True to its name, the Spectre Folio genuinely looks like a pricey leather portfolio, complete with accent stitching and a smooth sheen, when it's closed. Open it up, though, and you're greeted with a 13.3-inch screen and a full-sized keyboard above a sliver of thin metal, where the guts of the machine lies. Its convertible hinge -- which folds out from the base of the machine, instead of from behind the screen like Microsoft's Surface -- lets you arrange it like a traditional laptop. You can also pull the Folio's display in front of the keyboard to watch videos, or fold it flat to use as a large tablet. At 3.24 pounds, it's heavier than Apple's 13-inch MacBook Pro, but it's still competitive with other ultraportables.

Leather isn't its only pioneering feature: the Folio is also the first computer use the new dual-core, 8th generation Y-series Intel CPU, which allows for its completely fan-less design. HP worked together with Intel to build a motherboard that's 20 percent smaller than most laptops. That partnership also led to the Folio being the first gigabit LTE notebook on the market, with support on AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint (which is also offering six months of free unlimited service).

The Folio is also the first to use Intel's low power display technology, which can potentially cut screen battery use in half. And since HP is aiming for this to be a flagship "Always Connected" PC, it also stuffed in a huge battery with up to 19 hours worth of juice on the Core i5 model, and over 17 hours on the Core i7. (The LTE model clocks in just below 14 hours of battery life.)