HP Spectre x360 with gen6 i7 processor - Part 1

So I flip-flopped.

I was very concern that having a new laptop computer will distract me from spending time to draw.  But what ended up happened was that I was still yearning for a machine with long battery life with good performance that I kept searching online for possible good laptop deal.  So I thought, what the heck, I need to get a good computer so that I can have an ease of mind, and thus able to get back to focus on drawing once I've done with setting up the new computer.

So much for giving myself excuse to buy new gadget.

So after done some research and then went to Microsoft Store, I nailed down my selection down to 3 computers:

• HP Spectre x360 with gen6 i7 CPU
• Lenovo Yoga 900
• Dell XPS 13 with gen6 i5 CPU

They were chosen because:

• they are under US$1300 (before tax)
• they have reasonably good battery life (at least better than Surface Pro 4)
• they have good reviews online

For Lenovo Yoga 900, I like the light-weight and the form factor.  But the machine is flimsy and I am seriously worry that I may break it within 2 years.  Gotta say that I wasn't aware of it until after I read a review about how bendable the screen was.  Once I saw that comment, I couldn't Unseen it, and start getting very aware of it.

For XPS 13, I love the smaller form factor, but it doesn't allow me to flip it over, makes it less of a video watching device on the plane.  Also brick-and-mortal Microsoft Store only has the QHD+ screen, which drains battery much faster than the FHD version.  If I want to read something, I use my iPad Pro, so I totally OK with FHD if that's how I got better battery life.

HP Spectre x360 with gen6 i7 CPU has the lowest price tag (US$999) among the 3, and have the best spec (gen 6 i7, 8Gb memory, 256Gb HD).  My biggest problem with it is the weight.  But then with the solid aluminum case and long battery life, I thought it's a good compromise.

So at the end, I brought HP Spectre x360.

After using it for a few days, I have better idea about about the pros and cons of the device:

Pros:

• Solidly built case.
• Fast.
• Great price performance ratio.
• Great battery life
• Great enough display

Cons:

• Heavier than other ultralight notebook.
• Can get really hot at the bottom of the laptop after using for a while.
• A bit too reflective the screen

On the first day/night of using the device, I experienced track pad not responding very once in a while.  But then after some Windows Update and trackpad update, I don't experience the problem anymore.

I also wondered if I should get the 512Gb HD version instead of my existing 256Gb HD version.  But then I realized that a portable 1.5 Tb USB 3 harddisk does an even better job on keeping content.  and it's better to use the portable harddisk to sync content then syncing with laptop thru WiFi.  After all, most of the apps I use are portable apps. Leave too much stuff on the laptop only make it hard for me to sync data everywhere.