My debate: Surface Laptop or Carbon X1 (2017)

[raqball]

I am torn between the 2..

I am considering similar specs between the 2. i5 / 8 / 256.

My only real concern with the Surface Laptop is the KB and the cloth cover. I wonder how it's going to hold up over time and use.. My only other minor concern is the lack of USB C. While this is not a deal breaker for me it would be nice to have.

The X1 has much better port options but it is also about $300 more... I do not care either way about touch screen as I'll never use it on the Surface Laptop is I go with it...

Thoughts?

 

[kaktus1389]

I am torn between the 2..

I am considering similar specs between the 2. i5 / 8 / 256.

My only real concern with the Surface Laptop is the KB and the cloth cover. I wonder how it's going to hold up over time and use.. My only other minor concern is the lack of USB C. While this is not a deal breaker for me it would be nice to have.

The X1 has much better port options but it is also about $300 more... I do not care either way about touch screen as I'll never use it on the Surface Laptop is I go with it...

Thoughts?

If you have many USB-C peripherals or plan to use external GPU then I'd definitely go with the Carbon X1. If you don't need any of that, then it's pretty much the battle of design - I think that's where Surface Laptop wins hands down. Perhaps the Carbon X1 has better trackpad and keyboard, but I used Lenovo ThinkPad laptops at my school and those have awful trackpads and keyboards, literally unusable (FN key is placed where shift key is supposed to be, the trackpad has awkward feeling and the buttons are placed at the top just like on X1 Carbon).

Hope that helped.

 

[raqball]

If you have many USB-C peripherals or plan to use external GPU then I'd definitely go with the Carbon X1. If you don't need any of that, then it's pretty much the battle of design - I think that's where Surface Laptop wins hands down. Perhaps the Carbon X1 has better trackpad and keyboard, but I used Lenovo ThinkPad laptops at my school and those have awful trackpads and keyboards, literally unusable (FN key is placed where shift key is supposed to be, the trackpad has awkward feeling and the buttons are placed at the top just like on X1 Carbon).

Hope that helped.

Thanks for the response..

The trackpad on the 2017 X1 Carbon is 'suppose' to be much better this year and using a MS precision one.

Another concern I didn't mention is service and support. MS wins easily here because of MS stores and I've always had good service with them. Lenovo has a pretty bad reputation as far as service and service times go,,,

 

[kaktus1389]

Of course Microsoft's support and service is probably superior to Lenovo's, but I honestly have no experience with that because I personally never owned any Lenovo devices. It's not that I hate Lenovo, I just don't like their design and wouldn't buy their devices, though I must admit I was interested in the Carbon X1. I must admit it has good ratings and reviews, but since I've got my first 2-in-1, I wouldn't buy a portable computing device without touch, but since you don't need that it's irrelevant.

If your usage will never possibly require USB-C, I'd probably go with the Surface Laptop.

 

[lanakaryatna]

I don't know about computer specification and I also wrong for buy laptop for fit price

 

[raqball]

Canceled my Surface Laptop order and went with the X1 Carbon..

I'll be interested in version 2 of the Surface Laptop so I can see how the cloth KB is holding up over time..