Gadgetory

- HP Spectre Folio, which starts around $1300, is perhaps the most interesting laptop I've used in a long time. (mellow music) Now, we've seen and used laptops made out of all kinds of different plastics and metals. But this one is made out of actual leather. If it works, it could mean that have a super unique computer instead of just another gray slab. Fortunately, this thing is better than I expected. And the downfalls, well, I can't really blame them on the leather. The first most obvious thing about this is that it has leather. It's wrapped in freaking leather. Like, this isn't a case, it's literally part of the laptop. And it's not plastic-y, rubbery, fake leather, either. It's real. It's... It's honest to god leather. Now, HP says it's using the scraps from other leather goods to make the Folio. Now leather obviously gives the Folio a unique look, but it also gives it a different feel when you use it. It wraps all the way around the laptop's deck, so your palms are wresting on soft leather instead of cold metal. There's no real exposed sharp edges with this laptop. Everything you touch is buffered by this leather. And it should prove to be more durable than the Alcantara fabric that Microsoft uses on the Surface laptop. Though, if I'm being honest with you, I haven't really used this long enough to put that to the test. But, after about a month of use, it still basically looks brand new. Now, the one knock I can really point to you with the Folio's leather construction is that it makes the laptop heavy. It weighs about 3.26 pounds, which is more than half a pound heavier than a Surface Laptop 2, and a quarter pound more than even a 13-inch MacBook Pro. Now, that doesn't sound like a lot on paper, but it's definitely something of notice when you're using the Folio for a few weeks. (upbeat music) The other big difference between the Folio and other laptops is its hinge design. Instead of having a flip-around, 360-degree hinge or a removable screen like so many other Windows 2-in-1 laptops, the Folio screen has a flex point right in the middle of it. It allows you to pull it forward for a tent setup, which is great for watching movies on a plane, or push it almost completely flat for a more tablet-like position. The hinge is actually stiff enough to hold the screen in a variety of positions between the tent mode and fully flat. So, if you're using the included pen to draw or write on it, you can set up the ideal angle and just get to work. Inside, the Folio I've been reviewing is a fanless Y-Series Core i7 processor, which is not the most powerful processor available. But it can handle productivity tests without much issue at all. Honestly, I really expected this processor to be a bigger problem than it is. Intel's Y-Series chips tend to get bogged down really easily, but for my day-to-day work, it's been completely confident. Now, the entry-level Spectre Folio, the one that cost 1300 bucks, has a Core i5 chip and eight gigs of RAM. So, I can't speak to the performance on that one. But the $1800 model I've been testing, which has an i7 chip, 16 gigs of RAM and LTE, has been just fine. Now, the Y-Series chip runs cool, too, even though the Folio doesn't have a fan. And I'm not sure if it's the leather that prevents heat from reaching my lap or if the processor just doesn't heat up as much as in other laptops, but the Folio remains comfortable the entire times that use it. Even more, that processor enables incredible battery life in the Folio, easily lasting more than a full workday for me, even when I'm using batter-hogging apps like Slack. That's more than basically every other premium Windows or Mac laptop can go for me at this point. The Folio's other odds and ends are solid, too. It's got a Windows Hello webcam for face login, three USB-C ports, two of which are Thunderbolt 3, a comfortable back lit keyboard with good travel and feel, and the most interesting thing of all, an option for integrated LTE with a SIM card cleverly hidden inside the Folio's hinge. It supports AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint, but not Verizon, for some reason. (mellow music) So, that's a lot of good, or even great, things with the Folio. But this computer isn't free from problems. There are three things that kind of keep this laptop from being as good as it could be. Let's start with the display. Now, I mostly like this screen. The 1080p model that I've been testing is bright, has good colors at viewing angles, and it only uses one watt of power, which helps with that battery life. But it's 16:9 aspect ratio feels super cramped compared to the 3:2 or 16:10 screen you get on a Surface computer or Mac laptop. It also has this giant chin at the bottom, which wouldn't be so bad if it didn't remind me every time I see it, it would be a lot smaller if the Folio had a 3:2 screen. Worse than the screen are the Folio speakers. They are loud and clear, and they can be really good for video calls, but they sound super sharp and sibilant for music or movies. And there's basically zero bass reproduction. If you're using the tent position to watch a movie, that sound echos inside this little triangle chamber that's formed and it makes it even worse. Fortunately, there is a 3.5 millimeter headphone jack. And then the worst part about the Folio is its track pad. The track pad's a little small, but I could live with that if it had good drivers, which it doesn't. HP is basically the last laptop maker that's still not using Microsoft's precision drivers on its premium laptops, and it sticks these crappy Synaptic ones on it instead. There is support for multi-touch gestures and two finger scrolling, but response is laggy, and it's just frustrating to use for long periods of time. The entire time I was using this computer at CES, I was cursing myself for not bringing a mouse along with me. It's really that bad. All that said, I obviously really like a lot of the things HP has done with the folio. The leather construction looks and feels unique, the hinge is awesome, battery life and performance are surprisingly great, and it has built-in LTE, which is something every computer should come with, but is still a rarity. HP just needs to make a for example simple fixes: update the drivers on the track pad, bring the screen into a modern age with a modern aspect ratio, and adjust these speakers, and I could see the next Spectre Folio being a slam dunk as one of the best Windows laptops on the market. But until that happens, you might wanna wait on this one. Hey thanks for watching. I'm curious, what other materials would you like to see a laptop made out of? Is leather cool? Maybe felt? I don't know, a blanket? Let us know on the comments below, and be sure to subscribe youtube.com/theverge.