 If you're looking for a premium ultra-portable laptop, chances are you're looking at a Mac. Apple's laptops have dominated this segment for so long, it seems like no one else is even trying anymore. But HP is trying to change that narrative with the new Spectre. It's an ultra-light, ultra-thin, premium Windows 10 laptop with an equally premium price tag. It's easy to compare the Spectre to the MacBook because it's so light and thin, but it's really like HP took the best of what the MacBook offers and blended it with the best of what the MacBook Air offers. It weighs just under two and a half pounds, measures a scant 10.4mm thick when it's closed, and has a 13.3 inch display with a full-sized keyboard. The HP is selling this for $1169 to start, but the unit that I've been testing, which has a Core i7 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage, costs $1249. The Spectre's really striking to look at. It has a dark brown finish that stands out from the sea of aluminum silver computers. It also has this really shiny gold hinge that catches your eye. But it also catches a ton of fingerprints, which means that it doesn't really look so great after a few minutes of using it. The next thing you're going to notice about the Spectre is that it doesn't have a touch screen, it doesn't detach, and it doesn't try to be anything more than a traditional laptop. The 1080p screen isn't as high-res as you can get on other computers, but it's perfectly sharp at this size. My only real complaint here is that the hinge doesn't tilt back as far as I'd like it to, which makes it a little uncomfortable to use when I'm standing at a desk. The keyboard is really nice to type on. It's got well-spaced keys and much better travel than Apple's MacBook. The trackpad's also really good, too. It's smooth and glassy and tracks really nicely, but it's a little small and feels cramped compared to other computers with larger trackpads. Like the MacBook, the Spectre relies on USB-C for all of its connectivity. But unlike the MacBook, HP gives you three ports instead of one. Now, two of these support Thunderbolt connections for fast data transfer, and all three handle power. It's definitely more convenient to have multiple USB-C ports than just one, but because USB-C is still really new, I have to carry around a bunch of adapters to plug anything into it. The only thing I don't like about the MacBook, the Spectre has Intel's more powerful chips inside, so it doesn't really get bogged down too easily. The Core i7 chip in the one that I've been testing has been able to handle everything I throw at it, whether it's multitasking, web browsing, photo editing, or any other productivity tasks. You're definitely not going to be gaming on this machine, but for productivity stuff, the Spectre definitely has enough power. Now, unfortunately, that performance doesn't extend to its battery life. The Spectre can last about five to six hours between charges with my daily use, which isn't enough to last a full day and definitely less than I can get with a comparably spec'd MacBook Air. The battery life isn't so bad to be a deal breaker, but if you want the ultimate Road Warrior machine, the Spectre probably isn't it. But aside from my complaints with the battery life, the Spectre is really an excellent laptop. It's really well made, it looks great, has lots of performance, and it's so thin and light that carrying it around everywhere isn't really a burden. Apple may still be the king of premium laptops, but HP has shown that it can play this game too, and as a result, the Spectre is an excellent laptop. Talking about laptops.