Could someone let me know of any slim, light Windows laptops that have equivalent screen resolution to the MacBook and also come with 10 hours battery? I am trying to compare models, but I don't know how to research Windows laptops.
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MacBook's competition?
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Just go post on a Windows board how great the rMB is and you'll get lots of examples in short order. 
Just kidding. I'd be curious to see the same. Most of what gets tossed out as "competition" are 13.3" laptops which are an entirely different class. Remember the rMB has 73% of the volume of the 11" MBA and that's already substantially smaller than the 13" MBA.
Just kidding. I'd be curious to see the same. Most of what gets tossed out as "competition" are 13.3" laptops which are an entirely different class. Remember the rMB has 73% of the volume of the 11" MBA and that's already substantially smaller than the 13" MBA.
If I want the 13" XPS with similar resolution (they call it Qhd+) then that is about £250 more expensive.. it does have good battery life apparently.. Around 10 hours, but I have never found battery life in Windows to be that reliable.
And it looks a lot thicker and heavier
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Hoping this doesn't become vaporware, but I'm an rMB devotee (I also think it really sucks for a lot of reasons) and this is the closest windows competitor I've heard of:
http://store.hp.com/us/en/ContentView?storeId=10151&eSpotName=hpspectre
I know, I thought HP just made ink cartridges, but it seems they also occasionally make really cool super-thin laptops to compete with Apple's ultralights. The best part of it, assuming it actually is released, is that it's going to have a proper core i7 cpu, which is going to be insane. Basically a Macbook Pro in the form factor of a Macbook. I assume Apple will have released their super-thin MBP by the time the Spectre comes out, but if not I might get one of these suckers for more heavy duty computing.
As for battery life not even the Macbook comes with 10 hours of battery life, just "10 hours of battery life." The Spectre claims "9 hours of battery life" which probably means 4 hours of battery life.
You will be hard pushed to find a similar device in a 0.75 litre volume else it would be a clone
Your rMB is a windows laptop, if you wish
Most of the "near" windows laptops contain additional ports, a higher range of options etc etc and often touch screens and simply cannot be fitted in to the same volume as the rMB other than the Atom based versions or tablets/2 in 1's, if you ignore the KB.
There is a bigger and more capable range of options in the windows world and you simple have to way these up against usually 250g/1/2lb weight penalty and footprint/thickness that comes with it.
This is nothing clever or smart by Apple and is why the rMB only has one port and M processors etc it's a minimalist design to suit a very svelte footprint that carries a premium for it
If you do not mind minor compromise on footprint but gain considerably more then the SP4, Lenovo Carbon X/900/Yoga and Dell XPS. HP and others have plenty to offer. The latest ultrabooks and tablets that are Atom based will give the rMB a good run for the money and have generally better battery life and foot print all be a lessor processor at a fraction of the price of a rMB for daily activities.
If you also through an Ipad in to the equation then the windows 2 in 1's make even more compelling case vs 2 Apple devices
Your rMB is a windows laptop, if you wish
Most of the "near" windows laptops contain additional ports, a higher range of options etc etc and often touch screens and simply cannot be fitted in to the same volume as the rMB other than the Atom based versions or tablets/2 in 1's, if you ignore the KB.
There is a bigger and more capable range of options in the windows world and you simple have to way these up against usually 250g/1/2lb weight penalty and footprint/thickness that comes with it.
This is nothing clever or smart by Apple and is why the rMB only has one port and M processors etc it's a minimalist design to suit a very svelte footprint that carries a premium for it
If you do not mind minor compromise on footprint but gain considerably more then the SP4, Lenovo Carbon X/900/Yoga and Dell XPS. HP and others have plenty to offer. The latest ultrabooks and tablets that are Atom based will give the rMB a good run for the money and have generally better battery life and foot print all be a lessor processor at a fraction of the price of a rMB for daily activities.
If you also through an Ipad in to the equation then the windows 2 in 1's make even more compelling case vs 2 Apple devices
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Granted the XPS will be slightly heavier and slightly thicker. Only Apple make things the Apple way.
That said the XPS is probably going to give good reliability with a form factor that it small and quick.
Most ultra-book Windows alternatives are real pigs to use. Dodgy trackpads, rubbish screens, atom processors. Nightmare.
If I had to buy a Windows laptop, I'd go with the trusted XPS. But if I could, I'd stick with the Mac and put Windows on bootcamp or Parallels.
Check the dimensions and weight. The Spectre is a 13.3" class laptop, so it's not really comparable to the rMB. It's substantially wider, deeper, and heavier -- those all remove the constraints that impose rMB's inherent compromises.
The more accurate comparison is the Spectre against the MBA13 and rMBP13 and whatever Apple does with those this summer (or whenever).
You have to remember Apple can only compete in the clamshell format they have nothing to offer in the others with full OS where better screens, KB's and connectivity and processors are available on some models
If you wanted a similar 12" USB C single port Core M with the same weight (inc KB) with a similar res but touch screen then the newish Samsung Galaxy TabPro S is a nice example of what is available with arguably greater flexibility offered by a 2 in 1
If you wanted a similar 12" USB C single port Core M with the same weight (inc KB) with a similar res but touch screen then the newish Samsung Galaxy TabPro S is a nice example of what is available with arguably greater flexibility offered by a 2 in 1
This article has a decent spec comparison of the XPS line vs. the MacBook line. It's not comparing the Retina with the QHD though. However, the Dell is lighter and actually thinner at the thickest point.
With that said, I've researched the XPS a lot lately and other than the operating system (which is a big deal), I don't think the MacBook holds a candle to the XPS line.
Good luck!
With that said, I've researched the XPS a lot lately and other than the operating system (which is a big deal), I don't think the MacBook holds a candle to the XPS line.
Good luck!
The comparison you posted is between the 2015 Air(!) and the 2015 XPS. This thread is about alternatives to the 2016 MacBook
That's a 15w U-series chip, however, likely to be heavily throttled due to packaging constraints. The 13" MBP uses a 28w part. Not the same class.
Honestly, as much as I have issues with my Surface Pro, I think it's one of the closer competitors on the market to the rMB. It's slightly heavier, but the overall footprint is similar, it has a similarly excellent screen, 3:2 aspect ratio you can't find in any other laptop (most other 'competitors' are 16:9 - at least the rMB is 16:10), has an excellent keyboard and a very good touchpad. It's also available in a Core-M configuration which would be nice for lack of fan noise, but it's unfortunately not available with lots of ram or SSD.
Otherwise, what is there? So far as I am aware, and I've been looking and asking for a while - there is no other laptop that is in the same weight/volume class as the rMB - and those are two of the most compelling things about it. It's a super light, super small laptop with a fantastic screen that's big enough to do real work on with an awesome, gigantic trackpad, and a completely functional keyboard. Every time people bring up all the things it should have added on, I want to scream because as soon as you start adding on to it, it ceases to be the super-portable it was designed to be.
Amen. Usually the people claiming it "should" have stuff added are ignorant of the substantive changes required(*) that in turn would weaken the rMB's core strengths. Round pegs and square holes; modifying a Miata to tow a four-horse trailer through the mountains would make it cease to be a Miata.
(*) Given currently available components; nothing wrong with hoping for future improvements such as the inbuilt TB3 of Kaby Lake when it comes around.
Ooops...was in a hurry. Probably should have made sure my link was right.
Here is another link comparing the two notebooks. None of them are comparisons of the newly refreshed Macbook though. In fact, it looks like the 2015 Dell XPS 13 too.
http://www.laptopmag.com/articles/macbook-vs-xps-13
Also, YouTube comparison:
The new Folio G1 (NOT the older 1020/1040 models) would qualify, they claim up to 11.5hrs battery life and the touchscreen version is available with an even higher resolution screen than the Macbook. It's more money than the Macbook though.
Still 16:9 aspect ratio though and a huge bottom 'chin' bezel as a result. Why aren't they using that space for more screen??
It's built to hit mil-spec requirements. They need a buffer around the display for the drop survival requirement, which is I believe 4ft onto concrete.
As the increase from 16:9 to 16:10 would only affect the vertical component, pushing the screen down towards the bottom edge, on the hinge side, I'm not sure I believe that. The hinge side is the best protected and still has a far larger buffer than the other 3 sides which wouldn't change. The more logical answer is that HP still hasn't gotten the message we've been trying to pound into PC manufacturers for years; that 16:9 screens suck.
It would also require commissioning a custom screen rather than using off the shelf parts. May not be the best idea for a system intended for enterprise/government use with a long term parts availability. Still, it's still the nicest system I'm aware of in that type. I'm hoping someone's computer here dies so I can order one and see it in person, I have become a fan of it's predecessor, the 1020, after seeing it up close.
*a lot more money
Around £1200 vs £900 for the MacBook. I'm having trouble finding much info about the folio G1
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That's only a HD screen on the tabpro s
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I don't understand. Do you mean in real life it doesn't actually get 10 hours? I usually find apple's battery life numbers pretty accurate.
TAb Pro S is AMOLED screen and has a 2160x1440 resolution with the best blacks in town vs 2304 × 1440 on rMB, both have excellent sRGB's just different aspect ratio, the Samsung also has a touch screen and gorilla glass and is brighter.
Given that it's specs are more in line with the 2015 rMB than the 2016, but offers an excellent alternative (if not stuck on clam shell format) when you consider it negates most reasons to have a separate tablet to accompany a rMB, which IMO gives you more to gain than you compromise with these fan less M processor designs
Nothing wrong with Apple's numbers, I think what's in question is HP's claim. I can personally verify that HP's battery life estimates are pretty overambitious. I'd say that the real world runtime of my own HP ultrabook is at best 60% of what they claimed with just non video web use at ~60% display brightness.
I recently got a Dell XPS 13 MS Signature edition (no bloatware yay!) to replace my aging MBA since Apple is still trying to charge premium price for a TN panel that you find on blue light specials nowadays. As long as you don't mind Windows 10 (I use both OSes and each one has pros and cons) then it's really a no brainer IMO.
Oh yeah 2160x1440. It says on the site. One review I read said 1920 by 1080... Weird.
Is that HP Spectre only 1080P? Cause if it wasn'y I'd say that a pretty good comparison (better processors and thinner design) but it is an HP.
Ka.l.
Ka.l.