Replacement laptop advice please

[courtg9000]

My Dell XPS 13 has decided to breathe its last.
Its dead.
I need a replacement laptop for round the house.
13-14 inch screen max. 15 inch screen is too big.
Usage: MS Office, Adobe CS, Internet, Thunderbird, Movies, Teams, Zoom etc.
Prefer 0.5 TB on board storage and 8 or greater GB RAM.
Do my learned friends have any suggestions please?

[DealorNoDeal]

Not a suggestion in terms of machine but I've bought our last couple from https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk and pricing was v.good, plus next day delivery.

We even went for reconditioned ones (Grade A1 is like new) which saved a few quid.

[courtg9000]

Not a suggestion in terms of machine but I've bought our last couple from https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk and pricing was v.good, plus next day delivery.

We even went for reconditioned ones (Grade A1 is like new) which saved a few quid.

Thanks for this.

[edison]

I've bought three laptops (Mac and Windows) in the last year and I found notebookcheck.net does incredibly detailed laptop reviews of a huge number of models and manufacturers if you want to be confident you have the most suitable tech spec. There is a detailed list of questions where you can specify on a five point scale what your requirements are in terms of battery power, performance, weight and a whole host of characteristics.

Given the amount of time we spend using a laptop, I always spend as much as I can reasonably afford when I buy one, just like a bed

[malvolio]

Tried the latest XPS13 and sent it back - not enough ports and you can't read the keyboard. Now use an ASUS Zenbook folding one, 1tb ssd 16gb memory, good battery life and very pleased with it. Around a grand.

[Guy Incognito]

I have always used dell outlet - if you time the sale well you can get amazing value.

Dell Outlet: Refurbished Laptops, Desktops & Workstations | Dell

[woohoo]

I have always used dell outlet - if you time the sale well you can get amazing value.

Dell Outlet: Refurbished Laptops, Desktops & Workstations | Dell

+1 for dell refurbished. I bought an Alienware laptop after a recommendation from eek on this forum and couldnt be more happy. Saved 1k and onsite 3 year warranty.

[malvolio]

I have always used dell outlet - if you time the sale well you can get amazing value.

Dell Outlet: Refurbished Laptops, Desktops & Workstations | Dell

Whatever. I bought this one new. The keys are the same colour as the case, the letters on the keys are about two shades darker, and cannot be read if the backlights are off in normal daylight, and hardly at all with the backlights on in anything other than near darkness. two USB-C ports only. Paid just over £1200 new.

I sent it back (that might be mine they are offering now!) and bought this ASUS instead. Higher spec, better screen £1300. Makes Dell look like a bad idea from where I sit. YMMV of course!

[northernladuk]

It's a bit different so might have to get your head around it but I had a Windows Surface Pro from a client and liked it that much we bought one for the house. We use it in tablet mode for watching stuff around the house and then dock the keyboard to use as a laptop. The ability to use a pen on the tablet is invaluable for my lads uni work as he does a lot of maths which are hard to type etc. He can write the forumulas and cut/paste other stuff using the Pen only etc take notes in Uni and so on. A true multifunction device.

I thought they'd be crap when they came out but gotta say we absolutely love it.

Got it in Jan 2021, it gets daily use and is still going strong.

[courtg9000]

Thanks guys,
Just to pick up on some points.
I have a Surface Pro 6 which is exclusively used for travelling. I do like it but i'm not the biggest fan of its keyboard, a bit too much flex for me. Its nice and lightweight which is essential for traveling as I need to keep the weight right down. Its great if I have to go London or Ireland and my now regular trips to the welsh borders and its also very good for holidays in France.

I need something a bit more traditional for around the house, the laptop tends to move between the living room and the bedroom a lot (no porn usage) because of my health situation.

I bought my XPS 13 as a refurb and this is the machine which has just breathed its last. I do like the XPS and would have another if I was convinced I would not be replacing it within 6 months! It was a refurb and my Surface Pro is a refurb too.