HP Announces ENVY 14 Spectre Ultrabook
by Kristian Vättö on January 11, 2012 11:15 AM ESTTo keep the flow of CES coverage steady, HP has announced ENVY 14 Spectre Ultrabook. The use of glass makes Spectre special: The lid, display, palmrest and trackpad are all covered with scratch-resistant glass. HP claims that the glass makes the laptop more durable, although the actual chassis seems to be aluminum too. HP didn't reveal the full specifications but Engagdet listed the specs of the entry, $1399, model:
| HP ENVY 14 Spectre Specifications | |
| Screen | 14.0" LED backlit |
| Resolution | 1600x900 |
| Processor | Core i5-2467M (2/4, 1.6GHz/2.3GHz, 3MB) |
| Graphics | Intel HD 3000 (350MHz/1150MHz) |
| Memory | 4GB DDR3 (Up to 8GB) |
| Storage | 128GB mSATA SSD (Up to 256GB) |
| Ports | 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0, Mini DisplayPort, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet, audio in/out |
| Battery | Up to 9 hours |
| Software | Full versions of Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements, 2 years of Norton Internet Security 2012 |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 12.88" x 8.7" x 0.79" |
| Weight | 3.79lb |
| Price | $1399 |
| Availability | February 8th (US) - March (others) |
Spectre has a 14" screen but HP claims the chassis size to be more common in 13.3" laptops, which matches up if you compare it to e.g. 13" MacBook Pro (12.78" x 8.94" x 0.95"). The use of a bigger screen allows HP to use a higher resolution panel, as 1600x900 is more commonly found in 14" and 15" laptops (although there are 13.3" laptops like Sony Vaio SA and ASUS Zenbook with 1600x900). The stock configuration comes with Core i5-2467M but HP offers configurations with Core i7 ULVs as well (HP didn't list any SKUs, though).
At 3.79lb, Spectre is definitely heavier than most Ultrabooks we have seen. If you're wondering how is this still an Ultrabook, Intel requires +14" laptops to be thinner than 21mm, which translates to 0.83" - there is no weight limit. For sub-14" laptops, the height limit is 18mm (0.71"). $1399 also makes Spectre fairly expensive, or premium as HP says. The bundled software is worth over $200, but it's always a risky move to include shareware software as the end-user may not use it at all but still pays for it.
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Belard - Wednesday, January 11, 2012 - link
Somehow I don't think this is as tough as a Thinkpad or MacBook pro.But it's pretty... Looks like a Sony.
Shadowmage - Wednesday, January 11, 2012 - link
You don't think it's as tough as a Macbook Pro, another laptop with a sheet of glass covering its screen?ananduser - Wednesday, January 11, 2012 - link
This one has a sheet of Gorilla glass covering the lid not the screen and the palm rest.hechacker1 - Wednesday, January 11, 2012 - link
The MBP also uses a glass covered trackpad. I'm really not sure why covering the palm rest is any better. It's already aluminum. I guess it might withstand scratches better.ananduser - Wednesday, January 11, 2012 - link
This has in addition a glass covered lid, as in the entire lid. That was my point.moltentofu - Wednesday, January 11, 2012 - link
I'm actually stunned at how easy it is to dent or deform aluminum laptops. The aluminum used to make my nano and my mbp both feel downright flimsy (and bend to suit - personally, accidently, tested).On the other hand, my girlfriends Droid with gorilla glass front has been dropped face first onto concrete, sometimes while she was running with it, and it has nary a scratch (side note, we know a couple who are collectively on their 4th/5th iphones - shattered glass syndrome). Also, my old Dell and Compal have been pummeled repeatedly over the course of their lives, but the hard plastic shells are just fine.
Then again aluminum looks sexy, and unibody has a monochromatic wholeness feeling to it that just rocks. Even the texture on the aluminum of my mba is awesome. Too bad it's pot metal.
B3an - Thursday, January 12, 2012 - link
... You just put a cheap flimsy and dent prone MacBook Pro in the same category for built quality as a Thinkpad? i LOL'd.Pneumothorax - Wednesday, January 11, 2012 - link
I find it funny everyone blasts Apple for 'obscene profits' on their MBA's, whilst no one yet has released an ultrabook that matches the MBA in weight, screen quality, trackpad quality, and backlit keyboard and sells it for less...moltentofu - Wednesday, January 11, 2012 - link
Being a life long PC user, with PC laptop / desktop at home but a mbp at work, I'm stunned at high quality and effortless niceness of the IO on macs: keyboard, mouse, screen. It's also certainly a neat package to boot. That said, the rest of it in my mind is pretty much just a computer.fynamo - Wednesday, January 11, 2012 - link
... this is ridiculous. They are freaking laptops people. Screw all this "ultrabook," "netbook" blah blah blah chatter. Geez.For this device in particular:
- Price is too high
- Weight is too much
- Looks like a Mac (what doesn't these days??)
Essentially you're paying a premium for the high-rez screen, which you can get elsewhere in better notebooks.
No innovation here. Move along.