HP Spectre x360 15 vs HP 15 2021 Comparison

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HP Spectre x360 15

15.6 inches | October 2020

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HP 15 2021

15.6 inches | January 2021

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HP Spectre x360 15 vs HP 15 2021 Comparison Overview

HP Spectre x360 15

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HP 15 2021

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HP Spectre x360 15

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HP 15 2021

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In this review, we will be comparing Spectre x360 15 and 15 2021, two laptops by HP. HP Spectre x360 15 was introduced to market in October 2020 and HP 15 2021 was launched in January 2021. There is only 3 months difference between Spectre x360 15 and 15 2021 so we are expecting this to be a fair comparison regarding age and technology level.

Click for Available Configurations of the Laptops

Here is a brief look at the main features of HP Spectre x360 15 and HP 15 2021 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

HP Spectre x360 15 Key Specs

Launched in October 2020
15.6" TouchScreen - IPS LCD, 16:9 Aspect Ratio Display
CPU: Intel Core i7 1165G7
GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 (96EU)
16GB Ram
359.9 x 226.4 x 19.9 mm (14.17 x 8.91 x 0.78 inches)
Weight: 1.92 kg (4.23 lbs)

HP 15 2021 Key Specs

Launched in January 2021
15.6" TN LCD, 16:9 Aspect Ratio Display
CPU: Intel Core i3 1115G4
GPU: GeForce MX350 2GB
8GB Ram
358.5 x 242 x 19.9 mm (14.11 x 9.53 x 0.78 inches)
Weight: 1.75 kg (3.86 lbs)

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Spectre x360 15 and 15 2021 compares and decide which one is better for you.

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Reasons to choose HP Spectre x360 15 over HP 15 2021

Screen-to-Body Ratio	~82.4% vs ~77.4%	Larger screen area ratio
Screen PPI	282 ppi vs 100 ppi	More pixels per inch
Touch Screen	Yes vs No	Interact with your fingers
Screen Resolution	3840 x 2160 pixels vs 1366 x 768 pixels	Higher pixel count screen
Max Brightness	400 nits vs 250 nits	Brighter Screen
GPU Fabrication Process	10 nm vs 14 nm	Newer Generation GPU
USB Power Delivery	Yes vs No	Charges via USB-C type cable
Number of USB-C Ports	2x USB 3.2 vs 1x USB 3.2	Connect more device at the same time
Thunderbolt	v4 vs No	Support audio, data, power and video all through one single port
HDMI Version	2.0 vs 1.4	Better HDMI connectivity
Keyboard Backlight	Yes vs No	Easily see the keys under low light

Reasons to choose HP 15 2021 over HP Spectre x360 15

Weight	1.75 kg vs 1.92 kg	0.17 kg lighter
Side Bezel Thickness	6.6 mm vs 7.3 mm	0.7 mm thinner bezels
Screen Type	Matte vs Glossy	potentially less reflections on screen
GPU FLOPS	1.879 TFLOPS vs 1.69 TFLOPS	Dedicated GPU unit
GPU Type	Dedicated vs Integrated	More RAM Options
Upgradable RAM	Yes vs No	Connect more device at the same time
Number of USB-A Ports	2x USB 3.2 vs 1x USB 3.2	Connects to the local network via Ethernet RJ45
Ethernet RJ45 Port	Yes vs No

Common Strengths of HP 15 2021 and HP Spectre x360 15

Fast Charging Support	Yes vs Yes	Charge the battery in a shorter time
Upgradable Storage	Yes vs Yes	Option to increase the Storage size
SSD Type	NVMe vs NVMe	Faster Data Transfers
Wi-Fi Standard	v6 vs v6	Fast and Reliable Wi-Fi Connections
HDMI Output	1x HDMI 2.0 vs 1x HDMI 2.0	Connect to External Displays via HDMI cable
VGA Output	No vs No	Connect to External Displays via VGA cable
Built-in SD Card Reader	Yes vs Yes	Read & Write SD Cards
Numeric Pad	Yes vs Yes	Fast way to input numbers

HP Spectre x360 15 vs HP 15 2021: Physical Specs Comparison

In this section, we will be comparing the physical specifications and body features of the HP Spectre x360 15 and the HP 15 2021.

Physical Specs
Weight	1.92 kg (4.23 lbs)	1.75 kg (3.86 lbs)
Surface Area	815 cm2 (126.3 inches2)	868 cm2 (134.5 inches2)
Screen to Surface Ratio	~82.4%	~77.4%
Side Bezel Thickness	~7.3 mm	~6.6 mm
Weight per Inch of Screen	0.12 kg/inch	0.11 kg/inch
	0.264 lbs/inch	0.242 lbs/inch
Colors	Black, Blue	Black, Silver, Gold, Gray

Comparison of the HP Spectre x360 15 and the HP 15 2021 External Dimensions

Weight

Spectre x360 15 weighs 1.92 kg (4.23 lbs), whereas the 15 2021 weighs 1.75 kg (3.86 lbs). There is a notable difference in weight between these two laptops. The weight difference between the two laptops is not significant.

Weight Comparison

Displays size 15.0-15.9 inches

HP Spectre x360 15 1.92 kg

HP 15 2021 1.75 kg

Min 0.99 kg

Average 1.95 kg

Max 3.32 kg

Thickness Comparison

Displays size 15.0-15.9 inches

HP Spectre x360 15 19.90 mm

HP 15 2021 19.90 mm

Min 7.70 mm

Average 20.17 mm

Max 29.00 mm

Another value that we use for comparing the weights of the laptops is the Weight per Inch of Screen, which is calculated by dividing the total weight of the model with its usable diagonal screen size. This value for the HP Spectre x360 15 is 0.12 kg/inch.In comparison, this value for the HP 15 2021 is 0.11 kg/inch.Here are some of the best performing laptops in this area:

Microsoft Surface Go 4: 0.05 kg/inch
LG Gram SuperSlim 15.6 2023: 0.06 kg/inch
Asus ProArt PZ13 HT5306: 0.06 kg/inch
Asus Zenbook A14 UX3407: 0.06 kg/inch
Microsoft Surface Pro 12: 0.06 kg/inch
Dell Latitude 7330: 0.07 kg/inch
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2: 0.07 kg/inch
LG Gram 14 2022: 0.07 kg/inch

HP Spectre x360 15 vs HP 15 2021: Internals (CPU, GPU, RAM, Battery, SSD, etc.) Comparison

CPU Comparison

CPU Model	Intel Core i7 1165G7	Intel Core i3 1115G4 Intel Core i5 1135G7 Intel Core i5 1145G7 Intel Core i7 1165G7
Base Frequency	1.2-2.8 GHz	1.7-3.0 GHz
Turbo Frequency	4.7 GHz	4.1 GHz
Number of Cores	4	2
Number of Threads	8	4
L3 Cache	12 MB	6 MB
Integrated GPU	Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EU	Intel UHD Graphics Xe G4
CPU Fabrication Process	10 nm	10 nm
Geekbench 5 (Single)	1427	1264
Geekbench 5 (Multi)	4387	2563
Cinebench 23 (Single)	1509	1330
Cinebench 23 (Multi)	6080	3144

Above you can see the CPU options and the CineBench and GeekBench test scores for both laptops, which gives an idea about what kind of performance difference you may experience between the HP Spectre x360 15 and HP 15 2021.

You may also read reviews of latest laptops with the same CPUs and compare them:

Laptops with: Intel Core i7 1165G7

Laptops with: Intel Core i3 1115G4

GPU Comparison

GPU Model	Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 (96EU)	GeForce MX350 2GB GeForce MX450 2GB
Base Clock Frequency	300 MHz	747 MHz
Boost CLock Frequency	1100 MHz	937 MHz
TGP (Total Graphics Power)	15 W	20 W
Type	Integrated	Dedicated
FLOPS	1.690 TFLOPS	1,199 GFLOPS
Memory Size	System Shared	2 GB
Memory Type	System Shared	GDDR5
Memory Bus	System Shared	64 bit
Memory Speed	System Shared	1752 MHz 7 Gbps effective
Shading Units Cores	768	640
TMUs	48	32
ROPs	24	16

GPU is as critical as the CPU for graphic heavy applications and the table above gives a picture of how the two GPU compares. FLOPS is a measure of a GPU's performance based on the number of floating-point arithmetic calculations that the processor can perform within a second. HP Spectre x360 15 has a FLOPS value of 1.69 TFLOPS whereas the HP 15 2021 ' has a FLOPS value of 1.879 TFLOPS. If graphical performance of the laptop is important for your use type, the HP 15 2021 may be the better choice between these two setups.

RAM Comparison

RAM	16GB	8GB 12GB 16GB 32GB 64GB
Memory Bus	2x8 GB	2x4 GB
RAM Clock	2666 MHz	2666 MHz
RAM Type	DDR4	DDR4
Upgradable	No	Yes
Total Slots	2	2
Memory Bus	PCI-E Gen 3.0 (4x)	PCI-E Gen 3.0 (2x)

With a larger RAM capacity of 16 GB, the Spectre x360 15 offers an advantage for multitasking and resource-intensive applications compared to the 15 2021's RAM capacity of 8 GB.

LOCAL LLM Compatibility Evaluation

This quick guide shows what types of large language models (LLMs) each of these laptops could support, based on their respective hardware specifications. It's meant to help you compare their suitability for running AI models locally.

LLM Category	HP Spectre x360 15	HP 15 (2021)
Small Models(1-3B):Examples: Phi-2, Qwen-1.8B	✔ Run smoothly.	✖ Not supported.
Medium Models(7-8B):Examples: Mistral-7B, Qwen-7B	✔ Good performance.	✖ Not supported.
Large Models(13-30B):Examples: Mixtral, Qwen-14B	✖ Not supported.	✖ Not supported.
Extra-Large Models(65B+):Examples: LLaMA2-70B, Qwen1.5-72B	✖ Not supported on most systems. Requires high-end GPU or advanced setup.	✖ Not supported on most systems. Requires high-end GPU or advanced setup.

Note: Optimized (e.g., 4-bit) models may run on limited hardware. Performance depends on runtime and setup.

📌 MoE Models: Some models like Mixtral 8x7B and Qwen3-30B-A3B use a Mixture of Experts (MoE) design, activating only part of the model during inference. This means they can often run efficiently on laptops with 12–16 GB of VRAM when quantized.

BATTERY

BATTERY	72.9 Wh	41 Wh
Battery Type	Li-Po	Li-Ion
Replaceable	No	No
Fast Charging	No	Yes
USB Power Delivery	Yes	No
Charging Port Position	Left	Right
Charge Power	90 / 135 W	45 W

Moreover, the Spectre x360 15 boasts a larger battery capacity of 73 Wh, offering extended usage time compared to the 15 2021's41 Wh.

Battery Comparison

Displays size 15.0-15.9 inches

HP Spectre x360 15 73 Wh

HP 15 2021 41 Wh

Min 36.00 Wh

Average 62.1 Wh

Max 100.00 Wh

STORAGE
With a larger storage capacity up to 2 TB, the Spectre x360 15 provides more space for storing files and applications compared to the 15 2021's max. storage capacity of 1 TB.

Storage Options	256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB	128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB
Upgradable	Yes	Yes
Total Slots	1	1
Storage type	SSD (M2)	SSD (M2)
NVMe	Yes	Yes

If your budget allows, we recommend opting for the largest possible disk size, considering the potential increase in storage capacity needs in the future. However, please keep in mind the question 'What will the laptop be used for?' when making this decision. Of course, you can later upgrade the hard disk capacity by getting a larger disk. However, if your laptop has only one disk slot, it may not be as straightforward as a RAM upgrade, where you simply add or replace a module, as moving or cloning files to a new disk may be necessary.

HP Spectre x360 15 vs HP 15 2021: Display Comparison

The display is an essential aspect to consider when comparing the HP Spectre x360 15 and HP 15 2021 since its is the component that you interact the most and significantly impact the experience.

Screen Area and Dimensions

Now let's look at the comparison of the actual display areas of both laptops below, keeping the bezels around the screens out of the equation. Both Spectre x360 15 and 15 2021 screens have the same size of 15.6".The total usable screen area of the Spectre x360 15 is 670cm² / 104inch² whereas the 15 2021's total usable screen area is 670cm² / 104inch².

PPI (Pixels per Inch)
Additionally, the Spectre x360 15 features a higher pixel density with 282 pixels per inch (PPI), ensuring sharper image details.

Screen PPI (Pixels Per Inch) Comparison

Displays size 15.0-15.9 inches

HP Spectre x360 15 282 ppi

HP 15 2021 100 ppi

Min 100 PPI

Average 144 PPI

Max 294.00 PPI

Refresh Rate
Both Spectre x360 15 and 15 2021 offer the same refresh rate of 60 Hz.

Brightness
The Spectre x360 15 offers a higher maximum brightness of 400 nits, delivering a brighter screen.

Brightness Comparison

Displays size 15.0-15.9 inches

HP Spectre x360 15 400 nits

HP 15 2021 250 nits

Min

60 nits

Average 319 nits

Max 1000.00 nits

HP Spectre x360 15 vs HP 15 2021 Connectivity Comparison

In terms of connectivity,

Wifi
Both laptops offer the same Wi-Fi standard (v6), ensuring fast and reliable wireless connections.

Below, you'll find a Wi-Fi Versions Table, along with their release dates and speeds, to provide a brief overview of its development.

Wi-Fi Versions and Speeds

Standard	Speed	Release Date	Network	Frequency Bands (GHz)
Wi-Fi 7	up to 40 Gbps (5 GB/s)	2023	802.11be	2.4, 5, 6
Wi-Fi 6E	up to 9.6 Gbps (1.2 GB/s)	2020	802.11ax	2.4, 5, 6
Wi-Fi 6	up to 9.6 Gbps (1.2 GB/s)	2019	802.11ax	2.4, 5
Wi-Fi 5	up to 6.93 Gbps (866.25 MB/s)	2014	802.11ac	2.4, 5
Wi-Fi 4	up to 600 Mbps (75 MB/s)	2009	802.11n	2.4, 5

* Please note that the provided transfer rates are maximum theoretical values, and real-life performance may vary based on environmental factors.

USB
Both Spectre x360 15 and 15 2021 have USB-A ports. Spectre x360 15 has 1x USB 3.2 USB-A ports, while 15 2021 has 2x USB 3.2 USB-A ports.
Both Spectre x360 15 and 15 2021 have USB Type-C ports. Spectre x360 15 has 2x USB 3.2 USB Type-C ports, while 15 2021 has 1x USB 3.2 USB Type-C ports.

Below, you'll find a table of USB ports, along with their release dates and speeds.
To mitigate the confusion caused by generation names, the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) suggests using marketing names like USB 5Gbps, USB 10Gbps, and so forth, based on their respective transfer rates.

USB Type and Speeds

USB Type	Version	Speed	Date	Other Features/Explanations
USB4	Gen 4 (2.0)	80 Gbps	2022	Also known as USB 80Gbps
USB4	Gen 3×2	40 Gbps	2019	Also known as USB 40Gbps
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 2x2	20 Gbps	2019	Double the data transfer rates of Gen 2
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 2	10 Gbps	2017	Previously known as USB 3.1
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 1	5 Gbps	2017	Previously known as USB 3.0
USB 3.1	3.1 Gen 2	10 Gbps	2013	Faster data transfer rates
USB 3.0	3.1 Gen 1	5 Gbps	2010	SuperSpeed USB, improved data transfer rates
USB 2.0	2.0	480 Mbps	2000	High-speed data transfer
USB 1.0	1.0	1.5 Mbps	1996	Original USB standard

Thunderbolt
Spectre x360 15 is equipped with Thunderbolt 4 port. 15 2021 does not have Thunderbolt port.

HDMI
Both Spectre x360 15 and 15 2021 feature an HDMI port. Spectre x360 15 offers 1x HDMI 2.0, while 15 2021 offers 1x HDMI 1.4.

Below, you'll find a comparison table detailing different HDMI versions, including their bandwidth, color depth, maximum resolution, and release dates. This information can be helpful in understanding the capabilities of each HDMI version and choosing the most suitable one for your needs.

HDMI Comparison Table

HDMI Version	Maximum Resolution	Bandwidth (Gbps)	Color Depth (bits)	Release Date
HDMI 2.1-2.1b	7680 x 4320 *(8K)* @ 60p 3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 120p	48.0	48	2017
HDMI 2.0-2.0b	3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 60p	18.0	48	2013
HDMI 1.4-1.4b	3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 30p	10.2	48	2009
HDMI 1.3-1.3a	2560 x 1440 @ 60p	10.2	48	2006
HDMI 1.0-1.2a	1920 x 1200 @ 60p	4.95	24	2002

* Please note that the provided resolution values represent the maximum supported resolution, and actual display quality may depend on other factors such as source content and connected devices.

SD Card Reader
Both Spectre x360 15 and 15 2021 come with an SD Card Reader for easy access to memory cards.

Audio Jack
Both Spectre x360 15 and 15 2021 are equipped with a 3.5mm Audio Jack, providing seamless connection to headphones and speakers.

To summarize the connectivity and ports details, please refer to the table below to see them listed.

Connectivity and Ports
WiFi Standard (latest: v7)	v6	v6
Bluetooth (latest: v5.4)	v5	v5
USB-A (latest: 3.2)	1x USB 3.2	2x USB 3.2
USB Type-C (latest: USB4 2.0)	2x USB 3.2	1x USB 3.2
Thunderbolt (latest: 5)	Thunderbolt 4	No
HDMI (latest: 2.1)	1x HDMI 2.0	1x HDMI 1.4
Display Port (latest: v2.0)	No	No
VGA	No	No
Fingerprint Sensor	Optional	Optional
Optical Drive	No	No
Audio Jack 3.5mm	Yes	Yes
Ethernet RJ45	No	Yes
SD CardReader	Yes	Yes
Proprietary Charging Port	Yes	Yes