Head to head
HP Spectre x360 16 (2024) vs MacBook Pro 14" (M4)
MacBook Pro 14" (M4) leads 6 to 4 on the 10 rankable specs and costs $100 less, which makes it the straightforward pick.
Catalog as of September 1, 2026
Why, in numbers
Swap
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Compare a different laptop
Microsoft Surface Pro 11th Edition$999MacBook Air 13" (M3)$1,099MacBook Air 15" (M3)$1,299Dell XPS 13 (2024)$1,299Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 (15")$1,499ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024)$1,599Dell XPS 14 (2024)$1,699Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16$1,799Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12$1,849Framework Laptop 16$1,999MacBook Pro 14" (M4 Pro)$1,999Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 Aura Edition$1,999Dell XPS 16 (2024)$2,199ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024)$2,299MacBook Pro 16" (2024)$2,499Razer Blade 16 (2024)$2,999MacBook Pro 16" (M4 Max)$3,499Buying for
Your devices
Straight answer
Overall: 4 to 6
Buy the MacBook Pro 14" (M4).
- Leads 6 of 10 rankable overall specs; HP Spectre x360 16 takes 4.
- Claimed battery life: Up to 24 hours video streaming / 16 hours… vs ~10–12 hours mixed productivity
- Resolution: 3024 × 1964 vs 2880 × 1800
- It is also $100 cheaper.
Deal-breakers
tick what would make you walk away
- Clear:HP Spectre x360 16 · Yes (Pen & Touch enabled)Trips:MacBook Pro 14" (M4) · No
- Trips:HP Spectre x360 16 · No (soldered)Trips:MacBook Pro 14" (M4) · No (soldered unified memory)
- Clear:HP Spectre x360 16 · Windows 11 HomeTrips:MacBook Pro 14" (M4) · macOS Sequoia
- Trips:HP Spectre x360 16 · 4.30 lbClear:MacBook Pro 14" (M4) · 3.4 lb
At a glance
The handful of numbers that decide most purchases in this category.
Panel≠
HP
2.8K OLED Touchscreen with Corning Gorilla Glass
Apple
Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED (nano-texture optional)
Processor≠
HP
Intel Core Ultra 7 155H
Apple
Apple M4 (10-core CPU: 4 performance + 6 efficiency, 16-core Neural Engine)
Memory
HP
32GB LPDDR5x
Apple
16 GB unified memory
Claimed battery life
HP
~10–12 hours mixed productivity
Apple
Up to 24 hours video streaming / 16 hours wireless web
The 90-Day Owner Regret Check
Documented ergonomic quirks, hardware annoyances, and maintenance realities reported by real owners.
HP: What to watch for
- Maintenance
Requires ongoing care to maintain peak out-of-box performance.
Apple: What to watch for
- Maintenance
Requires ongoing care to maintain peak out-of-box performance.
Display
7 differences| Size | 16.0 inches (wins this row: higher) | 14.2 inches |
|---|---|---|
| Panel | 2.8K OLED Touchscreen with Corning Gorilla Glass | Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED (nano-texture optional) |
| Resolution | 2880 × 1800 | 3024 × 1964 (254 ppi) (wins this row: higher) |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz VRR | 120 Hz (ProMotion) |
| BrightnessNot on the official sheet | 400 nits SDR / 500 nits HDR | 1000 nits SDR, 1600 nits peak HDR (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| Processor | Intel Core Ultra 7 155H | Apple M4 (10-core CPU: 4 performance + 6 efficiency, 16-core Neural Engine) |
|---|---|---|
| Graphics | Intel Arc Graphics + optional NVIDIA RTX 4050 | Integrated 10-core Apple GPU with hardware ray tracing |
| 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| Weight | 4.30 lb (1.95 kg) | 3.4 lb (1.55 kg) (wins this row: lower) |
|---|---|---|
| Thickness | 19.8 mm | 15.5 mm (0.61 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 and full-height function row |
| Trackpad | Haptic glass trackpad | Force Touch trackpad |
| Webcam | HP Wide Vision 9MP IR camera with temporal noise reduction | 12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View |
| Speakers | Quad speakers tuned by Poly Studio with Audio Boost | High-fidelity six-speaker sound system with force-cancelling woofers and Spatial Audio |
Ports
leads 1-0| Thunderbolt / USB-C | 2× Thunderbolt 4 with USB Type-C + 1× USB-A | 3× Thunderbolt 4 ports (up to 40 Gb/s) |
|---|---|---|
| HDMI | HDMI 2.1 | 1× HDMI (up to 8K 60Hz or 4K 240Hz) |
| SD card | No | 1× SDXC card slot |
| 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 | 70W USB-C Power Adapter |
Battery
leads 1-0| Claimed battery lifeNot on the official sheet | ~10–12 hours mixed productivity | Up to 24 hours video streaming / 16 hours wireless web (wins this row: higher) |
|---|
Software
2 differences| Operating system | Windows 11 Home | macOS Sequoia |
|---|---|---|
| Repairability | Medium (accessible SSD and Wi-Fi card) | Low (integrated SoC design) |
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
Pick this one if
MacBook Pro 14" (M4)
14.2-inch MacBook Pro powered by Apple M4 chip, Liquid Retina XDR display, 16GB unified memory standard, and 3 Thunderbolt 4 ports.
- 16GB RAM standard base configuration at $1,599
- Class-leading battery life (up to 24 hours)
- Liquid Retina XDR 120Hz ProMotion display with 1,000 nits SDR brightness
What you give up
- Base M4 limited to 3 Thunderbolt 4 ports (Thunderbolt 5 requires M4 Pro/Max)
- No touchscreen support
Best for each use
Travel
For travel, buy the MacBook Pro 14" (M4).
Heavy work
Too close to call on heavy work from the spec sheets. Only memory is rankable here.
Longevity
Too close to call on longevity from the spec sheets. Only storage upgradable is rankable here.
Done deciding?
Open the full standalone spec sheet for either device.
Manufacturer pages: HP Spectre x360 16 (2024) ↗ · MacBook Pro 14" (M4) ↗
Common questions
Which is cheaper, the HP Spectre x360 16 or the MacBook Pro 14" (M4)?
MacBook Pro 14" (M4) costs $100 less at list price.
What is the biggest catch with the HP Spectre x360 16 or MacBook Pro 14" (M4)?
MacBook Pro 14" (M4) 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 Pro 14" (M4)?
For travel, buy the MacBook Pro 14" (M4). Leads 4 of 4 rankable travel specs. Claimed battery life: Up to 24 hours video streaming / 16 hours… vs ~10–12 hours mixed productivity
What cannot be compared from spec sheets?
Of the 29 specs tracked here, 19 are descriptive and cannot be ranked on numbers alone. Spec sheets also cannot measure subjective factors like build quality, real-world performance, or comfort.