HP EliteBooks are pretty solid. I have a few G7's in different sizes and dual boot on all of them. The 840 is probably the perfect size, 14" 16:10 screen, plenty of ports, excellent keyboard, fully upgradable SSD and RAM, and overall great build quality.
The Perfect Laptop
41–50 of 354 posts
Re: The Perfect Laptop
#42> the body of a 12" laptop I've always owned 15" laptops, and i've never had any trouble fitting them in bags, even in a sleeve. I understand why people might want 7" or 10" netbooks, but a 12" machine just seems like a waste of space to me. I understand that most people feel very differently, though! > webcam that doesn’t make it look like your laptop (or you) are a potato during a videoconference And also doesn't l…
> I've always owned 15" laptops, and i've never had any trouble fitting them in bags, even in a sleeve. I understand why people might want 7" or 10" netbooks, but a 12" machine just seems like a waste of space to me. I understand that most people feel very differently, though!
In my freshman year of college, I still hadn't gotten a smartphone yet due to being on my parents' phone plan still, but since there was wifi everywhere on campus, I used to carry around a Nexus 7 tablet everywhere. I could literally fit the 7" tablet in my pocket, which always seemed to take people by surprise. I think 7" is a lot smaller than some people realize; I don't think I could even type comfortably with both hands on a netbook that small!
Re: The Perfect Laptop
#43> an SD card reader, why not, they’re $5 … also the ability to upgrade the basics, like memory and storage
> 12” body … to fit the 13" to 14" screen it would have very small bezels, this is a great size for fitting in bags and sitting on small tables
Remove one and it makes the perfect laptop much more attainable. It’s near impossible to fit removable hardware and many ports in a small body. Thinkpads are pretty close, but even some of those have to have a flip open expanding port for Ethernet. An hdmi port is taller than many laptops. The small body really is a huge plus for mobility and comfort, but you can’t have ports/etc with that.
Oddly enough my perfect laptop is still the google pixelbook. Enough power for what I need, flawless construction, incredible trackpad and keyboard, runs Linux and chromeos/android apps, is absolutely gorgeous, and super portable.
Downside is there are like no ports so you need a usb hub, the bezel is huge, and … it hasn’t been improved in like half a decade.
Re: The Perfect Laptop
#44Am I the only one who likes 17" laptops? I miss my old lunch tray.
I left Apple after 10 years when they took away my 17” option. I feel you.
Re: The Perfect Laptop
#45Waiting on M3 Air.
Re: The Perfect Laptop
#46I'm no die hard apple fan, but you would think I was if you heard me talking about my 16" m1 pro. It's an absolute beast, battery for days, and I've never heard the fan spin up once. It would take a lot for me to even give another machine a chance.
Re: The Perfect Laptop
#47Unconventional choice: Panasonic Let's Note. Sadly JDM exclusive and has soldered RAM, but the latest models come with a 3:2 display, decent I/O (e.g. RJ45, full sized SD card reader, even VGA (!)), magnesium alloy chassis and a removable battery in a sub 1.1 kg package. Can't speak for the quality of the trackpad or keyboard though. https://panasonic.jp/cns/pc/
Circular trackpad my goodness! I’ll also never go back to metal/plastic handrests on a trackpad after using whatever material is on a pixelbook and the crazy fabric-esque option on a ms surface - huge game changer.
Re: The Perfect Laptop
#48Two aspects in which Apple's newest Macbook Airs fit at least my own "peak laptop" definition are: 1) no fans whatsoever 2) no coil whine when I plug my headphones in and stress the CPU The keyboard is exactly the right size and the right font for me, but I'll concede that muscle memory is an individual thing. I've owned Apple's laptops and keyboards made in 2005, 2007, 2010, 2015, 2019, and 2022, and they are very h…
There are nice utilities for capping your CPU frequency on Linux. So, IMO it would be better to have the fan, set your cap low enough to not need to use it most of the time. Then if you do need it, you have the ability.
Re: The Perfect Laptop
#49Unconventional choice: Panasonic Let's Note. Sadly JDM exclusive and has soldered RAM, but the latest models come with a 3:2 display, decent I/O (e.g. RJ45, full sized SD card reader, even VGA (!)), magnesium alloy chassis and a removable battery in a sub 1.1 kg package. Can't speak for the quality of the trackpad or keyboard though. https://panasonic.jp/cns/pc/
Back in the 90s and 00s, Panasonic had some really great hardware designs
Right around the turn of the century, the Japanese brands were all great designs. I haven't seen one for sale in the US in a long time though.
Re: The Perfect Laptop
#50Am I the only one who likes 17" laptops? I miss my old lunch tray.
You're not the only one. I mostly use laptops as notebooks, not on my lap, and usually plugged into a docking station for a decent keyboard, a mouse, and external monitors. I don't need a laptop for ants!