HP Specter X360 13 vs Lenovo Yoga C930: What is the best laptop and tablet in one

If you are shopping for a two-in-one premium ultraportable, you have several great options to choose, including the update Dell XPS 13 two in one announced earlier this week. The two best currently are HP's Specter x360 13 and Lenovo's C930 Yoga.

These two convertible laptops (they have 360-degree hinges to be used as a laptop or tablet and in other positions) start at over $ 1,000, placing them in the territory of the PCs of choice. The higher prices allow you to get a better caliber of components, superior materials for the chassis and special features that you will not find on more traditional models of companies. With these, the goal is to deliver world-class performance and battery life in the thinnest, lightest bodies, making them great choices for frequent flyers, commuters and students alike.

Honestly, these are two excellent machines that will not disappoint you if they meet your performance needs. But, if you do not know what direction to take, here are the main differences that will help you choose the right one.

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Sophisticated and majestic

HP and Lenovo have both used the design to improve usability. With yoga, for example, Lenovo has redesigned the 360 ​​degree hinge to house the speakers so that, regardless of the screen positioning, you get a clear sound.

On Spectrum, HP cut out the two back corners of the case and placed the power button on the left and a USB-C Thunderbolt 3 port on the right. The location of the buttons makes it easy to search when you need it and avoid pressing it when you are not using it, while the position of the USB-C port, which is also used for charging, allows you to keep the cables away.

Both models look clean and professional, although HP's precious-cut edges and copper or brass accents give it a more visual look than Lenovo's buttoned chassis design. Each has two Thunderbolt 3 ports and a single USB-A 3.1 port, although HP also includes a microSD card slot.

For those who are worried about the privacy of webcams, these laptops have ways to block them instantly from prying eyes. Yoga has a physical shutter that slides in front of the camera with a fingernail. HP has placed a circuit breaker on the right side that completely cuts off the power of the cam. For those who are more concerned about a person who is watching what is on your screen than hacking your webcam, Spectrum x360 display can be upgraded with the company's one Sure View Technology that blocks out-of-angle vision by simply pressing a button.

One last thing to note is that Lenovo and HP include an active stylus for drawing and writing on screen with these laptops. HP is a complete pen that fits in a loop on the leather case of the laptop, also included, and which is powered by an AAAA battery. Lenovo's pen is thin and slightly longer than a colored pencil, similar to Samsung S Pen. However, it fits into a garage located at the back of the laptop case that keeps it charged and solves the problem "I never have this pen when I need it".

You have options

Unlike the two-in-one bonuses of competition Samsung and LG, Specter x360 and Yoga C930 can be customized to suit your needs by HP and Lenovo or can be purchased preconfigured from major retailers such as Best Buy and Amazon. Both are available with eighth-generation Intel Core i7 quad-core processors with integrated graphics, up to 16GB of built-in memory and up to a 1TB NVMe M.2 PCIe drive in Yoga or a 2Mb NVMe M.2 PCIe drive in the HP. You can get Full HD or Ultra HD 4K screens.

However, Lenovo does not offer two solutions. The first is the aforementioned Sure View privacy screen. The other is the Gigabit 4G LTE mobile broadband. Do you need a laptop connected to the web as soon as you open it and turn it on? The HP Specter x360 is your only choice here.

In favor of yoga, however, it is the size of the screen. The Specter has a 13.3-inch screen, while Yoga has a 13.9-inch screen. The additional screen space increases the body size to 322 x 227 mm (12.7 x 8.9 inches) compared to 309 x 218 mm (12.2 x 8.6 inches). Each weighs about 1.4 kg (3 pounds), about 14.5 mm (0.6 inches) thick.

COMPARISON OF SPECS

	HP Specter x360 13-ap0013dx	Lenovo Yoga C930
Revised price	$ 1,350	$ 1200
Display size / resolution	13.3-inch touch screen 1,920 x 1,080	13.9 inch touch screen 1920 x 1080
CPU	Intel Core i7-8565U at 1.8 GHz	Intel Core i7-8550U at 1.8 GHz
PC memory	DDR4 8 GB, 2666 MHz SDRAM memory	SDRAM DDR4 12 GB 2 400 MHz
Graphic	128 MB of Intel UHD Graphics 620	128 MB of Intel UHD Graphics 620
Storage room	256 GB SSD	256 GB SSD
Networking	Wi-Fi wireless 802.11ac; Bluetooth 5.0	Wi-Fi wireless 802.11ac; Bluetooth 4.1
Operating system	Windows 10 Home Edition (64-bit)	Windows 10 Home Edition (64-bit)
See it on	Best buy	Amazon

Solid performance, even better battery life

The configurations that we examined for these models were homogeneous and therefore have about the same performance as our reference tests and anecdotal tests. As noted in their comments, their components are designed for average home and office uses, such as word processing, web browsing and email. But they have enough strength to do a more demanding job, as long as the graphics are not too intense.

They will not bog down with a dozen open tabs in Google Chrome, while other apps will run in the background. Video streaming and music are not a problem either. And they will handle the occasional editing of photos and videos without choking, as well as casual games.

Battery life is where these two just kill him, though. When we reviewed the C930, it reached 12 hours 26 minutes on the CNET streaming video – one of the best moments in our history for a laptop. Then we looked at Spectrum x360, which spent almost 13 hours and 18 minutes. This is the second longest recorded autonomy: LG's biggest 15.6 inches Gram 15 beat him for 40 minutes.

Coin flip?

The Spectrum x360 and Yoga are excellent two in one ultraportable. HP and Lenovo offer similar configuration options that lead to similar performance without surprises. They even cost about the same price, although the slightly older C930 may be a better deal in some cases at this stage. A big part of what separates them comes down to the design, features and what you need from a laptop.

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