Discussion
I am looking to replace my very broken 13 inch laptop.
Its been on its last legs for ages and a couple of weeks ago I managed to break the screen. Not worth repairing and I have had many years use out of it.
I have a budget of £1200-£1400 ish.
I am looking for something that's 13/14 inches, light and thin. I was looking at XPS13 but they seem pretty expensive and I heard of a lot of people having problems.
Anyone got any experience of something of this size and cost? Every time I look at something it seems its either an old model from 2019 or there are known issues or its some kind of weird tablet flip thingy.
My ideal spec is:
16GB Ram
4k display
512GB SSD / M.2 or more
Ideally full size SD card slot or micro SD.
Ideally HDMI out
Not fussed about GFX.
Not fussed about battery life.
Don't care about touch but ok if it has it.
Looking for something that's durable as I would like to get another 6+ years out of it so metal construction is probably a must.
Its been on its last legs for ages and a couple of weeks ago I managed to break the screen. Not worth repairing and I have had many years use out of it.
I have a budget of £1200-£1400 ish.
I am looking for something that's 13/14 inches, light and thin. I was looking at XPS13 but they seem pretty expensive and I heard of a lot of people having problems.
Anyone got any experience of something of this size and cost? Every time I look at something it seems its either an old model from 2019 or there are known issues or its some kind of weird tablet flip thingy.
My ideal spec is:
16GB Ram
4k display
512GB SSD / M.2 or more
Ideally full size SD card slot or micro SD.
Ideally HDMI out
Not fussed about GFX.
Not fussed about battery life.
Don't care about touch but ok if it has it.
Looking for something that's durable as I would like to get another 6+ years out of it so metal construction is probably a must.
Dell outlet store is well worth a look if you're interested in an XPS, we've bought a couple of refurbished Latitude's from there at a decent discount and have had no trouble (except the screen was cracked on mine on delivery but they replaced straight away). I've not used the XPS though.
Budget gets you in to the MS Surface laptops which have a reasonable reputation.
Re touchscreen, I always thought it was a bit of a gimmick before I got a laptop with it. Much quicker for clicking on stuff than dragging a pointer around with a tracker pad, I'd definitely want it if I was buying a new laptop now.
Budget gets you in to the MS Surface laptops which have a reasonable reputation.
Re touchscreen, I always thought it was a bit of a gimmick before I got a laptop with it. Much quicker for clicking on stuff than dragging a pointer around with a tracker pad, I'd definitely want it if I was buying a new laptop now.
Can't recommend Dell whatsoever.
Had a couple of Dell laptops a few years ago, both died just out of the warranty period.
Wife has has Dells provided by work. First one lunched it's SSD within 3 months, was replaced by Dell but took them 3 days - on business contract that to me is not good enough.
Replacement is now only 5 months old and is displaying similar drive problems.
Healthly budget - easily into Asus Zenbook territory.
Had one of the first Zenbooks, it's been round the world several times and still looks pretty much as good as the day I bought it. Has never put a foot wrong.
As mentioned earlier, you're also into the Surface Laptop 3 budget. Much as I love to hate Microsoft, I can't help but love their hardware. Got a Surface Pro 5 and the first Surface Book ... lovely kit.
Had a couple of Dell laptops a few years ago, both died just out of the warranty period.
Wife has has Dells provided by work. First one lunched it's SSD within 3 months, was replaced by Dell but took them 3 days - on business contract that to me is not good enough.
Replacement is now only 5 months old and is displaying similar drive problems.
Healthly budget - easily into Asus Zenbook territory.
Had one of the first Zenbooks, it's been round the world several times and still looks pretty much as good as the day I bought it. Has never put a foot wrong.
As mentioned earlier, you're also into the Surface Laptop 3 budget. Much as I love to hate Microsoft, I can't help but love their hardware. Got a Surface Pro 5 and the first Surface Book ... lovely kit.
I had an OG XPS17 with work about 10 years ago and it did really well only replaced it about 18 moths ago with a desktop, maybe things have changed then!
My current laptop (this is the broken one) is an Acer S3 from 2013 ish. Its also done really well, but the screen is dead and its only got 4GB ram which basically sits at 100% most of the time and the 128GB SSD is full with basically nothing on the machine other than open office and a few bits of work stuff so its time to go.
I will look at the surface.
My current laptop (this is the broken one) is an Acer S3 from 2013 ish. Its also done really well, but the screen is dead and its only got 4GB ram which basically sits at 100% most of the time and the 128GB SSD is full with basically nothing on the machine other than open office and a few bits of work stuff so its time to go.
I will look at the surface.
red_slr said:
Anyone know if you can spec an XPS15 (the new one) as a custom build?
Dell cut back on custom configurations in favour of a few prebuilt options. It's way out of your budget anyway.Why not buy a reconditioned laptop for way less money & then change it again in three year's time? You've been struggling along on a six year old knacked one with 4Gb so anything with an i5/16Gb/SSD is going to fly in comparison.
Spunking £1500 on a new laptop is a mugs game except for a few very demanding users which it doesn't seem you are, given your current machine.
Mr Pointy said:
red_slr said:
Anyone know if you can spec an XPS15 (the new one) as a custom build?
Dell cut back on custom configurations in favour of a few prebuilt options. It's way out of your budget anyway.Why not buy a reconditioned laptop for way less money & then change it again in three year's time? You've been struggling along on a six year old knacked one with 4Gb so anything with an i5/16Gb/SSD is going to fly in comparison.
Spunking £1500 on a new laptop is a mugs game except for a few very demanding users which it doesn't seem you are, given your current machine.
But, the ones on the outlet are not much cheaper than new.
Hm. Maybe I just need to get an XPS 17 again LOL.
sgrimshaw said:
Can't recommend Dell whatsoever.
Had a couple of Dell laptops a few years ago, both died just out of the warranty period.
Wife has has Dells provided by work. First one lunched it's SSD within 3 months, was replaced by Dell but took them 3 days - on business contract that to me is not good enough.
Replacement is now only 5 months old and is displaying similar drive problems.
Healthly budget - easily into Asus Zenbook territory.
Had one of the first Zenbooks, it's been round the world several times and still looks pretty much as good as the day I bought it. Has never put a foot wrong.
As mentioned earlier, you're also into the Surface Laptop 3 budget. Much as I love to hate Microsoft, I can't help but love their hardware. Got a Surface Pro 5 and the first Surface Book ... lovely kit.
As a reseller who sells shedloads of Dell, Lenovo & HP kit your experiences are way outside the norm. I'm not beholden to one brand (I have both a Dell and an HP laptop personally) and whilst I'm sure your experience isn't great, it's very much unusual. If Dell laptops were unreliable, it'd be big news in the circles I work in and that's just not the case.Had a couple of Dell laptops a few years ago, both died just out of the warranty period.
Wife has has Dells provided by work. First one lunched it's SSD within 3 months, was replaced by Dell but took them 3 days - on business contract that to me is not good enough.
Replacement is now only 5 months old and is displaying similar drive problems.
Healthly budget - easily into Asus Zenbook territory.
Had one of the first Zenbooks, it's been round the world several times and still looks pretty much as good as the day I bought it. Has never put a foot wrong.
As mentioned earlier, you're also into the Surface Laptop 3 budget. Much as I love to hate Microsoft, I can't help but love their hardware. Got a Surface Pro 5 and the first Surface Book ... lovely kit.
Edit: MS Surface - as nice as these are (and I sell a lot of these too) they do seem to be more prone to failure and they are 100% unserviceable - so when it breaks (especially if it's out of warranty) you'll be throwing it away and buying something else. I wouldn't put my own money into a Surface device.
Edited by Funk on Wednesday 27th May 14:26
I'm a bit baffled by all the models Lenovo have now but I've always just stuck to basic Thinkpads (T series) - touch wood, not had a moment's issue with any of them over about 15 years. I use them until the 3yr on-site warranty (I have a feeling that's not standard any more) expires and then pass them on to family members.
The only general negative thing is some people think the displays aren't very good - I'm using a T470 now and the display is fine for normal desk based use. It's got a 14" FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS, 250 nits, anti-glare, non-touch, display.
People rave about Thinkpad keyboards but I sllpped up by not getting a backlit one as they've dropped the keyboard light which used to be at the top of the screen. It's not an every day problem though.
The only general negative thing is some people think the displays aren't very good - I'm using a T470 now and the display is fine for normal desk based use. It's got a 14" FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS, 250 nits, anti-glare, non-touch, display.
People rave about Thinkpad keyboards but I sllpped up by not getting a backlit one as they've dropped the keyboard light which used to be at the top of the screen. It's not an every day problem though.
Sheepshanks said:
I'm a bit baffled by all the models Lenovo have now as I've always just stuck to basic Thinkpads (T series) - touch wood, not had a moment's issue with any of them over about 15 years. I use them until the 3yr on-site warranty (I have a feeling that's not standard any more) expires and then pass them on to family members.
The only general negative thing is some people think the displays aren't very good - I'm using a T470 now and the display is fine for normal desk based use. It's got a 14" FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS, 250 nits, anti-glare, non-touch, display.
People rave about Thinkpad keyboards but I sllpped up by not getting a backlit one as they've dropped the keyboard light which used to be at the top of the screen. It's not an every day problem though.
The quality definitely changed when the hardware division was sold from IBM to Lenovo, however they're still broadly solid devices compared to most. I never found the lid illumination for the keyboard very useful; however I do like backlit keys - it works better and removes a lot of unnecessary gubbins from around the screen, especially in this age of slim bezels/lids etc.The only general negative thing is some people think the displays aren't very good - I'm using a T470 now and the display is fine for normal desk based use. It's got a 14" FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS, 250 nits, anti-glare, non-touch, display.
People rave about Thinkpad keyboards but I sllpped up by not getting a backlit one as they've dropped the keyboard light which used to be at the top of the screen. It's not an every day problem though.
Another vote for Dell and the Outlet option here - I've been running Dell laptops for the past 5 years and not had an issues. The cost differential is probably due to supply issues down to Covid-19 as normally there is a larger gap. Certified refurbished gear arrives shrink wrapped like new, it's a great option.
red_slr said:
Fair comments.
But, the ones on the outlet are not much cheaper than new.
Hm. Maybe I just need to get an XPS 17 again LOL.
I was unclear: I didn't mean a new one from the outlet, I meant a secondhand machine from one of the refurbishers. Here's a couple of ebay examples:But, the ones on the outlet are not much cheaper than new.
Hm. Maybe I just need to get an XPS 17 again LOL.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lenovo-Laptop-Windows-1...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lenovo-x1-Carbon-6-Gen-...
There are loads available like this & you could change every 3 years at most & still be spending less while still getting a very quick machine.
Funk said:
sgrimshaw said:
Can't recommend Dell whatsoever.
Had a couple of Dell laptops a few years ago, both died just out of the warranty period.
Wife has has Dells provided by work. First one lunched it's SSD within 3 months, was replaced by Dell but took them 3 days - on business contract that to me is not good enough.
Replacement is now only 5 months old and is displaying similar drive problems.
Healthly budget - easily into Asus Zenbook territory.
Had one of the first Zenbooks, it's been round the world several times and still looks pretty much as good as the day I bought it. Has never put a foot wrong.
As mentioned earlier, you're also into the Surface Laptop 3 budget. Much as I love to hate Microsoft, I can't help but love their hardware. Got a Surface Pro 5 and the first Surface Book ... lovely kit.
As a reseller who sells shedloads of Dell, Lenovo & HP kit your experiences are way outside the norm. I'm not beholden to one brand (I have both a Dell and an HP laptop personally) and whilst I'm sure your experience isn't great, it's very much unusual. If Dell laptops were unreliable, it'd be big news in the circles I work in and that's just not the case.Had a couple of Dell laptops a few years ago, both died just out of the warranty period.
Wife has has Dells provided by work. First one lunched it's SSD within 3 months, was replaced by Dell but took them 3 days - on business contract that to me is not good enough.
Replacement is now only 5 months old and is displaying similar drive problems.
Healthly budget - easily into Asus Zenbook territory.
Had one of the first Zenbooks, it's been round the world several times and still looks pretty much as good as the day I bought it. Has never put a foot wrong.
As mentioned earlier, you're also into the Surface Laptop 3 budget. Much as I love to hate Microsoft, I can't help but love their hardware. Got a Surface Pro 5 and the first Surface Book ... lovely kit.
Edit: MS Surface - as nice as these are (and I sell a lot of these too) they do seem to be more prone to failure and they are 100% unserviceable - so when it breaks (especially if it's out of warranty) you'll be throwing it away and buying something else. I wouldn't put my own money into a Surface device.
Edited by Funk on Wednesday 27th May 14:26
blueg33 said:
Funk said:
sgrimshaw said:
Can't recommend Dell whatsoever.
Had a couple of Dell laptops a few years ago, both died just out of the warranty period.
Wife has has Dells provided by work. First one lunched it's SSD within 3 months, was replaced by Dell but took them 3 days - on business contract that to me is not good enough.
Replacement is now only 5 months old and is displaying similar drive problems.
Healthly budget - easily into Asus Zenbook territory.
Had one of the first Zenbooks, it's been round the world several times and still looks pretty much as good as the day I bought it. Has never put a foot wrong.
As mentioned earlier, you're also into the Surface Laptop 3 budget. Much as I love to hate Microsoft, I can't help but love their hardware. Got a Surface Pro 5 and the first Surface Book ... lovely kit.
As a reseller who sells shedloads of Dell, Lenovo & HP kit your experiences are way outside the norm. I'm not beholden to one brand (I have both a Dell and an HP laptop personally) and whilst I'm sure your experience isn't great, it's very much unusual. If Dell laptops were unreliable, it'd be big news in the circles I work in and that's just not the case.Had a couple of Dell laptops a few years ago, both died just out of the warranty period.
Wife has has Dells provided by work. First one lunched it's SSD within 3 months, was replaced by Dell but took them 3 days - on business contract that to me is not good enough.
Replacement is now only 5 months old and is displaying similar drive problems.
Healthly budget - easily into Asus Zenbook territory.
Had one of the first Zenbooks, it's been round the world several times and still looks pretty much as good as the day I bought it. Has never put a foot wrong.
As mentioned earlier, you're also into the Surface Laptop 3 budget. Much as I love to hate Microsoft, I can't help but love their hardware. Got a Surface Pro 5 and the first Surface Book ... lovely kit.
Edit: MS Surface - as nice as these are (and I sell a lot of these too) they do seem to be more prone to failure and they are 100% unserviceable - so when it breaks (especially if it's out of warranty) you'll be throwing it away and buying something else. I wouldn't put my own money into a Surface device.
Edited by Funk on Wednesday 27th May 14:26
Surface Pro - 1/10
Surface Pro 3 - 1/10
Surface Pro 4 - 2/10
Surface Pro 5 - 1/10
Surface Pro 6 - 1/10
Surface Pro 7 - 1/10
Surface Pro X - 6/10
Surface Book - 1/10
Surface Book 2 - 1/10
Surface Laptop - 0/10 (!!)
Surface Laptop 3 - 5/10
Certainly on the earlier ones stuff that failed (RAM, SSD) was soldered in (similar to Apple) so couldn't be removed/replaced/upgraded at all, I think they've improved slightly in this regard on the newer models.
As I say, I'm a Surface reseller and whilst they're lovely-looking bits of kit there's no way I'd buy one with my own money or without the longest possible warranty extension! To each their own.
red_slr said:
I am looking to replace my very broken 13 inch laptop.
Its been on its last legs for ages and a couple of weeks ago I managed to break the screen. Not worth repairing and I have had many years use out of it.
I have a budget of £1200-£1400 ish.
I am looking for something that's 13/14 inches, light and thin. I was looking at XPS13 but they seem pretty expensive and I heard of a lot of people having problems.
Anyone got any experience of something of this size and cost? Every time I look at something it seems its either an old model from 2019 or there are known issues or its some kind of weird tablet flip thingy.
My ideal spec is:
16GB Ram
4k display
512GB SSD / M.2 or more
Ideally full size SD card slot or micro SD.
Ideally HDMI out
Not fussed about GFX.
Not fussed about battery life.
Don't care about touch but ok if it has it.
Looking for something that's durable as I would like to get another 6+ years out of it so metal construction is probably a must.
I had an XPS as a work device and was far from impressed with it to be honest. Its been on its last legs for ages and a couple of weeks ago I managed to break the screen. Not worth repairing and I have had many years use out of it.
I have a budget of £1200-£1400 ish.
I am looking for something that's 13/14 inches, light and thin. I was looking at XPS13 but they seem pretty expensive and I heard of a lot of people having problems.
Anyone got any experience of something of this size and cost? Every time I look at something it seems its either an old model from 2019 or there are known issues or its some kind of weird tablet flip thingy.
My ideal spec is:
16GB Ram
4k display
512GB SSD / M.2 or more
Ideally full size SD card slot or micro SD.
Ideally HDMI out
Not fussed about GFX.
Not fussed about battery life.
Don't care about touch but ok if it has it.
Looking for something that's durable as I would like to get another 6+ years out of it so metal construction is probably a must.
If you want something that is durable and will last 6+ years, then you wouldn't go wrong with a Macbook (standing by for grief). You could get one of the newly released 13" with a similar spec to what you're requesting for £1600 plus £20 or £30 for a decent adapter that will give you HDMI etc.
I appreciate it's outside of your budget but when it comes to selling them on, you'd be surprised just how much they can go for. I sold a 5 year old Macbook last year for £500. My Windows devices just tend to get scrapped or given away.
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