Non-mac laptop with similar case/battery to MBP

[Noriaki]

Hey all,

I've been using a macbook pro lately, one of the so-called unibody ones although not the latest Core i5s.

I basically like the slim, sturdy case, and the battery life on them, and I'm wondering if anyone knows of any similar laptops that are non-Macs. I also like that the trackpads on them aren't total crap, although I try to use an external mouse when I can. I'm mostly concerned with functionality and sturdiness here, although the fact they look better than the average crap I see cluttering the shelves at futureshop (best buy) is nice.

I'm not highly concerned by price, as I'm definitely not in the market for a $500 laptop, but you know if I can find something that has most of the hardware qualities I'm looking for without paying for the Apple logo, I'm all for it. When I say hardware qualities, I'm not talking about spec sheet checklist, but good keyboard, good screen, good trackpad, etc.

I could just buy myself a MacBook pro, I'm not horrified by the price. But everyone keeps telling me they are way overpriced though, but the comparisons usually seem to be to that crap littering the shelves I was talking about before (usually from HP...), and I'm just not interested in that stuff.

Say maybe something in the $1200 range, rather than the $1800. Mostly I'm interested in 14-16" sizes. The 15" MBP I have is maybe a tad bigger than I'd like, but it's not awful. The 17" MBP is a beast, and I've got bad eyes, so I find the 13" is a tad small.

I've never been much of a laptop guy, and I'm not looking to trade in my gaming rig, but I find myself doing a lot of my day to day computing on the work mbp. Shopping for apple stuff is pretty simple, they don't have a lot of choice. For non-macs, I don't know which vendor to start with, and any that I do seemingly have dozens of near indistinguishable models.

It makes me sound a bit like a fruity mac dude, but basically I'm wondering if there are any laptop vendors out there with good taste that make mid-upper range hardware.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

The HP Envy series are similar to Apple laptops but offer pretty top of the line hardware for a decent price. They are supposed to release a 14" model at some point but for now the 15" version is probably the closest to what you want.

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/sh...tegory&v1=ENVY

 

[Noriaki]

Apparently I've reverted to the natural human's state of hardware newb.

Why the hell are their two different models of Radeon 5830 depending on which processor I pick? And why does my choice of that graphics card affect how much RAM I can have?

I desire a Core i5-540 with >4GB of ram. Apparently I can't have that?

Anyhow, thanks for the suggestion.

 

[TheStu]

Most people agree that in the PC world, Sony is top when it comes to styling, however, the Sony tax is IMO, actually more of a reaming than the Apple tax. With the Sony, other than the style, you aren't getting anything that you aren't getting with HP. With Apple, you are at least getting OS X (worth a pretty penny in my book).

The HP Envy line was designed to directly ape the unibody MacBook Pros, and it shows. The 14 and 17" models are actually second gen Envys, so they have a few improvements over their 13" and 15" brethren, such as optical drives.

HP is also moving that styling across more of their lines, so you could get the dv5t or dm4t and it will resemble the Envy/MBP but is more affordable. However, the hardware reflects that, slower lower CPUs, integrated GPUs, and so on.

HP's customization has always been worse than Dell's, but I like their designs better (if I have to just choose between those two)

 

[jihe]

Have you tried thinkpads?

 

[Emulex]

thinkpads are the ford taurus of design

 

[Noriaki]

Don't know a lot about the thinkpads. I remember back when IBM owned them, are they still as good?

The HP Envy looks interesting but I have seen a lot of junk HP laptops, so I'm inclined away from them. But to be fair to HP those were mostly the kind of cheap laptop I'm specifically looking to avoid. Are higher end HP laptops worth putting money into?


I am not as concerned with notions of "style" as I am with notions of hardware quality beyond Core i5-540M + 4GB ddr3-1066 + Radeon 5830 1GB + 500GB 7200rpm hard drive. Those things are important, but they don't define a laptop to me.

For a desktop box I'd find a case, keyboard and monitor I like and then select my components to go in them.

I guess I'm trying to find the equivalent of a good case, keyboard and monitor in the laptop realm. I feel like Apple does pretty well on those fronts with the macbook pro, and I guess style sort of goes with it the whole picture.

Basically any vendor I can customize to a degree what hardware specs I get in the shell right?

 

[fatpat268]

Most people agree that in the PC world, Sony is top when it comes to styling, however, the Sony tax is IMO, actually more of a reaming than the Apple tax.

Yea, but sony tends to push the hardware limits moreso than apple does, so sometimes it's justified.

Take for example the Sony Vaio Z.

Core i5 2.4ghz
Nvidia GT 330M + Intel Graphics
DVD Drive
128gb SSD
Expresscard slot
DVD drive
Backlit Keyboard
13" 1600x900 screen (!)
3 lbs (!)
Decent battery life

For $1800. It's more expensive than most of apple's offerings, but damn that things got a lot stuff crammed into a small laptop.

 

[TheStu]

Yea, but sony tends to push the hardware limits moreso than apple does, so sometimes it's justified.

Take for example the Sony Vaio Z.

Core i5 2.4ghz
Nvidia GT 330M + Intel Graphics
DVD Drive
128gb SSD
Expresscard slot
DVD drive
Backlit Keyboard
13" 1600x900 screen (!)
3 lbs (!)
Decent battery life

For $1800. It's more expensive than most of apple's offerings, but damn that things got a lot stuff crammed into a small laptop.

That is true, but a lot of their non-envelope-pushing machines are also priced a little on the high side. They are usually a little thinner, a little classier, a little fancier than the competition but also, based on my observations, a little more expensive.

 

[Noriaki]

That's like a beefed up version of the macbook air. Interesting.

Maybe I should check them out, that particular isn't quite what I'm looking for, but they might have something that is.

 

[TheStu]

That's like a beefed up version of the macbook air. Interesting.

Maybe I should check them out, that particular isn't quite what I'm looking for, but they might have something that is.

The Z is incredibly expensive.

It starts at $1900 (excuse me, $1899.99)

 

[fatpat268]

The Z is incredibly expensive.

It starts at $1900 (excuse me, $1899.99)

Not to nitpick... but $1799 on newegg.

 

[TheStu]

Not to nitpick... but $1799 on newegg.

No that's good, if the OP wants it, it saves him $100.

 

[Noriaki]

Nah, the Z's not really what I'm looking for. I'm looking for something more like a 15" MBP. But I was just thinking that it's interesting enough that some of the rest of the Vaio line might be worth a look.

 

[TheStu]

Nah, the Z's not really what I'm looking for. I'm looking for something more like a 15" MBP. But I was just thinking that it's interesting enough that some of the rest of the Vaio line might be worth a look.

I fail to get excited over most of Sony's laptops. Really, it is just their small, stupidly expensive, freakishly engineered, no-doubt-a-nightmare-to-open, made-with-interesting-materials laptops that I get hard for. Not to buy, I don't like their trackpads, and well.... I use OS X.

Those that use thinkpads mostly agree that they are still pretty well put together.

 

[hans030390]

Wait for the Envy 14. It's coming out later in June. Or, if you don't mine a bigger laptop, the Envy 17 will be out even sooner (though it might not have great battery life like the 14).

 

[jihe]

Nah, the Z's not really what I'm looking for. I'm looking for something more like a 15" MBP. But I was just thinking that it's interesting enough that some of the rest of the Vaio line might be worth a look.

I have heard good things about the thinkpad T410S.

 

[CurseTheSky]

The HP Envy line, as others have said, is what you want. I had an Envy 15 briefly, but returned it so I can pick up an Envy 14 when it comes out in 3-4 weeks.

The chassis is very solid (not quite as good as a MBP, but worlds apart from a normal plastic chassis) and the specs are excellent. My only major complaint was the battery life, which the Envy 14 (with switchable graphics) is supposed to be addressing to some extent. I'm still only expecting 5-6 hours of real world battery life, but that's enough for me, and there's an external "slice" battery that adds a bit of weight and bulk if you need more than that.

 

[Noriaki]

5-6h should be alright. I don't get the 9h Apple claims anyhow.

I should check out the 14" when it hits. Probably is what I'm looking for.

Thanks for all the replies guys.

 

[TheStu]

5-6h should be alright. I don't get the 9h Apple claims anyhow.

I should check out the 14" when it hits. Probably is what I'm looking for.

Thanks for all the replies guys.

Only the latest Core i5s have the 8-9hr claim, the previous generation had a 6-7hr battery, and the generation before (unibody with removable battery) was iirc 5-6hrs.

 

[Kassem]

This is the thread I've been searching for. Seriously answered quite a few of my questions. I am in the EXACT same boat as the OP.

I kinda like Studio 14, Studio 15, and Studio 16 XPS. Maybe you should check them out. Not as thin or sleek as the MBP but I still personally think they are nice looking laptops.

Honestly, I think I might just end up with the 15" Macbook. Here is my main beef with the PC's i've liked.

Resolution. I really want at LEAST 1440x900 on a 14" or 15" laptop. I also want at least 5 hours of battery life. Having those 2 things together seems hard to find in a case that is as small and nice looking and sturdy as the Macbook Pro. The MBP comes w/ that resolution or an upgrade to 1680x1050 which is extremely attractive. Not to mention I KNOW i'm going to get a quality machine. I know the trackpad is going to work great and I know the screen is going to be gorgeous. It's hard for me to say the same about the Dell's and Lenovo's I was interested in, even after reading through numerous reviews from users. The same goes for their Customer Support. I KNOW apple has great support, and I can get it in my town same day without ever having to ship it (most of the time).

The only computers that I looked at and felt (more) assured about the build quality seemed to be sony. I am still interested in the E class. I'm really drawn to the edge to edge keyboard including a 10key. I WISH the MBP had that. With the sony, I felt like I might as well pay a little more and just have the ability to use OSX and Windows 7, separately and simultaneously.

All that combined with the fact that I get a small discount at apple and blehhh, I still am not 100% sure.


EDIT //

My last two laptops have been Apple. I am truly a fan of their quality and customer support. Also OSX. I don't think the price of them, compared to something TRULY of equal quality, is that much different. I hate the fact that they get so much hate. That being said, I love my desktop. And Windows 7 is pretty great.

 

[vbuggy]

Count me as one of the apparent few not at all impressed with Macs. I could go on, but I'll leave it at the fact that there's 'quality' and there's 'apparent quality' due to a skillful manipulation of look and feel for an ignorant clientele. Yes - even tech journalists.

I suppose the big question is whether you want the Macbook Pro runtime equivalent in Windows. If so, pretty much anything reasonable works, since it's relatively short. If you're looking to get a tweaked real power-saving OS X runtime (Apple claim divided by ~1.3 realistically speaking for actual undemanding web stuff + wp, etc), then you'll need to look at a switchable-graphics machine.

The Envy 14 is a good choice but I can't say any more than that, but I would say that the Sony Z as suggested above is actually a pretty worthy choice.

I own several of the fairly base spec (i5, 128Gb SSD, 1600 x 900 screen, Gobi) which are my everyday portables on the Windows side (Macbook Air's on OS X side), as well as a higher-spec model (I actually wanted to standardise on these but for some reason Sony put a massive delay on them - so I only managed to get one, and that didn't work for me) and I have to say apart from the port placement - which makes the whole machine look a bit of a mess - this is pretty much the best actually portable machine you can buy right now.

If you want to work at a desk with it, then you can dock it and stick a decent screen + keyb / mouse on it (although I don't, as I have separate DTR's and workstations) - and when you want to be portable with it, it's essentially the same weight as a Macbook Air - while packing in a Macbook Pro (pixelwise) screen, a respectable GPU, a 6-hour power managed endurance on the standard cell, an optical drive, a 'full' i5/7, a decent sprinkling of ports, built-in mobile broadband (which is important to me at least), as well as Sony's case engineering being consistently more durable than any of Apple's offerings in real life in terms of accident resistance, despite the seemingly flyweight/fragile nature of the machine.

I only dual-use the Airs because I need OS X frequently and hackintosh isn't a way I like going - and the MBP13 is too heavy. Otherwise the only thing it - and the MBP13 - has over the Z is the looks. In everything else, the Sony whips the Apples with a very usable, versatile, stable machine with the build quality being back to par. Just as well since if a Sony breaks, customer service does kinda suck - and Apple's, for the most part for consumers at least, doesn't.

 

[beginner99]

The HP Envy line was designed to directly ape the unibody MacBook Pros, and it shows. The 14 and 17" models are actually second gen Envys, so they have a few improvements over their 13" and 15" brethren, such as optical drives.

Internal optical drives is a step back IMHO. You carry around something you basically only need 0.1% of the time.
I would have already bought the envy 15 if I could configure it especially with a matte screen. But in my country all we get to choose from is 1 model, the most expensive one with glossy.

 

[Kassem]

Count me as one of the apparent few not at all impressed with Macs. I could go on, but I'll leave it at the fact that there's 'quality' and there's 'apparent quality' due to a skillful manipulation of look and feel for an ignorant clientele. Yes - even tech journalists.

I suppose the big question is whether you want the Macbook Pro runtime equivalent in Windows. If so, pretty much anything reasonable works, since it's relatively short. If you're looking to get a tweaked real power-saving OS X runtime (Apple claim divided by ~1.3 realistically speaking for actual undemanding web stuff + wp, etc), then you'll need to look at a switchable-graphics machine.

The Envy 14 is a good choice but I can't say any more than that, but I would say that the Sony Z as suggested above is actually a pretty worthy choice.

I own several of the fairly base spec (i5, 128Gb SSD, 1600 x 900 screen, Gobi) which are my everyday portables on the Windows side (Macbook Air's on OS X side), as well as a higher-spec model (I actually wanted to standardise on these but for some reason Sony put a massive delay on them - so I only managed to get one, and that didn't work for me) and I have to say apart from the port placement - which makes the whole machine look a bit of a mess - this is pretty much the best actually portable machine you can buy right now.

If you want to work at a desk with it, then you can dock it and stick a decent screen + keyb / mouse on it (although I don't, as I have separate DTR's and workstations) - and when you want to be portable with it, it's essentially the same weight as a Macbook Air - while packing in a Macbook Pro (pixelwise) screen, a respectable GPU, a 6-hour power managed endurance on the standard cell, an optical drive, a 'full' i5/7, a decent sprinkling of ports, built-in mobile broadband (which is important to me at least), as well as Sony's case engineering being consistently more durable than any of Apple's offerings in real life in terms of accident resistance, despite the seemingly flyweight/fragile nature of the machine.

I only dual-use the Airs because I need OS X frequently and hackintosh isn't a way I like going - and the MBP13 is too heavy. Otherwise the only thing it - and the MBP13 - has over the Z is the looks. In everything else, the Sony whips the Apples with a very usable, versatile, stable machine with the build quality being back to par. Just as well since if a Sony breaks, customer service does kinda suck - and Apple's, for the most part for consumers at least, doesn't.

Okay I'll look more into it. I do feel like Sony is the best as far as build quality goes on the windows side. I just wish the customer service was there in case anything goes wrong. Also, the price of the nice sony's and nice apple's are quite similar. And I don't really think your statement about build quality is accurate but I guess thats my opinion and (some) more ignorant tech journalists.

The Z is too small for me. Any larger recommendations?

 

[Emulex]

most hp's i've dealt with (elitebook) you can remove the dvd-rom and put a battery or 2.5" 750-1TB drive (or second or third ssd).

leave the burner in your bag/at home.