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Looking for a 15" laptop - trying to decide what to get

maflynn

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
Original poster
May 3, 2009
73,682
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improwise said:
It's also a dual core CPU.
Click to expand...
The HP Spectre x360 is also a dual core 15" laptop, but that is one sexy looking machine. I think the design, and functionality rivals the MBP

Odd thing, is my wife said, I should get a MBP, she's dealing with some odd issues on her PC and I never seem to have problems with the Mac. Her problems seems to stem with crapware and/or some apps installed on her PC.

Btw, I don't have the issues on my SurfaceBook that my wife has, so I don't think its a OS X vs. Windows thing ;)
 
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WldWzl

WldWzl

macrumors newbie
Dec 15, 2015
10
10
A few people I work with are using the HP ZBook Studio and really like them. They are light enough, the screens are nice, and they can be configured with a ton of power.

I myself was looking at switching to one from my 2015 MacBook Pro mostly because I need more then the 16GB of RAM that the MacBook can take (NXOS VMs use 8GB per instance).

But the battery life and screen on the MacBook are holding me back, and the hope that 2017 will bring more RAM :)
 
maflynn

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
Original poster
May 3, 2009
73,682
43,740
Ars Technica posted a review of the XPS 15

Nothing earth shatteringly different then other reviews, so much so, it seems a little odd that it took so long for them to publish a review

In short, the reviewer was very positive about the laptop except about the battery life with the 4k option, and the 4k screen is a little too reflective.


The good
  • Quad-core CPUs and a respectable dedicated GPU make this laptop well-suited to just about any laptop workload.
  • Distinctive design and solid construction.
  • Fairly small and light for its screen size and specs.
  • Gorgeous 4K panel with Adobe RGB support.
  • PCIe SSDs.
  • Thunderbolt 3/USB-C backed up by a good selection of other ports.
  • Good keyboard, Precision Touchpad.
  • For $25, the Windows Hello fingerprint reader is a must-have upgrade.
  • Up to 32GB of RAM, and it's user-upgradeable to boot.
The bad
  • Weird webcam placement.
  • Lots of glare from the glossy screen.
  • Palmrest soaks up oil and smudges.
  • VR and modern 4K gaming are out of reach.
  • Some indications of CPU throttling under heavy load.
  • Upgrades drive the $1,000 base price up quickly.
The ugly
  • Battery life of the 4K model is tolerable, not great.
Click to expand...

All in all, I've not decided to buy anything yet, less about indecision and more about lack of real need to move on buying anything right now. I have a well running SurfaceBook and my 2012 15" MBP seems to be serviceable in its operation. The only temptation I have is to sell the SurfaceBook now, before MS possibly releases the next generation, but even then, I'm not really worked up about that. I can sit back and wait and I seem to be leaning that way for the time being.
 
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kazmac

kazmac

macrumors G4
Mar 24, 2010
10,103
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Any place but here or there....
maflynn said:
Ars Technica posted a review of the XPS 15

Nothing earth shatteringly different then other reviews, so much so, it seems a little odd that it took so long for them to publish a review

In short, the reviewer was very positive about the laptop except about the battery life with the 4k option, and the 4k screen is a little too reflective.




All in all, I've not decided to buy anything yet, less about indecision and more about lack of real need to move on buying anything right now. I have a well running SurfaceBook and my 2012 15" MBP seems to be serviceable in its operation. The only temptation I have is to sell the SurfaceBook now, before MS possibly releases the next generation, but even then, I'm not really worked up about that. I can sit back and wait and I seem to be leaning that way for the time being.
Click to expand...

I've been reading/watching reviews online, see some negative comments about the keyboard and trackpad not being where they could be, otherwise, decent reviews. I am avoiding Dell myself, after utterly awful customer service. My experience isn't others though and that 4k screen looks beyond gorgeous.

HP and Microsoft are the two companies I am circling. Beginning to think that HP's Z mini will be my iMac replacement and perhaps a Surface Book once MS updates. I'd love a 15" quad. While I am a little skittish about Windows and love idea of Chromebooks, I will need a full OS on any portable I pick up. My negative experiences with iOS and less with Android outweigh my disappointing experiences with desktop OS. Plus the pen option is very enticing. I miss the doodling I was doing with the iPad Pro and it would be nice to write with a pen again too.
 
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Queen6

Queen6

macrumors G4
Dec 11, 2008
11,279
11,562
Flying over the rainforest at dawn - Priceless
maflynn said:
All in all, I've not decided to buy anything yet, less about indecision and more about lack of real need to move on buying anything right now. I have a well running SurfaceBook and my 2012 15" MBP seems to be serviceable in its operation. The only temptation I have is to sell the SurfaceBook now, before MS possibly releases the next generation, but even then, I'm not really worked up about that. I can sit back and wait and I seem to be leaning that way for the time being.
Click to expand...

Right now there is just so many great options available, especially if you don't need a "powerhouse" solution in the 15" class; HP 360 Spectre and now the updated LG Gram. I doubt used Surface Book prices will be affected too much as the initial software/driver issues are now resolved and the Surface Book remains to interest many.

Q-6
 
SteveJUAE

SteveJUAE

macrumors 601
Aug 14, 2015
4,506
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Land of Smiles
willmtaylor said:
Yeah, it's weird that a website based in 1 country reporting primarily on a company based in that country and with a readership majority in that same country to focus on said country. ;)
Click to expand...
I appreciate that :)

However given Apple is an international company, MR is not limited to US members only and Apple relies on sales >60% in the rest of the world (ie outside north and south America's)

YMMV elsewhere, although I still expect apple to rank very highly

PS Apple unlimited free hand holding is for 90 days others may be for a year
 
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lowendlinux

lowendlinux

macrumors 603
Sep 24, 2014
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Germany
maflynn said:
Ars Technica posted a review of the XPS 15

Nothing earth shatteringly different then other reviews, so much so, it seems a little odd that it took so long for them to publish a review

In short, the reviewer was very positive about the laptop except about the battery life with the 4k option, and the 4k screen is a little too reflective.




All in all, I've not decided to buy anything yet, less about indecision and more about lack of real need to move on buying anything right now. I have a well running SurfaceBook and my 2012 15" MBP seems to be serviceable in its operation. The only temptation I have is to sell the SurfaceBook now, before MS possibly releases the next generation, but even then, I'm not really worked up about that. I can sit back and wait and I seem to be leaning that way for the time being.
Click to expand...

I think that's probably the best course of action
 
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0989383

0989383

Suspended
May 11, 2013
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Lenovo's build quality is quite good. Not Apple quality, but if it's not a Surface it won't be in general.

Why Lenovo? Well, they'll sell you parts in case any break. HP and Dell are following Apple in making it close to impossible to do this or so expensive it's not worth it. That's why I decided to go for one. The E series gives great spec with a low price.
 
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