MSI Summit 13 AI+ Evo vs. HP Spectre x360 14 (2024): Which 2-in-1 is worth your time?

2-in-1 laptops attempt to bridge the gap between tablets and traditional clamshell laptops by offering a 360-degree hinge and touchscreen display. Because 2-in-1s are a hybrid system, they often do have a compromise or two to make.

I recently got my hands on the MSI Summit 13 AI+ Evo, a solid business laptop. The Summit offers great battery life, solid performance, a vivid display, and a satisfying keyboard. The Summit's only downsides are a cramped keyboard and poor audio quality.

Because of its strengths as a business convertible, the MSI Summit 13 AI+ Evo deserves its 4.5-star rating. But how does it compare to our Best 2-in-1 laptop, the HP Spectre x360 14?

MSI Summit 13 AI+ Evo vs. HP Spectre x360 14: Pricing and configurations

The Summit is a business laptop, but its starting price is pretty affordable at $1,499 for an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. Sure, it isn't a bargain, but we typically see business laptops priced at high individual rates because they're intended to be bought in a fleet of hundreds.

Our upgraded review unit with a 2TB SSD costs only $1,599. Additionally, both models of the Summit come with the MSI Pen2 stylus.

Pricing was one of the major drawbacks of the Spectre x360 when we reviewed it, as our review configuration cost $1,858 while the starting configuration cost $1,468 for an Intel Core Ultra 5 125H processor with 16GB of memory and a 512GB SSD.

However, you can find the Spectre on sale at HP for $1,199 for the Intel Core Ultra 7, 16GB model. This is a pretty solid bargain if you can grab it.

While it is a great deal, the Spectre is running a last-gen Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor. Meanwhile, the Summit features a new Intel Core Ultra 7 258V CPU. So if you miss the sale on the Spectre or if you want one of the latest Intel processors, the Summit makes the better overall choice from a pricing and configuration standpoint.

Winner: MSI Summit 13 AI+ Evo (A2VM)

MSI Summit 13 AI+ Evo vs. HP Spectre x360 14: Design

Both the HP Spectre and the MSI Summit have contrast metal lining the outside edges of the chassis.

This luxe detailing gives both 2-in-1 laptops a premium feel, and it looks gorgeous. But the HP Spectre x360 is the primogenitor of this look, and HP nails the details with the Spectre logo on the hinges and the sliced-off edges. HP also offers a few different color options for the Spectre, while the Summit sticks to the black and brass contrast.

The Spectre is easily portable, measuring 12.4 x 8.7 x 0.7 inches and weighing 3.2 pounds. However, the Summit is a bit smaller and lighter, measuring 11.82 x 8.75 x 0.64 inches and weighing 2.9 pounds. Of course, the Summit is a 13-inch laptop compared to the Spectre's 14-inch chassis, so that will account for some of the weight difference.

If you're looking for a convertible with the slickest design, the HP Spectre is the clear choice.

Winner: HP Spectre x360 14 (2024)

MSI Summit 13 AI+ Evo vs. HP Spectre x360 14: Battery life

The MSI Summit 13 houses one of Intel's most efficient processors to date, which is to say the Intel Core Ultra 200V Lunar Lake series. We have seen fantastic battery life from this chipset and the Summit is no different. Lasting almost 17 hours of battery life on the Laptop Mag battery test, the Summit offers battery life that will get you well beyond a full workday.

After all, the HP Spectre x360 lasted 11 hours and 1 minute on the same battery test, which is well behind the Summit's 16 hours and 52 minutes of battery life.

So while both 2-in-1 laptops will get through an 8-hour workday, you won't have to worry about running out of battery if you leave the Summit's charger at home. Meanwhile, the HP might struggle to keep up with your workload if you tend to do more than answer emails and work on spreadsheets all day.

Winner: MSI Summit 13 AI+ Evo (A2VM)

MSI Summit 13 AI+ Evo vs. HP Spectre x360 14: Display

Because of their nature as convertible laptops, 2-in-1s need good displays. After all, one of the main selling points of these laptops is their ability to function as entertainment systems in place of a tablet.

While neither the Spectre nor the Summit will be winning any awards for having the most colorful display we've ever tested, both feature decently accurate panels measuring at least 85% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. The Spectre x360 does have a slightly more vibrant display, measuring 85.8% coverage versus the Summit 13's 85%. That's a realistically unnoticeable difference.

In terms of brightness, the Summit and Spectre both hit 366 nits of peak average brightness. So both these glossy-panel 2-in-1s are bright enough to cut through most glare, though nothing super noteworthy.

The only real difference in display quality between these two laptops is panel type. MSI opted to use a more budget-friendly gloss IPS display while HP put a more premium OLED panel in the Spectre.

Winner: HP Spectre x360 14 (2024)

MSI Summit 13 AI+ Evo vs. HP Spectre x360 14: Performance and heat

The one downside to Intel's Lunar Lake chipset is performance. It's an incredibly efficient processor, but it can't hold up to the raw power of the Meteor Lake Intel Core Ultra 100H series.

So if you need strong performance, the HP Spectre x360 with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H outperforms the Summit 13 AI+ Evo's Intel Core Ultra 7 258V in multithread performance.

The Spectre x360 and Summit 13 AI+ Evo both offer enough performance to handle general work tasks and don't hit any bottlenecks with dozens of Google Chrome tabs and YouTube videos open. So you aren't getting a bad processor either way, but the Spectre x360 has a slight edge on CPU power.

Both 2-in-1s get a little warm, with peak temperatures of 101.5 and 101.7 degrees Fahrenheit, which is a bit above our comfort threshold of 95 degrees. But neither convertible will be singeing your fingerprints off.

Winner: HP Spectre x360 14 (2024)

Overall winner: HP Spectre x360 14 (2024)

Both the HP Spectre and the MSI Summit are quality 2-in-1 convertibles. We gave both laptops a 4.5 out of 5 stars for very good reasons.

While the HP Spectre x360 14 does edge out the Summit by virtue of stronger performance and an OLED display panel, there are some good reasons to opt for the Summit instead.

If you want a newer CPU and longer battery life, the Summit 13 AI+ Evo is the 2-in-1 to buy.

But overall, the HP Specter x360 is a beast and is currently on sale, making it a fantastic bargain.

Winner: HP Spectre x360 14 (2024)