Non-gimped USB-C laptops?

[Cogman]

Does anyone know if there are plans on USB-C laptops that are somewhat more powerful? The current offering, as far as I can tell, are things along the lines of 10' tablets and chromebooks. It would be nice to see something a little meatier with USB-C (and it should be possible as the standard allows for up to 100W of power to be delivered, my current laptop has a 90W charger and, at the time, some pretty beefy specs).

 

[corkyg]

HP's Pavilion X2 is supposed to have USB-C. Dell will release theirs in Sept/Oct. It will likely grow to a standard in most brands.

 

[Kaido]

HP's Pavilion X2 is supposed to have USB-C. Dell will release theirs in Sept/Oct. It will likely grow to a standard in most brands.

FYI the 2015 release of the X2 hasn't been getting great reviews, which is really disappointing because it looks awesome. One review in particular:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-pavi...hite/9567019.p?id=1219704433051&skuId=9567019

This is exactly what I was looking for in a compact, lightweight, convertible touch screen tablet/laptop however it did not live up to my expectations in performance. The 1st 2 days, I kept getting blue screens. The computer would shut down without warning and I ended up resetting it back to factory defaults for it to stop. I then noticed how slow it was to connect to my work's WiFi when my 2 year old Android phone connected in seconds. Doing anything on the Internet became a chore. Delayed clicking, slow to load pages, delayed typing, often freezing with no response causing it to have to be forced closed and re opened. I have premium Internet service at home and never have issues with any of my devices, but this one struggled. Also, the screen brightness is not that great. I really wanted this purchase to work out, but sadly I will be returning it

I've had the same experience with nearly half a dozen Asus T100's now too (although not so much with the speed problem, they are actually pretty zippy). Lots of BSOD, hardware problem is all I can figure. Just got another back from RMA Friday :thumbsdown:

 

[jaydee]

FYI the 2015 release of the X2 hasn't been getting great reviews, which is really disappointing because it looks awesome. One review in particular:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-pavi...hite/9567019.p?id=1219704433051&skuId=9567019



I've had the same experience with nearly half a dozen Asus T100's now too (although not so much with the speed problem, they are actually pretty zippy). Lots of BSOD, hardware problem is all I can figure. Just got another back from RMA Friday :thumbsdown:

Looks awesome? HP Pavilion? I mean, Envy is solid, Spectre is good, but the Pavilion line has always had the cheapest/lowest quality everything.

 

[Kaido]

Looks awesome? HP Pavilion? I mean, Envy is solid, Spectre is good, but the Pavilion line has always had the cheapest/lowest quality everything.

It looks awesome because it's basically a more sturdy Asus T100, which is a great concept, plus has a reversible docking screen. So you get laptop, tablet, and "presentation mode" for a great price. The T100 is great - when it works. So based off that one review, things don't sound so hot, and since I've dealt with like half a dozen T100's with issues similar to that, I'm not really surprised to read about those negatives.

 

[Cogman]

Bump

 

[Kaido]

Does anyone know if there are plans on USB-C laptops that are somewhat more powerful? The current offering, as far as I can tell, are things along the lines of 10' tablets and chromebooks. It would be nice to see something a little meatier with USB-C (and it should be possible as the standard allows for up to 100W of power to be delivered, my current laptop has a 90W charger and, at the time, some pretty beefy specs).

The new 12" Macbook uses USB-C:

http://www.apple.com/macbook/specs/

Not cheap ($1360 to $1600), but specs are decent for something running off a 29-watt USB-C power adapter:

12" IPS LED screen with 16:9 2304x1440 resolution
1.1 or 1.2ghz Core M with Turbo
8GB RAM
256gb or 512gb PCIe SSD
Intel HD Graphics 5300 (max 3840x2160 on external display)

Windows is an option on these (dual-boot using Boot Camp, with the option of nuking OSX off the drive, or virtualize Windows with Parallels/VMware Fusion/VirtualBox).

 

[Commodus]

The lack of 'full fat' USB-C laptops is likely a reflection of how skittish companies are about investing in the tech at this point. The MacBook is probably as good as it gets until 2016.

 

[Cogman]

The lack of 'full fat' USB-C laptops is likely a reflection of how skittish companies are about investing in the tech at this point. The MacBook is probably as good as it gets until 2016.

Too bad. I had hoped that more companies would have jumped on board with the standard this year.

Hopefully 2016 is better. I've been disappointed that so few phones/tablets/etc have pulled in USB-C for charging and its other features.

 

[jaydee]

The lack of 'full fat' USB-C laptops is likely a reflection of how skittish companies are about investing in the tech at this point. The MacBook is probably as good as it gets until 2016.

Meh. Lenovo Yoga 900. For $1,200, you get convertible (with the best hinge on the market), 13" 3200x1800, i7-6500U, 256GB/8GB, 2 x USB Type A 3.0, 1 x USB Type C 3.0 with Video-out, 1 x DC-in with USB 2.0 Function, 4-in-1 Card Reader (SD, MMC, SDXC, SDHC), Audio Combo Jack.

From a hardware spec point of view, Macbook doesn't come close at similar pricepoint. I get that some people like OSX better than Windows, the Macbook's hardware is simply inferior. Smaller screen, lower res, much lesser CPU/GPU, fewer ports, higher price.

 

[Commodus]

Meh. Lenovo Yoga 900. For $1,200, you get convertible (with the best hinge on the market), 13" 3200x1800, i7-6500U, 256GB/8GB, 2 x USB Type A 3.0, 1 x USB Type C 3.0 with Video-out, 1 x DC-in with USB 2.0 Function, 4-in-1 Card Reader (SD, MMC, SDXC, SDHC), Audio Combo Jack.

From a hardware spec point of view, Macbook doesn't come close at similar pricepoint. I get that some people like OSX better than Windows, the Macbook's hardware is simply inferior. Smaller screen, lower res, much lesser CPU/GPU, fewer ports, higher price.

Ah, I'd forgotten that the Yoga 900 had a USB-C port. You're definitely right spec-wise. The MacBook only really wins out if you're looking for a small ultraportable.

 

[TheStu]

Meh. Lenovo Yoga 900. For $1,200, you get convertible (with the best hinge on the market), 13" 3200x1800, i7-6500U, 256GB/8GB, 2 x USB Type A 3.0, 1 x USB Type C 3.0 with Video-out, 1 x DC-in with USB 2.0 Function, 4-in-1 Card Reader (SD, MMC, SDXC, SDHC), Audio Combo Jack.

From a hardware spec point of view, Macbook doesn't come close at similar pricepoint. I get that some people like OSX better than Windows, the Macbook's hardware is simply inferior. Smaller screen, lower res, much lesser CPU/GPU, fewer ports, higher price.

I'm not sure I would ding the display on the MacBook (in terms of size OR res), because by that logic, the Yoga is inferior to anything with a 14"+ display. Otherwise you're right, the Yoga 900 is a good looking choice.

If OP doesn't want a convertible, the XPS 13 is another pretty good looking choice.

 

[jaydee]

I'm not sure I would ding the display on the MacBook (in terms of size OR res), because by that logic, the Yoga is inferior to anything with a 14"+ display. Otherwise you're right, the Yoga 900 is a good looking choice.

If OP doesn't want a convertible, the XPS 13 is another pretty good looking choice.

Per price, you expect to pay less for smaller screen, even if some people prefer a smaller form-factor (hence, Macbook Air 11" costs less than Macbook Air 13", MBP 13" costs less than MBP 15" with otherwise similar specs). In this case, Macbook costs more than the Yoga 900, with a smaller screen.