Professional Photographer here, deciding on customer-facing laptop.

[Merlin_KM]

Tl;DR: Deciding between a Surface Book and a Dell XPS 15. Want opinions on whether portability and features out-weigh price-to-performance.

 

(First post on LTT Forums, lets go!)

 

Background: I'm a professional photographer in the NE of the US. The company started out primarily as a aerial photog/videog buisness (first in the state), but seeing a demand for a good interior real estate photog/videog, we've since diversified. My personal duties at this point and time consist of: meeting with new/perspective clients and presenting the finished product. That last part is why I'm here. Right now i'm using this sh*t-bucket of an old dell inspiron. The screen is so bad, it doesn't just have bad viewing angles, it has NO viewing angles. There is not any angle to sit and look at this screen where a portion of it isn't distorted. It's a joke. As a photographer, it's humiliating. 

 

Here's the deal: I've set aside some funds (2k or there a-bouts), to get a new machine that I can use as a mobile editing rig for Phtotoshop and Premiere (I feel your pain Taran). Also as a display unit to present customers' files to them before final delivery. Personally I'm a PTP kinda guy. Best bang for buck should be every business owners mantra. But when it comes to outward/customer facing things (Business cards, signs, uniforms, etc.) I will go a bit farther than necessary. (Not so far as a Mac though...*Shudders*) So I've narrowed my search down to 2 options:

 

 

Option 1: Microsoft Surface Book i7_8gb ram_w/dGPU_256Gb SSD <-Obviously lower PTP but superior typing experience, looks nicer, waaay more portable, removable screen may be nice for clients.

Link: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/Surface-Book/productID.325716000

 

Option 2: Dell XPS 15 (2015) i7_16gb ram_GTX 960m_512Gb SSD <-Much higher PTP but keyboard is so-so, bigger 4k screen for editing, Thunderbolt 3 port(more I/O in general), faster CPU/GPU etc.etc.

Link: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/Dell-XPS-15-9550-Signature-Edition-Laptop/productID.326871600

 

Conclusion: I'm fully capable of comparing each of these PC's apples to apples. What I'm looking for are your opinions as consumers (or maybe other professionals). Should I follow my mantra and get a powerhouse or should I go for a more presentable/portable option. All opinions welcome! Lay 'em on me!

 

Thank you!

 

[Sithhy]

I'm no professional on this subject but on your place I would go for the Surface Book... It looks way nicer, is more portable & you can disconnect the screen part from the keyboard so it would be easier to show something to the customer or draw something quickly & comfortably

[vibbix]

Having had the experience of using both recently, I would slightly lean towards the SurfaceBook for your workload. It features a deeper integration with Adobe suite applications and the Surface pen is absolutely amazing. For day to day stuff, being able to use it as a true 2-in-1 machine, without losing any performance or portability is amazing. Being able to hand it over to potential clients after detaching it from your base would be a great way to show them your photographs. For an actual editing workload, a powerful desktop would still be preferred, but being able to use the surface book on the move is fantastic.

 

That is not to say it is without its faults. A lack of Thunderbolt 3 is big one (although a lot of a smaller issue), like for adding a external GPU via an enclosure. I've been trying to find a good enclosure for my macbook pro(it's a reaaaallly long story), but no dice so far as they are still pretty expensive still just for a box to put your PCI-E cards in. Also, a smaller display hurts things a little bit. There was still some software instability with the detachable base I noticed, but thats expect as your somehow HOTPLUGGING A FUCKING GPU effectively. While the XPS is more powerful, the latest Adobe & Microsoft software offerings were designed with the Surface as a use case, so it does get some preferential treatment in getting that latest and greatest drivers. However, the GPU on the Surface is a custom one as far as i'm aware, and who exactly handles updates seems to be more reliant on the OEM than I am content with, which if I had been anyone BUT Microsoft would be a deal breaker. Long term upgradability on both laptops is a bit sketchy. While the XPS 15 did get a 'decent' score of 7 out of 10, albeit i'm using the XPS 13 teardown as a stand-in, the surface book has a absolutely disastrous 1 out of 10. Basically if ANYTHING goes wrong, you're basically done. The hinge on the Surface Book has some issues, like for instance its not exactly flush, so it feels like things can just get stuck there, although I enjoy the appearance of it.

 

The third possible option would be to double the cost for the same components, minus the touch screens, and join me in the Macbook 'Shameless hipsters who ironically work out of Starbucks' club. We get complementary RayBans! But given your preferences you may want to break it down this way:

 

1. If you would like to have a laptop you plan on using for the next ~4 years with maintenance and repairing simple issues, as well as saving some money(See: at least $250), on your own go for the XPS 15. 

2. If you have around a 2 year upgrade cycle, go for the SurfaceBook. It's just too cool to pass up, and it's powerful for its (2-in-1) class. Thats not even mentioning that Adobe Creative Cloud is just a dream to work on with it. You do get what you pay for.

 

In the end, I don't think your clients will have any preference what so ever between which model you choose, it really is up to you on how you want to work.

[Philosobyte]

From a consumer's standpoint, the XPS 15 is very presentable with its slim bezels and excellent screen. It's just the Surface Book is waaay cooler. And as Madfang said, the pen and tablet detachability could come in handy in presentation. 

 

From the standpoint of a programmer and audio editor, I would stick with the PTP mantra because

1. The differences in the two laptops' appearances aren't likely to make a significant difference in my business or image, and 

2. I prioritize the more comfortable, faster, and potentially more stable/reliable working experience of the XPS over the advantage in portability of the Surface Book. Portability is just a hassle which doesn't significantly affect your work. Besides, the XPS 15 is probably one of the most portable 15-inch laptops out there - definitely more portable than my Thinkpad L440, which I don't really mind lugging around. 

[Merlin_KM]

I think i'll go with the XPS 15. Thanks guys!