Luke Larsen / Digital Trends
TheMacBook Pro 16remains undefeated as thebest 16 - inch laptopyou can corrupt . From the incredible battery life to the impressive performance , the M3 Max MacBook Pro has become an unstoppable force .
Still , good deal of competitor have descend along to potentially challenge it , and when I came across the update HP Spectre x360 16 , I wondered if it might make a worthy rival . As impressive as it is , though , it still does n’t have what it takes to dethrone the MacBook Pro .
Luke Larsen / Digital Trends
Specs and configurations
According to the HP configurator , the Spectre x360 16 starts at $ 1,190 ( $ 410 off inclination at $ 1,600 ) for an Intel Core Ultra 155H , 16 GB of RAM , a 512 GB SSD , Intel Arc nontextual matter , and a 16.0 - inch WQXGA IPS display . The mellow - end contour let in 32 GB of RAM , a 2 TB SSD , a 16.0 - column inch OLED jury , and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 graphics for $ 1,920 ( also $ 410 off on sale ) .
The MacBook Pro 16 is a much more expensive laptop computer , starting at $ 2,499 for an M3 Pro 12/28 , 18 GB of RAM , a 512 GB SSD , and a 16.2 - in Mini - lead video display . It cost a thumping $ 7,199 for an M3 Max 16/40 , 128 GB of RAM , and an 8 TB SSD .
Design
The Spectre x360 16 is a 360 - degree convertible 2 - in-1 , meaning the display swivel from a standard grapple into tent , medium , and ( very large ) tablet modes . That sum up quite a bit of flexibility over the clamshell - only MacBook Pro 16 . It also require a large bottom chin on the display to adapt the hinge , with the MacBook sporting a slightly larger display and smaller bezel . They ’re almost the same size in width and depth , while the Spectre is light , and the MacBook Pro 16 is slight .
Both laptops are construct from CNC - machined atomic number 13 . The MacBook Pro 16 feel incredibly solid and well - built , and theSpectre x360 14is also solidly made . You wo n’t choose either of these laptops based on work up quality alone .
Aesthetically , the Spectre x360 16 has a smoothed - over coming into court compare to its predecessor , with its Nightfall chassis sporting the same pass in the presentation and the rear shape living accommodations a Thunderbolt 4 larboard and a 3.5 millimetre audio jack . It ’s a very attractive laptop computer . The MacBook Pro 16 comes in either Silver or Space Black , with the same streamlined chassis as the rest of the MacBook lineup . It exudes the usual Apple elegance . It ’s hard to say one laptop computer is more attractive than the other .
The MacBook enjoys the excellent Magic Keyboard , which has gravid keycaps , excellent fundamental spacing , and light , snappy switches that are n’t the deep but extend superior precision . HP ’s Spectre keyboard are typically fantabulous , and the Spectre x360 16 ’s keyboard is light and precise and an improvement over the 14 - inch mannikin ’s keyboard . The MacBook advance here , but barely . The Spectre has a large haptic touchpad that works as well as the 14 - inch fashion model and is better than most Windows laptop . The MacBook Pro 16 has a slenderly smaller Force Touch touchpad that ’s still better , thanks to its Force Click feature .
Connectivity is similar , with the MacBook get one more Thunderbolt 4 port and a full - size South Dakota card reader . Unfortunately , HP strike down SD wit keep on the newfangled framework . Also , with its MagSafe 3 power connection , the MacBook has an additional usable Thunderbolt 4 interface . The Spectre does have clipping - boundary Wi - Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 wireless connectivity thanks to the Intel Meteor Lake chipset .
The Spectre x360 16 has a 9MP webcam capable of 2160p TV , with hardware - aid lowlight capableness . It apply Meteor Lake ’s Neural Processing Unit ( NPU ) , which wreak additional quality improvements . It also supports HP ’s user front - smell technology that adopt a user ’s mien to put the laptop to sleep , mesh it , wake it back up , and access via Windows 11 Hello facial realisation . The MacBook Pro 16 has a 1080p webcam and Apple ’s common quality feature , and a TouchID fingerprint reader is implant in the power clitoris . The HP also has a fingerprint lector in the same localization .
Performance
The Spectre x360 15 offer a fourteenth - gen Intel Meteor Lake chipset : the 28 - W Core Ultra 7 155H with 16 centre ( six Performance , eight Efficient , and two Low - Power Efficient ) and 22 threads . It ’s couple with either integrated Intel Arc artwork or an entry - point Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU . The MacBook Pro 16 offers either the Apple M3 Pro with 12 CPU substance and 18 GPU core or M3 Max with 14 or 16 processor cores and 30 or 40 GPU cores .
Simply put , the MacBook Pro 16 is in a unlike performance course totally . While the high - conclusion M3 Max 16/40 results are posted here , the M3 Pro model would still be significantly faster than the Spectre . Even when fit out with the RTX 4050 discrete GPU , which we test , the Spectre does n’t derive close to the MacBook ’s course - leading score in the PugetBench Premiere Pro benchmark that runs in a live version of Premiere Pro .
Display and audio
you may choose from one of two touch- and penitentiary - enabled exhibit when bribe the Spectre x360 16 . A WQXGA IPS panel runs at 120Hz for long bombardment life , and a 2.8 K OLED display for brighter and more precise colors and deeper blacks . We test with the latter . Both panel support HP ’s active pen for digital inking .
The MacBook Pro 16 offer a single display pick , and it ’s a good one . Its Liquid Retina XDR Mini - run display is a higher solvent and is much brighter while still offering excellent colors and contrast . The MacBook has the best high active range ( HDR ) carrying into action on a laptop , pump out up to 1,600 nit with HDR content . The Spectre x360 16 ’s OLED showing offers broad and more exact colors and the same inky pitch blackness but does n’t get nearly as bright in either HDR or received active range ( SDR ) content .
Both laptops have first-class show choice and will foregather the needs of various users . The MacBook ’s display offers outstanding execution for creators and medium users alike .
In terms of audio frequency , the MacBook Pro 16 is also class - leading , with six speakers and force - canceling woofer that pump out substantial bulk , with percipient mids and highschool and tons of bass . It ’s one of a blue-ribbon radical of laptops that can be well used without headphones for a variety of medium types . The Spectre x360 16 has four speaker , including two front - firing woofer , and sounds very proficient — but nowhere close to the MacBook .
Portability
Both laptops are declamatory and heavy , although somewhat so for 16 - inch machines . You ’ll sense both in your backpack , while the MacBook will be a thinner machine and the Spectre a light one .
But when it number to battery life , the MacBook Pro 16 reign supreme . It managed 19 60 minutes in our vane - browsing exam and 26 60 minutes in our video - loop examination , the best showing we ’ve seen on big , hefty laptops . The Spectre x360 16 ’s shelling life is much more quotidian , offering just 8.5 hours of entanglement browse and 14 minute of picture looping . The MacBook will last multiple twenty-four hour period , while the Spectre will require to be charged up shortly after lunch .
The MacBook Pro 16 is a lot more expensive but so much better
Yes , the Spectre x360 16 is a well - establish laptop computer with upright performance and an excellent OLED video display option . And it has a 2 - in-1 ’s tractability , with support for digital drawings and script .
But the MacBook Pro 16 is one of the advantageously - built laptops you could buy , with excellent performance , a beautiful exhibit , and incredible battery life . If your budget is miserly , then the Spectre will likely be a firm choice . But if you could open it , the MacBook Pro 16 still remain the superior laptop .
