laptop 2 in 1 laptop recommendations, few questions regarding my options

[cyansquash123]

Hi there, 

I'm currently a college student looking for a 2 in 1 laptop that is somewhat powerful. I would like it to run solidworks and premiere on it. I have absolutely no idea where to start searching because I simultaneously want the power to run applications, but the stylus support to take notes and handwrite.

 

Few questions:

Would I be better off keeping my current laptop until it breaks down (6-year-old hp pavilion touch with intel i7 6700hq processor, I added 16gb ram and an SSD), and buy an iPad in the meantime? 

How can I tell if a laptop's screen can support handwriting, can't seem to find it in specs or product description? 

I'm currently eyeing the hp pavilion x360 2 in 1. Would the 11th generation i5 or i7 processor be a better choice? I've had bad experiences with laptops heating up too much and killing the battery.

 

 

I would really appreciate some advice; I haven't been in the market for computers in a long time. 

Thank you

 

Edited July 23, 2021 by cyansquash123
spelling

[jaslion]

Firstly is your current laptop cutting it for doing the work you are doing? This is very important as well if it's not then yeah a upgrade is in order.

 

However the pavilion x360 isn't a good laptop as the envy is barely more and a lot better (both have the too thin feet issue that causes airflow issues so both need to have their feet slightly thickened to allow enough air to make it run 40c cooler).

 

Any reason you want to take notes on a laptop and not just on paper? Writing on a 2 in 1 windows emr screen not as good as normal pen and paper that has always been hard to achieve even on professional devices. An ipad with a paper skin screen protector is one of the devices that get the closest.

 

But again depends ENTIRELY on the situation with your current laptop.

[casualpasser]

If I were you, I'd switch to iPad. The reason is simple - easier to bring along, plus calibration. I use one for digital art, the thinner glass with paper-like protector works great. Fingers don't stick to the screen, plus stylus recognizes your moves better. I applied the last foil more than a year ago, and it still functions as on the first day. Of course, there are some bald spots from intense use, yet still, works better than any other device I tried for handwriting and/or drawing.

[cyansquash123]

8 hours ago, jaslion said:

Firstly is your current laptop cutting it for doing the work you are doing? This is very important as well if it's not then yeah a upgrade is in order.

 

However the pavilion x360 isn't a good laptop as the envy is barely more and a lot better (both have the too thin feet issue that causes airflow issues so both need to have their feet slightly thickened to allow enough air to make it run 40c cooler).

 

Any reason you want to take notes on a laptop and not just on paper? Writing on a 2 in 1 windows emr screen not as good as normal pen and paper that has always been hard to achieve even on professional devices. An ipad with a paper skin screen protector is one of the devices that get the closest.

 

But again depends ENTIRELY on the situation with your current laptop.

Thank you for the advice.

My current laptop is perfectly fine, only because I upgraded the ram, ssd, replaced fan and applied new thermal compound. Has a few cracks in the plastic sides and has a faint red line going down the screen occasionally - solved by lightly twisting it side to side. And it should probably handle introductory engineering classes. 

 

 An ipad seems like what I'll go with. My highschool provided thinkpad laptops for us, and I've gotten used to writing on a screen and having notes organized on Onenote. An Ipad will definitely save me some money as the hp spectre and xps 2in1 laptops are very expensive. 

 

Thanks again

 

 

[cyansquash123]

9 hours ago, casualpasser said:

If I were you, I'd switch to iPad. The reason is simple - easier to bring along, plus calibration. I use one for digital art, the thinner glass with paper-like protector works great. Fingers don't stick to the screen, plus stylus recognizes your moves better. I applied the last foil more than a year ago, and it still functions as on the first day. Of course, there are some bald spots from intense use, yet still, works better than any other device I tried for handwriting and/or drawing.

Thank you for sharing your experience using the ipad + screen protector. I have also heard good things about these. I see apple has a promotion where I can get earphones with purchasing an Ipad. I'll probably get the air model since I have a laptop already. 

 

May I ask what ipad variant you have? If I just need a writing tool, do I really need the top-of-the-line model. 

 

Thanks again

 

[Tarun10]

56 minutes ago, cyansquash123 said:

 An ipad seems like what I'll go with. My highschool provided thinkpad laptops for us, and I've gotten used to writing on a screen and having notes organized on Onenote. An Ipad will definitely save me some money as the hp spectre and xps 2in1 laptops are very expensive. 

Yeah, you might be better off getting an iPad and saving for a better laptop that's not a 2 in 1. Most of the cheaper ones have terrible cooling, and the Envy in particular might give you problems with the hinge after a year or two particularly if you switch modes frequently. Plus, they're not really that portable so tablet mode is not so ergonomic. And hopefully, we'll get even more efficient Mobile Chips from AMD soon so you don't need to compromise on battery life.

[jaslion]

1 hour ago, cyansquash123 said:

Thank you for the advice.

My current laptop is perfectly fine, only because I upgraded the ram, ssd, replaced fan and applied new thermal compound. Has a few cracks in the plastic sides and has a faint red line going down the screen occasionally - solved by lightly twisting it side to side. And it should probably handle introductory engineering classes. 

 

 An ipad seems like what I'll go with. My highschool provided thinkpad laptops for us, and I've gotten used to writing on a screen and having notes organized on Onenote. An Ipad will definitely save me some money as the hp spectre and xps 2in1 laptops are very expensive. 

 

Thanks again

 

 

I was talking about the envy x360 here as the spectre x360 is overall a worse laptop than the envy.

[casualpasser]

On 7/24/2021 at 12:23 AM, cyansquash123 said:

Thank you for sharing your experience using the ipad + screen protector. I have also heard good things about these. I see apple has a promotion where I can get earphones with purchasing an Ipad. I'll probably get the air model since I have a laptop already. 

 

May I ask what ipad variant you have? If I just need a writing tool, do I really need the top-of-the-line model. 

 

Thanks again

 

Yes, sure. Mine is iPad Pro (2018) + 2nd gen Pencil, but once again - I use it for digital art mostly. Still, I won't say the thickness of the glass makes a huge difference. 
I have worked with different models, so if you need it just for writing - you'll be OK with a regular iPad + first gen pen.