71-90K Matebook X Pro Alternatives

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saumik_

saumik_

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So I was completely locked on buying the Matebook X Pro (2018) which was going for around $1200 on Amazon.

Where as some laptops lack in some dept, this one had it all, except the extremely reflective screen which I hate. Now thanks to that mofo Trump and the Huawei ban the future looks bleak, I mean I can still buy it but not sure on the updates (MS/Intel) + resale value which will also take a hit.

SO I need recommendations if there is anything out there that can even compete in terms of price and specs. The new Dell 2 in 1 looks sweet but also out of budget.

What I want surely:
  • Amazing screen (QHD atleast)
  • Small size, 13" form factor basically
  • 512 GB SSD
  • MX 150/250
  • Atleast 1 USB A port
Budget: $1200-$1400

Now I have time till atleast September to make the purchase (in the US), will Ice lake launch by then? will the new 7nm Ryzen chips launch by then? Should I wait basically?
 
The Lenovo Yoga 720 goes on sale for less that that budget. As always if you can wait, wait :D
 
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saumik_ said:
So I was completely locked on buying the Matebook X Pro (2018) which was going for around $1200 on Amazon.

Where as some laptops lack in some dept, this one had it all, except the extremely reflective screen which I hate. Now thanks to that mofo Trump and the Huawei ban the future looks bleak, I mean I can still buy it but not sure on the updates (MS/Intel) + resale value which will also take a hit.
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If you care about resale then avoid it. I don't and got it last Dec. Fully loaded with 16GB Ram

It's an open question whether microsoft will have to bend to Trump. I don't think windows updates will be a problem. It's more firmware updates for components like intel that might be affected. I don't care. People worry about security. Just see how easy that can be to compromise in other ways ;)

It does have it all. The alternative was a Dell 13" XPS 9360. What swung it for me was the top firing speakers that are much better on the MXP than the side firing ones on the XPS. A second critical point is the aspect ratio. The MXP has an aspect ratio of 3:2, this means its just as tall as a 15.6" 16:9. So you don't feel as cramped moving to it from the bigger screen but gain from less weight and size. The MXP is more a competitor to MS surface than any mac.

Battery life however with 150+ chrome tabs isn't great. Around 5h30 and that is with ambient temperature touching thirty. People getting close to 9h must have less than ten tabs open.

If you're looking for recommendations check out LIsa

Not been too impressed with Dell's 2 in 1s. Battery life will be less and seems difficult to replace
 
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Looks quite loaded. Can you post a screen grab of battery bar stats when you get it. Curious to know what the full runtime will be

The only thing i'd have changed is the screen. A FHD instead of 4k as a) you don't need that resolution on a 13" b) better battery

I've switched my resolution to FHD from 4k on the 15" spectre i have. I got the 4k just to see what it was about but older apps have trouble and appear too small. All comes up good at FHD
 
Just got my hands on it, such a sweet looking device my my. More testing later maybe, got it during prime days for $1k
 

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Just got back to India and finally used it on a full battery. I guess that's 6hrs on a full charge, I anyway bought this mostly for in-door use so should be fine.

This is on 50% brightness, browsing and some YT. Wonder if it'll perform better on 1080p? or will the same number of diodes get used.



1569923310497.png
 
Yes this what i get on my MXP as well. Closer to 6h but i have many more tabs (over a hundred). Most are suspended though with the great suspender extension.

I've seen people get up to 8h on Chrome with ten tabs but that is too less.

It's received all the latest Windows updates too :)

I've not seen much gain with 1080p on the 4k Spectre. Maybe a half hour more. Running with the onboard graphics instead of dedicated might squeeze out more. There is a setting you can set called better battery if you click the battery in the task bar. You get a slider better battery, better performance etc. I see this slider on the MXP but its not there by default on the Spectre. If you are going to use this laptop connected to a charger all the time its better to set max charging to 80% as that will prolong battery life. Provided that option exists.

I usually unplug after a full charge as the Spectre has no way to set max charging level.

To give you an idea of how battery degrades over time. I've lost about 20% of the original battery capacity in just over two years. Was around 78k mWh when new and is around 64 two years later. 15" screen on the Spectre so bigger battery compared to the 13" MXP. Funny thing is battery wear still shows at 0%.

Unless the screen is 1080p its still consumes more power. This is how macbooks squeeze out more run time.
 
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