Recommendation for laptop ~2k budget

snoppydog123

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Hi all,

I am looking for a new laptop mainly for surfing net, music and streaming on the go, with a budget of about 2k. I'm quite a noob when it comes to laptop and specs.

Some requirements which are more important:
1. Lightweight: Will usually need to carry the laptop on the go so looking for something light weight and sturdy. Looking at probably a 13 or 14 inch

2. Durable- hopefully the laptop is at least able to least for 3-5 years without spoling

3. Battery life: would prefer a laptop of at least medium battery life of 6-10 hours with normal usage of surfing the web

4. Windows

5. Hopefully the laptop processor is fast and the programs/internet load pretty fast.

Appreciate any recommendations. Thank you.
 

destiny88

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Hi all,

I am looking for a new laptop mainly for surfing net, music and streaming on the go, with a budget of about 2k. I'm quite a noob when it comes to laptop and specs.

Some requirements which are more important:
1. Lightweight: Will usually need to carry the laptop on the go so looking for something light weight and sturdy. Looking at probably a 13 or 14 inch

2. Durable- hopefully the laptop is at least able to least for 3-5 years without spoling

3. Battery life: would prefer a laptop of at least medium battery life of 6-10 hours with normal usage of surfing the web

4. Windows

5. Hopefully the laptop processor is fast and the programs/internet load pretty fast.

Appreciate any recommendations. Thank you.

LG Gram 14" at $1799 with free MS office Home& Student 2019, if need more information or promotion can PM me i can assist u accordingly.

1. Lightweight: 0.999 KG with 14" Screen

2. Durable- Hit or miss kind of things ( no laptop has been PROVEN not to spoil within this time frame so its abit hard to promise on this)

3. Battery life: 18.5hrs paper specs, actual useage around 8-9hrs based on feedbacks

4. Windows, win10 pro

5. i7 with 16gb of ram and 512GB Pcie SSD so ya should be more then enough.
 

Firestone

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Do you need LTE inbuilt ?

LTE allows the laptop to insert a SIM card so that you can use at places without wifi / hotspot tethering

Would recommend a 12 - 13" / less than 1kg for better portability
then at home just dock it to monitor
 

firesong

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Friend just bought a Lenovo Slim 7i 16/512, about 950 grams, for around $1.2k with 3y onsite warranty.

She should be receiving it this Thu.
 
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Tombstonewan

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If built inWebcam is not a neccessity for you, you can gun for ASUS ROG G14, Lazada selling at 1799.

R7 4800H alone outguns most CPU specs here At this price range. Of course, you can’t compete the higher end model (RTX 2060) with GTX 1650, but the plus point, the only gaming laptop which supports thunderbolt charging.
 
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snoppydog123

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If built inWebcam is not a neccessity for you, you can gun for ASUS ROG G14, Lazada selling at 1799.

Thank you, will not need webcam, will check it out.

R7 4800H alone outguns most CPU specs here At this price range. Of course, you can’t compete the higher end model (RTX 2060) with GTX 1650, but the plus point, the only gaming laptop which supports thunderbolt charging.

Will check it out, thunderbolt charging just means very fast charging?

LG Gram 14" at $1799 with free MS office Home& Student 2019, if need more information or promotion can PM me i can assist u accordingly.

1. Lightweight: 0.999 KG with 14" Screen

2. Durable- Hit or miss kind of things ( no laptop has been PROVEN not to spoil within this time frame so its abit hard to promise on this)

3. Battery life: 18.5hrs paper specs, actual useage around 8-9hrs based on feedbacks

4. Windows, win10 pro

5. i7 with 16gb of ram and 512GB Pcie SSD so ya should be more then enough.

Thanks, will check it out

Do you need LTE inbuilt ?

LTE allows the laptop to insert a SIM card so that you can use at places without wifi / hotspot tethering

Would recommend a 12 - 13" / less than 1kg for better portability
then at home just dock it to monitor

Some places probably wouldnt have wifi connection, I'm thinking of just hotspot tether from my phone to my laptop, does that work as well without LTE inbuilt?

Friend just bought a Lenovo Slim 7i 16/512, about 950 grams, for around $1.2k with 3y onsite warranty.

She should be receiving it this Thu.

Thanks, will check it out.
 

Firestone

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yea.. hotspot tether works.. but drains phone battery v fast

since you are going for a new laptop, would just suggest to put LTE modem in for convenience. then can put TPG SIM card or those data sharing SIM card

currently using 14" LTE laptop that weigh 1.35kg, i find it tiring to carry
now checking 12- 13" laptop that weigh ~1kg now
 

snoppydog123

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I see, any good laptop which is less than 1kg and has LTE which you would recommend?


yea.. hotspot tether works.. but drains phone battery v fast

since you are going for a new laptop, would just suggest to put LTE modem in for convenience. then can put TPG SIM card or those data sharing SIM card

currently using 14" LTE laptop that weigh 1.35kg, i find it tiring to carry
now checking 12- 13" laptop that weigh ~1kg now
 

snoppydog123

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I'm seeing Portable 4G LTE usb WIFI Wireless Router while doing some research. So does it means the laptop needs to be 4G LTE supported before I use the portable router? Or is LTE modem inbuild into the laptop? Are the two the same or different?


yea.. hotspot tether works.. but drains phone battery v fast

since you are going for a new laptop, would just suggest to put LTE modem in for convenience. then can put TPG SIM card or those data sharing SIM card

currently using 14" LTE laptop that weigh 1.35kg, i find it tiring to carry
now checking 12- 13" laptop that weigh ~1kg now
 

firesong

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I'm seeing Portable 4G LTE usb WIFI Wireless Router while doing some research. So does it means the laptop needs to be 4G LTE supported before I use the portable router? Or is LTE modem inbuild into the laptop? Are the two the same or different?
Laptops with LTE built-in aren't common, and usually command a price premium. You insert the SIM card into a tray inside the laptop itself.

You need to weigh your options and decide if you really need one. Further, there is the issue of maintaining a recurring subscription for the convenience, and it may not be worth it.

I have the LTE modem in my T14s as it was a forced $430 upgrade option just to change to the 400nits screen option, and frankly I haven't used the LTE capability much. There were moments where I inserted my work SIM into it and used it for a short while, but I find that I can generally get by without the constant LTE connectivity. Also, leaving the LTE modem does drain your laptop battery faster, so these are all costs you need to consider before simply getting one for the sake of it.

There are certain situations where one requires the constant data connectivity, but they are very, very few. If you have to ask if you need it, you probably don't.

Honestly, I'll just tether my phone and charge it as needed. Most of the time, we don't need that level of connectivity anyway - phones are extremely capable computers for a lot of content consumption.

I won't even bother with a portable modem these days, for much of the same reasons already outlined.
1) I don't want to pay an additional subscription every month. $10/mo extra is still $10 more.
2) Battery drain on the laptop is faster with the LTE modem on as it is constantly seeking to stay connected whenever there's an active wifi connection. It could be worse since the small LTE modems usually don't have good antennae and hence the laptop tends to seek more. Wifi routers/base stations have more stable connections and this is apparent.
3) It's an extra device to carry around, to remember to keep charged, and all the other related complications. Back when phone battery life was abysmal, or when one travelled in large groups and wanted to share one data plan, these were necessities. These days, they become extras and frankly more hassles. If I have to carry an additional LTE modem around, I might as well just carry a powerbank around and keep my phone charged for longer.
 
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hachi

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Yoga Slim 7i carbon. Cost me slight more than 1k. Base spec. Light and fast.
 

snoppydog123

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I have shortlisted 3 laptops:
1. Yoga Slim 7i carbon
2. LG Gram 14
3. ASUS ZenBook 14 Ultralight UX435EGL

Anyone has any bad experience or recommendation using the above 3 laptops? Thanks
 

firesong

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I have shortlisted 3 laptops:
1. Yoga Slim 7i carbon
2. LG Gram 14
3. ASUS ZenBook 14 Ultralight UX435EGL

Anyone has any bad experience or recommendation using the above 3 laptops? Thanks
I recommended the Slim 7i in Post #4. Went through the same purchase process with a friend recently.

Upgraded the RAM to 16GB, bought 3y onsite warranty, hence it was $1.2k.

Only caveat is that it comes only with USB-C/TB ports. Not really an issue since she uses a Bluetooth mouse and has the necessary adaptors on hand as her sis uses a MBA.
 

friedriceandegg

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Recommend Asus (my friend's laptop: smooth processing)

Don't get HP or Lenovo
I had problems with Lenovo until they oso cannot fix the laptop, so they did a full refund
 

firesong

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Recommend Asus (my friend's laptop: smooth processing)

Don't get HP or Lenovo
I had problems with Lenovo until they oso cannot fix the laptop, so they did a full refund
For Lenovo, it depends on what series. If it was an Ideapad, then yeah they are not built to last.

Also, as with any laptop purchase, luck plays a part too.

As for Asus, check around recent threads - the problems with the service centre are enough to make you think twice about it. One user didn't even get a refund. :s13:
 

hachi

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Using yoga slim carbon. Love it so much. Is always nice to have light and pretty notebook. Go chellenger feel and touch it. Got the base spec for slightly over 1k..
 
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