Windows device for school, recommendations?

[DaMagicalManiac]

Okay, so my clunky, old, cracked and buggy iPad 2 (64gb) that I was forced to get at the beginning of it's life is definitely showing it's age since the last major update from apple, ios 7. This year, my school finally realised that not everyone wants to be locked down to just apple products and we are allowed to get other non-apple devices.

 

So I'm going to get a Dell XPS 12 and a Surface Pro 3 and resell the one I least like, what colours (in your opinion) do you think are the best for the type cover?

Thanks

 

The requirements for the device:

• It would be nice to have 8gb of ram or the stock amount be replaceable for a future upgrade
• A haswell processor in the "core" series, preferably at least an i5 (I don't expect a quad-core though)
• Has to have a decent battery life, at least 6 hours of web surfing, word documenting, video watching etc.
• A touch screen
• A replaceable SSD or an included 240gb-256gb etc.
• Lightweight and portable, probably around 12-14 inches
• A decent IPS screen, preferably 1080p (higher requires more money and more power)
• Be about $800-900, willing to stretch if needed but would rather not
• Able to buy in Australia, don't mind shipping from another country

The options I am thinking about currently are:

 

The Dell XPS 12 9Q33, a.k.a. "The Linus Book"

A great all-around laptop in almost everything that matters (apart from intensive gaming, but I've got a desktop for that), I'm not sure if I'd use it as a tablet or not but it has touch screen.

I can get these for about $800-900 for the i7/256gb ssd/8gb ram model second-hand, being the oldest (while still being as current as the others) it tends to be slightly cheaper.

An added bonus is that if I do buy this from another country, I know that this model does accept a range of different voltages just with a different plug on the end.

 

The Surface Pro 3, probably the opposite of a "Linus Book"

 

More of a tablet than the "desktop replacement" laptop that it was meant to be, the Surface Pro 3 isn't that bad of a device but is a tad bit heavy when being used for as it's strongest form-factor.

Unfortunately, I could see the keyboard being a major point of annoyance as Linus pointed out in his review. A clamshell would do much nicer than this expensive keyboard accessory.

The prices on the i5/256gb ssd/8gb ram model are considerably higher than what I would want to pay for, running me probably about $1100-1200 because there are very few available second-hand due to being only a couple months old.

The pen is nice, although it is a bit annoying without a proper slot to hold it in.

I probably would be happy with this device, but I think that the other two would be better.

 

The Dell XPS 13 9333, a "Linus Book" without the flippy thing, while also increasing the screen real-estate while being actually being smaller and sexier along with a great touch-screen on i5 & i7 models

I want to get this laptop just because of how awesome it looks, in my opinion this is the best looking laptop that you can get.

It does offer about 0.8" more of screen real-estate when compared to the XPS 12 and also does get both slimmer and lighter while still retaining the enjoyable touch-screen.

Unfortunately, like the Surface Pro 3, there aren't many of these around that are second-hand.

It costs me about $1100 to get a system with an i5/250gb evo/8gb ram.

 

The Lenovo Thinkpad x240, no frills with great battery life

This laptop has a very minimalistic look, basically what you would expect for a business laptop from Lenovo.

Unfortunately the built-in touchscreen that this laptop contains is only 1024x768, but that doesn't mean the colours aren't bad on it.

The main point in buying this laptop is because you get an extra 6 cells in an external battery pack on-top of that internal 3-cell battery.

Both configurations would land me with a spare 500gb HDD, $1000 getting me an i5/250gb evo/8gb ram, or at $1100 if I wanted to put the WD Black² Dual Drive into it (the dual drive with the mediocre 120gb ssd & 1tb HDD into one 2.5" slot)

 

Thoughts, opinions, tips & experiences?

What are your thoughts, opinions, tips and experiences on any of these devices or anything comparable to these?

Do you think it's even worth getting something that works as a windows tablet such as the Surface Pro 3 or the Dell Xps 12? Is a touch-screen laptop good enough?

Compared to the Dell XPS 12, is the 100 grams shaved off by the XPS 13 and the extra 0.8" screen real-estate worth it?

Is there just simply a better option than the four devices listed above?

 

Please write whatever you have to say down, I would greatly appreciate your contribution.

Thanks in advance.

[AlwaysFSX]

I vote the Surface Pro!

[PokémonTrainerFour]

Another vote for the SP3.

 

the Linusbook is a trooper though

[AlwaysFSX]

Another vote for the SP3.

 

the Linusbook is a trooper though

Just don't be a knob leaving it in the rain..

[DaMagicalManiac]

Just don't be a knob leaving it in the rain..

haha, true dat.

[DaMagicalManiac]

Sorry for the double post, but I added the thinkpad x240 above

[TheGloriousLeader]

I'm not sure but if you have the Microsoft store in your area you can get the Dell XPS 13 for around $950 Canadian after taxes with the student promotion. My unit didn't ship with windows installed for some reason so I've been using Linux Mint while I wait for Dell to send me a copy. It has a fairly large battery and I can get 8 hours of use while browsing the internet at 40% brightness. It has a glossy screen, but the very high maximum brightness helps compensate for this. It has a very nice screen and the touchscreen is surprising accurate and I've actually started using it. But the screen doesn't bend back as far as I'd like it to. So if you use it on your lap, you will have to type on a weird angle. The keyboard is pretty good too, they have a nice travel distance for a laptop keyboarrd. Although the clicking sound from the trackpad is fairly loud, it can get annoying in quiet spaces. I have heard about issues with backlight bleed from the screen and coil whine when the backlighting from the keyboard is on. I'm not sure if they fixed it or not, but my unit hasn't had any problems. Also it doesn't have an sd card slot or hdmi port. I wouldn't take the thinkpad since it has a low resolution screen unless you need it for it's ruggedness. I'd go with the SP3 or the Dell's. It's more of a personal preference between the 3 though.

[Builder]

ThinkPads all the way.

 

Also that Dell looks a lot like a MacBook...

[Sav]

I vote for the Surface as well!

[DaMagicalManiac]

So I'm going to get a Dell XPS 12 and a Surface Pro 3 and resell the one I least like.

I'm getting them for a great price, $800 for a i7/250gb ssd/8gb ram and $850 w/o keyboard for a i5/250gb ssd/8gb ram on the couple month old Surface Pro 3.

 

Thanks everyone for your input

[DaMagicalManiac]

crud, double posted again

[lohjiahung]

I'd go with the Dell XPS 12. Because Surface Pro 3 just doesn't do it for me.

But for a student? Agreeably, the Surface would be quite good.

[TheGosuStandard]

Might be bias, but I vote the Surface.

 

Currently I use it the most to read textbooks as it has the perfect size for reading.  For the typecover I got the midnight blue (BestBuy only), although I bought the surface from the MS Store for the student discount. 

 

Though you might want to see what the new lineup will be with broadwell. 

[Guest]

Surface all day.