For High Flying Executives

The HP Spectre x360 14 is a convertible housing a 13.5-inch super-bright OLED display with multi-touch support. The 360-degree hinge goes all the way, turning the laptop into a tablet. While the touch response was good, what I admired the most was the edge-to-edge display with anti-reflective Corning Gorilla Glass, which makes it usable under bright light conditions.

Most of the laptops today look uninspired copies of Apple’s MacBook Air, but the Spectre x360 is a breath of fresh air. The gorgeous diamond-cut design, in Poseidon blue with pale brass accents, makes it look distinctive. And HP hasn’t compromised on productivity and performance for style. For instance, it hasn’t cut down on ports. Although I didn’t use the USB-C port positioned diagonally, I did use the USB-C on the right edge and the USB port on the left. Switching from the MacBook Pro, I found the backlit keyboard comfortable to type. I struggled with the trackpad initially, but I got the hang of it within a few days.

During testing, which lasted over a couple of weeks, I put the machine to heavy use, including browsing the web with about 40 tabs open in Chrome browser, working on presentations, editing images and videos, watching OTT content, documentation, as well as casual gaming. Overall, the machine handled everything well without any lag or heating issues. And for wireless data transfer, the HP’s QuickDrop comes handy. Another thing I loved about the machine is HP’s focus on security. While a fingerprint scanner for unlocking machines is common these days, this laptop comes with a physical shutter for the webcam embedded in the key next to F12.

With a PCMark 10 score of 4,184, the performance is backed by an equally impressive battery that lasted 9-10 hours on a single charge.

Keep Data Safe

This portable SSD can back up around 2 TB data, which can be protected with a fingerprint, as well as a password (AES 256-bit hardware encryption). This protection layer can be configured using the setup software on board when connected to a Windows machine or Mac hardware, using the accompanying USB Type C-to-Type C and Type C-to-Type A cables. The machine supports high-speed data transfer, with read/write speeds of up to 1,050/1,000 MB/s, respectively. As per the company, the device can withstand drops from as high as 2 m, keeping your data safe.

Portable Power

Power banks for mobiles are great, but what about your work machines? For long-haul travel, when you can’t be sure about charging your machines on the go, this Anker portable charger can come in handy. With 27,000 mAh of charging power, it comes with an in-built AC outlet (you might need a connector though), as well as a USB-C port for compatible machines. It has multiple ports to charge your gadgets.

Plug & Play

Many new-age, high-end laptops trade off connectivity ports in favour of a sleek and elegant design. But if you need to connect your machine to an external screen, project a presentation or connect the device to a secure wired LAN connection, Portronics has on offer its Mport 9C Type-C Multiport USB Hub. It is a plug-and-play solution with multiple connectivity ports, including three USB 3.0, HDMI, VGA, RJ45, PD, as well as a card reader.

Packing a Punch

The MacBook Pro with M1 chip has a familiar design, with a 13.3-inch screen, 2,560 x 1,600 resolution and two USB-C ports on the left. It has a sleek touchscreen bar—Touch Bar—at the top of the keyboard, which shows shortcuts depending on the app or tool in use. It is, however, the Apple silicon M1 chip that makes it a powerhorse. You can expect to edit videos, play games, browse the internet, etc., without any heating or lag issues. The machine has a battery life of over 10 hours on a single charge. It is available with a 16-core Neural Engine with 8 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD, but can also be configured up to 16 GB RAM and 2 TB storage.