macbook to windows device (dell / surface laptop)

[Eggtastic]

I am about to hit the two year mark with my retina macbook. Its been great except the battery life. I've had mac OS for almost 10 years and I feel it might be time to give windows a try as they have really seemed to up their game.

I am a standard user who isn't pushing the limits of the computer so I don't need something spectacular. I will be waiting for this October event that Apple may release a new macbook just in case they come out with something great.

The two main laptops that caught my eye was the Dell XPS 13 and the new Windows Surface Laptop 2. I am leaning more towards windows if I decide.

I know most of you on this particular forum have done so. Just curious if you went to any of these two laptops and your thoughts?

 

[SDColorado]

I own a 2017 Surface Pro which I really like and would definitely buy another MS computer. Maybe a Surface Book 3 or 4 down the road.

The XPS 13 is going to be the lighter of the two and has Thunderbolt 3 ports. The latter may not be important to you as a "standard user."

The Surface Book 2 has a larger battery with better battery life, it also has a better graphics card.

If you have a Microsoft Store or Best Buy near you, they will likely have both on the floor, since the Microsoft stores also carry Dell, HP, Lenovo, Asus, Huawei and others.

 

[SteveJUAE]

As SDColorado suggests pop along to MS store and have a play

Personally I have bought 2 rMB (2015) and my wife still uses hers, my eldest has the other.

I think you will find the liberation you felt with such a small svelte clamshell like the rMB can be found again with the Surface Pro. It has an amazing versatility of use/format in an almost identical footprint your use to, with options on higher spec if you so wish. However it's not quite as lapable but has many other options and of course no USB-C but has the equivalent spec USB-A + SD + Micro HD. You will also have a wealth of other options like pen, touch etc to explore or not at no additional cost as they are part of the standard features that just come with Surface devices and now available in black

The Surface Laptop is just a nice conventional clamshell high quality/premium laptop with a touch screen which is less likely to be used than other surface devices. But if you cannot get past clamshell format it has it's appeal. My eldest sister literally at the check-out swapped from buying the rMB to the Surface laptop as she just preferred the KB and the overall feel/design.

The SB2 is the best of both worlds in so far as more clamshell feel but can be used in tablet mode should you wish but not quite as svelte as your rMB or SP but has a good range of options up to 15"

I would not recommend the GO as a windows only device, it's more of a companion device IMO especially to the SB2 15" however it will also appeal to those with very modest requirements or have alternative devices and maybe only want a toe in to Win10 or a more full experience small tablet

Overall I think you will appreciate after Apple the expensive and somewhat similar but different feel of the Surface Mag casing and attention to design only offered by this production process. The KB is best in class on the SP and the one of the best period on the SB/SL which has a more welcome home feel after the shallow through Apple KB's. Interface with smart phones is progressing well and Android is catered for more due to Apple restrictions but generally is improving greatly with only one or two features not fully developed yet. Screen mirroring is built in to W10 you do not need Apple TV to project to smart TV's.

There is a lot to like, explore and enjoy

 

[Eggtastic]

Thanks for the replies.

The closest store to me is 1.5 hours away. However the mall is insanely high end and beautiful. It is worth a trip up for the day (will probably go during the holidays).

 

[SDColorado]

I know almost nothing about Huawei other than seeing them at the Microsoft store, but they seem well reviewed and are also maybe worth a look...

https://www.windowscentral.com/dell-xps-13-vs-huawei-matebook-x-pro

 

[Eggtastic]

I know almost nothing about Huawei other than seeing them at the Microsoft store, but they seem well reviewed and are also maybe worth a look...

https://www.windowscentral.com/dell-xps-13-vs-huawei-matebook-x-pro

Thanks! Ill be sure to check them out and report back.

 

[sosumi99]

I like the Surface devices. Pretty sure that you'll enjoy both machines you are considering, though I'm biased toward the Surface Book 2 as MS has done a great job of getting their QA issues under control the last few years. I think you'll be impressed with the performance.

Compared to Macs, I think the biggest hardware shortcoming you'll note is the quality of the trackpad. For some reason, no Windows OEM has been able to come even close to Apple's trackpads, and so I can't stand to use even the Surface devices without a mouse. At least you have a lot of choices there.

If you generally rely on MS Office products, you should find the Windows versions better too.

 

[SDColorado]

I like the Surface devices. Pretty sure that you'll enjoy both machines you are considering, though I'm biased toward the Surface Book 2 as MS has done a great job of getting their QA issues under control the last few years. I think you'll be impressed with the performance.

Compared to Macs, I think the biggest hardware shortcoming you'll note is the quality of the trackpad. For some reason, no Windows OEM has been able to come even close to Apple's trackpads, and so I can't stand to use even the Surface devices without a mouse. At least you have a lot of choices there.

If you generally rely on MS Office products, you should find the Windows versions better too.

I love Apple trackpads! Maybe not as much as Apple loves Apple trackpads though, since they decided that the apparently need to be the size of an iPhone.

That said I don’t have any problem with the trackpads on the Surface devices or the Lenovo X1 Carbon or Extreme (which also use MS trackpads). They are a nice glass trackpad that remind me a lot of the pre-Taptic Apple ones and are a much more “normal” size

I even find the small one on the Surface Pro very useable. But everyone has their preferences for sure

 

[xraydoc]

I like the Surface devices. Pretty sure that you'll enjoy both machines you are considering, though I'm biased toward the Surface Book 2 as MS has done a great job of getting their QA issues under control the last few years. I think you'll be impressed with the performance.

Compared to Macs, I think the biggest hardware shortcoming you'll note is the quality of the trackpad. For some reason, no Windows OEM has been able to come even close to Apple's trackpads, and so I can't stand to use even the Surface devices without a mouse. At least you have a lot of choices there.

If you generally rely on MS Office products, you should find the Windows versions better too.

As I've mentioned in other threads, I replaced my 15" MBP with a 13.5" Surface Book 2 (quad core i7 and dGPU) and so far have been very, very satisfied. Typing this now with just the screen portion (the "clipboard") on my lap. The whole system has been solid and error free thus far.

 

[whiteonline]

As I've mentioned in other threads, I replaced my 15" MBP with a 13.5" Surface Book 2 (quad core i7 and dGPU) and so far have been very, very satisfied. Typing this now with just the screen portion (the "clipboard") on my lap. The whole system has been solid and error free thus far.

What made you go with the 13 over the 15? Do you find the 13 is large enough after using a 15” MacBook?

 

[xraydoc]

What made you go with the 13 over the 15? Do you find the 13 is large enough after using a 15” MacBook?

I definitely didn't want anything noticeably heavier than the 15" MBP. I was also afraid the tablet portion at 15" would simply be too big.

The 13.5" machine's screen is basically a squared off version of the 15" MBP. Very similar physical height, just missing the side vertical strips. Screen resolution is also very similar -- actually higher on the 13.5" SB2 (3000x2000 on the SB2 while the 15" MBP is 2880x1800), so I didn't really lose any screen real estate.

The performance of the 13.5" SB2 and my old 2016 15" MBP are virtually identical, so I wasn't losing anything performance-wise. Graphics-wise, they're also nearly idential, though I don't have those benchmarks handy.