I have a 13" Dell XPS 9360 and it's bombproof. Carbon fibre chassis and metal top and bottom covers.
When I was shopping for mine, other brands just looked flimsy by comparison.
My laptop is in need of replacing, so I'm about to wander down to PC World and take a look at what they've got.
I like the small thin Samsung I've had the last six years, but physically it's about to fall apart, and Microsoft are about to discontinue Windows 7 support. I need to get something much more sturdy this time.
Using the search criteria 13.3" screen, Intel Core i5, SSD, I've eight results: 3 HP, 2 Dell, 2 Lenovo, 1 Acer.
They all have 256GB SSD and Windows 10. 4 have the i5-8250u processor, 4 the i5-8265u. (The two HP Envy's have NVIDIA graphics cards which I presume would be wasted on me.)
Will the variations in price be mostly down to build quality? If so, good, hopefully that's something I can see for myself when in the shop.
EDIT: I should have used my eyes more before posting this - I had forgotten some laptops now have touch screens which I'm not interested in. Things are narrowing themselves down.
It looks like what I want is the Dell Inspiron 13 5000 for £629. Which isn't in stock at the moment. That saves me a trip in the rain.
Last edited by Der Amf; 18th June 2019 at 15:49.
I have a 13" Dell XPS 9360 and it's bombproof. Carbon fibre chassis and metal top and bottom covers.
When I was shopping for mine, other brands just looked flimsy by comparison.
If you do decide to go down the Dell path, which wouldn't be a bad decision in my experience - particularly if you can stretch to an XPS, then you may want to keep an eye on their outlet site. Stock and prices change fairly rapidly so it's worth investing a bit of time following both for a bit to get a feel.
I've picked up the last two of my PC style laptops from there and they have both turned out to be excellent value for money purchases.
Looking at online reviews I realise that I really should have done a lot more research before starting this thread, so sorry for that. Who would have thought so much would have changed in six years?
I would suggest looking at the HP Elite range. Its what lots of companies provide their staff so are very robust.
The Lenovo ThinkPads are worthy of note.
If money is no object then have a look at Alienware or the HP Zbook range.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
I currently have 3 Dells as work computers - all running windows 7 Pro.
My main work computers are Dell Precision and the third is a Latitude. All have been used 6 days a week since Dec 2015.
All have been robust, one of the Precision models I dropped from my bag onto a concrete floor - it landed on the corner and the case is cracked but survived other than cosmetic damage and continues to work fine.
I did replace the standard hard drives with SSD but that is easy to do if you need an upgrade.
When recently looking for a new laptop for #1 son I found good deals and massive selection at saveonlaptops.co.uk.
I have been a Dell convert for 20 year. My most recent Dell is an XPS with 15" 4K touchscreen, seemed bulletproof and with a good amount of metal in its outer shell this perception was reinforced. That was until just before Christmas, at 2.5 yrs old I had to have the screen replaced under Dells 3yr premium warranty. Along with the screen a new palm rest was fitted. In recent weeks the computer started to feel a little loose in one corner and made a slight creaking sound each time I opened the screen. I thought it was a loose screw and intended to get one of the techs at work to go over it, but on the weekend the screen suddenly died. I called Dell yesterday only to find the 3yr warranty had just expired three weeks ago, and the warranty on repairs is only three months and that will be £845 to fix sir.
The tech fixed the machine today and Dells over the phone diagnosis proved correct, a screw which attaches the screen hinge to the palm rest had pulled out and in doing so, severed the ribbon cable running to the screen. This ribbon cable happened to run by and through said hinge. Dells diagnosis just from my description of the problem was 100% which leads me to think this would seem a common issue. Dell flatly refused to do consider a waranty repair or part compensation, hiding behind their T&C. This has soured my opinion of Dell, especially as XPS laptops are expensive and sold as a premium product for heavy users. The failed palm rest is all plastic and it was a metal screw attaching a hinge onto the underside of the plastic palmrest that caused the failure. I have my doubts Dell are building stronger laptops based on this experience, especiallyy as the hinge mount is quite a stressed part.
Unfortunately, I don't know of another manufacturer that does onsite repairs, this remains a key reason to consider Dell if you are a business user.
Another Dell XPS 13 owner, and the battery in mine has swollen so that the keyboard has been impacted from underneath and has started to malfunction. There was a callback last year but they only replaced batteries for some of the models and not others. Mine was not replaced as they think the XPS13 was not impacted by the problem (just google, the web is full of people who describe the isuue).
I have now removed the battery and the PC works fine again, a replacement battery costs about 70 Euros, so no big catastrophe - but I am disappointed by Dell's service and support. Wouldn't buy again.
Someone who lies about the little things will lie about the big things too.
That reminds me Raffe, when I had the screen replaced at Christmas I also had a swollen battery that was replaced under warranty. There was a lot of pressure stored in the battery!
I found good quality amongst Lenovo laptops, the medium to high quality range is very durable and has a nice feel to it. Will be my next choice.
Someone who lies about the little things will lie about the big things too.
A couple of years ago when I needed a new laptop I eventually went for an HP Spectre - a near identical spec to THIS ONE. It's certainly thin, robustly built etc. It's not my main computer (I use a desktop for that) and isn't hammered though used regularly and has been perfect. I never use it as a tablet and didn't have a need for a huge SSD as I have either a 2TB portable hard drive or a 256GB memory stick if I need additional space.
Dells have begun to solder their RAM and so on down so they can't be replaced, copying Apple. I'd be looking maybe at a Thinkpad which are getting good reviews.
If you want thin, then this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...5D7JCP0R4PR1PE
I am using HP Elite book and Lenovo X1 Carbon, and pound for pound, the HP is excellent, every day
Good luck !!
I'm in the shop, taking advantage of the severe staff shortage to give everything a good maul. The 14" Lenovo Yogas feel nicely sturdy. Unfortunately they haven't the 13.3" in stock, so I can't see if with the smaller size comes significantly less sturdiness.
The Lenovo Ideapads are also nicely solid.
The Acers seem very flimsy, and the small HPs seem physically unconvincing.
Made the mistake of buying a HP for my dad last year, never again will such a piece of garbage enter my household. It had many issues from the beginning, HP refused any kind of responsibility/support if I wasn't prepared to do a few tests including complete hardware resets myself. I ended up binning it (two months old) and bought him a Lenovo. He is very happy with it.
Someone who lies about the little things will lie about the big things too.
Just had my aging work laptop (Lenovo) with a new HP Elitebook x360. The Lenovo are really sturdy, if not worried about style then these are a really good option.
The HP is beautifully sleek and fast (it’s the i7) and the aluminium case feels sturdy. I think they cost about £1500 retail though (we buy about 6000 a year, so must be getting a very good deal or I wouldn’t have been given one!) but I think actually represent pretty good value compared with what you would pay for the equivalent Mac or Surface
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Wouldn't buy from PC World.
If you want Dell, do direct:
https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/lapt...90-wifi-laptop
And currently 8% TopCashBack
Or go for a refurb:
https://outlet.euro.dell.com/Online/...rid=125&~ck=mn
I've had very good experience with Dell generally, to be fair.
If you want a durable laptop, I don’t think much if anything outclasses the Panasonic Toughbook. I’ve had one for three years, the best laptop I’ve ever had. A brutal machine- you could probably bludgeon someone to death with it, wipe it with a cloth, open it up and type your report with it none the worse for wear.
As an IT buyer for work these are my thoughts / experiences
Dell = poor customer service
HP= non existent customer service
Lenovo = brilliant for the money, excellent customer service too.
Nunya - Does Lenovo offer an onsite warranty repair service? Thats a key consideration for me.
I have an almost top spec Dell 13 inch XPS 9370 (1TB SSD rather than 2). Its a pretty fantastic laptop if you can live without traditional USB ports (or live with the dongle).
In hindsight, I would have gone for the Lenovo X1 Carbon for around the same price and performance. A colleague has one and while it isn't as flashy, the keyboard is far nicer and the overall build is robust. That is a compliment, as the Dell is no delicate machine.
This month marks the fourth birthday of my Dell XPS 13.
It's been all over the place and has travelled on just every kinds of transport. It still works and looks like new and I'll buy a new one when the time comes.
I used to be a Dell user but the last two laptops have been sub-standard and the last one, a Latitude, suffered a catastrophic hard drive and screen failure at 18 months from new - and became a brick.
Since then I have used Lenovo machines exclusively and have to say I have been delighted with the performance/price and they have had no service issues whatsoever. Worth saying that I purchased the last one at Currys PC World who are often unjustly maligned. Many years ago I had a desktop PC that was "spiked" by a nearby thunderstorm, resulting in the sound board being disabled. As this was fixed on the motherboard, after an on-site visit from an engineer, they couldn't get a spare within 28 days so I was invited to exchange the PC for a new machine of the same value - which of course was now faster/slicker/better processor etc. No quibbles at all. Worth consideration.
I think I ought to buy at PC World if I choose something which they stock, as it is they who gave me the opportunity to discover which machines I wanted.
I've always bought IBM/Lenovo, albeit top-spec models.......... apart from a brief (never to be repeated) foray into Macbook crap.
Sure, if you buy a £500 laptop - it will be built to that pricepoint - but Lenovo is still the leader on build-quality in my opinion.
I think the two I'm choosing between are
• Lenovo Yoga 730 13.3" (216×306×14mm, 1.12kg) 2-in-1, good build quality, not great battery life
• Asus Zenbook 14" Laptop (199×319×16mm, 1.19kg) bigger screen in similar space better battery life queries over the fussy touchpad
[Both are i5, 8GB, 256GB hard drive, £800]
I haven't seen let alone mauled an Asus yet. One review says "press the keys a bit harder and there's a worrying amount of give to the keyboard chassis" but another while noting that flex still calls it robust
Although I hadn't been thinking about a 2-in-1, the idea is appealing. And Lenovo has had a lot of on this thread.
My Asus laptop experience is largely positive:
+very thin and light
+instant startup
+pretty robust - the kids have used it for the last 2 years with no ill effect
+decent keyboard
-poor touchpad
I have been using a Microsoft surface laptop 2... lovely build and screen..... not the cheapest but got one from eBay !
cheers
matt
I managed to drop my MacBook Air from a metre onto a concrete step. Amazingly it survived with a mere chip on the metal case. Genuinely amazed.
200% Lenovo.
I say no more.
Someone who lies about the little things will lie about the big things too.
my little lenovo has fallen off the sofa umpteen times, stepped on, bits of plastic have broken off - still works fine
tough but not pretty to look at
Laptops vary by task, I would categorise these as, gaming, business and home. PCworld tend to do the home and some gaming machines. These are not in the same league as business machines and are seen as disposable objects. Things like the Lenovo carbon x1 and Dell latitude ranges are business machines as as a result are generally more expensive to buy for the individual. Business machines are normally bought at a price point in bulk but are much better and more serviceable machines. A good gaming rig is expensive but have the same build as business machines albeit with expensive graphics included and are normally best sourced direct online for example Alienware which is part of Dell.
It's not that I'm wanting a machine I can bludgeon someone into next week with, it's just that my Samsung is literally being held together with sellotape, and I quite fancy not having to worry along those lines for the next half decade.
Just remember that another factor in the higher cost of business machines is continuity of componentry. Enterprises tend to have corporate images with embedded drivers and don't like chipsets to change too much from one month to the next as it means these can break. With domestic machines the manufacturers will change stuff every week if it allows them to keep their costs down.
Just one word of warning about the Lenovo X270/280 range - my team in the Middle East no longer deploy these as they've not been tough enough for the field locations where they are used and we now stick to L470/480. I use an X270 and I've noticed a common fault is the machine blue-screening if you pick it up using the front left hand corner - not all of the time but often enough to be annoying.
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
Bought the HP ENVY 17-bw0006na for my wife a few months ago, it was quite expensive but I(we) are 100% happy with it and HP customer services cheerfully supplied full system recovery DVD’s after I grumbled!
Bought a Lenovo Ideapad a month ago, pretty impressed with it. I'm a Mac bloke myself, so I struggled to setup the Windows stuff, but now its all working its good.
The absence of a function lock button is an annoying omission, given that page up and page down etc are function (left hand) + cursor keys (right hand) Immediately browsing through long documents has become less straightforward.
Getting spammy pop ups is pretty annoying too. I miss DOS.
Somewhere in the middle of the four years since this thread, I poured beer all over my laptop. Miraculously, it survived. Unsurprisingly, it's now on the way out.
Should I be looking at Lenovo again? Or have things moved on since then?
Do not buy HP if they have plastic hinges. A lot of them do.
Don’t buy any laptop with plastic hinges. Do your homework as they may have chrome outside, but plastic inside.
Plastic anything parts that are subject to forces are to be avoided at all costs.
I’ve had laptops, cameras, shavers etc, all be rendered worthless because of a small plastic part.
Short answer - yup, Lenovo. Thinkpad range only.
I just bought a replacement machine for work as the Dell is now retired (works fine, but IT have to spend their budget right?). Went Lenovo T14s, absolute workhorse. The current Intel generation appears to run hot and in a laptop/ultrabook, its the least possible desirable characteristic you could ask for.
Is it resurrection week?
Someone who lies about the little things will lie about the big things too.