9 ms·

Ask HN: Best Dev Laptop 2020

30 points by ykevinator 6y ago

My huawei matebook x pro has just lost its USB for the second time. The first one was replaced under warranty. Since half the screws have fallen out of the back and since I only got 2 good years out of it, huawei is off the table. Can anyone recommend a super thin powerful laptop for dev work? I actually loved the huawei with Ubuntu but the manufacturing quality was so poor I just can't go back. Was thinking of going back to Macbook air but I'd like to plug in to 3 vga monitors at the office. Thanks for any recommendations.

justaguyhere 6y ago
Also looking for the same. I haven't used it personally but Lenovo T14 AMD version has been getting rave reviews. There is also Thinkpad Nano coming up in January. It is super thin and lightweight, not sure if it would be good enough for heaving programming though
- stonepresto 6y ago
  I recently transitioned from desktop to a T14. Although my time-with-product has been relatively short (a week or so), I am really happy with it. Pros: - Ryzen 7 4750U is awesome. - Lots of RAM. - Easily customizable orders from Lenovo with great features to add - Renoir graphics are pretty solid - keyboard is fantastic, classic ThinkPad feel and usability - Easy to upgrade. Ordered with a 128GB nvme and immediately upgraded to a 1TB, saved about $200. - docking station allows for easy desktop use with multiple monitors Cons: - libfprint is still in it's early stages imo, so the finger printer reader is tough to set up with linux. - no backlit keyboard (on the one I ordered, can't remember if that was an option or not)
  - narrationbox 6y ago
    What happens when you press fn+space?
    - stonepresto 6y ago
      Nothing. If you're thinking about the "Privacy Guard" it's Fn+D for me.
  - justaguyhere 6y ago
    how do you like the screen? I wish it had higher resolutions :(
    - stonepresto 6y ago
      I run a tiefighter monitor setup (2 vertical 1 horizontal in the middle) so I'm not super concerned with the laptop resolution. My main thing was the viewing angle being very small for privacy in cafes. It also has Fn+D to toggle small vs. wider viewing angle. So overall it works well for me.
lukaszkups 6y ago
Asus Zenbook serie
fsflover 6y ago
https://puri.sm/products/librem-14/ https://puri.sm/products/librem-14/
srtjstjsj 6y ago
Why does "super thin" matter, if "powerful" is important?
- ykevinator 6y ago
  because i do a ton of travel while working and i have been spoiled by the macbook air, which is the nicest physical device i've ever owned and it's hard to go back. the huawei comes close, but the quality was just so bad
WnZ39p0Dgydaz1 6y ago
Do not go back to a Macbook. I've been using Macbooks for ~10 years and their quality has been going consistently going downhill the past few years. I usually buy a new one every 1-2 years. I'm currently on a maxed out 16 inch Macbook Pro. Can't even connect an external monitor because of heating issues. Unless I mod the whole thing with cooling pads. The last two times I bought a new one I thought "Not happy, but let's give Apple one more chance because they used to be good and everyone makes mistakes" - Regretted it every time. Keyboard issues (went to the Apple store 6+ times), Touchbar issues and it's annoying as a whole, overheating, GPU issues with external monitors, Bluetooth issues, and more. Next time will be the first time (really!) that I'm not buying a Macbook anymore.
- conception 6y ago
  Whereas the MacBook Air is still amazing. Has a good processor now, good sized hd, no Touch Bar, Touch ID, light, great battery. Lack of ports is a thing but good thunderbolt 3 docks are about. Still the best laptop for me I’ve ever used.
  - dmux 6y ago
    I agree so long as you're talking about the new 2020 model wherein they moved towards the magic keyboard.
    - ykevinator 6y ago
      wow great comment, bullet dodged. My original macbook from 2012 is still amazing, but i spilled whiskey on the keyboard and it fried the battery (still works but no battery).
    - conception 6y ago
      Did the airs ever change their keyboards to the bad style? In either case, yes the 2020. My main beef with airs before was the speed but the new ones, while not blazing, are perfectly fine for daily use. Hardly any waits foe the cpu whereas with previous airs, was a bit skimpy there. Also only talking about the best processor they’ve offered as that’s the only one I’ve bought because uhhh work was paying for it. :)
Nightshaxx 6y ago
Purism seems cool if you are into that sort of thing. If you want a more mainstream Windows/Linux laptop go with the Dell XPS. (It has good Linux support because there is a version with Ubuntu preinstalled). The new Mac pro is also quite good.
- tmccrary55 6y ago
  Are Purism laptops just Clevo rebadges like System76?
  - MacsHeadroom 6y ago
    Not OP, but no. Purism specs their own hardware and oversees the entire supply chain to an extent that some chipsets are even custom modified before even being soldered to the motherboards. Long term they're dedicated to ever increased supply chain control and customer choice in supply chain decisions. They already allow customers to choose where some key components are manufacture and even have one (smartphone) device which comes in a nearly entirely USA manufactued option.
Certified 6y ago
I use a Dell Precision 5520 as my daily driver and have been very impressed. The things I like about it are a good backlit keyboard that hasn't been forced too thin, a bright screen I can see in sunlight, and a good battery life that hasn't significantly diminished as I have owned the laptop. The only complaint I have is it will sometimes turn itself back on in my bag and drain it's battery. The Precision 55XX line is basically their XPS line with a Quadro card baked in. The new 5550 model has a few spec bumps and a slightly nicer webcam placement and would be my recommendation if you need a Quadro card. Otherwise check out the latest Dell XPS line.
- mixmastamyk 6y ago
  I have similar though I recommend Intel graphics and network card. Didn't have trouble with Broadcom, but some folks have. Ubuntu Mate is a good match as well.
factorialboy 6y ago
Thinkpads. Great Linux support and a keyboard to die for. I am now using an X1 Extreme Gen 2. (Amazon link: https://amzn.to/35BmH5y https://amzn.to/35BmH5y)
- randompwd 6y ago
  Any reason you used an obfuscated, redirected affiliate link "tag=indiadefence-20"? Kinda diminishes the recommendation. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083F8KG7N https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083F8KG7N bring you to the same product. I'm sure HN can afford the storage and bandwidth for the extra 21 chars. Ironically, i'm now costing them more with my reply to your comment than if you'd just linked Amazon directly without the ref.
  - trcollinson 6y ago
    Does it bother you so much that he would put in a link that had an affiliate? I doubt he was trying to hide anything nefarious. I am linked to a few affiliates and when I share a link, it has the affiliate tag in it. He uses a great laptop, he shared it, you can look or not. I doubt he was trying to save HN bandwidth or storage.
    - randompwd 6y ago
      > Does it bother you so much that he would put in a link that had an affiliate? Clearly yes - thus me commenting on it. > I doubt he was trying to hide anything nefarious Do you know this person and are speaking for their integrity? Would you swear to this person's honesty in a court of law in front of your peers? (ABSURDIST PART OF COMMENT) > I doubt he was trying to save HN bandwidth or storage. Right, my apologies for making the absurdist part of my reply not obvious enough. Will not make this mistake again.
  - libertine 6y ago
    Why would it diminish the recommendation? Why shouldn't he get a cut from a product he referred to someone? Why should amazon collect all the referral fee for themselves, a fee that's charged either way on any seller, without cutting a slice for someone who actually referred to?
elliebike 6y ago
I'm really enjoying my Razer Blade Stealth! Powerful, has a nice feel to it. I was looking for something similar to my old Macbook Pro, but without buying a Macbook - this was the closest I could find. Runs Linux really nicely + as far as I can tell everything works. Also, the screen is gorgeous!
dilippkumar 6y ago
I have a Thinkpad X1 Carbon (gen 7) and it’s the best laptop I’ve ever owned (after several generations of various windows laptops and macbook models) Fantastic keyboard, fantastic support from various BSDs and Linuxes, great build quality, good screen, has some USB-A and USB-C ports, doesn’t look silly. Can not recommend this model enough. The only downside is probably all the weird stuff Lenovo has done in the past - but those have all been on Windows. If you’re going to remove windows, I’m guessing it won’t matter that much.
ayoisaiah 6y ago
The Dell XPS line from this year looks really solid. I would go for the 15 inch and use Windows + WSL2 instead of native Linux.
gaboc4 6y ago
Has anyone tried https://system76.com/laptops/lemur https://system76.com/laptops/lemur ? Seems like a nice option and heard good things about PopOS
- rytor718 6y ago
  I haven't tried the Lemur but I have a Darter I bought this year. Surprisingly powerful and feather weight (which was the major reason I bought a laptop this year). It runs Pop OS which, surprised me again, is very convenient and a nice usability improvement on top of Ubuntu. Highly recommend.
  - gaboc4 6y ago
    Thanks for the rec!
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- qchris 6y ago
  I don't have any experience with their hardware, but both of my personal computers run Pop!_OS. If you're looking for a distro in the Debian vein, and aren't hardcore Free software (I think they include drivers to play with proprietary hardware), it doesn't get much better. I don't see myself switching away from 20.04 in the next few years, at least.
- encom 6y ago
  Those and the Purism are super interesting, but useless if you don't want enUS keyboard layout.
- fknriz 6y ago
  I actually got a Lemur Pro for work, and I really love it. I had an XPS 13 2020 Dev Edition for about 2 months, and long story short, Dell support sucks, and we decided to return the device, and went with a Lemur Pro as the replacement. Pros: - Great battery life, I develop in typescript currently and am getting a full day of battery - Using a dock, I can get up to 3 displays, maybe four if I try with the on-board HDMI port - Charges with USB-C with up to 65W, so one cable for everything. - Full sized USB A ports for quick flash drive access - Typing on the keyboard is very solid (however I do have one con listed below) - Can turn off camera via software (with Pop_OS) - Linux from the get-go - Came packaged pretty well - Lots of goodies came along. Pins, stickers, etc. Not everyone will care but I thought it was a nice touch - Recyclable box, plastics, tc came in the packaging. - It's SUPER light - Good amount of customization in my opinion - Has another m.2 slot you can put your own or buy it configured and filled up Cons: - Regardless of configured RAM, first slot is always 8gb, so anything beyond 16gb total will always be non-dual-channel. Believe this is soldered. - Touchpad could be bigger - I believe the max brightness is something around 300 or 350 nits, which may cause issues when working outside, haven't had the opportunity to because of COVID - The keyboard has pg_up and pg_down on top of left and right keys, which is rather obnoxious and I wish they would have went with pg_up and pg_down for fn + arrow instead. - Possible con for people: SD card slot is only micro, not full sized - Only one USB-C port - No thunderbolt - Power button is unintuitive imo, but I'm nitpicking at this point - Compared to the dell, the bezels are a bit larger than I like, but again, nitpicking/doesn't really bother me
throw08ba6a 6y ago
These days, laptops, in my opinion, are best paired with a powerful headless desktop running Proxmox on the local network or over a wireguard VPN (possibly tailscale). Laptops are so bad these days for so many reasons. I can't personally get away from Apple even though I hate the current generation of laptops. However accessing the "real thing" remotely (local network) works well and lets me get cheaper Apple devices to do my work off.
cyrc 6y ago
Have a look at ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14
jimktrains2 6y ago
I previously had (switched jobs a few weeks ago) a thinkpad x1 carbon 14" and it was an excellent laptop. I'm not sure how many monitors it could support, but I'd definitely recommend the line.
ph2082 6y ago
You did not mention whether you will be using it as dev machine or something else. In case dev, get Dell XPS Ubuntu. Latitudes with Ubuntu are even better (used one for 4 years). Bought the MacBook Pro, due to all the hype. It already made me visit Mac service centre twice. One day it just refused to boot. Motherboard replaced. Second time due to battery swelling issue whole Touchpad, Keyboard and battery replaced. Regretting it now. Only useful if you are developing apps for iPhone/macOS.
- ykevinator 6y ago
  i said "laptop for dev work"
  - ph2082 6y ago
    Oops. I worded poorly. What I wanted to ask was what type of dev work.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
nunez 6y ago
I still think the MacBook Pro is the undisputed champ of dev machines. Lots of people seem to like the Thinkpad X1 Carbon for Windows stuff.
dzhiurgis 6y ago
I'm tempted to try LG Gram 17" - or some similar large screen ultrabook. Getting fed up with macOS is part of the reason, but also so locked up into ecosystem with iCloud, etc.
ykevinator 6y ago
Thanks for everyone's input, i ordered the thinkpad x1 carbon, first ibm computer i've ever bought (for you younger folks, lenovo is rooted in ibm), will post on how it goes. thanks again.
- abhijat 6y ago
  The x1 is a great machine, I've been using a work issued one with ubuntu for a couple of years now, I use two external displays with it both at work and home.
ykevinator 6y ago
I wound up buying the Thinkpad X1 Carbon - it's just amazing. @dilippkumar thanks so much for the recommendation (and thanks to everyone else for helping too), made a huge difference in my purchase decision. I also bought a usb-c hub with 3 hdmi ports and 3 new hdmi monitors for the office, i'll use the laptop at home as a standalone, will post a follow up when i have the monitors setup. I am writing on my homemade treadmill desk, a bonus of the X1 carbon is that it has a great hinge and on my treadmill lets me tilt the angle perfectly. Thanks again.

30 points by ykevinator 6y ago

justaguyhere 6y ago

Also looking for the same. I haven't used it personally but Lenovo T14 AMD version has been getting rave reviews. There is also Thinkpad Nano coming up in January. It is super thin and lightweight, not sure if it would be good enough for heaving programming though

stonepresto 6y ago
I recently transitioned from desktop to a T14. Although my time-with-product has been relatively short (a week or so), I am really happy with it. Pros: - Ryzen 7 4750U is awesome. - Lots of RAM. - Easily customizable orders from Lenovo with great features to add - Renoir graphics are pretty solid - keyboard is fantastic, classic ThinkPad feel and usability - Easy to upgrade. Ordered with a 128GB nvme and immediately upgraded to a 1TB, saved about $200. - docking station allows for easy desktop use with multiple monitors Cons: - libfprint is still in it's early stages imo, so the finger printer reader is tough to set up with linux. - no backlit keyboard (on the one I ordered, can't remember if that was an option or not)
- narrationbox 6y ago
  What happens when you press fn+space?
  - stonepresto 6y ago
    Nothing. If you're thinking about the "Privacy Guard" it's Fn+D for me.
- justaguyhere 6y ago
  how do you like the screen? I wish it had higher resolutions :(
  - stonepresto 6y ago
    I run a tiefighter monitor setup (2 vertical 1 horizontal in the middle) so I'm not super concerned with the laptop resolution. My main thing was the viewing angle being very small for privacy in cafes. It also has Fn+D to toggle small vs. wider viewing angle. So overall it works well for me.

lukaszkups 6y ago

Asus Zenbook serie

fsflover 6y ago

https://puri.sm/products/librem-14/ https://puri.sm/products/librem-14/

srtjstjsj 6y ago

Why does "super thin" matter, if "powerful" is important?

ykevinator 6y ago
because i do a ton of travel while working and i have been spoiled by the macbook air, which is the nicest physical device i've ever owned and it's hard to go back. the huawei comes close, but the quality was just so bad

WnZ39p0Dgydaz1 6y ago

Do not go back to a Macbook. I've been using Macbooks for ~10 years and their quality has been going consistently going downhill the past few years. I usually buy a new one every 1-2 years. I'm currently on a maxed out 16 inch Macbook Pro. Can't even connect an external monitor because of heating issues. Unless I mod the whole thing with cooling pads. The last two times I bought a new one I thought "Not happy, but let's give Apple one more chance because they used to be good and everyone makes mistakes" - Regretted it every time. Keyboard issues (went to the Apple store 6+ times), Touchbar issues and it's annoying as a whole, overheating, GPU issues with external monitors, Bluetooth issues, and more. Next time will be the first time (really!) that I'm not buying a Macbook anymore.

conception 6y ago
Whereas the MacBook Air is still amazing. Has a good processor now, good sized hd, no Touch Bar, Touch ID, light, great battery. Lack of ports is a thing but good thunderbolt 3 docks are about. Still the best laptop for me I’ve ever used.
- dmux 6y ago
  I agree so long as you're talking about the new 2020 model wherein they moved towards the magic keyboard.
  - ykevinator 6y ago
    wow great comment, bullet dodged. My original macbook from 2012 is still amazing, but i spilled whiskey on the keyboard and it fried the battery (still works but no battery).
  - conception 6y ago
    Did the airs ever change their keyboards to the bad style? In either case, yes the 2020. My main beef with airs before was the speed but the new ones, while not blazing, are perfectly fine for daily use. Hardly any waits foe the cpu whereas with previous airs, was a bit skimpy there. Also only talking about the best processor they’ve offered as that’s the only one I’ve bought because uhhh work was paying for it. :)

Nightshaxx 6y ago

Purism seems cool if you are into that sort of thing. If you want a more mainstream Windows/Linux laptop go with the Dell XPS. (It has good Linux support because there is a version with Ubuntu preinstalled). The new Mac pro is also quite good.

tmccrary55 6y ago
Are Purism laptops just Clevo rebadges like System76?
- MacsHeadroom 6y ago
  Not OP, but no. Purism specs their own hardware and oversees the entire supply chain to an extent that some chipsets are even custom modified before even being soldered to the motherboards. Long term they're dedicated to ever increased supply chain control and customer choice in supply chain decisions. They already allow customers to choose where some key components are manufacture and even have one (smartphone) device which comes in a nearly entirely USA manufactued option.

Certified 6y ago

I use a Dell Precision 5520 as my daily driver and have been very impressed. The things I like about it are a good backlit keyboard that hasn't been forced too thin, a bright screen I can see in sunlight, and a good battery life that hasn't significantly diminished as I have owned the laptop. The only complaint I have is it will sometimes turn itself back on in my bag and drain it's battery. The Precision 55XX line is basically their XPS line with a Quadro card baked in. The new 5550 model has a few spec bumps and a slightly nicer webcam placement and would be my recommendation if you need a Quadro card. Otherwise check out the latest Dell XPS line.

mixmastamyk 6y ago
I have similar though I recommend Intel graphics and network card. Didn't have trouble with Broadcom, but some folks have. Ubuntu Mate is a good match as well.

factorialboy 6y ago

Thinkpads. Great Linux support and a keyboard to die for. I am now using an X1 Extreme Gen 2. (Amazon link: https://amzn.to/35BmH5y https://amzn.to/35BmH5y)

randompwd 6y ago
Any reason you used an obfuscated, redirected affiliate link "tag=indiadefence-20"? Kinda diminishes the recommendation. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083F8KG7N https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083F8KG7N bring you to the same product. I'm sure HN can afford the storage and bandwidth for the extra 21 chars. Ironically, i'm now costing them more with my reply to your comment than if you'd just linked Amazon directly without the ref.
- trcollinson 6y ago
  Does it bother you so much that he would put in a link that had an affiliate? I doubt he was trying to hide anything nefarious. I am linked to a few affiliates and when I share a link, it has the affiliate tag in it. He uses a great laptop, he shared it, you can look or not. I doubt he was trying to save HN bandwidth or storage.
  - randompwd 6y ago
    > Does it bother you so much that he would put in a link that had an affiliate? Clearly yes - thus me commenting on it. > I doubt he was trying to hide anything nefarious Do you know this person and are speaking for their integrity? Would you swear to this person's honesty in a court of law in front of your peers? (ABSURDIST PART OF COMMENT) > I doubt he was trying to save HN bandwidth or storage. Right, my apologies for making the absurdist part of my reply not obvious enough. Will not make this mistake again.
- libertine 6y ago
  Why would it diminish the recommendation? Why shouldn't he get a cut from a product he referred to someone? Why should amazon collect all the referral fee for themselves, a fee that's charged either way on any seller, without cutting a slice for someone who actually referred to?

elliebike 6y ago

I'm really enjoying my Razer Blade Stealth! Powerful, has a nice feel to it. I was looking for something similar to my old Macbook Pro, but without buying a Macbook - this was the closest I could find. Runs Linux really nicely + as far as I can tell everything works. Also, the screen is gorgeous!

dilippkumar 6y ago

I have a Thinkpad X1 Carbon (gen 7) and it’s the best laptop I’ve ever owned (after several generations of various windows laptops and macbook models) Fantastic keyboard, fantastic support from various BSDs and Linuxes, great build quality, good screen, has some USB-A and USB-C ports, doesn’t look silly. Can not recommend this model enough. The only downside is probably all the weird stuff Lenovo has done in the past - but those have all been on Windows. If you’re going to remove windows, I’m guessing it won’t matter that much.

ayoisaiah 6y ago

The Dell XPS line from this year looks really solid. I would go for the 15 inch and use Windows + WSL2 instead of native Linux.

gaboc4 6y ago

Has anyone tried https://system76.com/laptops/lemur https://system76.com/laptops/lemur ? Seems like a nice option and heard good things about PopOS

rytor718 6y ago
I haven't tried the Lemur but I have a Darter I bought this year. Surprisingly powerful and feather weight (which was the major reason I bought a laptop this year). It runs Pop OS which, surprised me again, is very convenient and a nice usability improvement on top of Ubuntu. Highly recommend.
- gaboc4 6y ago
  Thanks for the rec!
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
qchris 6y ago
I don't have any experience with their hardware, but both of my personal computers run Pop!_OS. If you're looking for a distro in the Debian vein, and aren't hardcore Free software (I think they include drivers to play with proprietary hardware), it doesn't get much better. I don't see myself switching away from 20.04 in the next few years, at least.
encom 6y ago
Those and the Purism are super interesting, but useless if you don't want enUS keyboard layout.
fknriz 6y ago
I actually got a Lemur Pro for work, and I really love it. I had an XPS 13 2020 Dev Edition for about 2 months, and long story short, Dell support sucks, and we decided to return the device, and went with a Lemur Pro as the replacement. Pros: - Great battery life, I develop in typescript currently and am getting a full day of battery - Using a dock, I can get up to 3 displays, maybe four if I try with the on-board HDMI port - Charges with USB-C with up to 65W, so one cable for everything. - Full sized USB A ports for quick flash drive access - Typing on the keyboard is very solid (however I do have one con listed below) - Can turn off camera via software (with Pop_OS) - Linux from the get-go - Came packaged pretty well - Lots of goodies came along. Pins, stickers, etc. Not everyone will care but I thought it was a nice touch - Recyclable box, plastics, tc came in the packaging. - It's SUPER light - Good amount of customization in my opinion - Has another m.2 slot you can put your own or buy it configured and filled up Cons: - Regardless of configured RAM, first slot is always 8gb, so anything beyond 16gb total will always be non-dual-channel. Believe this is soldered. - Touchpad could be bigger - I believe the max brightness is something around 300 or 350 nits, which may cause issues when working outside, haven't had the opportunity to because of COVID - The keyboard has pg_up and pg_down on top of left and right keys, which is rather obnoxious and I wish they would have went with pg_up and pg_down for fn + arrow instead. - Possible con for people: SD card slot is only micro, not full sized - Only one USB-C port - No thunderbolt - Power button is unintuitive imo, but I'm nitpicking at this point - Compared to the dell, the bezels are a bit larger than I like, but again, nitpicking/doesn't really bother me

throw08ba6a 6y ago

These days, laptops, in my opinion, are best paired with a powerful headless desktop running Proxmox on the local network or over a wireguard VPN (possibly tailscale). Laptops are so bad these days for so many reasons. I can't personally get away from Apple even though I hate the current generation of laptops. However accessing the "real thing" remotely (local network) works well and lets me get cheaper Apple devices to do my work off.

cyrc 6y ago

Have a look at ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14

jimktrains2 6y ago

I previously had (switched jobs a few weeks ago) a thinkpad x1 carbon 14" and it was an excellent laptop. I'm not sure how many monitors it could support, but I'd definitely recommend the line.

ph2082 6y ago

You did not mention whether you will be using it as dev machine or something else. In case dev, get Dell XPS Ubuntu. Latitudes with Ubuntu are even better (used one for 4 years). Bought the MacBook Pro, due to all the hype. It already made me visit Mac service centre twice. One day it just refused to boot. Motherboard replaced. Second time due to battery swelling issue whole Touchpad, Keyboard and battery replaced. Regretting it now. Only useful if you are developing apps for iPhone/macOS.

ykevinator 6y ago
i said "laptop for dev work"
- ph2082 6y ago
  Oops. I worded poorly. What I wanted to ask was what type of dev work.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

nunez 6y ago

I still think the MacBook Pro is the undisputed champ of dev machines. Lots of people seem to like the Thinkpad X1 Carbon for Windows stuff.

dzhiurgis 6y ago

I'm tempted to try LG Gram 17" - or some similar large screen ultrabook. Getting fed up with macOS is part of the reason, but also so locked up into ecosystem with iCloud, etc.

ykevinator 6y ago

Thanks for everyone's input, i ordered the thinkpad x1 carbon, first ibm computer i've ever bought (for you younger folks, lenovo is rooted in ibm), will post on how it goes. thanks again.

abhijat 6y ago
The x1 is a great machine, I've been using a work issued one with ubuntu for a couple of years now, I use two external displays with it both at work and home.

ykevinator 6y ago

I wound up buying the Thinkpad X1 Carbon - it's just amazing. @dilippkumar thanks so much for the recommendation (and thanks to everyone else for helping too), made a huge difference in my purchase decision. I also bought a usb-c hub with 3 hdmi ports and 3 new hdmi monitors for the office, i'll use the laptop at home as a standalone, will post a follow up when i have the monitors setup. I am writing on my homemade treadmill desk, a bonus of the X1 carbon is that it has a great hinge and on my treadmill lets me tilt the angle perfectly. Thanks again.