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MacBook Pro Alternative

J

januarydrive7

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Oct 23, 2020
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I've been a Mac user since Apple switched to Intel, and have been spoiled by Apple's build quality (looking at you, trackpad!) and more recently perf/watt with an M1 Pro 14" MBP. Sadly, I'll be getting a work-issued laptop soon, which means I'll be forced to get an Intel device.

For those of you who enjoy using Macs due to their build quality, but have an appreciation for non-Apple laptops, give me your suggestions:

My desires, in order of importance:
-- quality trackpad
-- solid keyboard feel
-- decent battery life
-- outdoor-capable display

Thanks!
 
I'll have some say. For what it's worth, I've been following the other thread here re: LG Gram, and I'm surprised at the response. It seems to be a decent alternative, if you have to go that route. I'll be deploying on the company's servers, so while local performance is welcome, I won't be bound by local compute.
 
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Just avoid Razer like the plague in case that's an option. Bought one for my gf as it was "Macbook Pro-ish" and it's really disappointed at every turn with battery problems, broken charger, it's noisy...
 
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januarydrive7 said:
I'll have some say. For what it's worth, I've been following the other thread here re: LG Gram, and I'm surprised at the response. It seems to be a decent alternative, if you have to go that route. I'll be deploying on the company's servers, so while local performance is welcome, I won't be bound by local compute.
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There are some HP business machines made from aluminum that are solid and offer great performance.
 
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TinyMito said:
The software and customer support is just terrible.
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When work assigns laptops, it’s not you job to look for support, it’s IT’s job.

At least for me, if my work laptop goes down, I take it to them and get a loaner in the meantime.

That having been said, that’s a reason why I pick HP. My two work laptops from them have been quite sturdy, and dare I say on par with my Mac. The only problem is, Windows.
 
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The best Windows laptop that I've ever owned, and by a far margin, is a 14" Huawei MateBook X Pro. Many of it's features are essentially a copy of the MacBook Pro, but it is a very well-made and well-supported computer. It runs great and has an excellent screen and a very good trackpad. Unfortunately, they can no longer sell here, so unless you're in another part of the world, you can't get one.

I have also really enjoyed a couple of ASUS Vivobooks.

Microsoft's Surface line is also worth a look. I used a Surface Pro 4 for work for four years and it was a great little machine. I've also had the Surface Book with the detachable screen (for use as a tablet). It was decent, but the the tablet battery life left a lot to be desired. With it attached to the keyboard battery life was decent, but nothing special.
 
Avoid Acer.

I like the LG Gram. I used to like the Dell XPS line but I haven't used one in a long time.

You could just use a MacBook Pro to connect to a Windows Cloud instance.
 
Might not be the most popular opinion and more fitting in politics sub-forum, but I personally try to avoid chinese brands as much as possible, regardless how good and enticing they might seem price-performance wise.

So, if youre not in a hurry, perhaps october update of Microsoft Surface line might do it for you.
 
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