Mildy upmarket laptops

[Dr Jekyll]

I normally spend > £500 on laptops because I don't use any demanding software. But lately I'm spending several hours a day on the laptop and am wondering if it's worth spending a bit more for a better keyboard (my Dell Inspiron feels slightly vague, works Lenovo feels much better) and better build quality, but still no need for massive RAM or fast processors. Is this possible? Or do performance and build quality go together?

[bitchstewie]

Keyboards tend to be quite personal things and I don't know if you can make a straight comparison between feel/quality and laptop cost.

Problem is there are so few places to go try these things out.

All I'd say is YouTube and Google the hell out of anything you're considering.

[Sheepshanks]

I can choose my own and just changed a 3yr old Lenovo ThinkPad T470 for a new Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Intel Gen1. Grabbed it over the late August Bank Holiday as it was about £400 off so ended up at £870 (inc VAT). Was a bit miffed that 3yr on-site isn't standard now but it was available to add on for another £50.

Normally I configure to order (CTO) to get the specc I want but the above was spot-on off-the-shelf - unusually it included the higher brightness screen. I think there may be an element of 'glitch' pricing in there as they're not usually discounted that much. It also took a 10% off code that I found bu Googling.

The issue to watch out for with ThinkPads is the standard screens can be pretty dim - I got an earlier T something (maybe 420) and it was so bad I sent it back.


ETA: Just looked back at the discount code and it was CUPO80 - £80 off not 10% but works out about that on the machine I bought. It's valid until end Sept. I was surprised it worked on top of the already discounted price.

Edited by Sheepshanks on Sunday 27th September 13:35

[CorradoTDI]

Dr Jekyll said:

I normally spend > £500 on laptops because I don't use any demanding software. But lately I'm spending several hours a day on the laptop and am wondering if it's worth spending a bit more for a better keyboard (my Dell Inspiron feels slightly vague, works Lenovo feels much better) and better build quality, but still no need for massive RAM or fast processors. Is this possible? Or do performance and build quality go together?

Inspiron is Dell's cheaper / home range and not really built to the same standards of the Business models...

Look at Latitude and XPS

If you're using for more than a couple of hours a day then you really want a docker with external mouse / keyboard / screen (s)

[flight147z]

I was about to start a thread on a similar topic myself so I thought I'd share some thoughts on this below

I'm in the market to replace my 2016 Dell XPS 13" (model 9350) which is obviously part of Dell's premium ultraportable line-up. I don't really need a new laptop, I just want one as there isn't anything wrong with my current laptop

To get something "premium" you are looking at £1000+ for a 13" laptop and more for a similar 15" device (which are generally higher spec as standard). I want something with an i7, 16gb of RAM and 1TB of storage. A high resolution touch display would be nice but I could live without if if I had to

I thought I had settled on this and I actually ordered it last night and collected it today. It's £200 off at the moment, has the "premium" build and high spec that I'm looking for and is around £250 cheaper than an equivalent XPS

Unfortunately when I collected it I noticed the below issue, which is obviously minor but, in my view, unacceptable on a high end laptop. I therefore returned it given there wasn't another one in stock that I could exchange it for



I'm now trying to work out if I can justify the equivalent XPS which is £1549 at the moment. My last XPS only cost me £850 so this is significantly more expensive. They always review well though and are generally seen to be one of the best options period for ultraportable laptops which I guess is why they are so expensive!

[indigochim]

flight147z said:

I'm now trying to work out if I can justify the equivalent XPS which is £1549 at the moment.

Not a huge saving but Not sure if this link will work or not to the Dell outlet Eg the one below at £1422 inc VAT and delivered for certified refurbished. I've chanced "scratched and dent" (cheaper) in the past and had pristine devices.

[dhutch]

Depending on use, plug in a decent screen (s) and keyboard.

[ArsE82]

Dr Jekyll said:

I normally spend > £500 on laptops because I don't use any demanding software. But lately I'm spending several hours a day on the laptop and am wondering if it's worth spending a bit more for a better keyboard (my Dell Inspiron feels slightly vague, works Lenovo feels much better) and better build quality, but still no need for massive RAM or fast processors. Is this possible? Or do performance and build quality go together?

I use a Thinkpad X1 Carbon every day and the keyboard is sublime. The laptop is a few years old but I can't think of anything that would be 'better' for me at the moment. It was highly-specced when new so fingers crossed it'll last for a few more years yet.

I've had a lot of success in the past with refurb Thinkpad laptops from Ebay. There's a T480 on there at the moment that could be a good buy. Link

I've got a T480 in front of me at the moment and it's a lovely keyboard.