13.4" vs 14" vs 15.6" for programming - need help chosing a LAPTOP!

[tom7792]

Hey, so I'm about to start uni on a double BSc for CSi and Electrical Eng.. short story short, I need a laptop, decent enough to code on, easy enough to carry around and ofcourse decent specs and hardware.

The laptop is supposed to replace my main desktop PC at home, so I want it to be strong, I'd also really like it to be 2 in 1 just for the "quality of life" factor really.

The real problem is that I can't find anything that fits what i want, or maybe i just dont know where to look..

so far my options were Lenovo Yoga 910, Dell XPS 13, Dell XPS 15 and Asus UX560,
other than these there arent alot of other options, am I misisng anything ?

Either way, is it possible to code with the XPS 13 ? seeing as it is 2 in 1 for sure kind of laptop it may fit, the problem is its size... other than that, any other options I should be looking at ? I dont feel like theres a huge difference between 13.4 and 14 (looking at the Lenovo devices) and then the XPS 15 doesnt have the 2in1 funciton...

Anything that can help me decide will be greatly appreciated..

P.S. the HP Spectre x360 isnt an option for me unfortunatly...

 

[kanewolf]

The keyboard is as important as anything for a programming host. Is the keyboard on a 13 inch laptop usable for long periods with your hand size?

 

[tom7792]

The keyboard is as important as anything for a programming host. Is the keyboard on a 13 inch laptop usable for long periods with your hand size?

Yes, keyboard size isnt really a concern for me, my hands aren't really big to be fair, its more the IDE i'm concerned about and how comfortable it is to use a 13" as a main programming PC for me.. i'd really love to get the HP Spectre x360 15.6 but its not available in my country in that size god knows why.

 

[tom7792]

Anything more on this please ?

 

[oooapss]

What country are you in?

 

[velo3100]

I personally would not program on a 2 in 1 as they are built for portability rather than power which is what you need. Plus their cooling is not as strong. Also they tend to be more expensive just for a touchscreen. I wouldn't want to code on anything smaller than 15 inches as my eyes would hurt.

I would look for a lightweight 15 inch laptop.

 

[tom7792]

I currently live in Israel although I visit my family in the UK twice a year.

 

[tom7792]

My 2 best options curently are the HP Spectre x360 (15.6") vs Lenovo Yoga 910(14"), the yoga would be lighter, not sure how light and easy to travel with the x360 would be

 

[MS-001]

I recently purchased a Lenovo 910 2-In-1. The product is 5 stars, but customer service is 1 star. A couple of weeks later I received an email to rate the product. I really like the Yoga 910. I would recommend it to a friend, but with serious consideration of Lenovo's poor customer service before making the purchase. Here's the exact review and response from Lenovo.

My Review:
"Great 2-In-1, but Customer Service Sucks
The Lenovo Yoga 910 is an awesome machine. I would buy and recommend it again. The real issue happened with Lenovo Customer Service. I did not get my software ID immediately, so I contacted customer service. The rep Josue M. (Rep. ID. 2900720460) made an off comment and I challenged him. He immediately dumped the chat without saying goodbye and I could not save the full chat. Fortunately I had saved much of it. I was irritated and restarted another chat. I got the same guy (I could tell because of the auto-response) had the guy immediately dumped the chat again. So I restarted another chat and got a wonderful young lady that helped with the original problem. I asked for a supervisor and she said, "he was working on a case so a supervisor will contact you back." That never happened. Should you choose Lenovo, just don't expect to receive customer service support should you have an issue. I hope this review helps you in your selection."
***************
From Lenovo:

"It cannot be published to the website, but.. —
<Lenovo Logo Graphic>
Merritte,

Our staff has read your review and values your contribution even though it did not meet all our website guidelines. Thanks for sharing, and we hope to publish next time!"
****************
I think every potential customer should be very cautious of a company that desires to sanitize open and honest criticism of there company or products. I am now on a mission to share this even worse example of customer service. Had they contacted me in the first place, this comment would never have been posted.

Hey Lenovo, I did save most of the chats, although I'm sure you have then in archive. You don't need to take my word for it. Look at your own systems. Then say, my comments can't be published. My words are honest and accurate. Feel free to call me anytime. You have my number.

 

[Sal_4_]

I recently purchased a Lenovo 910 2-In-1. The product is 5 stars, but customer service is 1 star. A couple of weeks later I received an email to rate the product. I really like the Yoga 910. I would recommend it to a friend, but with serious consideration of Lenovo's poor customer service before making the purchase. Here's the exact review and response from Lenovo.

My Review:
"Great 2-In-1, but Customer Service Sucks
The Lenovo Yoga 910 is an awesome machine. I would buy and recommend it again. The real issue happened with Lenovo Customer Service. I did not get my software ID immediately, so I contacted customer service. The rep Josue M. (Rep. ID. 2900720460) made an off comment and I challenged him. He immediately dumped the chat without saying goodbye and I could not save the full chat. Fortunately I had saved much of it. I was irritated and restarted another chat. I got the same guy (I could tell because of the auto-response) had the guy immediately dumped the chat again. So I restarted another chat and got a wonderful young lady that helped with the original problem. I asked for a supervisor and she said, "he was working on a case so a supervisor will contact you back." That never happened. Should you choose Lenovo, just don't expect to receive customer service support should you have an issue. I hope this review helps you in your selection."
***************
From Lenovo:

"It cannot be published to the website, but.. —
<Lenovo Logo Graphic>
Merritte,

Our staff has read your review and values your contribution even though it did not meet all our website guidelines. Thanks for sharing, and we hope to publish next time!"
****************
I think every potential customer should be very cautious of a company that desires to sanitize open and honest criticism of there company or products. I am now on a mission to share this even worse example of customer service. Had they contacted me in the first place, this comment would never have been posted.

Hey Lenovo, I did save most of the chats, although I'm sure you have then in archive. You don't need to take my word for it. Look at your own systems. Then say, my comments can't be published. My words are honest and accurate. Feel free to call me anytime. You have my number.

Im not really certain, but it sounds like you expect Lenovo to contact you and randomly ask you if everything is OK. I've never seen anyone suggest that before, so its hard for me to understand what your expectation of Lenovo customer service is. At any rate, no one person is a mind reader, if you had a problem with the laptop, did you contact them? Also, what are the details? I am confused.

 

[MS-001]

I recently purchased a Lenovo 910 2-In-1. The product is 5 stars, but customer service is 1 star. A couple of weeks later I received an email to rate the product. I really like the Yoga 910. I would recommend it to a friend, but with serious consideration of Lenovo's poor customer service before making the purchase. Here's the exact review and response from Lenovo.

My Review:
"Great 2-In-1, but Customer Service Sucks
The Lenovo Yoga 910 is an awesome machine. I would buy and recommend it again. The real issue happened with Lenovo Customer Service. I did not get my software ID immediately, so I contacted customer service. The rep Josue M. (Rep. ID. 2900720460) made an off comment and I challenged him. He immediately dumped the chat without saying goodbye and I could not save the full chat. Fortunately I had saved much of it. I was irritated and restarted another chat. I got the same guy (I could tell because of the auto-response) had the guy immediately dumped the chat again. So I restarted another chat and got a wonderful young lady that helped with the original problem. I asked for a supervisor and she said, "he was working on a case so a supervisor will contact you back." That never happened. Should you choose Lenovo, just don't expect to receive customer service support should you have an issue. I hope this review helps you in your selection."
***************
From Lenovo:

"It cannot be published to the website, but.. —
<Lenovo Logo Graphic>
Merritte,

Our staff has read your review and values your contribution even though it did not meet all our website guidelines. Thanks for sharing, and we hope to publish next time!"
****************
I think every potential customer should be very cautious of a company that desires to sanitize open and honest criticism of there company or products. I am now on a mission to share this even worse example of customer service. Had they contacted me in the first place, this comment would never have been posted.

Hey Lenovo, I did save most of the chats, although I'm sure you have then in archive. You don't need to take my word for it. Look at your own systems. Then say, my comments can't be published. My words are honest and accurate. Feel free to call me anytime. You have my number.

Im not really certain, but it sounds like you expect Lenovo to contact you and randomly ask you if everything is OK. I've never seen anyone suggest that before, so its hard for me to understand what your expectation of Lenovo customer service is. At any rate, no one person is a mind reader, if you had a problem with the laptop, did you contact them? Also, what are the details? I am confused.

Sal_4, "Thank you" for your comment. 90% of my post was that the 2-1 is great and I'd recommend it to a friend. I then qualified my position by sharing my personal experience regarding their terrible customer service. As you read, I did contact them... multiple times. You have focused on my last paragraph and missed the main point. The last paragraph was tongue in cheek. I have ZERO expectation they will contact me and was just being sarcastic with Lenovo. The net-net is they have great hardware and terrible customer service. I hope that removes any confusion.