The New Spectre x360 13 and All the New Security Features Included

Introduction

It’s important that your laptop be secure from everyone. No matter if it’s your friend, family member or co-worker, your laptop is exactly that: yours.

However, not many laptop manufacturers focus on improving the security of their devices. Maybe it’s because not many people buy their laptops based on security features. Maybe it’s because these manufacturers don’t care much about security in the first place. No matter the reason, the importance of security still stands, and while shopping for a secure laptop may be difficult at times, it’s worth it.

Fortunately, HP’s new Spectre x360 13 promises many security features that will keep you safe and secure while on the Internet or in a public area. What security features did HP add? Let’s take a look.

A More Secure Webcam

The laptop webcam earned a spot as a source of paranoia ever since the conspiracy of the NSA spying on us turned out to be true. Ever since then, many cover their webcams with DIY covers, and some laptop manufacturers even add their own webcam cover to their laptops.

HP decided to go a bit further, and instead of adding the traditional webcam cover to the new Spectre 13, they added what they call the “HP Kill-Switch”. The HP Kill-Switch allows the user to turn the webcam off completely at their discretion, easing the growing sense of paranoia you get whenever you so much as look at the webcam.

A More Secure Microphone

HP didn’t stop at the microphone, though. Instead, they took their improvement with the webcam and created something similar to the internal microphone found on the Spectre.

The new Spectre allows the user to mute the internal microphone through the use of a dedicated mute button that’s easily accessible. This improvement may not seem like much, but there have definitely been times when I needed the convenience of a dedicated mute button instead of having to go into my Windows settings and muting it myself.

A Built-In Privacy Screen

Not many know about the existence of privacy screens, which is a shame since privacy screens offer tremendous benefit to your security while in a public area or where you don’t trust the people around you.

When buying off HP’s site, you’ll get an option to add a built-in privacy screen to the Spectre, allowing you to keep the content of your screen safe from any wandering eyes.

Unfortunately, the built-in privacy screen will not available for purchase until later January 2020, though the fact HP is even offering it is a big improvement security-wise and should be something other laptop manufacturers should incorporate.

A VPN Partnership

Last but not least, we have HP’s new partnership with ExpressVPN, one of the most popular VPNs currently found on the market.

The partnership means that ExpressVPN will come preinstalled on the new Spectre 13, along with a free 30-day trial to let you try out the VPN program and get a feel for how to use a VPN.

If you’re not aware of the benefits of a VPN, just know that they allow you to peruse the Internet on a local/ unsecure network without risking the safety of your data and personal information by encrypting said data.

This partnership will hopefully motivate other companies to pursue their own cybersecurity partnerships, as tools like VPNs significantly help your security on the Internet.

Conclusion

You need a secure laptop to get you through the day. There are too many risks associated with getting on the Internet or using your laptop around strangers on a public network without taking advantage of a few security safeguards.

Fortunately, HP’s new Spectre x360 13 seems to be the laptop for security, and with the additional security features and partnership with ExpressVPN, I wholeheartedly recommend this laptop to any of you who need extra security on their devices.