HP's $5,000 Spectre Foldable PC is eye-wateringly expensive but is it worth it?

woman at desk with tablet PC on table
(Image credit: HP)

HP revealed its latest foldable device, one that it boasts is “the world’s smallest and thinnest 17-inch foldable PC.”

The HP Spectre Foldable PC is a 3-in-1 device that can become a laptop, tablet, and desktop PC depending on how it’s folded up or detached. You can use the keyboard wirelessly with the screen laid flat or propped up on its kickstand at a 120-degree angle. You can also magnetically attach it to the bottom half of the screen, or slide it towards you.

The new Spectre Foldable's default mode is a 17-inch, 0.33-inch (8.5 mm) thick OLED tablet, but it can also be turned into a 12.3-inch laptop, as well as a large-screen PC by taking advantage of the foldable panel and kickstand, built with a durable hinge. It also comes with a stylus, and both the pen and the Bluetooth keyboard charge while attached thanks to wireless charging integrated into the device.

If you use the Spectre Foldable as a laptop, you can switch from the 12.3-inch screen mode to a larger display by sliding the keyboard towards you to reveal more of the OLED. The PC will automatically display windows above the keyboard, making it a 14-inch laptop.

a foldable pc against a pink background

The Spectre knows what to do when you reveal more display (Image credit: Future)

HP says that the expanded screen is the main feature, using Windows Snap along with an HP-enhanced mode to quickly adapt and reconfigure the Windows layout. When using the traditional laptop mode, you can toggle between windows, edit photos in Photoshop using the extended or expanded laptop mode, or watch an IMAX movie on the full-screen.

This foldable laptop has some pretty solid specs to boot, most impressively an Intel Core i7-1250U CPU, 16GB LPDDR5x-5200 RAM, and 1TB storage space. It also has 93 Wh power distributed across dual battery packs, and HP claims that it can last up to a whopping 13.5 hours.

Of course, the price tag is the biggest issue, at $4,999 / £4, 999 (around AU$7,753). This pricing puts the Spectre Foldable in the same range as high-end gaming PCs, yet the GPU is the standard mobile Intel Iris Xe. Even with all these features, specs, and accessories potentially making it one of the best computers, best thin and light laptops, or best tablets, it’s hard to justify that extremely steep price point to pretty much any buyer. 

You might also like

Allisa James
Computing Staff Writer

Named by the CTA as a CES 2023 Media Trailblazer, Allisa is a Computing Staff Writer who covers breaking news and rumors in the computing industry, as well as reviews, hands-on previews, featured articles, and the latest deals and trends. In her spare time you can find her chatting it up on her two podcasts, Megaten Marathon and Combo Chain, as well as playing any JRPGs she can get her hands on.

Read more
Lenovo ThinkBook Flip AI PC
Lenovo is going all out with yet another funky laptop design: this time, it's a business notebook with a foldable OLED screen
Lenovo ThinkBook Flip AI PC Concept
I love Lenovo's audacious design with the ThinkBook Flip laptop, but I dread how fragile it will be IRL
A Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable on a red table
Lenovo unveils world's first rollable display laptop, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable, at CES 2025
ThinkBook Plus 6 Rollable
Lenovo loves to innovate, and its laptop with a rollable display proves that it still has its mojo
HP Spectre x360 14 (2024) main image
HP Spectre x360 14 (2024) review
The closed lid of the HP Omnibook Ultra Flip, a new laptop from HP
HP’s resurrected OmniBook Ultra Flip is a premium laptop winner – after you disable the bloatware
Latest in Desktop PCs
A mockup of the possible Apple M3 Ultra logo
Performance isn't the only reason you should buy Apple's M3 Ultra Mac Studio - it's reportedly one of the most power-efficient processors too
Mac Studio on a desk
Apple Mac Studio (M3 Ultra): the ultimate creative workstation
Mac Studio from above.
New benchmark suggests Apple's M3 Ultra may not be much faster than the M4 Max - only a minor uplift in multi-core performance
Person using a screwdriver to install a part in a PC case
Built vs Bought: why prebuilt systems are always superior to custom gaming PCs
The Framework Desktop being used to play a PC game.
My favorite laptop maker just unveiled its first desktop - and it's the cutest little PC I've ever seen
Dell XPS 13 and Alienware M16 laptops on purple background with big savings text overlay
Dell's site-wide Tech Days sale is live: see the 6 best laptop and gaming laptop deals from just $299
Latest in News
Google Pixel 8a in aloe green showing
Google Pixel 9a benchmark link teases the performance of the upcoming mid-ranger
Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand
Quordle hints and answers for Monday, March 17 (game #1148)
NYT Strands homescreen on a mobile phone screen, on a light blue background
NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, March 17 (game #379)
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, March 17 (game #645)
Apple iPhone 16 Pro HANDS ON
Leaked iPhone 17 dummy units may have given us our best look yet at all four models
A super close up image of the Google Gemini app in the Play Store
It's official: Google Assistant will be retired for phones this year, with Gemini taking over