New Laptop time, Which Brand Would You choose?

[Leona]

So it is that time again for a new laptop and I would appreciate your thoughts on what brand you would go for. I used to be Toshiba but my current laptop is now playing up after just over 2 years and although a lovely piece of kit the construction is terrible the faulty hinge is making the screen detach from the base and has been doing for over a year. Looking it up it seems it is a common problem that is with many builds and they haven't addressed it so time to make a change. I gave up on dell 3 laptops ago as I was getting the blue screen of death after 2-3 years. However, I am warily considering trying them again as they are coming out well in reviews.

So I have narrowed it down to the brands above specs are pretty much the same, price there is only £50-100 between them so not a big deal when you are spending £1000. What are your thoughts experiences, I know you guys probably run them as hard as I do (although I do a lot of graphics and video work nowadays), which would you go for?

[Rooftop]

I've just come out of the other side of the same process.   I surprised myself by going with Dell.  Dell also surprised me by supplying a great machine.

I buy 2-3 laptops a year.  I've avoided Dell for a numbers of years. I've been moving between the 3 brands you mentioned since. Mostly Lenovo.  I've gone off lenovo a lot though.  They've fallen into the trap of "pretty over good" and the quality seems to have suffered.  They also make some bat-shit crazy decisions at times. I have a Yoga 2 pro that has a screen resolution so high that it is practically unusable and is fitted with bluetooth and wifi from the ark.

I am slow to make decisions on stuff like this, so read a lot of reviews (I like reading reviews).  The Dell XPS 13 was the top laptop  for 2016 in almost every review I read (win or mac). I associate Dell with cheap and nasty so I took some persuading. Eventually though I got worn down as the best that could be said about any other laptop was "if you aren't going to buy the Dell..."

I haven't been using it a week yet, but so far I am impressed.  I prefer the keyboard of the yoga, but this one will be fine once I get used to it.  McAfee put up a fight trying to stop itself being removed, but otherwise I cannot say a single bad thing about this system.   It really is very good. Nicely made, fast as you like (7th gen I7, although some options with more RAM would have been nice - I haven't done any video on this yet) . The screen is a thing of beauty.

One of my guys hit me up for the new asus a couple of weeks ago. That is a nice system too, but I think he wishes he held out for the Dell.

[Rumbas]

Been on Dell for as long as I can remember. GREAT service and good machines.

[keano]

Dell for me too. An XPS 15 has been my primary laptop for a couple of years now. Only major issue I've had is the battery is starting to lose charge but that's expected at the age. Screen is lovely and it still runs quickly after a few year's worth of use.

Must say I was very impressed with a Lenovo Chromebook I bought for a family member a few weeks ago though. If you're looking for a knock around machine just for browsing the web quickly you couldn't go wrong with one. Cost me just over £100.

[Rooftop]

Must say I was very impressed with a Lenovo Chromebook I bought for a family member a few weeks ago though. If you're looking for a knock around machine just for browsing the web quickly you couldn't go wrong with one. Cost me just over £100.

Chromebooks are incredible value.  Bought one for my better half and have a couple in the office as stand by. For £200 you can have a machine that is faster than many windos/mac boxes 4x the price.  Just too limited though

[Mackin USA]

>>>>> HP <<<<< 

[rcjordan]

Hinges froze on 2 Lenovo laptops. If you can't close the lid, it becomes a desktop.

[jetboy]

Love my Dell XPS 15 with the 4K screen. The only issue I've had was crashy graphics drivers, but MS seem to have fixed that now. I'd been running a small ThinkPad for years, and while it was very portable, the screen real estate was poor. I'm a TrackPoint/pointing stick convert, so I was holding out for a new high-end ThinkPad. The Dell specs blitzed the X1 Carbon though, so I'm having to get used to touchpads again. The Dell XPSs are just as nice as Apple laptops IMHO.

[Chunkford]

I've been on the look out for a new laptop and kept on being drawn back to the XPS 13 (Currently got a XPS studio which is nearing it's demise). It looks such a nice machine, and can see me using one.

But wanted to wait to see what Apple did with the MacBook, but alas, my expectations were squashed. That fancy touch bar did nothing to excite me.

I also liked the idea of a 2 in 1. Something that I could have total flexibility with my varied lifestyle, and to make proper use of the touch screen (still can't see the point of a touch screen on a standard laptop).
So I was looking at:
Thinkpad X1 Yoga - but no USB C port. Not spending that sort of money without the future port being on it.
MS Surfacebook i7 - again no USB C port
Lenovo 900 -> soon to be replaced with the 910 which has a USB C port! yay

But then I read this - http://www.laptopmag.com/articles/xps-13-2-in-1
A little excited I have to say
Now if they can do it so I can connect 2x external 4k monitors then they have me, hook, line and sinker. Cheque book at the ready!

[Rooftop]

I also liked the idea of a 2 in 1. Something that I could have total flexibility with my varied lifestyle, and to make proper use of the touch screen (still can't see the point of a touch screen on a standard laptop).

In 18 months of 2in1 ownership I've probably used it as something other than a laptop 6 or 7 times.  I totally agree that touchscreen on a non-convertible laptop is weird and unnecessary, but I didn't find the convertible any more of an improvement.

[Chunkford]

Urgh, not another one saying 2in1 will be pointless.
Maybe there's a hidden message there, lol.

Ok, so if it is pointless, I suppose the big question is do I get an XPS 13 now (currently £100 off) or chance it and see what Black Friday brings?

Decision, decisions.

[jetboy]

touchscreen on a non-convertible laptop is weird and unnecessary

Yep. Switched it off on the XPS 15 the day I got it, and it's never been back on.

do I get an XPS 13 now (currently £100 off)

Yes, plus a dock to drive two giant 4K monitors.

I've got to say that I've been tempted to augment the Dell with a Lenovo Yoga Book:

http://shop.lenovo.com/gb/en/tablets/lenovo/yoga/yoga-book-android/

That looks truly innovative, and nicely built.

[Drastic]

I'm a lenovo guy, they just seem to get the ergonomics right.

I've bought a couple cheaper Acers this year that had good hardware and specs, but very let down by the ergos. I've heard good things about the Dell XPS models, but pricey when I looked though that's been a while.

[ergophobe]

2015 reliability
https://www.squaretrade.com/laptop-reliability-1109/

2013 reliability by brand
https://www.squaretrade.com/laptop-reliability-1109/

[Travoli]

I've had great experience with Asus machines. Haven't tried their customer service, so cannot comment on that.
On the opposite end, my last Dell was defective. Service was so infuriating I swore I'd never buy another.