What's the Best Laptop/2-in-1 for Me?

[Zachary Boddy]

I've been doing a lot of searching lately, as I plan to replace my aging laptop very soon (I'm looking at Spring 2017 so I can have a bit more buffer in my budget) and I can't quite decide on what kind of machine I want let alone which specific device I'd go for.
I'd use my machine for computer programming (anything from simple programs to full apps), media consumption, email, word processing, and light gaming. I don't have anything particularly heavy to do, so I don't need a super powerful machine. What I do need is something with great build quality, an awesome keyboard, an amazing display, and an SSD.
So far I've been looking at the Dell XPS 15 (my only issue is I don't need the Core i7 but that's the first configuration that comes with a full SSD), the Surface Book (I'm curious just how well its modified 940M does with gaming), and the Surface Pro 4 (the high portability and deep stylus integration interest me). I'd like to know what you guys are familiar with, what you might suggest for me, and if you have any other great all around devices I can look at that would suit my needs. Again, I'm really looking for something with a Core i5 or greater (dual core or quad core isn't important), 8 GB of RAM or greater, and an SSD. I'm looking for something premium so my budget is not small, I just don't want to spend over $2,000, which won't be hard at all (there are so many great machines out there for under $2,000, I just have to pick one).
Notes: I'm also interested in devices that might come out between now and Spring 2017, such as new Surface devices or existing device refreshes. Also, little touches like USB Type C, Windows Hello, etcetera are all reasons I might look at something.

 

[Chintan Gohel]

Take the dell even if it has core i7, it will help you in the future. Core i7 also will make your programming work easier

 

[Zachary Boddy]

Are we thinking there might be a refresh before Spring 2017 that will feature USB Type C and 7th generation Intel processors?

 

[Chintan Gohel]

Are we thinking there might be a refresh before Spring 2017 that will feature USB Type C and 7th generation Intel processors?

Of course 7th gen processors will come out soon and then 8th gen and so on and so forth. The question to ask is when do you need a new device and why. If the need is urgent, then waiting for the next latest device will not help much.

You mentioned that price isn't that a high priority so you can try the i7 - personally I know an i7 can help.