Spectre X360 power level staying at 27%

[aztony]

The laptop’s battery level stays stuck at 27% when plugged in. I recently bought a new AC adapter because the laptop had completely lost power and wouldn’t charge or start up, even when connected to power. With the new adapter, it fully charged and powered on. I then unplugged it to let the battery drain, since I’ve read it’s better not to keep it plugged in and fully charged. Now, it only charges up to 27% and stops, though it will drop if unplugged. I’m worried that if I let it drain completely, it might not charge again. Could this be an issue with the internal battery?

Another issue I have is that there is no audio from the speakers. I have to use a Bluetooth speaker for sound. Yes, I have uninstalled and reinstalled the driver.

The laptop was purchased from HP in 2017.  

[VikramTheGreat]

Hi @aztony,

Welcome to the HP Support Community.
 

Thank you for posting your query. I will be glad to help you.

Thank you for the detailed information. Since the notebook was purchased in 2017, the battery may be reaching the end of its normal lifespan, but before considering replacement, please try the following steps.
 

For the battery charging issue:

1. Perform a BIOS Restore

• Turn the notebook off completely. 
• Press and hold Windows + B keys. 
• While holding those keys, press and hold the Power button for 2–3 seconds, then release only the Power button. 
• Continue holding Windows + B until the BIOS Recovery screen appears. 
• Follow the prompts to recover or reset the BIOS.
   

2. Restore BIOS Defaults
After recovery completes: 

• Restart the PC and tap F10 repeatedly. 
• Press F9 to load BIOS defaults. 
• Select Yes. 
• Press F10 to save and exit.
   

3. Run Battery Calibration 

• Connect the AC adapter directly to the notebook. 
• In Windows, search for HP PC Hardware Diagnostics Windows. 
• Open the app and go to:
  Component Tests > Power > Battery 
• Run: 
  • Battery Test 
  • Battery Calibration (if available)
     

4. Run Battery Diagnostics from BIOS 

• Restart the notebook and tap F2 repeatedly. 
• Go to Component Tests > Power > Battery. 
• Run the battery test and check the result. 

If the battery still stops charging at 27% after calibration and diagnostics, the internal battery is likely failing due to age and may need replacement.

The rest of the steps are shared in the next post

[VikramTheGreat]

The rest of the steps are shared for the audio issue.

For the speaker/audio issue:

1. Run BIOS Audio Test 

• Restart the notebook and tap F2 repeatedly. 
• Go to:
  Component Tests > Audio 
• Run the speaker test. 

If there is no sound during the BIOS test, the issue is likely hardware-related rather than Windows or driver-related.
 

2. Perform Audio Driver Reset 

• Open Device Manager. 
• Expand Sound, video and game controllers. 
• Uninstall the audio device and check the box to delete the driver if shown. 
• Restart the notebook.
   

3. Install the HP Audio Driver
Please install the original audio driver for your exact Spectre x360 model from the HP Support website rather than using the generic Windows driver.
 

4. Check Windows Audio Settings 

• Right-click the speaker icon. 
• Open Sound Settings. 
• Confirm the internal speakers are selected as the default playback device. 
• Disable Bluetooth temporarily and test again.
   

5. Run Windows Audio Troubleshooter 

• Go to:
  Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters 
• Run the Playing Audio troubleshooter.
   

 I hope this helps.
 

Take care and have an amazing day!

[aztony]

Thanks for your help. I haven’t tried any steps yet because I have a question first. When you say to completely turn off the laptop, should it be unplugged or just powered down?

Update: I didn't wait for your reply. I followed the first step you suggested with the laptop plugged in. The BIOS window never appeared, but the laptop did boot into Windows. It seems it is now charging and is currently at 39%.

Update: The laptop charged to 91% and stopped there. 

[VikramTheGreat]

Hi @aztony,

Thank you for the update, and I'm glad to hear the laptop is now charging and that the battery level has increased to 39%.

To answer your question, when we refer to turning the laptop completely off, it is perfectly fine to leave the AC adapter plugged in. In fact, for BIOS Recovery, we generally recommend keeping the charger connected to ensure the system has a stable power source during the process.
 

Since the BIOS Recovery screen did not appear and the notebook booted normally into Windows, that typically indicates the system did not detect a need for BIOS recovery, which is not uncommon if the BIOS itself is functioning correctly.
 

At this point, since the laptop is charging again, please continue to monitor its behavior:

• Confirm whether the battery percentage continues to increase while connected to the charger.
• Check whether Windows shows "Plugged in, charging" in the battery status.
• If available, try a different HP charger or USB-C charging source (depending on your model) to rule out a power adapter issue.
• Run the HP Battery Test through HP Hardware Diagnostics to verify the battery's health.

If the battery stops charging again or you notice any error messages, please let us know will reach you in 48 hours.

Keep us posted

[VikramTheGreat]

Hi @aztony,

I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to follow up on the technical issue that we discussed earlier and confirm that it has been successfully resolved.
 

If you encounter any further issues or have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We are here to assist you and provide any necessary support.
 

I will be archiving this case for now; however, you can respond to the same thread to continue the conversation.
 

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue; it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!
 

Take care and have a great day ahead!
 

VikramTheGreat

HP Support