Ultrabook Suggestions

[Bruno_A]

Hi all,

 

I am looking for either a replacement, or something I will be using alongside my MacBook Air 2019. I like my laptops thin, so, I'm looking for an Ultrabook, really. Here is my list of requirements:

• Thin and light;
• Good trackpad and keyboard (essential for me);
• Preferably 13 inch size;
• Upgradeable NVME SSD; (would be REALLY nice to have);
• Upgradeable memory; (Would be really nice to have, and I wouldn't mind giving up my "thin and light" requirement slightly for upgradeable RAM, for "futureproofing")
• At least a 16:10 screen; (3:2 is better for me, however);
• Quad-core 8th gen core i5; (minimum)
• Great battery life; (Very important)
• Up to £1000;

I'm not even sure what I want exists, and I have been looking. So far, I find the Surface Laptop 3 most appealing, however, I would like to know if you guys know any laptops that would better fit my needs.

 

 

Many thanks,

Bruno

[genexis_x]

49 minutes ago, Bruno_A said:

At least a 16:10 screen; (3:2 is better for me, however)

this will heavily limit your options, sure you don't want 16:9?

[Bruno_A]

33 minutes ago, genexis_x said:

this will heavily limit your options, sure you don't want 16:9?

I have used 3:2 and 16:10 and got so used to it, that when I look at a 16:9 laptop, I find it doesn't look great.

[genexis_x]

On 1/16/2020 at 11:02 PM, Bruno_A said:

• Good trackpad and keyboard (essential for me);
• Preferably 13 inch size;
• Upgradeable NVME SSD
• Upgradeable memory
• At least a 16:10 screen; (3:2 is better for me, however);
• Quad-core 8th gen core i5; (minimum)
• Great battery life; (Very important)
• Up to £1000

Can't think of any models, suggest getting rid of a few requirements

[tikker]

The upcoming 2020 Dell XPS 13 might be worth a look. I don't know how good their QC will be, but it ticks the 3:2 screen ratio box, good battery life (in my experience with XPSes) and good trackpad/keyboard. You'll have to throw the upgradability and up to 1000 pound price tag out of the window though, but that might be a general statement, especially if you want a 3:2 screen.

[Bruno_A]

On 1/18/2020 at 11:45 AM, genexis_x said:

Can't think of any models, suggest getting rid of a few requirements

On 1/18/2020 at 4:49 PM, tikker said:

The upcoming 2020 Dell XPS 13 might be worth a look. I don't know how good their QC will be, but it ticks the 3:2 screen ratio box, good battery life (in my experience with XPSes) and good trackpad/keyboard. You'll have to throw the upgradability and up to 1000 pound price tag out of the window though, but that might be a general statement, especially if you want a 3:2 screen.

I decided to go with the XPS 13 with a Core i7 10th gen, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. It has a 16:9 screen, which I kinda dislike in a laptop, but it has great features, build quality, and price.

 

[genexis_x]

44 minutes ago, Bruno_A said:

It has a 16:9 screen

If you can accept 16:9 ratio and has money to spend on XPS, business grade laptops are better options

[Bruno_A]

3 hours ago, genexis_x said:

If you can accept 16:9 ratio and has money to spend on XPS, business grade laptops are better options

What would you suggest? I already ordered an XPS 13. It's not too late to cancel, anyway.

[genexis_x]

Just now, Bruno_A said:

What would you suggest?

3 hours ago, genexis_x said:

business grade laptops

Thinkpad P/T/X series, Latitude 5000/7000 series, Elitebook 800 series. Plenty of model to choose from, depending on your requirements (high sRGB display, upgradeable RAM slot, display size, battery life etc)

[Bruno_A]

8 minutes ago, genexis_x said:

Thinkpad P/T/X series, Latitude 5000/7000 series, Elitebook 800 series. Plenty of model to choose from, depending on your requirements (high sRGB display, upgradeable RAM slot, display size, battery life etc)

I agree, buying any of those would be a better purchase, in some ways, such as being able to replace the RAM and SSD, however, the XPS 13 I purchased, has features that I really like, such as thin bezels (I don't like the chin, though) a fairly thin base and lightweight and 13 inches in size. I would prefer full aluminium rather than a mix of aluminium and plastic, but all reviewers say the plastic in the XPS 13 is very high quality. Also, the XPS 13 does have good specs for what I paid (10th-gen core i7, 4-core 14nm model, with 16GB of RAM). This is perfect for me, I only thought that replaceable RAM would be nice, as most laptops I was having a look at, within my budget, were 8GB of RAM. 16GB will definitely be enough until I replace it. To be honest with you, I don't tend to stick with the same laptop for too long.

[techmattr]

2 hours ago, Bruno_A said:

I agree, buying any of those would be a better purchase, in some ways, such as being able to replace the RAM and SSD, however, the XPS 13 I purchased, has features that I really like, such as thin bezels (I don't like the chin, though) a fairly thin base and lightweight and 13 inches in size. I would prefer full aluminium rather than a mix of aluminium and plastic, but all reviewers say the plastic in the XPS 13 is very high quality. Also, the XPS 13 does have good specs for what I paid (10th-gen core i7, 4-core 14nm model, with 16GB of RAM). This is perfect for me, I only thought that replaceable RAM would be nice, as most laptops I was having a look at, within my budget, were 8GB of RAM. 16GB will definitely be enough until I replace it. To be honest with you, I don't tend to stick with the same laptop for too long.

All of those he listed have absolutely horrendous touchpads. If you're used to high quality glass touchpads then you would have absolutely hated any of those. I'm not sure why you didn't wait for the XPS 9300 though. It has everything you're looking for except upgradable RAM. 

[genexis_x]

12 hours ago, Bruno_A said:

snip

Business grade > consumer grade

[Bruno_A]

15 hours ago, techmattr said:

All of those he listed have absolutely horrendous touchpads. If you're used to high quality glass touchpads then you would have absolutely hated any of those. I'm not sure why you didn't wait for the XPS 9300 though. It has everything you're looking for except upgradable RAM. 

That is a very good question. When the 9300 is available, I won't be able to get my hands on it before going on holiday, in mid-February. Also, the 9300, with the same specs as my current 7390 (Which is still on the way), will cost quite a bit more than my 7390, and be above my budget. But to be honest, I believe the 7390 will suffice. I paid £974, as I had VAT off, for the 16GB model with a 4-core Core i7 and a 512GB SSD, BUT, it comes with Ubuntu. This is not a great deal, as I was going to install Windows 10 Pro, anyway. Also, the upgradeable RAM is not something I need anymore, as it has 16GB of RAM, anyway.

[Bruno_A]

6 hours ago, genexis_x said:

Business grade > consumer grade

That depends. Personally, I prefer the premium look and feel of consumer-grade laptops, even though they come at a higher cost.

[Lord Vile]

On 1/16/2020 at 3:02 PM, Bruno_A said:

Hi all,

 

I am looking for either a replacement, or something I will be using alongside my MacBook Air 2019. I like my laptops thin, so, I'm looking for an Ultrabook, really. Here is my list of requirements:

• Thin and light;
• Good trackpad and keyboard (essential for me);
• Preferably 13 inch size;
• Upgradeable NVME SSD; (would be REALLY nice to have);
• Upgradeable memory; (Would be really nice to have, and I wouldn't mind giving up my "thin and light" requirement slightly for upgradeable RAM, for "futureproofing")
• At least a 16:10 screen; (3:2 is better for me, however);
• Quad-core 8th gen core i5; (minimum)
• Great battery life; (Very important)
• Up to £1000;

I'm not even sure what I want exists, and I have been looking. So far, I find the Surface Laptop 3 most appealing, however, I would like to know if you guys know any laptops that would better fit my needs.

 

 

Many thanks,

Bruno

Why do you need anything to go along side this? What will you be using it for because for gen use there aren’t any windows laptops that will beat a MacBook at what MacBooks do. 

[Bruno_A]

2 hours ago, Lord Vile said:

Why do you need anything to go along side this? What will you be using it for because for gen use there aren’t any windows laptops that will beat a MacBook at what MacBooks do. 

Very light virtualization, and managing Hyper-V servers in a network. I tried running Windows 10 in Bootcamp with my MacBook Air, but the experience was kinda terrible. Also, the SSD was only 128GB in size, which wasn't enough, so, I needed something bigger anyway, and why not get a Windows laptop, with more flexibility for certain things, such as virtualization and save a bit of money? The Dell XPS 13, with 16GB of RAM, a replaceable 512GB SSD and a core i7 10th-gen cost me £880, as I received a discount from Dell, due to a sale they were doing yesterday (still are, I think), and VAT off. For me, that's a better deal than the MacBook for me, even though I will miss some great features such as the amazing trackpad of the MacBook, and the aspect ratio and resolution. Now, the XPS 13 I got is actually the developer edition, with Ubuntu, but I can get a cheap Windows key, anyway.

[Lord Vile]

4 hours ago, Bruno_A said:

Very light virtualization, and managing Hyper-V servers in a network. I tried running Windows 10 in Bootcamp with my MacBook Air, but the experience was kinda terrible. Also, the SSD was only 128GB in size, which wasn't enough, so, I needed something bigger anyway, and why not get a Windows laptop, with more flexibility for certain things, such as virtualization and save a bit of money? The Dell XPS 13, with 16GB of RAM, a replaceable 512GB SSD and a core i7 10th-gen cost me £880, as I received a discount from Dell, due to a sale they were doing yesterday (still are, I think), and VAT off. For me, that's a better deal than the MacBook for me, even though I will miss some great features such as the amazing trackpad of the MacBook, and the aspect ratio and resolution. Now, the XPS 13 I got is actually the developer edition, with Ubuntu, but I can get a cheap Windows key, anyway.

Why did you get a 128GB MacBook...

[Bruno_A]

Just now, Lord Vile said:

Why did you get a 128GB MacBook...

At the time of purchase, my needs were different, and 128GB were more than enough.

[Lord Vile]

1 hour ago, Bruno_A said:

At the time of purchase, my needs were different, and 128GB were more than enough.

God I hate paying more for stuff but even I got the 256GB one XD good luck to you anyway, I’ve only had a browse of the current windows ultrabooks at shops and they’ve all felt cheap. Happy hunting