Best laptop/ultrabook/2 in 1 for £800-1200?

[Ghostay]

I've got quite a wide budget and I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking for here. If somebody could point me in the direction of the "best" laptop, ultrabook and 2 in 1 laptop I would appreciate it. Just to clarify, that's one of each category. I'd just like to compare them and make a final decision. Obviously it is quite a large budget gap but I'm also willing to go below that or above that if it can be justified.

 

I'd be looking to use it for 3-5 years before I would consider a replacement. I think I've ruled out laptops because I am looking for portability.

[jafico1]

I would say that the best Windows Ultrabook would be the Dell XPS 13 - it has excellent displays, battery life, and it has just been refreshed with Intel's Kaby Lake processors. The only downside is the use of a 15W cpu, limiting performance somewhat. 

 

For 2 in 1s, I would probably say the Surface Pro 4 or the HP Spectre X360, depending on what form factor you prefer (detachable or flip)   

 

What are you planning to do on your device - this will help me judge better what would be best for you?

[Ghostay]

3 minutes ago, jafico1 said:

I would say that the best Windows Ultrabook would be the Dell XPS 13 - it has excellent displays, battery life, and it has just been refreshed with Intel's Kaby Lake processors. The only downside is the use of a 15W cpu, limiting performance somewhat. 

 

For 2 in 1s, I would probably say the Surface Pro 4 or the HP Spectre X360, depending on what form factor you prefer (detachable or flip)   

 

What are you planning to do on your device - this will help me judge better what would be best for you?

I'm really quite stuck. I'll be in education for 5 years now; I don't foresee any major work with the laptop in the first 2 years but I'll be using it a lot after those 2 years. I was wondering whether it would be better to save up for 2 years and then cash out on something. Maybe I could get a cheap 2 in 1 for now? Who knows. I'm just considering my options.

 

The work would be standard college/university work. I don't foresee me doing any CAD or intense productivity programs. Just some office work and probably light gaming such as Source games.

[jafico1]

It depends on how you feel. The XPS/Surface/x360 would last and are decently built, but they are not upgradable  if you really want to future proof. If longevity is a real concern, business laptops would be your best bet - either the ThinkPad T460 or the Dell E7470, as they have fantastic build quality and excellent warranties/support.