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It’s only been two years since I bought my last laptop. It’s a Lenovo T460s, and I hate it. It has an Intel i7-6600u processor, 20 gb of RAM and a 1 terrabyte hard drive. But battery life is awful.
- I’m a one machine guy. My laptop is my computer. I work from it at home, in the office, and on the road.
- I use it to watch movies on planes, too, so it needs a decent amount of storage but I don’t really care about video and sound quality — any modern premium laptop is going to be good enough for me since i’m not demanding in these areas.
- I’m a Windows guy, but I’m still running Windows 7 Professional. If I can’t get a new laptop to run Windows 7 I will need some sort of customization software to emulate the Windows 7 experience. I don’t want touch screen and I don’t want my computer to try to emulate the look and feel of a tablet.
- I don’t reboot the machine for weeks at a time. I work with a dozen tabs open in Google Chrome and a couple of other applications open, too. I need memory and enough processing speed not to slow me down.
- I hate doing TV interviews over Skype, I almost always insist on using a studio. However sometimes I just have to, so the quality of the camera matters along some margin.
- And I travel, including on American Airlines where seat power isn’t reliable — whether it’s on legacy US Airways planes without power, or American planes where they haven’t serviced the outlets in years and plugs won’t stay in. My battery may not be at 100% when I board and I may be connecting without enough time to charge between flights. I want the machine to work all day. I don’t want to have to keep carrying my external battery which I wrote about when I bought it five years ago.
The logical machine seems to me like it would be the Thinkpad X1 Carbon but I’m worried about battery life. The people who say they’re getting 8 hours of work on it seem to suggest they’re doing that at 50% screen brightness. I like my screen bright.
I can definitely scale down to a 512 mb solid state drive. I don’t know whether the tradeoffs involved in a faster processor make the most sense for me. I don’t care what the laptop looks like, I care only about how functional it is. At some level openability in non-extra legroom coach would be nice, but I don’t find myself sitting in 30 inch pitch often and I don’t think I can work comfortably in that sort of seat regardless of what I buy. I’d rather choose a machine that meets my other needs and is usable with 34-36 inch pitch seats.
Since I use the machine every day, a dozen hours a day and plan to do that for several years I’m not overly concerned about cost savings. A $1300 laptop is going to cost me about 10 cents an hour of use. 10% more or less in either direction isn’t material, my focus is on the best possible match for my needs. But I’m not technical enough to know the direction I should go here.
I still carry it in my Tom Bihn Checkpoint Flyer bag which they don’t make anymore.
This is my strategy, anyway, at least until the US government brings back the silly laptop ban.
Do you have any advice for me — other than telling me to go buy a Mac? (I’m not going to do that.) Thanks in advance!
X1 carbon. I5 processor is fine (i7 gets throttled down due to heat consumption). Put 16gb of memory in it and call it a day.
Many days I take mine to Starbucks at 8 and leave at 5 without power. You can get 8-9 hours at a decent screen brightness.
Given you want Windows 7, you can’t take what I chose, which is the Surface Book 2. I had quite similar requirements – lots of battery life being the main one and there’s nothing close to the Surface Book.
One other model you might want to consider is the very latest HP Spectre x360. All of the reviews I looked at have its battery life being excellent (though not Surface Book level).
By the way, without getting into religious battles about operating systems, I find Windows 10 similar enough to Windows 7 to not mind it. You may find downgrading to Windows 7 loses you some battery performance, as it’s possible that you could end up lacking optimized drivers (as companies spend little time now on Windows 7 compatibility)
I wrote a long and (I would like to imagine) very helpful comment from my phone when you posted this earlier today then lost it when the post was no longer there.
Here’s the short version:
1920 x 1080 non-touch matte finish screen.
Good luck with the 512MB SSD. I recommend 512 GB instead.
Consider Core M instead of i5 or i7 if you prioritize battery life over the very highest performance (I use one for software development, it’s fine).
Ultrabook form factor.
Battery life is largely dependent on screen brightness. When on battery, if you want all-day battery you’ll have to compromise on screen brightness.
You won’t get Win 7 on a current computer. Use Stardock Start 10 to get your start menu back.
Ensure that your OS partition has lots and lots of extra room. My 256gb Asus Zenbook with two equally-sized partitions is now so full on the OS partition that I can’t install updates.
I’m converting to apple for my laptop so I won’t be able to help u
I don’t know if anyone is still shipping with Windows 7. You might have to find Windows 7 skins on a Win 10 laptop.
In general, more RAM could sap battery life. A lot of Chrome tabs will definitely take their toll on battery life. You have to be also careful about which sites you have open.
For instance, I’ve caught some Safari browser tabs on my iMac pegging the CPU. When I examined the processes, it was some kind of crypto miner which had infected the sites. On a laptop, those tabs would have drained the battery life fast.
Closing those tabs caused the CPU to ramp down to normal levels. I informed one of the sites of the problems and they denied there was a problem but it was unmistakeable. A few weeks later that site was shut down.
Large screens and high resolution screens, like 4K screens, will consume the battery faster. It probably helps to not have a spinning HDD but SSDs are not cheap and you may have to swap movies in and out if you don’t have as much storage.
A travel laptop (so that you have another computer which wouldn’t have to be so energy-efficient) may solve some problems. It could be lighter, wouldn’t need a high resolution webcam and may be easier to carry extra batteries, with the reduced weight.
An all-in-one laptop approach will require compromises one way or another. Of course, having two laptops (or a travel laptop plus a bigger laptop or desktop for the home office) will be more of a hassle to manage.
You can sign into a Google account on Chrome in more than one machine and have all your bookmarks, tabs and passwords sync’d, though again, you don’t want to have a lot of tabs open if you want your battery life preserved.
ThinkPad X1 Yoga.
I just got a Dell Inspiron 13 7000 series 2-in-1. i5 processor (comes in i7), touch screen, metal casing, thin and light, yet still feels sturdy. I liked it better than the XPS and about half the price. Stacked a recent Ebates promo with some coupons. Great deal.
so here’s my take on it. the Samsung 10.6 inch tablet i purchased for work and travel uses my same cell phone charger and even charges with a power bank. unfortunately the 12 inch version does not keep pace with power consumption to use a power bank but the 10.6 inch does fine. it come with both keyboard and pen.. fantastic machine for travel. it has an ad card slot and usb c port. i can’t say enough about it. no fan, so it works in dusty environments as well. it’s not a beast but i can’t say enough about how well it has performed for me!
Check out the LG gram. Light and long battery life.
Sounds like you are describing a MacBook to me. Long battery life, great screen,camera, long battery life, outlook word,excel all work perfectly. You can use Chrome or Firefox, you can get 16 GN ram and 512 ssd. You will easily get 3 to 4 years life usage. By AppleCare and stop in any apple store in the world if you have a problem. Sign up fo their business service ( can’t remember name). They will give you priority treatment.
If you insist on Windows I have been told Windows 10 is a great os except for the forced updates. This week my MacBook pro would not charge on an American flight my regular MacBook did. Big negative is cost and lack of ports without adapters.
I just got this item for my dad and he loves it. If you can find a similar deal on eBay for a barely-used Dell XPS, I would snap it up.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/173197438492
cost…… i paid $700… you can now get it for less. $600 i think for the 128 expandable with micro sd card.. i had a conversation with mobiletechreview about it once. but she told me they only send the 12 inch unit out and thats why you can never get a good review on it anywhere. but i’m telling you , for a travel device YOU CANNOT BEAT IT!
Sounds like a MacBook Pro.
SSD is the must
@STVR I did not recommend the MBPro because the batter does not charge easily on the plane unless the 13 inch model does. Plus the large trackpad is annoying and the touch bar is useless.
From the model to which you linked on Amazon, I’d seriously consider downgrading the monitor to standard HD for the power savings. If you can deal with 8 GB rather than 16 GB of RAM that might also increase your battery life.
XPS 13.. Only thing is camera isnt great but this is a good reason for them to have you inside studio.. spectre or x1 are all good options but xps 13 is clean winner!
I also wrote a comment before and it was gone as soon as i posted, lol.
I recommend something in the lines of the LG gram latest model with 8th gen Intel CPU (you can choose 13, 14 or15 inch). For the things you need they should work perfectly. They are under 1Kg of weight and the batteries are some of the longest lasting.
This review could help you
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fc6ODCqepb8&t=364s (if you cant see it just google lg gram linus)
Dell xps and for goodness sake upgrade to windows 10 already.
dell xps 13 as others have said.
Your intuition is the right one. The newest generation Thinkpad X1 is the way to go. I recently went looking to replace my 2nd gen X1 and after dabbling with the beautiful (but unreliable) Microsoft Surface Laptop and the lower build quality Dell XPS, circled back to a 5th gen Thinkpad X1. No looking back. Definitely go with 16GB of RAM, whether you go i5 or i7. I spent an extra $100 for the gorgeous WHQD screen (but I value screen quality over marginal battery life) — screen quality used to be my main beef with the X1 line compared to MacBooks. As for pricing, if you treat it a bit like shopping for an award ticket, you can score a new one for under $1,000. Between coupons and CB, I got a new / open box from the Lenovo Outlet for $979. Inventory refreshes (and depleted) quickly, so find the config you want, keep it open in a tab and refresh regularly.
Mine is a T470..not an ‘s’…I specifically went for this model as the slim line versions are over rated. I have an i7, 20 G memory with the extended battery (72wh.I guess)..And with decent brightness..I get a 12 hrs …I charge over night and would not just charge the rest of the business day all together.
With that being said..I believe the T480 which is the latest one would be equally or more better than it’s predecessor.
I now you said no mac but… mac book air!!. i use parallels softwear for emulator and use windows environment 90% of time. easy to toggle back and forward. Best of both worlds and less chance of corruption and virus. Also great after sales support from Apple everywhere in the world.
I am glad to see this request because I, also, am searching for a new laptop with similar requirements.
I hate hate hate Windows 10 app style interface, so I am running a “skin” or “shell” which can either be made to look like Windows 7 or Windows XP. Mine was a free download, but I donated 🙂
I always swore to never get a touchcreen, but now I have one, I would never be without. So much easier than fiddling with a mouse, although you still have the option to use one whenever you choose.
My current laptop is a 12.5″ Asus which has seen a lot of use, and the internal battery is pretty much gone, now only holds a partial charge for 1.5-2 hours. Battery time has come a long way since 2015 and I am eager to see what is suggested for you.
My daughter has a Macbook Pro and as much as I appreciate the build quality, there are some features I don’t like, and the dependence on Apple products–especially when traveling the globe–can backfire. Here in the US Macbooks are ubiquitous, and we assume that the rest of the world is Apple-centric, but that isn’t true. Just try finding a Macbook charger in a midsize city in Central Europe or Latin America, and you may be stuck. This happened twice to my daughter when she was traveling abroad–once in Oaxaca, Mexico (population over a million), and once in Budapest–and on both occasions I had to Fedex replacements to her.
By the way I have heard great things about the HP Spectre 360.
Don’t forget the Dell Latitude line.
Personally I’d go with Thinkpad X1 Carbon or Microsoft Surface Book.
As to battery life, do note that Windows 10 is much more power efficient, ceteris paribus.
Definitely XPS.
Use founders card discount for lenovo x1 carbon 6th gen. I5 is sufficent for your needs. Use classicshell to get the benefits of win 10 with usability of win 7. Nice thing about x1 is lenovo has now standardized around usb c so one charger to rule them all. Get the thunderbolt docking station and you can pop in and out of your office with 1 cable.
No Mac and no Windows 10 will make your choice difficult. I recommend you at least be open to Windows 10. It really isn’t that different from Windows 7 (and I’m a Mac user, so my saying that they aren’t that different is something).
HI Gary, what you need is a gaming laptop. The Razer Blade (and other models) will awe you it is so fast. And light, too. Less than 3 pounds. I’ve had one for two years and it’s the best. I log about as much screen time as you do maintaining 800 gigs of website content. George
As many have said, not running Windows 10 is undoubtably hammering your battery life, there’s a lot of good power management under the hood in windows 10 (and other up to date OSes), battery life is a key selling point.
You are also putting yoursef at risk, it’s been out of mainstream support since 2015, so security updates are not going t be a thorough. Not sure what your relationship is with your employer or clients but I would not contract with someone using Windows 7 for my work, it’s too vulnerable.
I have two travel laptops. My corporate Dell Latitude battery seems to last forever but most new laptops are going to be on Windows 10. Its not as good as 7 but not that bad. I also have a fairly cheap Lenova Yoga. It is touch screen but it’s tiny. Battery last a long time and although I rarely use it in tablet mode it is very handy on planes since you can fold it over into tablet mode and keep if out gate to gate. Once in the air turn it back to keyboard laptop mode.
Gary – consider the Huawei Matebook X Pro (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CTHN94Z)
13.9″ 3K Touch, 8th Gen i7-8550U, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, GeForce MX150,
X1 Yoga would be my choice. Light w plenty of power x1 carbon a close second.
If only the carbon hadnt gotten rid of its OLED screen…
Get a glossy screen. My colleagues (stuck with their dull, matte finish dells) drop their jaws when they see my screen. You’ll be in a plane – who cares about glare assuming you can pull the shade.
Stay away from 4K screens. Everything will be so tiny you can’t read it, and so the OS suggests you double or triple the res so you can see clearly, which defeats the purpose. Just go 1920×1080 (true HD) and be done with it. But insist on glossy. You won’t regret it.
1tb SSD – will boot almost instantly and use less power than a spinner. Most new laptops take m.2 or NVMe high performance storage that comes on a “stick” – buy your desire model with a spinning rust drive (saving hundreds) and invest the hundreds and reimage with the largest SSD you can buy for the difference in price.
Watch out for way souped up models with game graphics cards. I was testing one on a plane and blew the circuit breaker on my seat -find a model with 65w 1 90w max power supply.
When ordering online make sure the backlit keyboard and fingerprint scanner are included. Usually like a $20 option that can’t be added later.
Finally, I was a tried and true windows 7 guy. I have fully embraced W10 and haven’t looked back. You’ll get used to it!
>I don’t reboot the machine for weeks at a time. I work with a dozen tabs open in Google Chrome and a couple of other applications open, too. I need memory and enough processing speed not to slow me down.
Change your computing habit. Chrome is notorious at killing battery life. Windows 10 is more efficient. Upgrade to Windows 10. Restart weekly. Switch to Firefox. Don’t keep a dozen tabs open at a time. Pick any or all of the above, whatever works for you.
I get that you are set in your ways and you want technology to adopt to you, but this is the equivalent of driving a Corolla with a led foot and redlining the engine constantly and want to change a car because you get shit fuel economy. Yes getting a new laptop will help, but if you don’t change your habit it’ll still kill your battery.
As for laptop recs, Any Thinkpad T-series or the Dell XPS will be fine, but if you don’t use your computer smartly you’ll still go though battery doesn’t matter what fancy machine you get
Oh, and turn down the brightness. Bright screen is awesome, but bright screen kills battery. You can’t have it both ways.
@ Gary — You sound like my 74-year old mother, who refuses to learn to text on a phone. Get over it and get the stupid Windows 10. You wont even know the difference after a few days. You can turn off the touch screen. For a “decidedly middle aged guy” (in your own words), you are pretty tech savvy, so dont be so stubborn and resistant to change. You will have about 10000x more options for a laptop…
ThinkPad (maybe the X270 with the extended battery?) but seriously — Windows 10.
And don’t get a Dell, the webcam situation won’t be ideal.
x270, or Yoga Thinkpad. Make sure the drive is a nvme drive. My Yoga Thinkpad gives me about 9 hour+ with full brightness and heavy workload.
Win 10 is fine without touch screen. If you really want, you can use classic shell
http://www.classicshell.net
I personally like Samsung Ativ 9 notebooks. I have 2 of them, a 15 inch and a 12. 2 inch. I usually travel with the 12.2 unless I get upgraded in advance but if I only had one I’d compromise and get a 13.3 if Samsung or 14 inch for X1 Carbon.
Regardless of what brand, get an Intel processor that has leading digit after the – of 8 and 9 for kast digit ie. i5-8259u not i5-8250u or i5-7 something
That will be the latest “coffee lake” processor
https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/intel-coffee-lake-faq
The suffix u processors will be more energy efficient than older models.
Even a year ago, I might have been able to understand your aversion to Windows 10. In mid-2018 it’s a Luddite position. You’ll find nothing that truly satisfies your requirements and still runs an unsupported OS like Win 7.
Agree with comments. Suggest X1 CARBON. Get an i5 and an SSD.
Windows 10 will take you a day to learn and then its done.
Just rip the plaster off already.
Really love my Surface Pro 3. It’s light but very powerful and the battery last at least 8 hours (doing regular Word / internet stuff). Microsoft Support was good when the thing didn’t boot up. They offered to send me a new replacement. BTW, I’m still using the same Tom Bihn bag as you!. The best..
I didn’t read all the comments so maybe it has already been suggested. I work as a photo editor and last November I ditched the “traditional” laptop and now use a Microsoft Surface Pro for everything. It is AMAZING. It does everything my old laptops did (photoshop, calls, movies, light gaming) and the detachable keyboard is great as a tray table space saver. Added bonus I love using the touchscreen for basic computer maneuvers as simple as paging up/down or clicking buttons instead of using a mouse or worse the trackpad. It’s a subtle difference but so much faster too!
One bit of advice. Windows 10 is fine. It is in my opinion a mature yet ever improving OS. Your windows 7 apps will run fine and you can run all windows native apps and dont worry about windows 10 (Native apps from the app store) I think that tradeoff makes sense. And for security purposes moving forward Windows 10.
Microsoft has really backed away from the “touch-first” stuff in more recent builds of Windows 10. It’s nothing at all like Windows 8, which was basically a phone OS transposed to PC. You can easily get by without using the Windows Store at all, and remove anything that annoys you about the Start Menu.
And you really do want the security upgrades and hardening built in to Windows 10. Windows 7 is still in extended support (but only until January 14, 2020), which means it still gets security updates, but even totally updated it lacks many of the more advanced security features that were developed later.
A lot of good suggestions from the comments, but one question that’s begging to be asked: WHY do you hate the T460s? Size/bulk? Performance? Screen? Battery life? Brand? Looks? Answering this question would go a long way towards finding a suitable replacement.
But yes, move to Windows 10. There are emulation options for those apps that simply absolutely require Windows 7.
I have a Dell XPS 15 9560 purchased during last year’s Black Friday sale. Suits my personal needs down to a T (for the exception of no internal optical drive – have a USB drive on hand for those rare times). I have yet to travel with it so I’m looking forward to taking that along when that time comes.
I think the X1 Carbon is the way to go. Make sure it is the later models that charge off of USB-C/TB3 — lots more forward compatibility and you can get external battery packs if necessary. Get the lower res screen to save battery life, no reason to go “retina” sharp for business use. Got my mom one recently who is on the road a bunch too. She loves it. Lightweight, quick and can easily make it across the country on an old LUS A321.
Also, upgrade to Win 10. You won’t regret it.
Check out the Huawei Matebook X Pro. It’s Windows 10 but you’ll need to get used to it if you want a new computer (I prefer it). It’s the PC version of a MacBook and just came out with amazing reviews across the board. It’s out of stock/pre-order for most places right now, but should be available in the next 1-2 weeks. I’m waiting to buy this one too.
XPS 13 (9360) unless you want to full dongle mode then 9370.
You’d need a USB cam.
Also, you can get an external power brick to power it from Dell for a few extra hours of productivity. Or a third party usb-c power pack (with ‘power delivery’) – this will actually work with a couple other suggestions here to.