three ports and you can use one of them to charge the laptop as well as a fingerprint reader and a volume rocker now they could have easily added in an extra USB type a port because if you're using external hard drive and if you have a wireless mouse that uses a wireless receiver well then you'd be out of ports because you can only use why the one of them or you would have to get a type C to type the adapter and you have to approach the dom to life and that's something that I'm not willing to take as of or at least of at I'm making this video because I don't I don't like dongles now another thing I want to point out is the inclusion of a micro SD card reader I'm not really sure who would actually take advantage of that because I'm pretty sure most cameras not smartphones but most DSLR digital cameras take SD card full sized SD card readers so if you're trying to edit a photo or if you're trying to transfer media from a full size SD card reader to the laptop well you'd be out of luck because the micro SD card reader is of no use so I would have preferred a full size SD card reader on the spectre x360 but it is what and perhaps you could just include I mean if you want to expand the storage you could potentially pick up a 256 or 512 I think a 400 gigabyte microSD card reader and just expand your storage that way now the XPS 13 you get standard power in a single USB type-c tenable 3 port full size USB 3.1 type a port combo audio jack and a subtle LED indicator to monitor the battery life while switching over to the right side you get Kensington lock another USB type a port and a full-size SD card reader Thank You Dell I do want to take this time to appreciate HP for including a nice sleeve to protect a laptop while traveling but also a USB type-c to HDMI 2.0 adapter so if you want to connect this thing to an external display you can do it right away without having to fetch your own on Amazon I'm looking for one whereas with the XPS 13 you only get the laptop and charger and that's pretty much it so there's no sleeves or adapters or whatnot but Dell does offer accessories at a premium cost so that's something that you know you can look into now how do the integrated speakers on both these notebooks sound let's actually start with the HP spectre x360 so they've partnered with vengan Olson to create a pretty immersive experience so we've got two drivers at the front in this front grille I like the projection of it so it's not like hidden at the bottom we're completely distorts or mutes the sound it's nice and clear so when you're listening to music tracks it is pretty audible and I haven't noticed distortion in higher volumes which is great but what's interesting is that when you're trying to use it in tablet mode and if you're watching TV shows or something like that the audio doesn't get distorted because now you've got these speakers from the bottom that are firing up to give you a pretty cool experience so you're not really you're not really losing a lot when you're converting between different modes when it comes to audio which is great and they sound excellent too now with the XPS 13 it is great it's definitely not as good as the spectre x360 because you know got multiple speakers here on this laptop but I would definitely consider this as a great speaker on an ultrabook it's not the best but I have listened to a lot on gaming notebooks and I would definitely give this a pass okay so I think it's about time to get the performance statement comparing the i-5 to the i7 model and check out what the performance difference is but do note that you can configure both these laptops up to an i7 processor or even an i-5 but I just wanted to test out how good the i7 processor is when compared to the i-5 so let's let me quickly run over the specs with the XPS 13 you're getting an i7 8550 you quad-core hyper third processor comes to the base clock of 1.8 gigahertz and it turbo boosts up to 4 gigahertz you've also got 16 gigabytes of memory clocked at 2130 megahertz and a 512 gigabyte SSD that's nvme switching gears to the spectre x360 it comes with an eighth generation Core i5 8250 u quad-core hyperthyroid processor comes in the base clock of 1.6 gigahertz that can turbo boost up to 3.8 gigahertz so it's a little bit slower than the i7 but that's to be expected from an i5 it comes with 8 gigabytes of RAM clocked to 2133 megahertz and a 256 gigabyte nvme SSD I do have to point out that both notebooks have their RAM soldered on to the PCB so it's not music placeable so if you pick up the 16 gigabyte variant then you should be good but if you pick up the 8 gigabyte model on either of these notebooks you'll be out of luck when you're trying to upgrade the RAM however the storage drives so the NDMA PCI SSDs are user replaceable so if you go with the base model 256 gigabyte model then you can definitely upgrade that to a 512 game buy variant or even go as far as 1 terabytes if you pick up some maybe like a samsung 960 pro SSD or something like that alright so here are some numbers our first owner of basic synthetic test shows that the I 78550 you isn't that far ahead when compared to the i5 a 250 you we're talking maybe 1 to 2 percent increase especially with programs like cinnamon jar 15 in the multi core test this makes total sense because they're both featuring the exact same architecture with the same number of thread count now switching over to the OpenGL test there is a bit of difference between the two and that's due to the slightly lower clock speed on the you HD graphics found on the i5 CPU taking a look at some real-world tests both agent CPUs are pretty close to each other you wouldn't notice a significant increase in performance if you bump up to the i7 model both are excellent for multitasking especially with intensive applications like handbrake lock mark GIMP and Paul for a now I wouldn't recommend editing videos on both these machines since the lack of a dedicated GPU severely affects render times but if you were to give it a shot anyway the core i7 takes a slight lead here in this case I ran a one-minute 4k h.264 export using Premiere Pro CC 2017 and the i-5 8250 you took a minute and a half longer to render when compared to the I 78550 you I also pushed the integrated graphics on both models and all I can say is that both CPUs are pretty capable of playing games at 1080p at lower settings so take old watch for instance at 1080p set to low it gave us around 68 frames per second on the i7 found on the XPS 13 when compared to 57 frames per second on the i5 found on the spectre x360 as for temperatures this one was pretty surprising to me remember both these notebooks feature a quad core processor with hyper threading and they come with a TDP of 15 watts the I 78550 you found on the XPS 13 ran about 95 c during my stress test when compared to a DC on the i5 found on the specter that's a pretty significant difference between the i7 and the i5 CPU s but I can conclude as to which noble can cool these new a generation processors so if you configure the XPS 13 with an i5 processor it would obviously run a lot lower in temperatures but it also be a lot quieter but I can't really say the same thing with the spectre x360 say for example if you want to get the i7 model you could potentially run into overheating issues down the line it could to see if you could get toasty so I would recommend picking the i5 model if I were you if you're if you're worried about temperatures I would stay safe and think the i5 model you're really not losing a lot in terms of performance and you've seen that with the results and plus you know it'd be a lot cheaper to invest as well so that's something to keep in mind and this brings us to our last test battery life now do note that both these notebooks feature a 61 hour battery and our heavy load test consists of running wheel bench on a loop until the battery is completely depleted interestingly the XPS 13 lasted a bit longer than the spectre x360 even with a core i7 processor but our light load test where I looped a refreshing web page I noticed that the spectre x360 with the HN core i5 processor lasted an hour and 40 minutes longer than the XPS 13 these are great results by the way because it really proves that Intel has done a terrific job balancing performance and power efficiency with these new mobile cable a car CPUs alright so the last thing that I want to cover is acoustic performance and I have to give that to the spectre x360 from HB this is by far the most probably the most quietest notebook that I've ever come across or tested here in the studio it just runs dead silent during idle situations especially when browsing the web and just watching videos in general whereas with the XPS 13 a fans do kick in when you're trying to watch a video and perhaps browsing the web here and there you can definitely hear the fan ramped up but I do have to point out that this is an i7 marryin and this is an i5 arian so if you swap things up so for example if you get the i7 model on the spectre x360 i'm not really sure how that would affect both temperatures and acoustics same goes for the XPS 13 you could expect lower temperatures and perhaps better acoustics when you pick up the i5 variant so I really can't conclude on that part but generally speaking with the iPhone model on the spectre x360 the acoustic performance is pretty amazing so that pretty much wraps up this comparison between the XPS 13 and the spectre x360 from HP I definitely love to hear your thoughts on both these laptops and the performance difference between the i-5 and the i7 model would you consider bumping that up or if you're configuring either of these notebooks would you consider I'm bumping these specifications to an i7 or would you just stick with the i5 model quick note Dell does offer the XPS 13 and a two-in-one factor see it's the same form factor or convertible so you can convert it to a tablet or laptop and HP does offer the specter and just the noble variant so if you're just looking for a notebook you can definitely pick it up but I just wanted to sort of start the conversation as to would you rather pick up a tune one device when compared to a standard Ultrabook or do you see the benefits of using a two and one in your day-to-day lives let me know the comments down below I'm Mira with hurricane axe thank you so much for watching and we'll see you in the next one and that was a card that just dammit