Head to head

HP Spectre x360 16 (2024) vs MacBook Air 13" (M3)

HP Spectre x360 16 (2024) leads 6 to 5 on the 11 rankable specs, but MacBook Air 13" (M3) costs $600 less.

Catalog as of September 1, 2026

Why, in numbers

Panel: HP Spectre x360 16 lists 2.8K OLED Touchscreen with Corning Gorilla Glass (HP sheet, 2026-09-02); MacBook Air 13" (M3) lists Liquid Retina IPS LED (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02).
Processor: HP Spectre x360 16 lists Intel Core Ultra 7 155H (HP sheet, 2026-09-02); MacBook Air 13" (M3) lists Apple M3 (8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine) (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02).
Memory: HP Spectre x360 16 lists 32GB LPDDR5x (HP sheet, 2026-09-02); MacBook Air 13" (M3) lists 16 GB unified memory (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02).
Claimed battery life: HP Spectre x360 16 lists ~10–12 hours mixed productivity (other published figure, not on maker sheet); MacBook Air 13" (M3) lists Up to 18 hours Apple TV app / 15 hours wireless web (other published figure, not on maker sheet).
Size: HP Spectre x360 16 lists 16.0 inches (HP sheet, 2026-09-02); MacBook Air 13" (M3) lists 13.6 inches (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02).

Manufacturer list price, not a live offer. Confirm current pricing before you buy.

HP Spectre x360 16 (2024)

$1,6996 spec wins

Swap

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MacBook Air 13" (M3)

$1,0995 spec wins

Swap

Compare a different laptop

Buying for

Every rankable spec counts once. Pick a lens to score only what matters for your laptop.

Your devices

Select your ecosystem to flag non-functional features or platform lock-in.

Straight answer

Overall: 6 to 5

Buy the HP Spectre x360 16.

Leads 6 of 11 rankable overall specs; MacBook Air 13" (M3) takes 5.
Memory: 32GB LPDDR5x vs 16 GB unified memory
Size: 16.0 inches vs 13.6 inches
MacBook Air 13" (M3) is $600 cheaper. Pay the difference only if memory matters to you.

Check first: the HP Spectre x360 16 weighs over 4 lb (1.8 kg). Tick them under deal-breakers if that rules it out.

6 HP Spectre x360 1611 rankable of 29 specsMacBook Air 13" (M3) 5

Deal-breakers

tick what would make you walk away

No touchscreenrow
No pen or touch input for marking up PDFs or sketching.
Clear:HP Spectre x360 16 · Yes (Pen & Touch enabled)Trips:MacBook Air 13" (M3) · No
RAM cannot be upgradedrow
The memory you buy today is the memory you keep.
Trips:HP Spectre x360 16 · No (soldered)Trips:MacBook Air 13" (M3) · No (soldered unified memory)
No HDMI portrow
Projectors and meeting-room TVs need a dongle.
Clear:HP Spectre x360 16 · HDMI 2.1Trips:MacBook Air 13" (M3) · No (via adapter)
macOS, not Windowsrow
Windows-only software such as some CAD, games and corporate VPN clients needs a workaround.
Clear:HP Spectre x360 16 · Windows 11 HomeTrips:MacBook Air 13" (M3) · macOS Sequoia
Over 4 lb (1.8 kg)row
Heavy in a backpack on a daily commute.
Trips:HP Spectre x360 16 · 4.30 lbClear:MacBook Air 13" (M3) · 2.7 lb
60 Hz displayrow
Scrolling and games look less smooth than on a 120 Hz panel.
Clear:HP Spectre x360 16 · 120 Hz VRRTrips:MacBook Air 13" (M3) · 60 Hz

At a glance

The handful of numbers that decide most purchases in this category.

4 of 4 differ

Panel≠

2.8K OLED Touchscreen with Corning Gorilla Glass

Apple

Liquid Retina IPS LED

Processor≠

Intel Core Ultra 7 155H

Apple

Apple M3 (8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine)

Memory

32GB LPDDR5x

Apple

16 GB unified memory

Claimed battery life

~10–12 hours mixed productivity

Apple

Up to 18 hours Apple TV app / 15 hours wireless web

True 3-Year Cost of Ownership (TCO)

Upfront price + 3 years of consumables, fees & essential add-ons

HP Spectre x360 16

Upfront list price$1,699

3-Year Estimated Total$1,699

MacBook Air 13" (M3)

Upfront list price$1,099

Essential add-ons (USB-C to HDMI/USB-A adapter)+$25

3-Year Estimated Total$1,124

Commuter Portability & Lap Comfort Check

Real-world travel weight including chargers, bag fit, and lap thermals.

Ergonomic & Spatial Check

Backpack Sleeve Compatibility

Standard laptop bag sleeve

Apple

Ultra-thin 0.44 in profile; slips into any bag sleeve

Lap Ergonomics & Vent Placement

Bottom intake vents can choke and heat up your lap when used on beds or couches.

Standard hinge exhaust

Apple

Fanless zero-noise design; stays comfortably cool on lap

Total Travel Weight (Chassis + Charger)

Always factor in the power adapter when calculating commuter bag weight.

Standard carry weight

Apple

2.70 lb laptop + 35W dual charger = ~3.2 lb total carry

The 90-Day Owner Regret Check

Documented ergonomic quirks, hardware annoyances, and maintenance realities reported by real owners.

Post-Purchase Truths

HP: What to watch for

Maintenance
Requires ongoing care to maintain peak out-of-box performance.
Regular cleaning, firmware updates, and standard care are recommended to preserve longevity.

Apple: What to watch for

Maintenance
Requires ongoing care to maintain peak out-of-box performance.
Regular cleaning, firmware updates, and standard care are recommended to preserve longevity.

HP Spectre x360 16$1,6996 wins

MacBook Air 13" (M3)$1,0995 wins

Display Performance Build & input Ports Battery Software

28 of 29 attributes differ. Identical rows are dimmed.

Display

leads 4-1

Display specifications. Middle column is HP Spectre x360 16 (2024), right column is MacBook Air 13" (M3).
Size	16.0 inches (wins this row: higher)	13.6 inches
Panel	2.8K OLED Touchscreen with Corning Gorilla Glass	Liquid Retina IPS LED
Resolution	2880 × 1800 (wins this row: higher)	2560 × 1664 (224 ppi)
Refresh rate	120 Hz VRR (wins this row: higher)	60 Hz
BrightnessNot on the official sheet	400 nits SDR / 500 nits HDR	500 nits (wins this row: higher)
Color	100% DCI-P3, Low Blue Light	P3 wide color
Touchscreen	Yes (Pen & Touch enabled) (wins this row: has it)	No

Performance

leads 2-0

Performance specifications. Middle column is HP Spectre x360 16 (2024), right column is MacBook Air 13" (M3).
Processor	Intel Core Ultra 7 155H	Apple M3 (8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine)
Graphics	Intel Arc Graphics + optional NVIDIA RTX 4050	Integrated 10-core Apple GPU
Memory	32GB LPDDR5x (wins this row: higher)	16 GB unified memory
RAM upgradable	No (soldered)	No (soldered unified memory)
Storage	1TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 SSD	512 GB SSD
Storage upgradable	Yes (1× M.2 slot) (wins this row: has it)	No (soldered SSD)

Build & input

leads 2-0

Build & input specifications. Middle column is HP Spectre x360 16 (2024), right column is MacBook Air 13" (M3).
Weight	4.30 lb (1.95 kg)	2.7 lb (1.24 kg) (wins this row: lower)
Thickness	19.8 mm	11.3 mm (0.44 inches) (wins this row: lower)
Materials	Sandblasted CNC Aluminum	100% recycled aluminum unibody
Keyboard	Full-size backlit nightfall black keyboard	Magic Keyboard with Touch ID
Trackpad	Haptic glass trackpad	Force Touch trackpad
Webcam	HP Wide Vision 9MP IR camera with temporal noise reduction	1080p FaceTime HD camera
Speakers	Quad speakers tuned by Poly Studio with Audio Boost	Four-speaker sound system with Spatial Audio

Ports

leads 1-0

Ports specifications. Middle column is HP Spectre x360 16 (2024), right column is MacBook Air 13" (M3).
Thunderbolt / USB-C	2× Thunderbolt 4 with USB Type-C + 1× USB-A	2× Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports
HDMI	HDMI 2.1	No (via adapter)
SD card	No	No
MagSafe	No	Yes (MagSafe 3) (wins this row: has it)
Headphone jack	Yes (3.5 mm combo)	Yes (3.5 mm with high-impedance support)
Charger	100W USB Type-C power adapter	30W / 35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter

Battery

leads 1-0

Battery specifications. Middle column is HP Spectre x360 16 (2024), right column is MacBook Air 13" (M3).
Claimed battery lifeNot on the official sheet	~10–12 hours mixed productivity	Up to 18 hours Apple TV app / 15 hours wireless web (wins this row: higher)

Software

2 differences

Software specifications. Middle column is HP Spectre x360 16 (2024), right column is MacBook Air 13" (M3).
Operating system	Windows 11 Home	macOS Sequoia
Repairability	Medium (accessible SSD and Wi-Fi card)	Low (integrated SoC design)

Most rows are from the official spec sheet. Marked rows are other published figures or our summary, not lab tests we ran.

HP Spectre x360 16 (2024) source MacBook Air 13" (M3) source

Which one should you buy

Pick this one if

HP Spectre x360 16 (2024)

Versatile 2-in-1 convertible laptop with 2.8K OLED touchscreen and 360-degree geared hinge.

Stunning 2.8K 120Hz OLED 360° convertible touch display
Included rechargeable tilt pen with magnetic attachment
9MP AI camera with night vision and auto-framing

What you give up

Heavy for one-handed tablet use
Battery life decreases in high-refresh OLED mode

Full HP Spectre x360 16 (2024) specs →

Pick this one if

MacBook Air 13" (M3)

13.6-inch ultraportable with Apple M3 chip, Liquid Retina display, and fanless silent design.

Exceptional battery life (up to 18 hours)
Fanless completely silent operation
Compact lightweight design (2.7 lb)

What you give up

Supports only up to two external displays with lid closed
Base model starts at 256GB storage

Full MacBook Air 13" (M3) specs →

Best for each use

Travel

In a bag every day: weight, battery, a screen you can read on a train

For travel, buy the MacBook Air 13" (M3).

Leads 4 of 4 rankable travel specs.
Claimed battery life: Up to 18 hours Apple TV app / 15 hours… vs ~10–12 hours mixed productivity
Weight: 2.7 lb vs 4.30 lb
It is also $600 cheaper.

Heavy work

Video, 3D, compiles or games: CPU, GPU, memory and panel quality

For heavy work, buy the HP Spectre x360 16.

Leads 2 of 2 rankable heavy work specs.
Memory: 32GB LPDDR5x vs 16 GB unified memory
Refresh rate: 120 Hz VRR vs 60 Hz
MacBook Air 13" (M3) is $600 cheaper. Pay the difference only if memory matters to you.

Longevity

Keep it five years: upgradable parts, repairability, ports without dongles

Too close to call on longevity from the spec sheets. Only storage upgradable is rankable here.

RAM upgradable: No vs No
Repairability: Medium vs Low

Every answer above is scored from published figures. A lens uses only the rows that matter for that use, including marked rows that are not on the official sheet. Switch lenses interactively in the panel above.

Done deciding?

Open the full standalone spec sheet for either device.

HP Spectre x360 16 (2024) spec sheet MacBook Air 13" (M3) spec sheet

Manufacturer pages: HP Spectre x360 16 (2024) ↗ · MacBook Air 13" (M3) ↗

Common questions

Which is cheaper, the HP Spectre x360 16 or the MacBook Air 13" (M3)?

MacBook Air 13" (M3) costs $600 less at list price.

What is the biggest catch with the HP Spectre x360 16 or MacBook Air 13" (M3)?

MacBook Air 13" (M3) has this deal-breaker: no touchscreen. No pen or touch input for marking up PDFs or sketching.

Which is better for travel, the HP Spectre x360 16 or the MacBook Air 13" (M3)?

For travel, buy the MacBook Air 13" (M3). Leads 4 of 4 rankable travel specs. Claimed battery life: Up to 18 hours Apple TV app / 15 hours… vs ~10–12 hours mixed productivity

What cannot be compared from spec sheets?

Of the 29 specs tracked here, 18 are descriptive and cannot be ranked on numbers alone. Spec sheets also cannot measure subjective factors like build quality, real-world performance, or comfort.

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