Best wallet cases for Moto G4
What’s the best wallet case for Moto G4?
The Moto G4’s shape lends itself nicely to a wallet case, since it has a broad, flat front. Let’s face it: Thanks to its price, you’ll probably have a few bucks left over after you buy the phone. You just need somewhere to keep ’em!
Here are some of the best wallet cases you can get for your Moto G4, so that your pockets aren’t overloaded, but your bank account can be!
- Abacus 24-7
- Innovaa
- NageBee
- J&D
- Orzly
Abacus 24-7 wallet w/ flip cover
The Abacus 24-7 wallet case is the best-reviewed Moto G4 wallet case on Amazon, and for good reasons.
The synthetic leather is durable and doesn’t feel cheap like some “pleather” can, even though you can find this case for around $10. It provides a double layer of protection in that you have the leather wallet, but you also have a TPU bumper into which your Moto G4 fits nicely and snugly, protecting it from bumps and dings.
The case folds into a stand so that you can watch movies, TV shows, and YouTube hands-free, and there’s enough room for a few credit cards and even some cash.
You have your choice of black or gold and either pairs well with the black finish on your Moto G4.
If you’re looking for a leather case but don’t want real leather, either for ethical reasons or because you don’t want it to get marked up, then the Abacus 24-7 wallet case is ideal for you and your phone.
See at Amazon
Innovaa premium leather wallet case
Innovaa’s PU leather wallet cases are for folks who like their phone case to make a statement without having to break the bank to do so. They come in seven bold colors and patterns, including a rather eye-catching light pink and a neat geometric “Dreamstime” pattern.
The magnetic closure is tight and secures three credit cards and your cash snugly, while the free screen protector and TPU bumper inside help keep your Moto G4 protected from scratches, bumps, and dings.
The flip cover folds back into a stand for hands-free viewing, and the cutouts for the camera and ports are precise, so you won’t struggle to plug your phone in when it’s charging time.
If you’re after the leather look but don’t want to spend too much and would prefer a synthetic leather case that adds a bit of “pop” to your Moto G4, Innovaa’s cases are perfect for you.
See at Amazon
NageBee premium PU leather wallet case
NageBee’s PU leather wallet cases are probably the prettiest cases in this roundup and a deserve their place because the designs are magnificent.
You could pick the black or brown cases, sure, but the real beauty in these cases comes in the form of three beautiful graphics: “Butterfly Tree”, “Plum Blossom”, and “Royal Totem”. Butterfly Tree is my favorite!
All in all, the NageBee PU leather wallet case is pretty similar to any of the other cases in this roundup, so you’re getting the same quality, a great magnetic closure, a flip cover that folds back into a stand, etc.
NageBee’s cases are all about the gorgeous designs, so if you’re reluctant to cover up your Moto G4 but know you need a wallet case, cover it up in one (or all) of these lovely wallet cases (they’re only around $10!).
See at Amazon
J&D Slimfit wallet stand case
If you’re looking for a wallet case for your Moto G4 but don’t want anything bulky, then J&D’s Slimfit wallet case should be your choice.
These cases protect your Moto G4 from dust and dirt, as well as drops, thanks to the inner TPU case, while also comfortably carrying three cards and a bit of cash, so that you don’t have to have both your wallet and your phone in your pocket.
J&D synthetic leather cases come in four great-looking colors: aqua (my favorite), black, brown, and red. So if you want the classic leather look, you can go with black or brown, but go with aqua or red for some pizzazz (yeah, I said pizzazz).
If a slim wallet case is what you’re after, then J&D’s wallet case is perfect for your pocket or clutch, and starting around $11, you might as well grab one of each.
See at Amazon
Orzly multi-function wallet case
Orzly is a mainstay of great phone cases and its multi-function wallet case for Moto G4 is another great addition to its repertoire.
This is probably the sturdiest wallet case in this roundup and it offers excellent protection, especially for a wallet case. Its textured exterior is enough to stand up to scratches and scrapes, while the inner TPU bumper absorbs bumps and dings. It has all the features you’d want in a wallet case: it can comfortably hold three cards and a bit of cash; its cover folds back into a stand; and the cutouts are exactly where they should be, so you can take photos and charge ‘er up without having to take your Moto G4 out.
If you’re looking for a sophisticated-looking wallet case for your Moto G4, then Orzly’s case is for you.
See at Amazon
What’s in your wallet?
I’ll assume it’s the Moto G4, but what wallet case are you using? Is it in our roundup/? Let us know in the comments below!
Moto G4 and G4 Plus
- Moto G4 Plus review
- Moto G4 and G4 Plus specs
- The latest Moto G4 news
- Join our Moto G4 and G4 Plus forums!
Moto G4:
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Moto G4 Plus:
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Motorola
Leak shows Fitbit Charge 2 and Flex 2 in stunning detail
A new high-quality leak has shown off the unreleased Fitbit Charge 2 and Flex 2. The images were published by TechnoBuffalo, and show the upcoming wearables in superb detail.
The most interesting of the two new fitness-focused wearables is the Charge 2, which looks to bridge the gap between the original Charge and the more high-end Surge. Both of which will presumably be discontinued now that we have the Alta and the Blaze as well.
While the last version of the Charge has a simple, small display to show the time and some other basic information, the Charge 2 has a much larger display. The leaked information suggests that this display will be used to show smartphone notifications, as well as the time and heart rate information.
- Which Fitbit is right for me?
- Fitbit Blaze review: Trailblazer or fitness failure?
- Fitbit Alta review: High praise for low-level fitness tracking
It also seems as though Fitbit will only release one version of the Charge 2. Rather than have a regular version and an “HR” version, the Charge 2 will come equipped with a heart-rate monitor as standard.
The Charge 2 is also set to feature interchangeable bands, meaning you’ll be able to swap out the strap for a different look whenever it suits you.
Apart from that, it’s the regular Fitbit design language, with a flexible strap made from a textured rubber-like material. In a lot of ways, it just looks like a bigger version of the Alta.
As is standard for fitness trackers, it’ll monitor your sleep and can track multiple different sports.
TechnoBuffalo
As for the Flex 2, that’s a much simpler device which will undoubtedly cost less. Like the Charge 2, it’ll track activity and sleep but is also swim proof, so you should be able to take it for a few laps around your local pool.
Rather than have a display like the Charge 2, the Flex 2 will use a series of five LEDs to show your progress.
Interestingly, there’s also mention of interchangeable accessories. This suggests that various third party manufacturers and designers will be able to create bespoke wrist bands and necklaces for the Flex 2, just like the current Flex.
There’s no word on when the new Fitbits will be introduced yet, but the “NOV 27” onscreen could be hinting at a release just in time for last minute holiday gift buying.
Intel says new USB Type-C spec will ease headphone jack loss
Judging by comments on articles about Apple’s next iPhone and the Moto Z smartphone, the public is not crazy about ditching the headphone jack. However, Intel and its partners have embraced the idea, and at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF), company architects Rahman Ismail and Brad Saunders explained why. It’s all about changes to the USB Type-C standard that will “really make the USB Type-C the right connector for audio,” said Sanders.
USB Type-C is used on Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7, the OnePlus 3 and the Huawei-built Google Nexus 6P, along with the Chromebook Pixel and MacBook laptops. The Moto Z also uses it, and so far it’s the only device to nix the 3.5mm audio port in favor of the newfangled connector.
The idea is to get consumers to use dedicated USB Type-C or wireless headphones, or plug in an (easily lost) adapter for their traditional 3.5mm wired models. Consumers are naturally worried that such an adapter won’t come in the box, meaning they won’t be able to use their favorite wired phones without spending even more on a dongle.
However, Saunders thinks users will come around thanks to the advantages of the updated standard for USB C. It eliminates the analog to digital circuitry needed in phones, letting manufacturers make them slimmer, he said. It would also allow for more pristine sound, noise cancelling, and effects like extra base or “concert hall” reverb.
The revised spec also supports “granular” power management, letting the system shut off a microphone if you’re just using your headphones for music, for instance. That should ensure that USB audio doesn’t suck much more power than a headphone jack.
Intel also revealed a new type of video standard that will be incorporated into USB Type-C. While not a replacement for HDMI, Ismail said “it’s good enough to do productivity work or watch movies, but not for a gaming system.” It’ll even work if you’re using a hub to plug multiple devices into a single USB Type-C port.
The updated USB Type-C standard also includes device authentication, making for better security. It will be unveiled later this year, according to Intel. Like all such standards, however, there will be multiple specifications, so your phone’s USB Type-C port might not have the same capability at all as the one on your laptop.
Via: CNET
Source: Intel Developer Forum
The ISS crew will install a parking spot for space taxis
Space taxis made by Boeing and SpaceX could carry astronauts to the ISS as soon as 2017, and NASA has begun preparing for their arrival. On Friday, astronauts Jeff Williams and Kate Rubins will do a six-and-half-hour spacewalk to install a parking spot where the taxis can dock. Previous crew members already laid out hundreds of feet of power and data cables, so the duo will be in charge of finishing the job. They’ll get some help from their helper robot, the Canadarm2, which will extract the dock from the SpaceX Dragon capsule that carried it on board later today. Canadarm2 will also position the dock just a few inches away from where it’s supposed to be attached.
NASA named SpaceX and Boeing as its two top picks for the Commercial Crew Program back in 2012. That gave the two access to most of the agency’s money earmarked for the project, though Boeing received almost twice the funding its rival got. Despite getting a smaller cut of the funding, SpaceX and its Crew Dragon vehicle could start ferrying astronauts to the ISS first, because Boeing is reportedly grappling with delays.
If you want to watch Rubins’ first spacewalk and the dock’s installation, make sure to fire up NASA TV on Friday, August 19th. The livestream will go online as early as 6:30AM Eastern, but the spacewalk itself isn’t scheduled to start until 8:05AM.
Source: NASA, (Tumblr)
Pizza Hut delivers the world’s first playable DJ pizza box
The major brands won’t admit it, but it’s pretty hard to innovate in the pizza-making industry. Stuffed crust and sausage-ringed pizza are now well established, so companies like Domino’s and Pizza Hut are turning to clever marketing gimmicks to ensure sales keep ticking over. One such stunt is today’s launch of the “world’s first playable DJ pizza box” from Pizza Hut, which is a standard cardboard container rigged up with touch-sensitive decks, a mixer and other controllable buttons.
Created by printed electronics expert Novalia, the battery-powered box connects to your computer or smartphone via Bluetooth and is compatible with DJ software like Serato DJ. As Rinse FM’s DJ Vectra demonstrates in the video embedded below, you can scratch, rewind, control pitch and crossfade.
If the promise of a grease-covered slipmat has you all excited, Pizza Hut says it will give a small number of them away. However, they will be limited to just five of Pizza Hut’s 350 UK restaurants. To find out where they are available, make sure to keep an eye on the company’s official UK Twitter feed.
Ford Announces Plans For Fully Autonomous Self-Driving Car By 2021
Ford Motor Company has announced its plans to build a fleet of fully automated driverless vehicles for commercial ride-sharing by 2021, according to Reuters.
The company said it was increasing its investments in technology firms and tripling its investment in semi-autonomous systems, which would entail doubling the size of its Palo Alto research team while expanding its campus in Silicon Valley.
Ford has more than 100 researchers working at its Silicon Valley campus (Image: AFP)
Ford made no mention of Apple or Google in its announcement, suggesting it sees itself competing against other tech companies who have their own car plans, rather than teaming up with them.
Ken Washington, Ford’s vice president of research, told Reuters it was important to signal that Ford intends to win in this space. “We’re saying to partners, we are the winning partner. It’s not a hollow promise, it’s a real intent,” Washington said.
“Launching a self-driving car first for ride-sharing is a better way to reach the mass market and make the cars more affordable,” said Ford Chief Technical Officer Raj Nair. The company is unlikely to offer a similar driverless car without steering wheel or pedals to consumers until 2025 or later, explained Nair.
Ford said it would invest in “Level 4” autonomy, referring to standards set by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). The levels represent the degree of autonomous sophistication, with Level 4 being “high automation”, meaning the car is able to drive unmonitored in a specific use case – a city area, in Ford’s vision, for instance.
Nair said the company wasn’t willing to let drivers take control from a level two or three vehicle at a moment’s notice, citing safety concerns. “We don’t yet know how to manage hand over back to the driver and have him engage and have him situationally aware, and be able to do that in a safe aware manner,” he said, without mentioning Tesla’s recent troubles.
The death of a Tesla driver in May who was using the company’s “Autopilot” system but had his hands off the wheel has highlighted the confusion over drivers’ responsibilities in a semi-autonomous car. Just yesterday, Tesla went so far as to remove the word “autopilot” from its China website after a driver in Beijing who crashed while the mode was active complained that the company had misled them about its capability.
“We abandoned the stepping-stone approach,” added Ford chief executive Mark Fields, who believed there are too many risks involved in the safe “hand-over” of driving responsibility between car and driver.
Several sources indicate Apple is exploring various levels of autonomy in its much rumored car project, and has already met with California DMV officials regarding self-driving laws within the state.
The company’s so-called Apple Car, codenamed “Project Titan” internally, is reportedly being headed up by former longtime executive Bob Mansfield, who last served as Senior Vice President of Technologies at the company. Last month it was reported that Apple’s rumored 2020 target for launching the electric vehicle may have slipped to 2021.
Related Roundup: Apple Car
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Alleged Leaked Images Depict Fitbit Charge 2 and Fitbit Flex 2
Alleged leaked images of two new upcoming products from Fitbit were published by TechnoBuffalo yesterday.
The images claim to show promotional shots of the wearable company’s Fitbit Charge 2 and Fitbit Flex 2, both of which have been rumored since trademark applications for the Mark II devices were discovered earlier this year.
The image of the Fitbit Charge 2 shows a larger screen than its popular predecessor, offering more space for information to be displayed. The listed features include PurePulse heart rate tracking and interchangeable bands, both of which didn’t feature on the original Charge, which debuted in 2014.
The Flex 2 remains display-less like its previous incarnation, although “Swim-Proof” is listed in the included features, whereas the original Flex was only sweat, rain, and splash-proof. Also, the Flex 2 has vertical LED lights instead of the familiar horizontal ones.
Otherwise, the features appear similar to the originals, with smartphone notifications and multi-sport tracking already featured in Fitbit’s lineup.
While Fitbit revealed in its recent earnings call that it would be releasing two new products this year, the company gave no specific date. However, some of the promotional images give a date of November 27. Pricing remains a mystery, although Fitbit tends to sell its wearables significantly cheaper than most smartwatches.
Tag: Fitbit
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Nikon D3400 Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
The D3400’s body looks almost unchanged since the D3100, which was three generations ago.
Nikon
The Nikon D3300 has long been my go-to recommendation for a cheap dSLR, but after 2 years it’s usually time to slap a new coat of paint on consumer products. Nikon’s 2016 update to that camera, the D3400, has some small enhancements to bring it up to date, but nothing vital.
Along with the camera, Nikon has announced new kit lenses to accompany it. The 18-55mm versions of its new AF-P lenses — they incorporate stepper motors like Canon’s STM lenses for smoother and quieter focus in LCD-based Live View — were announced in January and have been available in Europe and Australia, but they’re finally making their US debut. Additionally, the company revealed another pair of 70-300mm AF-P lenses.
There are two versions of each of the two zooms, one with optical image stabilization (Nikon’s Vibration Reduction, or VR) and one without; the names differ solely by the “VR” designation and $50 (a more significant £60 in the UK and as-yet unknown price in Australia). This is going to get really confusing for shoppers, who will, I bet, inadvertently end up buying the wrong kit.
The AF-P DX Nikkor 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G VR is $250 (£230, AU$200) while the non-VR version is $200 (£170; I don’t see this version of the lens in Australia), and the AF-P DX Nikkor 70-300mm f4.5- 6.3G ED VR costs $400 (directly converted £307, AU$520), $350 (approximately £270, AU$455) for the nonstabilized one.
Nikon’s initially offering two kits of the D3400, one with the 18-55mm VR lens for $650. The other option is a dual-lens kit with the VR version of the 18-55mm lens but the non-VR version of the 70-300mm. While that’s a silly configuration — stabilization on the lens where you don’t need it and no stabilization on the one where you do — it allows Nikon to hit its just-under-$1,000 price of…$999.95. I don’t have overseas information yet, but those convert to approximately £500, AU$845 for the first kit and £770, AU$1,300 for the dual-lens kit.
What’s new
- Sensor update. Though it’s the same resolution as the D3300, the new sensor follows Nikon’s trend of removing the low-pass filter (also known as the antialiasing filter) to deliver sharper photos. In fact, along with the update to the company’s Expeed 4 imaging engine, it looks an awful lot like the imaging system that’s in the D5300. It gives the camera a better noise profile, extended into what were the expanded regions on the D3300.
- Wireless support. No Wi-Fi here; Nikon’s betting on Bluetooth to maintain a persistent low-power connection between the camera and your mobile device. That’s fine given how lame the company’s SnapBridge app is. Hopefully there’ll be an iPhone/iPad-compatible app by the time the camera ships, because there still isn’t at the moment.
- Improved battery life. The D3400’s extends to 1,200 shots from 700, despite using the same battery.
My take
Like Canon, Nikon is now in a position where its older, better cameras (in Nikon’s case the D5300 from 2013) are cheaper than their cheap dSLRs — which, by the way, also have old technology, but a 2016 date on them. The D5300 has better autofocus and metering systems, an articulated LCD and Wi-Fi. The Canon EOS Rebel T6/EOS 1300Dis cheaper, but the D3400 has better hardware, so its real Canon competition is the old EOS Rebel T5i/700D, which, like the D5300, has better specs for the same price. Still, unless Nikon broke something, it should carry on the D3300’s torch as a solid first dSLR.
Comparative specifications
| 18MP CMOS | 18MP CMOS | 24.2MP CMOS | 24.2MP CMOS |
| 22.3 x 14.9mm | 22.3 x 14.9mm | 23.2 x 15.4mm | 23.2 x 15.4mm |
| 1.6x | 1.6x | 1.5x | 1.5x |
| Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| ISO 100 – ISO 12800/25600 (exp) | ISO 100 – ISO 6400/12800 (exp) | ISO 100 (exp)/200 – ISO 12800/25600 (exp) | ISO 100 – ISO 25600 |
| 5fps6 raw/22 JPEG(without continuous AF and IS off) | 3fps 6 raw/unlimited JPEG | 5fps n/a | 5fps100 JPEG |
| Optical95% coverage0.85x/0.53x | Optical95% coverage0.80x/0.50x | Optical95% coverage0.85x/0.57x | Optical95% coverage0.85x/0.57x |
| Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 9-pt AFcenter cross-type | 9-pt AFcenter cross-type | 11-pt AFcenter cross-type | 11-pt AFcenter cross-type |
| -0.5 – 18 EV | 0 – 18 EV | -1 to 19 EV | -1 to 19 EV |
| 1/4,000 to 60 secs; bulb; 1/200 sec x-sync | 1/4,000 to 30 secs; bulb; 1/200 sec x-sync | 1/4,000 to 30 secs; bulb; 1/200 sec x-sync | 1/4,000 to 30 secs; bulb; 1/200 sec x-sync |
| n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 63 zones | 63 zones | 420-pixel 3D color matrix metering II | 420-pixel 3D color matrix metering II |
| 1 – 20 EV | 1 – 20 EV | 0 – 20 EV | 0 – 20 EV |
| H.264 QuickTime MOV1080/30p, 25p, 24p; 720/60p | H.264 QuickTime MOV1080/30p, 25p, 24p; 720/60p, 50p | H.264 QuickTime MOV1080/60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p | H.264 QuickTime MOV1080/60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p |
| Stereo, mic input | Mono | Mono; mic input | Mono; mic input |
| Yes | Yes | Shutter speed only | n/a |
| 4GB | 29m59s | 20m | 20m |
| No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Optical | Optical | Optical | Optical |
| 3 in/7.7 cmArticulated touchscreen1.04m dots | 3 in/7.5 cm Fixed920,000 dots | 3 in/7.5 cmFixed921,000 dots | 3 in/7.5 cmFixed921,000 dots |
| 1 x SDXC | 1 x SDXC | 1 x SDXC | 1 x SDXC |
| None | Wi-Fi, NFC | Optional Wi-Fi (with WU-1a Wireless Mobile Adapter) | Bluetooth |
| Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Yes | No | No | No |
| 440 shots (VF); 180 shots (LV) | 500 shots (VF); 180 shots (LV) | 700 shots | 1,200 shots |
| 5.2 x 3.9 x 3.1 in150 x 99 x 79 mm | 5.1 x 4.0 x 3.1 in 129 x 101 x 78 mm | 4.9 x 3.9 x 3.0 in124 x 98 x 76 mm | 4.9 x 3.9 x 3.0 in124 x 98 x 76 mm |
| 20.8 oz589.7 g | 17.7 oz 502 g | 16 oz454 g | 16 oz (est.)454 g (est.) |
| $600£490AU$860(with 18-55mm STM lens) | $500£385AU$550 (est.)(with 18-55mm IS II lens) | $550£360AU$800(with 18-55mm VR lens)£380(with AF-P 18-55mm VR lens) | $650(with AF-P 18-55mm VR lens) |
| April 2013 | April 2016 | February 2014 | September 2016 |
Huawei Honor 8 Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
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The Honor 8 has dual cameras for extra sharp photos
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Liquid. That’s the best way we can describe the smooth, sensuous lines of Huawei’s new Honor 8 phone, which the company unveiled at a press event in San Francisco tonight in dark blue, black and white shades.
Honor is the Chinese company’s sub-brand, one that tends to — but doesn’t necessarily always — sell phones at lower prices than other Huawei lines. (One good example: the Honor 5X came in cheaper than the similar Huawei-branded GX8 at launch.)
The Honor 8, whose glossy, reflective coating channels Samsung’s Galaxy S6 and S7 phone design, is essentially a rebranded Huawei P9, a phone released last spring with two rear cameras. While the Honor 8 shares the dual camera and some unique gestures you can initiate with your knuckles, it does’t use the P9’s more quality components, like the Leica-made cameras.
Huawei’s Honor 8 has liquid-smooth looks
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We’ll soon take the two 12-megapixel rear shooters on a head-to-head bout with the P9 to see just how the Huawei camera compares to Leica’s lofted lenses.
Where and when to get it
The Honor 8’s glossy finish attracts the light, and also icky fingerprints.
Josh Miller/CNET
As of now now, the Honor 8 has been announced for China and the US.
In the US, you can pick up the 32GB variant for $400 and the 64GB version for $450. Pre-orders run from August 17 through September 3 and you get a $50 gift card for your efforts. You can pick up the phone at HiHonor.com, Amazon, Best Buy, B&H and Newegg. If you want that bright blue color, though — and it’s a nice one — you’ll have to get it from Best Buy for the first two months. After that, it’s fair game.
Glossy, pocket-friendly design
We can tell you that the 5.2-inch Honor 8 is comfortable to hold and pockets well, although its shiny surface smudged up fast. While we do like the size, the 1,920×1,080-pixel resolution is bright and detailed but not as sharp as the 2,560×1,440-pixel screens found in top Samsung, LG and Motorola phones. However, that matters less if you aren’t using a phone for VR, and resolution also matches up with our favorite midprice phone of the year, the OnePlus 3.
Huawei phones keep a fingerprint sensor on the back. Since this is a smaller device than the much larger Nexus 6P, it’s an easier target for those of us with smaller hands to reach.
Hidden perks: Knuckles and custom launcher
Wild! Drag your knuckle on the screen to launch apps.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Even better, the fingerprint reader includes a “smart button” feature that turns it into a programmable button you can use to launch specific apps. You can map it to launch three different apps when you tap, double-tap or long press the sensor. It’s a really nice perk the Honor 8 has that the brushed-metal P9 did not.
However, this Honor 8 does carry over a previous feature to knuckle down on the screen. Really. Double tap the display with your knuckle to snap a quick screenshot, or double tap it with two knuckles to begin recording the screen. (Knock, knock!)
You can also use your knuckle to draw a “C” to launch the camera app, an “E” for email and “M” for music — though the latter are sometimes more trouble than they’re worth. We’ve seen it previously on the Mate 8 phone, but it’s the first time their knuckle actions will come to the US.
Double the camera lenses, double the fun?
Two lenses working better together could add depth to your photography.
Josh Miller/CNET
Let’s get back to those dual cameras, shall we? One lens is monochrome and the other is RGB. Huawei says the two work together to make photos more vivid and detailed. AKA, you become more of a photo genius and the envy of your peers. Both cameras together can also change the depth of field to give your shots more of the professional look usually associated with DSLR cameras. For a black-and-white effect, you can switch to a monochrome mode.
Meanwhile, an 8-megapixel camera sits on the front with a flash that doubles as a notification light. So far, our test shots looked pretty good — but we’ll be taking many, many more.
Full specs
- 5.2-inch display with a 1,920×1,080-pixel resolution (423ppi)
- Octa-core Huawei-made HiSilicon Kirin 950 processor
- Two 12-megapixel rear cameras with flash
- 8-megapixel front camera with flash
- 32GB of internal storage with 4GB of RAM
- MicroSD card slot up to 256GB of space
- 3,000mAh battery with fast charging
- USB-C charger port
- Android 6.0 with Emotion 4.1 UI
- IR Blaster, NFC, USB-C, 3.5mm headphone jack
HP Spectre 13 review: Supreme quality design
Look at the high-end, stylish Windows laptops released over the last five years and you’ll see quite a lot that look a bit like a MacBook of one kind or another. The HP Spectre 13 is a concerted attempt to make something that looks about as far from a MacBook as possible, while still having the same level of design and portability cred.
Indeed, like us, you might even think it looks better. But this laptop has caused many a raised eyebrow. Some of you will love it. Others will be blinded by the light reflecting off its shiny bits.
At £1299, though, it’s a pretty massive investment. And it’s not the all-purpose beast a MacBook Pro at the same price offers. Is its standout design enough to make it the Windows 10 laptop to go for?
HP Spectre 13 review: Design
HP doesn’t want the HP Spectre 13 to look like any old laptop, and it certainly doesn’t. The shape may be similar to that of last year’s 13-inch HP Spectre x360, but its visual impact is in an entirely different class.
Pocket-lint
If the Aztecs still existed and formed a tech company, the HP Spectre 13 is the sort of laptop you could imagine them coming up with. There are more than a few jutting angles here and there, the HP logo has been given a fancy chopped-up haircut, while the ultra-glossy gold-colour metal used to form the laptop’s hinge make the Spectre 13 something you can imagine being buried in some rich guy’s tomb as a prized possession (ok, so maybe we’re mixing up our Aztecs and Egyptians a bit – you get the idea though).
The lid and main part of the Spectre 13 are metallic grey, cast in aluminium. This clashes dramatically with the gold of the backside, which returns in the lettering and sides of the keyboard keys, but in more muted form.
Its big banner claim has nothing to do with the colour accents, though. HP says this is the thinnest laptop ever, at 10mm thick. It sure is supremely thin, and brilliantly light too, at just 1.3kg. That’s closer to the weight of some 11-inch laptops, and similar to the MacBook Air.
Pocket-lint
What makes this HP a truly successful design is that there’s no sense of structural compromise to get down to those skinny dimensions. The Spectre 13 is stiff as you like, which may be helped by the use of carbon fibre on the bottom instead of aluminium.
HP Spectre 13 review: Connections
The Spectre 13 is clearly meant to be a vision of the laptop that grabs some attention. Has it gone too far, though? HP has ditched all traditional USB ports and all standard video connections in favour of USB Type-C ports. This is the kind used in the 12-inch MacBook – the same laptop that may thought was too far ahead of its time.
There’s one port used to charge the laptop, while another two are compatible with the Thunderbolt 3.0 standard. That means you get loads of bandwidth, enough to connect multiple high-data peripherals if you attach the right hub or connector.
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You only get the one USB-C-to-USB cable in the box, letting you plug in, say, a mouse or external hard drive. If you’re someone forever attaching things to your laptop rather than simply firing whatever you’re working on up to Google Drive, this may get on your nerves. There’s also no memory card slot, which is another potential headache to deal with. All the ports sit on the back too.
The HP Spectre 13’s ports are powerful little things, but make sure you’re prepared to live with them before you drop nearly £1300 or more on one of these.
For all its glamour and forward-looking connectors, the HP Spectre 13 is ultimately a very traditional laptop. The hinge extends back less than most and it doesn’t even have a touchscreen. HP doesn’t think a laptop needs so be slathered in tablet sauce to justify its existence – and nor do we, especially one this good looking.
HP Spectre 13 review: Screen and keyboard
The Spectre 13’s display is great too, even though it doesn’t jam in as many pixels as you might expect for the cash. This is a 13.3-inch 1920 x 1080 pixel IPS LCD screen. Yep, it’s not OLED like the top-end Spectre x360 either.
Still, colour and contrast are both great. Colours aim for a natural look rather than an overblown one, while contrast levels destroy the quasi-rival Lenovo Yoga 900. This is a tasteful screen.
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However, as there’s no touchscreen you have to use the trackpad to control 24/7. It’s a big pad with a super-smooth surface, and a mouse button response that, for once, just feels right. Loads of Windows laptops have issues with button layout, or the workings of their trackpad drivers. But it seems HP has put in the extra effort required here.
The HP Spectre 13’s keyboard is good too. Its key action is very crisp and light, with the sort of definition you can only get in an ultra-rigid laptop frame. It feels a little more hollow than the keys of a MacBook Pro, and the key action bottoms-out abruptly, but in a 10mm-thick laptop the Spectre is a bit of an achievement. We could type away on it all day without problems, and indeed have been.
As you’d expect of a laptop this pricey, the HP Spectre 13 has a keyboard backlight. However, it doesn’t have a graduated backlight intensity control, which would have been nice.
HP Spectre 13 review: Performance
If having a decent keyboard in a laptop this thin is a nice surprise, the CPU the HP Spectre 13 packs-in is a bit of a jaw-dropper. instead of the Intel Core M series processor used in a lot of very thin and light laptops it has an Intel Core-i7-6500U.
This chipset can produce a lot more heat than a Core M, requiring fans that snatch up more of the minimal space available in this tiny frame. But HP has managed it, somehow.
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It means the HP Spectre 13 absolutely has the power to become most people’s “main” computer. It’ll glide through Photoshop tasks, and can handle more intense tasks like serious video editing, which a Core M will struggle with a little.
Its 8GB RAM tells you this really isn’t meant to be a number-crunching powerhouse, but the 512GB-as-standard SSD does help explain why the HP Spectre 13 is quite as expensive as it is. High-capacity SSDs still aren’t cheap.
The Spectre 13 can even handle some recent-ish games if you really turn down the visuals. This is far from a gaming machine, but the Intel HD 520 graphics used in this chipset probably aren’t as bad as you might imagine. It’ll out-game an iPad.
There are a couple of ways you pay for this extra power, though. The first is noise. Its CPU fan whirs away all the time, which you might find distracting if you’re used to a passively-cooled laptop. Almost all Core i-based laptops have an always-on fan, though.
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Where this becomes a bit of an issue is when you start stressing the laptop with heavyweight tasks. At the slightest whiff of exertion the fans become quite a lot louder, struggling to ferry all the heat created by the CPU through the little heat vents by the back-most bit of the gold hinge. Not to say that other laptops don’t do this, we’re fairly used to it in the MacBook Pro – although that only tends to kick in serious fanning when fully necessary.
The HP Spectre 13 acts like a star, basically, getting in a bit of a hissy fit if you ask it to do too much. We didn’t see it overheating despite playing high-end-ish games for a decent chunk of time, though. Pop in your headphones or turn on a podcast and just forget the whirr.
HP Spectre 13 review: Battery life and sound
Battery life does make us wonder what a HP Spectre 13 with a Core M CPU would feel like, though. With a Core i7 CPU its stamina is fair, but not close to the longest-lasting ultra-portable laptops.
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If you put in some overtime, the HP Spectre 13 won’t last you a full work day either. And we can’t really argue if that’s a deal-breaker for you. Using the machine for writing and browsing, it lasts just under seven hours. That’s not terrible, but is a way off the eight-hours-plus we ideally want to see from an everyday portable work machine.
Give the Spectre 10 a very tight task like playing back a locally stored video and it’ll last a couple of hours more, but as soon as you hear those fans working a bit harder, you know the battery drain is ramping-up. And it doesn’t take all that much.
It’s a great excuse for HP to come up with a cheaper, but still as nice, Core M version soon, though. So here’s hoping.
One aspect we’d like to see improved, too, is the speaker array. As you’d guess from looking at the laptop, the sounds comes out of the patterned grilles to the left and right of the keyboard.
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They’re Bang & Olufsen speakers, and go reasonably loud. However, they don’t have the extra mid-range or bass mileage of a genuinely decent laptop speaker – again, the result of a super-slim build. You’ll occasionally hear some mid-range distortion at max volume too. You may get a hi-fi name, but you don’t really get hi-fi sound.
Verdict
Quality, quality, quality with a side order of shiny gold hot pants is the HP Spectre 13’s way. Whereas other recent HP laptops have made a great impression with their price, this one wants to make its pure presence the appeal.
It works, particularly as the build quality, screen colour and contrast, keyboard and trackpad are all sound. The use of a punchy Intel Core i7 CPU is great in power terms, but it does mean the Spectre 13 is both noisier and less long-lasting than you might hope for.
We still find a pricey but USB-less, memory card-less Windows laptop hard to swallow for £1300. But then we just take another look at that super design and almost all is forgiven. In the style stakes this is the Windows 10 laptop few other companies can compete against.
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