HP Announces ENVY 14 Spectre Ultrabook

To 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 SpecificationsScreen14.0" LED backlitResolution1600x900ProcessorCore i5-2467M (2/4, 1.6GHz/2.3GHz, 3MB)GraphicsIntel HD 3000 (350MHz/1150MHz)Memory4GB DDR3 (Up to 8GB)Storage128GB mSATA SSD (Up to 256GB)Ports1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0, Mini DisplayPort, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet, audio in/outBatteryUp to 9 hoursSoftwareFull versions of Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements, 2 years of Norton Internet Security 2012Dimensions (WxDxH)12.88" x 8.7" x 0.79"Weight3.79lbPrice$1399AvailabilityFebruary 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.

Source: HP, Engadget

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