shonamac

I urgently need to replace my Lenovo X220 and wonder whether it is better to buy a Lenovo Carbon X1 or the Dell XPS 13 or something else?

My main criteria are light weight, solid performer for multitasking business applications, reasonably good graphics and can take a modest amount of knocking around (frequent traveler). Touch screen functionality is not at all important for me.

Any suggestions would be most appreciated - thanks

nkedel

Right now the XPS 13 is the better choice, mostly because it's had its current-generation refresh while the 4th-gen X1 Carbon is coming in another month or two. So if it's urgent, I'd strongly recommend the XPS 13. If you can afford to wait, the refresh of the X1 Carbon is still worth considering.

I'm not sure how much improved the build quality on the late-2015 XPS 13 is, but as of the early-2015 models of each the Lenovo X1 Carbon would be slightly ahead on build quality.

By your criteria:
* The XPS 13 is slightly lighter and a good bit more compact.
* The XPS 13 (current gen, 9350) is a slightly better performer for both processor and graphic (with a similar tier of processor, e.g. i3, i5 or i7) although this is purely because it has the 6th-gen Intel Core CPUs vs. 5th-gen on the Lenovo; once the refreshed X1 is out they should be essentially identical.
* "can take a modest amount of knocking around (frequent traveler)" narrowly favors the X1, in my opinion

The other reasons to possibly prefer one over the other:
* US-based Dell warranty service is better than Lenovos (IMO; advantage X1)
* The 14" screen on the X1 is noticeably bigger, which may matter to some.
* The X1 Carbon is dockable; the XPS 13 is not.
* The resolutions of the optional HiDPI screen are higher on the XPS 13 (3200x1800 vs 2560x1440 on the XPS 13) -- personally, I prefer standard 1920x1080 on a machine in this size class regardless, and would warn that some older apps play very badly with DPI scaling.
* The X1 has a pointing stick and more traditional touchpad; the XPS 13 has a larger touchpad with clickpad buttons (this is 100% a matter of taste, and some people will prefer one over the other.)
* The keyboard feel is quite different, although describing it is hard and it will be another 100% matter of taste.

boltjames

I replaced my aging Sony Pro 13 Ultrabook with the new Apple 12" Retina MacBook. It is ridiculously thin and light, it even passes through TSA x-ray without being removed from your bag.

Believe it or not it's the best quality ultra-portable notebook on the market for Windows, it runs Windows 10 flawlessly, I couldn't be happier to find a new maker of quality thin/light notebooks to replace Sony who exited the business.

BJ

ScottC

For serious use, the lack of ports is a real pain in the backside. I have a top spec version of this Macbook, and while it is a fun little machine, it just isn't usable in the real world.

nkedel

You keep saying that, and I find it even less useful than the usual "buy a Mac" crowd who are suggesting using them as designed to run the MacOS. Given that you're already paying a modestly extra amount for the MacOS and for those who like that OS, it's the biggest differentiator, that at least makes sense if you like the MacOS.

Buying an Apple machine to run Windows makes no sense to me -- the keyboard is designed for it, Apple's drivers for Windows are substandard, they're still a little more expensive than comparable PCs, plus you've then got to find a reusable a Windows license somewhere or buy a new one.

Even aside from that, the new Macbook is really not a good substitute for either of the machines KiaOra was asking about. For a pure travel machine it's no more underpowered than any of the Core M based convertibles, and the smaller screen can be a plus given the goal of minimizing size and weight.

On the other hand, compared to regular i5 or i7 ultrabook like the XPS 13 or X1 Carbon it is woefully underpowered even for heavy "normal" use, and if the goal is any amount of balance between screen size and footprint, it is optimized a bit too far in one direction. It's not even that much smaller than the XPS 13, which has done a truly enviable job of getting a 13" screen into a tiny footprint.

Plus, as ScottC mentioned, the lack of ports (vs. full on docking and internal Ethernet on the X1 Carbon.)

boltjames

Buying an Apple machine to run Windows sounds foreign to you because you have old 1990's stereotypes in your head that you need to lose. The keyboard is only 1 key different than Windows, the drivers run all Windows 10 functions flawlessly, and the license can be had for as little as $49. And a clean install of Windows onto any computer is fantastic as there are no embedded preloaded anti-virus and adware programs to deal with.

Regarding the supposed "lack" of ports, that's a benefit because it makes the overall footprint of the MacBook ridiculously slim and light and these ports are available on a nicely designed adapter for $79. When was the last time you needed an SD slot? A VGA port? Multiple USB ports? We drag these things around with us, they add weight, they add expense, they drain battery and we use them very infrequently. With the MacBook, you bring the adapter only if you need these ports, otherwise they stay home as a docking station.

This is a TRAVEL forum, not a notebook forum, and as a TRAVEL companion you will find no lighter/thinner Windows notebook than the new MacBook from Apple. I've owned every thin/light Windows machine since 1996, you can trust me on this one.

BJ

Stewie Mac

I've had a Samsung series 9, 13" screen, i5-3317U, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD, for nearly three years.

I love the SSD, the weight/size/screen compromise, the toughness overall (I've dropped it at least three times from tabletop height onto hard floor with no ill effects). I *hate* the touchpad - my right 'click' stopped working after about 8 months, my colleague's touchpad has popped right out of the casing.

We've just landed a substantial new client, so are looking at rewarding ourselves with new laptops (we do a lot of long-haul Y flying, and a working trackpad would be really useful). What would people suggest as a reasonable alternative (we won't buy Samsung again - I was told that my touchpad was bent internally and therefore I must have damaged it when I tried to make a warranty claim)? Not looking for any massive performance improvements beyond what will have happened anyway over three years.

UK based if it matters, but happy to source from the US as we did with these.

Thanks

PS - and not interested in buying Apple, for the reasons cited by nkedel. I use a VGA port, 2 USB ports and an SD card slot on every trip...

superangrypenguin

And there is where you lost credibility. You have not owned every thin/light Windows machine since 1996, especially since you did not define how thin and how light.

Also, I use VGA/USB ports daily, and i'm in a different office/location/room weekly, so lugging around a docking station doesn't make sense

piper28

Most of the people I support when they're travelling are generally giving some sort of talk, so generally they'll need to connect to a projector, and in a lot of places, that means needing a vga port. Now, it's true on a lot of machines that probably means a display port adapter because the machines are too thin, but of course now with the macbook you need one specific to the one port there. And of course, if they want a wireless clicker to advance their slides, it probably also needs a port to connect to. So you're probably looking at that clunky expensive adapter mac sells for doing that. And of course, the whole single port being your charging port also kinda screws up the functionality unless you're using an adapter.

And my gods, that macbook has managed to produce what has to be the absolute worst keyboard I've ever typed on. (Ok, I suppose a flat glass screen is probably worse, but not by much).

To me, thinness on a laptop has a point of vanishing returns, and the macbook has passed that point.

ScottC

Almost every claim you make here is wrong, so I would recommend that people do not trust you at all.

I need an SD slot every day, I need multiple USB ports every single day. The concept of never needing ports just doesn't apply in the real world.You can't use your own personal experiences and assume they can be applied to everyone.

I've tried doing a presentation using my Macbook 12, and it is a pain in the .... If you travel for business and regularly need to present, then you'll need the multiport VGA AND the HDMI, adding another $160 to your purchase.

You are also wrong on the Macbook being the thinnest/lightest as the Lenovo LaVie Z beats it, it even has more ports.

boltjames

Just stop, what's next, spelling errors?



This is the USB-C VGA Multiport Adapter from Apple. It weighs less than a pack of gum. While you may find it inconvenient to add one more gadget in your travel kit, it allows the MacBook to be as thin and light as it is. I find I need this adapter 5 days out of the 50 days I'm using this notebook to travel overseas and it's quite nice to not be forced to drag these ports and their penalty to portability on the 45 days I don't need them.

BJ

boltjames

Let's see about that.

The poster I was responding to did not list these needs.

If money and ports are a concern for YOU then YOU should not consider the MacBook. The poster I was responding to did not list these as a concern.

It's fractional.

BJ

superangrypenguin

A simple Google search reveals pages and pages of issues wrt dongle issues.

My customers pay my employer $50k for 3 days of my time. I present for a living. I cannot imagine the horror of getting in front of a room and having to troubleshoot my machine.

I work in the IT industry, and while I have a bias against Apple, it is well known that dongles for any ultrabook has had more than its fair share of issues. Ports soldered onto system boards are far more reliable, especially given how long they've been around.

nkedel

I'm not going to respond in detail because you're repeating the same things you do ever time you choose to plug this particular machine, but regarding being on topic:

People have all kinds of different requirements for their machines, and this is a notebook thread on a travel forum. Not everyone optimizes for the same factors in buying a notebook.

It is both much more useful AND much more respectful of those people posting questions about what computer to get (for travel AND other uses) to actually LOOK at the requirements they give and to try to respond to those rather than always pushing the same machine you're fond of.

As for "thin" and "light," the VAIO VGN-P530 was a full half pound lighter, had half the footprint, and was only 1/4" thicker than the Macbook Retina is at the wide end. It's an obsolete piece of junk now, but if those are the only two factors you're optimizing for, it's clearly still the better machine right.

QED

Slightly larger footprint, but at that scale, the 2/10ths of a pound lighter is a significant difference (although by my standards, making machines lighter has long since reached the point of diminishing returns.)


The poster also mentioned performance as a concern, and has a machine (Lenovo X220) which is already going to be faster than the Macbook 12".

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?...0M+%40+2.50GHz
https://cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu....20GHz&id=2465

The poster also mentioned two machines to compare to with significantly larger screens suggesting if not saying outright that they didn't want to go downward (and the Macbook would have a smaller screen than their current one.)

When you're optimizing for a single variable, lighter is lighter.

Actually, for heavily-used ports the best thing is an internal lead, as soldered connections can and do break, and it's much easier to replace a port than a whole motherboard (or like they did back in the days, re-solder a port.)

--

Two notes for the person asking the original question:

* If you are interested in a MacBook 12" you should wait for Apple to refresh their laptops with the new 6th-generation processors; the early reviews suggest that the upcoming Core M processors are going to perform a LOT better than the original versions that went into the current MacBook. (Or, alternatively, look at the Macbook Air 13", which while still on the 5th generation processor is going to perform at least as well as your current X220)

* If you want the smaller footprint rather than a bigger screen, Lenovo should be announcing their next-gen Thinkpads soon; it's not clear whether they're keeping the existing numbering, but what would under the current numbering be called the X260 would be worth looking at if the smaller footprint is a desirable thing (and likely still quite a bit faster than the MacBook.) If you can't wait, the X250 is worth considering although for the most part the X1 Carbon is a better choice.

boltjames

People don't like paying for the Apple USB-C dongle, there aren't any functional problems that I'm aware of. I'm sure a few have issues as do with any electronic item online, but there's not some groundswell of issues plaguing this lightweight and harmless adapter. Give me a model number of a notebook you find rock-solid, I'll find internet complainers on Google too.

Be advised I hate Apple as well, never thought I'd own a Mac as my primary travel notebook, I merely am offering up that if you get past your bias like I did, dump OSX and install Windows 10 on the new 12" MacBook it's light weight, slim design, and retina display are a fantastic alternative to the other ultralight's out there.

And as a bonus, if you flip over to the OSX side occasionally on Boot Camp or Parallels you can take advantage of iMessage and FaceTime which are useful if your wife and kids have iPhone's (raises hand).

Same here regarding your predetermined dislike for Apple and your 1990s examples and prejudices. Suffice it to say that I was you a year ago and having discovered how good the new MacBook is a) running Windows 10 and b) as a travel companion, I felt it was good to share my thoughts just as you are sharing yours. I do not get your hostility. You should stop it.

Regarding your lecture, here is the original post I responded to. Please LOOK at the requirements:

Originally Posted by KiaOra
I urgently need to replace my Lenovo X220 and wonder whether it is better to buy a Lenovo Carbon X1 or the Dell XPS 13 or something else?

My main criteria are light weight, solid performer for multitasking business applications, reasonably good graphics and can take a modest amount of knocking around (frequent traveler). Touch screen functionality is not at all important for me.

Any suggestions would be most appreciated - thanks

I was on point. You are off-base. You don't need to jump down the throat of others who are offering advice you don't agree with. You can do that politely, or disregard the post entirely.

BJ