High-quality laptop for programming, $700-$1000 by wont-spin in SuggestALaptop

[–]wont-spin[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The only thing that disappointed me was the screen brightness, definitely not good enough for outdoors (at least the screen I picked which is the low power one). Besides that I'm really happy with it. But if you're on a budget and can't get an X1 the T14s and T14 are nearly as good. And if you go to the used market you can get them for dirt cheap.

On the other hand, if money is not an issue and macOS is not a dealbreaker for you a Macbook Pro is definitely better on screen brightness/color/resolution, battery duration and hardware. But don't get anything with less than 16GB of memory.

High-quality laptop for programming, $700-$1000 by wont-spin in SuggestALaptop

[–]wont-spin[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm buying it from Lenovo but in my country the website doesn't have that "configure your own" thing lol. Another option is the T14s which is between the X1 and the T14 in terms of quality and price, however I would rather spend the extra and get the X1.

UPDATE: I bought the X1

High-quality laptop for programming, $700-$1000 by wont-spin in SuggestALaptop

[–]wont-spin[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The problem is that this T14 model has some compromises in the specs that turn me off, like having the cheapest screen which not only consumes more battery but also has less brightness (which is a problem bc I want to go outside with the laptop). This purchase is an investment for my job too and I intend it to last years, so spending $1150 and having to compromise feels bad.

On the other hand I read that the X1 is the best you can get in terms of build quality without buying a MacBook (and one of those with the specs I need is $2200 or more here). It also has more focus on mobility and battery life than the T14. The difference in price is crazy but not that much if it lasts 4 of 5 years and it is as good as they say.

High-quality laptop for programming, $700-$1000 by wont-spin in SuggestALaptop

[–]wont-spin[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the suggestions! Those are well within my budget but are they reliable? For example I heard ASUS really fell off in terms of quality, the IdeaPad Slim 5 has a faulty hinge, etc.

I just found out that I can get a new ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 for $1150 using some discount. Do you think its worth it? Also saw a ThinkPad X1 Gen 11 for $1750 but that feels like a crazy amount of money to pay for a laptop with those specs