HP Envy 14 Spectre is most expensive ultrabook ever

Q: Key Point 1: HP Philippines launched the Envy 14 Spectre ultrabook the other...

HP Philippines launched the Envy 14 Spectre ultrabook the other night.

Q: Key Point 5: What has actually taken us aback is the retail price...

What has actually taken us aback is the retail price -- Php116,990.

Abe Olandres June 9, 2012 · 2 min read

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HP Philippines launched the Envy 14 Spectre ultrabook the other night. The flagship notebook is packed with an Intel Core i7 processor and wrapped with Gorilla Glass. The Spectre has also set the record as the most expensive ultrabook to ever reach Philippine shores.

To make itself unique among the many ultrabooks before it, the HP Spectre was designed with scratch-resistant glass laptop (a first of its kind).

While the dimension of the of the LED screen is pegged at 14 inches, the chassis of the Spectre is based on a 13.3″ laptop. HP managed to put a bigger screen on a smaller body by employing a borderless design on the display.

HP Envy 14 Spectre specs:
14″ LED display @ 1600×900 pixels
Intel Core i7-2677M 1.8GHz dual-core
Intel HD 3000 Graphics
4GB DDR3 RAM
256GB SSD
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0
Beats Audio
Gigabit LAN
1 x USB 3.0 ports
1 x USB 2.0 port
1 x HDMI port
1 x mini-DisplayPort
Windows 7

HP also features Beats Audio technology so the set of high-performance speakers that came with the Spectre should be more than good enough for listening to music or watching movies.

We also managed to take a sneak peek at the Windows Experience Index of the Spectre and got these results.

Windows Experience Index:
Processor: 6.9
RAM: 7.2
Gaming Graphics: 6.1
Hard Disk: 7.5

HP also claims the laptop can last for 9 hours at optimal settings. Of course, expect it to be about half that on real-world usage.

What has actually taken us aback is the retail price — Php116,990. We’re not sure if that’s because of large amount of Gorilla Glass used in the design of the body but it sure does take the title of the most expensive ultrabook we’ve ever seen.

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Abe Olandres

Editor-in-chief

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

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48 Comments

hightops · 13 years ago

$ 25 can buy a box of little white ball, these goods are printed with the inauguration of ornamentation.

CHEAP! · 13 years ago

OVER PRICE I WILL BUY APPLE. I WON’T BUY THAT ONE AND ITS FAKE MY FRIEND HAD ONE OF THAT AND ONE WEEK IT WON’T OPEN AND HP COMPANY WON’T REPLACE IT!!!

dafuq · 14 years ago

dafuq?!? is this a joke? a dual-core i7 with no dedicated video card more than 100k php? Way too overprice. Better go with a macbook air for a super portable device.

benchmark · 14 years ago

Hahaha i agree with tekkiboy, it is somewhat a “class” type rig.

I remember once an office issue where an employee bring in her macbook. The sales manger (who is an a#s by the way) got so envy and frustrated to see a plain employee having to own a macbook (by the way, that employee is rich). So she got one for herself. Funny thing is she bring it in to the office, to show it it to everybody…BUT she doesn’t know how to use it! Hahahaha coz she’s been using Windows eversince. And she asked the office IT for help and assistance, but the office IT doesn’t have any idea on Mac OS, and suggested to ask for help to one employee who owns one! Hahahaha

tekkiboy · 14 years ago

A lot of people don’t get the point of this product I think. It’s a class-based rig, not a specs-based one. There are many people who buy a Mac with low or mid specs instead of getting a higher-specced Asus/HP/MSI for a cheaper tag. Why? Because it’s a Mac. Because these people see it as “classy”

I have a former classmate (quite the socialite, not the kind of person I actually like hanging out with) who has a Spectre but got it from the US. She’s quite the crystal- and sparkly-stuff lover, from jewels to Swarovski’s and stuff like that. She bought one primarily because of the glass finish. Is she stupid? I don’t know. Rich? HELL YES!

So I don’t think it’s really a good point comparing gaming laptops to the Spectre.

taguan · 14 years ago

I would buy it. It could be because I’m a sucker for pretty, but it has the specs to back it up.

Melo · 14 years ago

I would rather buy an Allienware.

Manny · 14 years ago

Sino kayang tanga ang bibili nito?

flitz · 14 years ago

nadugas kase si pacquiao

guyrony · 14 years ago

Seriously? I’d get that Asus NX90 with a little more moolah. Or perhaps a high-end Sony Vaio.

Ridiculously priced.

enrico · 14 years ago

Panalo dapat si Manny Pacquiao!!

Layson · 14 years ago

It has a super great quality. Beats by Dr. Dre

Fantazma · 14 years ago

wow!..is that a LUXURY ultrabook?..maybe the internals are made of gold? :)

Mr. Serious · 14 years ago

P116,990 for a Sandy-Bridge laptop?? Why didn’t they release this BEFORE ivy-bridge got out? It’s sad to see what HP has become these days. A shadow of its former glory, they’re not even a player in the game anymore. Only a spectator.

Glenn Ong · 14 years ago

Thanks for letting me know it has already been launched. See, we don’t know it again. And the price is really a turn off!

rex · 14 years ago

dafuq, better grab a sager or alienware laptops..

showbiz · 14 years ago

Plus one. For me its not value for money.

Faust · 14 years ago

it might be the solid state drive that’s making it quite pricey aside from the gorilla glass.. ^_^

garz · 14 years ago

Soooooo overpriced. Considering it only has 1600×900 resolution, Intel HD graphics, and a dual-core i7. Heck, with this price I can already buy an ASUS or MSI gaming laptop!

Iyan Sommerset · 14 years ago

HP? No thanks. I don’t think they’ve learned from their past mistakes, making crap-quality laptops. This thing’ll probably break in a year. Right after warranty ends.

Obob · 14 years ago

My friends have HP Laptops and they broke down in less than a year. HP and Acer are of the same level

coachjojoc · 14 years ago

I remember going to the Microwarehouse sale last December and the sales reps were trying to goad me into buying an HP laptop. I told them it would be a cold day in hell before I’d buy a laptop from HP. And this Envy is no exception.