New "ultrabook" - Intel 185H or other?

Cheesus182 · February 23

Hey guys,

Its time to buy a new thin & light laptop but I'm kind of stuck after a lot of research, perhaps you guys have an idea.

My requirements are:

1. Usage - Work- 30-40 Tabs across multiple desktops with out lag (I'm very over laggy UI and delays when switching desktops)

This really includes future proofing for 3-4 years, I'd rather it be a bit overkill now than face a laggy UI in 2 years from now

2. Battery life - 8-10hrs is a must / I need to be away from a charger quite frequently

3. Fan noise & heat - Heat isn't as much as a problem as fan noise is / I sometimes use it at night in bed and can't have it spinning up the fans while working on a couple of tabs

4. Price - Budget is max €1500 - €1600 - Europe

5. Build - I use my laptop daily for work and I'd like to enjoy using it - Metal would be preferred

6. Screen - 13-15inch with heavy preference towards 13 and 14inch - As bright as it can get / I work outside from time to time and my current 500nits laptop isn't enough but I realise the limitations here

I was patiently waiting for the new line-up from Dell but I can't justify the price point

I've been primarily looking at the Intel Ultra line up as its looking quite promising with low power draw and good performance and while I do not intend on gaming (besides some OG AOE2), the ARC Graphics are nice to have

What I've found so far:

1. Lenovo - ThinkPads & IdeaPads - I'll be honest, the ThinkPads are excluded because I hate the design, I use one at work and its just not for me - As for the IdeaPads, I have some concerns about the build quality

2. ASUS - Zenbook UX3405MA €1399 - By far the best value I've found but the plastic build doesn't convince me

3. HP - Spectre X360 - Currently "discounted to" €1549 for the 155h model - Overall a solid choice it seems but also drastically more expensive than the Asus given the processor

4. Dell - New XPS 13 with a 155h €1649 - I'm not gonna lie, the design is 90% of why I want this laptop

At this price range MacBooks would be a real option but it has to be Windows or Linux.

I realise a lot of these thin and light laptops are thermal throttled or have other major issues which exclude them so would be very grateful for some insight.

Thanks guys!