[USA] Ultra-book recommendation under $1000

[David Wright]

I'm a university student looking for a light and fast 15in / 15.6in laptop under 1000 USD. Here are the specs I'm aiming for:

 

• Resolution: 1080p (4k is fine but 1080p preferred)
• Ram: 8gb
• Storage: 256gb SSD minimum
• Processor: i5 or i7 U, do not want an H or HQ processor (aiming for higher battery life, hence the 1080p screen as well)

Note: Don't mind touchscreen or 2 in 1 Laptops

 

Considering most of the main ultrabooks listed below:

1. Dell XPS 13 (really dont want the 13in but the reviews for the 15in model are bad and the 13 seems to have a nice processor and battery)
2. Asus Zenbook (asus is bashed on for build quality)
3. Hp Spectre x360 (Linus youtube destroyed this, but the new model looks promising)
4. Dell Inspiron 7000

 

[Rabel]

If you just want to write your notes on it. Maybe look at a 2nd gen surface laptop (I know it is only 13 inch) but it has a really nice keyboard. If you want to game on it too, the Asus Vivobook K571GT-EB76 is a Bang for your buck at Amazon right now. If you only want battery life the DEll Latitude 14 7400 has with more than 13 hours and is the best on the market (an i5 version with 16gb is under $1000)

[David Wright]

@Rabel Appreciate the quick response!

The 2nd gen surface looks great and the features are nice too but I'm biased against it because all of my friends who have owned a surface have run into problems in less than 1 year of owning it.

 

Do not want a gaming laptop since I have a gaming desktop at home.

 

The dell Latitude looks great in terms of everything, where can I find the 16gb version? I only see the 8gb version under 1000 on their website. (Attached screenshot below)

[genexis_x]

11 hours ago, David Wright said:

I'm a university student looking for a light and fast 15in / 15.6in laptop under 1000 USD

Any preferences on weight and battery life?

[David Wright]

6 hr plus screen on time, and on the lower end in weight. Won't be next to a port in most of my classes and I plan on carrying it around all the time.

[David Wright]

Out of the three laptops above, which would be the best laptop? 

In terms of customer reviews

[techmattr]

Depends on what you need. I really hate 16:9 aspect ratio on laptops so the XPS and Surface Laptop 3 are the only ones I considered. The HP and Lenovo have really bad touchpads so if you make use of the touchpad in Windows a lot then that may drive you nuts. The new XPS 2-in-1 has the maglev keyboard which is a love/hate keyboard. I love it. A lot of people hate it. The XPS 13 9300 didn't go with the maglev keyboard so it either isn't popular or its just needed in the 2-in-1 form factor. The XPS only has USB-C ports.

 

I mean you could write page upon page on how these are different but it just comes down to your preferences and requirements.

[Constantin]

The Dell would be my pick.

[David Wright]

I plan to use it without a mouse, so the trackpad matters. I tried the xps keyboard and it'll take some getting use to but it's quite nice to the touch.

 

The dell is the most expensive out of the three , I'd be getting this model: Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition (Linux) (i7 10th Gen, 8gb ram , 256gb SSD, 1080p model) which I can put windows on myself . Total: $1189

 

And the HP Spectre: HP Spectre x360 Laptop - 13t touch7FQ48AV_1 (i5 8th gen, 16gb ram, 512 gb ssd, 1080p. touch screen with a pen) for Total: $949

 

The price and 2in1 is the only reason I'm considering the HP Spectre over the Dell @Constantin

[Constantin]

2 minutes ago, David Wright said:

I plan to use it without a mouse, so the trackpad matters. I tried the xps keyboard and it'll take some getting use to but it's quite nice to the touch.

 

The dell is the most expensive out of the three , I'd be getting this model: Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition (Linux) (i7 10th Gen, 8gb ram , 256gb SSD, 1080p model) which I can put windows on myself . Total: $1189

 

And the HP Spectre: HP Spectre x360 Laptop - 13t touch7FQ48AV_1 (i5 8th gen, 16gb ram, 512 gb ssd, 1080p. touch screen with a pen) for Total: $949

 

The price and 2in1 is the only reason I'm considering the HP Spectre over the Dell @Constantin

You don't buy a lighter, you are buying a PC, get a good one if you can!

[WkdPaul]

* threads merged *

 

Posting multiple threads about the same subject isn't allowed.

[David Wright]

Will probably buy the developer edition of the xps 13 laptop tonight, specs listed below

 

Let me know if I'm making the right decision here please

 

 

[genexis_x]

For that budget go for business laptops

[David Wright]

@genexis_x Currently looking at the Lenovo Carbon X1 Gen 6 and the Lenovo Carbon X1 Gen 7, they match the 1080p 16b ram, nice battery and lightweight specs that I'm looking for. What do you think?

[genexis_x]

X1 G6 has a better keyboard

 

If you don't mind non-upgradeable RAM and limited CPU cooling then it's a good choice

[David Wright]

@genexis_x I like the speaker placement on the gen 7 because i do plan on watching movies and netflix on it. going to get the 16gb ram model so i dont have to worry about the ram.

 

is cpu cooling poor on the gen 7?  I read the 1080p screens are okay with cooling and battery life as opposed to the 4k.

 

My main concern is the usb c charging port errors on the X1 carbon, not sure if that is true or not

[genexis_x]

Cooling should be the same in both models

6 hours ago, David Wright said:

My main concern is the usb c charging port errors on the X1 carbon, not sure if that is true or not

BIOS/firmware update will solve this

[David Wright]

@genexis_x awesome thank you for the help. pulling the plug on the x1c gen 7 tonight