UNCjigga
Lifer
Hi AnandTech--I need a new laptop. Unfortunately, I just haven't been able to find the right set of specs and features at the price point I need.
The last laptop I bought was a Lenovo Yoga 11S roughly 4-5 years ago, back when Windows 8, 2-in-1s and Haswell were all the rage. I loved how compact it was, but in hindsight an 11" screen was just too small. The keyboard was also cramped, and while I don't have big hands I prefer a larger palmrest area. Unfortunately, it hasn't aged well (poor battery life, crappy wifi, touchscreen no longer works, and 128GB was too small.)
I recently picked up a Chromebook as a stopgap--an Acer Chromebook 14. It's actually waaaay better than I thought it would be. The matte 1080p screen is decent (max brightness is low though) and I get 10-12 hours of solid usage on battery. The Android versions of Word and Excel work well enough, but I do miss the flexibility of running Windows apps (haven't looked at CrossOver yet.) Also, I've already hit the wall a few times where a Celeron and 4GB of non-upgradeable RAM just weren't enough.
So here's what I'm looking for:
- 8th Gen Core i5/Core i7 U-series (may consider mobile Ryzen once reviews are out)
- 13.3" - 14" 1080p IPS screen @ 300 nits or brighter (ideally a 14" with slim bezels in a 13.3" frame)
- Minimum 8GB of user upgradeable RAM (DDR4 preferred but not required)
- Minimum 256GB SSD (PCIe preferred but not required)
- 802.11ac 2x2 wifi
- Back-lit keyboard
- Large precision trackpad
- Ports: USB 3.0 (2); USB 3.1 Type C (1 or 2; Gen 2/Thunderbolt preferred); HDMI preferred; SD Card reader preferred
* MINIMUM of 8 hours battery life in standard rundown tests
- 3 lbs or less
- unibody construction (aluminum, magnesium alloy, carbon fiber) preferred
- Under $1000
So far the closest I've come to hitting all my requirements are the Acer Swift 3 laptops with 8th-gen processors--unfortunately the reviews tend to agree that the display quality is somewhat lacking (I haven't been able to find one in the wild to confirm):
SF314-52G-55WQ
SF314-52-52SY
[URL='https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/model/NX.GSSAA.002']SF314-53G-87EQ[/URL]
The last laptop I bought was a Lenovo Yoga 11S roughly 4-5 years ago, back when Windows 8, 2-in-1s and Haswell were all the rage. I loved how compact it was, but in hindsight an 11" screen was just too small. The keyboard was also cramped, and while I don't have big hands I prefer a larger palmrest area. Unfortunately, it hasn't aged well (poor battery life, crappy wifi, touchscreen no longer works, and 128GB was too small.)
I recently picked up a Chromebook as a stopgap--an Acer Chromebook 14. It's actually waaaay better than I thought it would be. The matte 1080p screen is decent (max brightness is low though) and I get 10-12 hours of solid usage on battery. The Android versions of Word and Excel work well enough, but I do miss the flexibility of running Windows apps (haven't looked at CrossOver yet.) Also, I've already hit the wall a few times where a Celeron and 4GB of non-upgradeable RAM just weren't enough.
So here's what I'm looking for:
- 8th Gen Core i5/Core i7 U-series (may consider mobile Ryzen once reviews are out)
- 13.3" - 14" 1080p IPS screen @ 300 nits or brighter (ideally a 14" with slim bezels in a 13.3" frame)
- Minimum 8GB of user upgradeable RAM (DDR4 preferred but not required)
- Minimum 256GB SSD (PCIe preferred but not required)
- 802.11ac 2x2 wifi
- Back-lit keyboard
- Large precision trackpad
- Ports: USB 3.0 (2); USB 3.1 Type C (1 or 2; Gen 2/Thunderbolt preferred); HDMI preferred; SD Card reader preferred
* MINIMUM of 8 hours battery life in standard rundown tests
- 3 lbs or less
- unibody construction (aluminum, magnesium alloy, carbon fiber) preferred
- Under $1000
So far the closest I've come to hitting all my requirements are the Acer Swift 3 laptops with 8th-gen processors--unfortunately the reviews tend to agree that the display quality is somewhat lacking (I haven't been able to find one in the wild to confirm):
SF314-52G-55WQ
SF314-52-52SY
[URL='https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/model/NX.GSSAA.002']SF314-53G-87EQ[/URL]
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