Windows / (Linux) laptop recommendations for a developer

resonate · April 24

Hello there

I am usually not in the laptop market, as I have mostly been working on workstations throughout my career. I am starting a new job soon, and I get to pick my own laptop as long as it runs Windows (probably for enrollment reasons), and I am looking for some recommendations. The budget is not that important, as my employer is paying.

I will be using it mostly for running Linux tools on WSL2 and developing .NET applications and having 1902 tabs open in my browser. I doubt I will be compiling large projects, but it's always nice to have some extra horsepower.

Requirements:

14-16 inch
Support for 64 gigs of ram (more tabs more better)
A keyboard that is nice to type on (subjective I know - I personally like the ThinkPad in this regard)
Has to support an 49-57'' external 1440p monitor (through Thunderbolt/USB/HDMI)
A nice screen - High resolution OLED would be amazing, I'm not really concerned about burn-in
Not too bulky (Macbook Pro 14-16 are a fine size and thickness I feel)
Nice build quality
Solid battery life
ANSI keyboard layout option
Keyboard should not have a numpad (and should be centered)
Good trackpad
Needs physical function keys (RIP Dell XPS)
No CPU requirement, as long as the machine will feel responsive
Can't be a Macbook

I have been looking a bit myself, but honestly the laptop market is confusing as hell, and I don't really want a gaming branded laptop for work. I have been looking at the X1 Carbon Gen 12 and the Dell XPS (until I found that they removed the physical function row) myself, but I need more good options to make a decision. I am really unsure which will be the right choice, which is why I am looking for recommendations. I hope you can help me.

Thanks for your help in advance!

- R