HP Spectre XT TouchSmart Puts 15.6″ Full HD IPS Touchscreen, Thunderbolt, and Windows 8 In an Ultrabook

Posted on 30 August 2012, Last updated on 17 March 2023 by

Today HP is announcing a new variant of their premium Ultrabook, the Spectre XT TouchSmart. With the addition of a Thunderbolt port, a larger 15.6″ full HD IPS touchscreen, and Windows 8, HP is bumping the price up from the $999 Spectre XT to $1,399 for the Spectre XT TouchSmart.  The Ultrabooks are nearly identical aside from the additions and change to the price. It would appear as though HP will be selling them concurrently.

Although HP markets the Spectre XT as their premium Ultrabook, many found the relatively low-resolution 1366×768 display out of character. The Spectre XT TouchSmart increases the screen size of the Spectre XT from 13.3″ to 15.6″ and bumps to resolution up to 1920×1080, silencing resolution critics. This is a capacitive IPS touchscreen which will likely have phenomenal viewing angles.

The new Spectre XT TouchSmart Ultrabook is based on Intel’s latest third-generation Ivy Bridge processors. It’s quite thin at 17.9mm and weighs in at 2.1kg — a bit heavy for an Ultrabook, but this is a 15.6″ screen after all. You’ll likely see Core i5 and i7 options, and Engadget reports that SSD or HHD options will be available for storage. The larger footprint makes room for an additional USB 3.0 port over it’s smaller sibling, bringing the port count to the following: Thunderbolt, full HDMI, 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0, Ethernet/LAN (RJ45), full SD, and 3.5mm combo headphone/mic jack.

HP says that the following Ultrabook features are included: Rapid Start, Identity Protection Technology, Anti-Theft Technology, Smart Response, and Smart Connect.

The Spectre XT TouchSmart will be available in the US in December starting at $1,399. International availability has yet to be discussed.

1 Comments For This Post

  1. Jordan says:

    Does this puppy come with discrete graphics?

Search UMPCPortal

Find ultra mobile PCs, Ultrabooks, Netbooks and handhelds PCs quickly using the following links:

Acer Aspire Switch 10
10.1" Intel Atom Z3745
Acer C740
11.6" Intel Celeron 3205U
VIA Nanobook
7.0" VIA C7-M
Lenovo Ideapad Flex 10
10.1" Intel Celeron N2806
Acer Aspire E11 ES1
11.6" Intel Celeron N2840
Dell Chromebook 11
11.6" Intel Celeron 2955U
Dell Latitude E7440
14.0" Intel Core i5-4200U
Acer TravelMate B113
11.6" Intel Core i3
HP Elitebook 820 G2
12.5" Intel Core i5 5300U
Acer Chromebook 11 CB3-131
11.6" Intel Celeron N2807