The Spectre Folio represents an unusual notebook design-- whereas other high-end MacBook-style notebooks are clad in metal, the HP convertible has an external clamshell made wholly out of leather, a first according to the company.
The Spectre Folio looks like a leather portfolio complete with accent stitching and smooth sheen when closed. HP says it is made out of genuine chrome-tanned leather, in a choice of warm brown or deeper bordeaux tones. The leather construction also brings about a different take on opening the notebook, since instead of folding the display backwards one pulls it forward, with magnets at the base of the key tray or edge of the bottom half holding the display in place.
Inside the cozy leather are some worthy internals-- the machine is the first HP notebook featuring a dual-core 8th generation Intel Y-series CPU. The choice of processor allows for a fan-less design, while a collaboration with Chipzilla brought about a custom motherboard offering a 20% reduction in size.
Meanwhile the 13.3-inch display is the first to use Intel low power technology the two companies claim cuts screen battery use by 50%. As a result, HP is selling the Spectre Folio as an "Always Connected" PC, and adds a large battery offering either 19 (in the Core i5 model) or 17 (in the Core i7) hours of use.
As for the rest of the notebook, the display handles stylus input and comes in a choice of either 1W full HD, regular HD or 4K panels. HP includes front-facing Bang & Olufsen speakers, while connectivity comes via x3 USB-C and x1 Thunderbolt ports, together with a 3.5mm jack. Security comes through Windows Hello authentication, and a nano-SIM card slot and built-in digital eSIM allow connection to cellular networks.
The Spectre Folio ships by end October 2018. Is the market ready for the leather laptop, we wonder?