‘Good looking’ (Windows) laptop

[Original Poster]

I’ve been a Mac user for nearly 20 years but I’ve decided to transition over to Windows so I need a new laptop.

I will be using it for work (no intensive stuff) and home use, again, no tough tasks.

Budget is up to £1000. I appreciate I don’t ‘need’ to spend this but it has to look ‘nice’. I have to enjoy using it. Rightly or wrongly design is important to me and I’m happy to pay for that pleasure.

What would people recommend?

Would absolutely consider a 2 in 1 or something like a Surface Pro with a keyboard, too.

Thanks chaps.

[DoubleD]

Spend less on an ugly 1 so that you can spend more money on important things like cars

[skinnyman]

I'm a fan of the HP Envy/Spectre range. Current machine is a 2013 Spectre, still going strong. About to buy my wife the latest Envy 13 for university come September.

[durbster]

You might need to stretch your budget to get something that'll rival a Mac for build and materials though.

Yeah Microsoft's Surface range is a nice collection of devices. I'm on a Surface Book now

The top end HP and Dell laptops are up there too.

[HRL]

Boot camp your existing Mac and put Windows 10 on it too?

[mickytruelove]

The only 2 i would look at are the surface book and the dell xps range.

I do own an xps though. When i look at friends windows laptops with massive bezels i cant help think the xps looks far better.

[Whoozit]

I took my Surface Pro out during an IT speccing meeting. The owner of the IT company started getting excited...then I showed him the Pen implementation...then he realised that was what I'd specced and he would have access during testing. He nearly exploded.

[ging84]

you sound like the exact person things like porsche design laptops are aimed at
makes me wish i was a communist

[Original Poster]

Thanks so far chaps. Appreciate the input.

I have been most drawn to the Surface Pro in honesty, just don’t think it would be ideal when using it on he sofa with the keyboard, guess I can use it in tablet mode, though.

Anyone have experience of Windows 10 in tablet mode? Does it lose any functionality?

[Efbe]

Original Poster said:

Thanks so far chaps. Appreciate the input.

I have been most drawn to the Surface Pro in honesty, just don’t think it would be ideal when using it on he sofa with the keyboard, guess I can use it in tablet mode, though.

Anyone have experience of Windows 10 in tablet mode? Does it lose any functionality?

god I can't stand these things. horrible to use unless your idea of needing a laptop is just for browsing the web.
If you need a tablet, then microsoft just isn't near as good as ios. if you need a laptop, then a surface will just annoy you.

personally I'd get a lenovo yoga.

[dudleybloke]

Asus ROG strix looks nice

[Bibbs]

I keep looking at the Huawei Matebook Pro X reviews online.

But I can't actually find any for sale.

[bga]

mickytruelove said:

The only 2 i would look at are the surface book and the dell xps range.

I do own an xps though. When i look at friends windows laptops with massive bezels i cant help think the xps looks far better.

I love my XPS13, it's a joy to use.

[stewies_minion]

I’ve had Surfaces since the 3 and have always been moderately annoyed by them. Bad firmware etc.

But the latest Surface Pro, a pen and a dock and a Surface keyboard is a very, very good machine.

Very expensive but now a very sorted, if expensive, package.

Win10 in tablet mode is no iPad but fine.

For personal use, I’d have Apple over it in a heartbeat.

[Chris Type R]

Dell XPS, you might find a bargain on the Dell Warehouse http://outlet.euro.dell.com/Online/InventorySearch...

[SwissJonese]

skinnyman said:

I'm a fan of the HP Envy/Spectre range. Current machine is a 2013 Spectre, still going strong. About to buy my wife the latest Envy 13 for university come September.

^^^ This, we buy HP Spectre range for our managers as they are powerful and look really good + uber thin and light too. I've still got an old model that has been working for 4+ years.

[Coolbanana]

mickytruelove said:

The only 2 i would look at are the surface book and the dell xps range.

I do own an xps though. When i look at friends windows laptops with massive bezels i cant help think the xps looks far better.

100%

I have a Dell XPS 15" and the lack of a bezel is great! I used to always buy Apple until the XPS range introduced these amazing screens.

[skinnyman]

SwissJonese said:

skinnyman said:

I'm a fan of the HP Envy/Spectre range. Current machine is a 2013 Spectre, still going strong. About to buy my wife the latest Envy 13 for university come September.

^^^ This, we buy HP Spectre range for our managers as they are powerful and look really good + uber thin and light too. I've still got an old model that has been working for 4+ years.

HP Envy, cheaper than equivalent Dell XPS too.

[Efbe]

Coolbanana said:

mickytruelove said:

The only 2 i would look at are the surface book and the dell xps range.

I do own an xps though. When i look at friends windows laptops with massive bezels i cant help think the xps looks far better.

100%

I have a Dell XPS 15" and the lack of a bezel is great! I used to always buy Apple until the XPS range introduced these amazing screens.

my massive gripe with dell is the customer service.

Should you have an issue they can't fix first time you get assigned an arsey indian case handler who will treat you like st, refuse to answer calls/emails and point blank refuse to fix your laptop.

Unless this has improved in the last 3 years there is no way I would ever touch a dell again. Decent customer service for laptops is imperative given the failure rates of even the best built machines.

[chadders74]

HRL said:

Boot camp your existing Mac and put Windows 10 on it too?

Or Parallels to have both at the same time.