Laptop advice, replacement of MacBook pro

[Boo53]

I inherited (unfortunately, literally) a MacBook pro retina 15" from eldest son in 2014.

Having been a consulting Engineer for many decades I was definitely a windows person and put his computer to one side when it was returned, but after 6 months I decided I should give it a go.

Its a pain having to do things Apples way but I really love the screen. It seems very true and hardly needs any adjustment (none really) when recalibrating. In fact I bought an iMac 27" for my photography at home as well

But the battery is now cactus and being quoted $800 to replace. There's some keyboard issues, and whatever i do it will still be a 6 year old unit. So time to replace

I'm pretty sure I'll replace it with a another MacBook pro 15" retina but before I splash out $4500 on one I thought I'd seek advice on possible windows based (more useable and a lot cheaper) units that have as good a screen.

We generally have a short 2-3 week holiday in the first half of the year and a longer 2-3 month one in the second half, usually in ur caravan but probably a couple of o/s longer trips in the next couple of years so a good laptop is a necessity

Help please

[ameerat42]

HP make a reasonable unit with these (remembered) specs:
Generic model name is HP Envy
15" 1080P touchscreen
16 GB RAM
A "pretty goodly specced" Core I7 processor
256 GB SSD and 1 TB HDD (in shop ads always reversed in order for some perverse reason)
Heaps of USB3 ports
Win 10...
...other un-remembered stuff...

Price was ~$2300 at JB HiFi.

The thing to look out for is the variation in the model numbers under the same Envy name.
Some have only 8GB RAM, for example, and lots LESS of other specs. Same goes for other
brands. I was looking for a machine for a friend some months back, and this was the closest
to my very similarly specced ASUS. - Ie, even ASUS wasn't there any more.

[swifty]

I’ll just throw this out there as an option although it’s not what you asked for.

Have you considered editing on a tablet? I’m due for a new laptop soon too but I’ll be considering buying an iPad Pro instead because if I take photo editing out of my laptop tasks, my current one seems perfectly adequate despite its age. In fact the only reason to dump it would be the day it no longer supports the newest OS and accompanying security updates.

The iPad Pro screens are very nice and although smaller than a 15” MBP, you’d typically hold a tablet closer and the interface will change, especially if you’re using a stylus (Apple pencil). It should make travelling with one nicer though, especially hand luggage on flights.

What holds me back is iOS which I think is a bit limiting in terms of file handling but here you can consider Window tablets that might be better in this field. Unfortunately i’m too In grained in the Apple ecosystem so i’m stuck with Apple options and iOS. But I feel the hardware is actually more than adequate to handle some heavy tasks on the iPad Pro now, I'm hoping the OS will catch up in the future.

The other thing is editing software and availability on tablets systems but I actually think this is the direction many companies are going and may be a strength in the future. What software do you currently use for your editing?

[gcflora]

If you don't want to go with Apple you might consider one of the Lenovo X1 Carbon (6th gen) ultralight laptops. My X1 Carbon is about the same size as my iPad Pro (possibly slightly lighter if the iPad pro has the keyboard attached!) and has a 2560 x 1440 14" IPS screen, so it's probably comparable to a retina display in terms of pixel density and panel technology. The colour rendition is actually very good out of the box as well. I calibrated the screen but it was hardly worth it to be honest -- without calibration it's, in my opinion, very good. The X1 carbon does come in different versions with different screen resolutions (also some are touch, some not touch... mine is not a touch screen). A possible downside is that that it uses Intel graphics rather than a nvidia or amd gpu (it's not a gaming laptop after all). That said, though, the i7 CPU does handle photo editing more than acceptably. Battery life is great. The downsides I would note are: a) the SSD size (but, meh, I don't actually keep a lot of stuff on it for any length of time anyway, that's what my desktop computer is for); b) Windows 10 font scaling is not perfect, but if you're using the latest versions of software it's not an issue. I really like it and I'm a pretty fussy person. Before purchasing it I was also looking at Microsoft Surface thingies, but ended up going with the Lenovo.

[arthurking83]

I would avoid M$ surface.
I'd also avoid Apple.

only reasons are their corporate mantas .. make things as difficult to repair as possible.
Surface is the worst, Apple's are very close behind, and getting worse.

Stuff like batteries, shouldn't ever be slodered and glued into the device.
There is no reason for it, no advantage(as some would lead you to believe) .. and only serves to line the corporate pockets of those in charge as their profits grow.

It's lazy engineering .. lock folks into endless cycles of re buying gear due to planned obsolescence.

Do I sound cynical? if you think so, you're mistaken.
Do a search on the ease of the most simple repairs on Apple products, and have a quick look at how Surfaces need to be destroyed before they can be repaired!

My personal preference in laptops has been Asus(for value for money) .. coz I'm cheap!
But at the estimated price given by the OP ... I doubt you would get any better than Lenovos P72 Thinkpad.
Caveat is that it's big and heavy .. so you could spec it down to a 15" version P52.
Multiple drives(more specifically 2x M.2 drives, plus a HDD if you need storage capacity(hence why so big and heavy!)

importantly .. a battery cost roughly $100-150 and that's from their source, which is almost certain to be 2x the price of a good thridparty replacement.

Seriously at $800 quoted to replace a battery .. what really would cost them about $50-ish in materials .. and maybe $50 in labour(because it has to be desoldered and unglued and reversed process again!).

if you're a Apple fanboi .. don't be tempted to lookup Louis Rossman on youtube.

if you're a M$ gear fanboi .. don't look up the teardown that iFixit reported a little while back.

if you care about the potential for stuff that happens .. avoid the big two, and go with something that remotely resembles a sensible solution.

I'd recommend a Lenovo.
if the Apple ecosystem is a requirement .. ignore my reply

[ameerat42]

Purely on the basis being on-line on AP on an iPad the other day again, I'd eschew any tablet for
image PP-ing. The other things you mention, AK, are just mud on the mudcake.

[swifty]

Purely on the basis being on-line on AP on an iPad the other day again, I'd eschew any tablet for
image PP-ing. The other things you mention, AK, are just mud on the mudcake.

I'm curious Am. I don't own an ipad or any tablet for that matter (never have yet).
But what happens when you view AP on an ipad?

[ameerat42]

It's not my iPad, so I can't change the screen res. Pics are truncated as a result of that, but it's
actually the speed of operation that bugs me. Operating a tablet like that is cumbersome,
like opening new tabs, switching tabs, highlighting and (fumbling about while trying to) copy and paste...
- All the little things. I think they're only good for browsing - and then in long grass! I can't imagine
editing pictures on them

[swifty]

Thanks Am.
I agree for most productivity tasks, the laptop/desktops are the way to go. The lack of mouse support on iOS just makes a lot of productivity tasks that much more cumbersome, as you say.
In terms of editing, I'm still researching this area but UI has changed on the touch based tablet systems as well as the use of a stylus makes at least some tasks easier (but other tasks potentially harder). Anyways, the jury's still out for me on this front.

[gcflora]

It's not my iPad, so I can't change the screen res. Pics are truncated as a result of that, but it's
actually the speed of operation that bugs me. Operating a tablet like that is cumbersome,
like opening new tabs, switching tabs, highlighting and (fumbling about while trying to) copy and paste...
- All the little things. I think they're only good for browsing - and then in long grass! I can't imagine
editing pictures on them

I've tried editing on my iPad pro. It's... umm... how to say it politely? Awful. In fact, just about everything is awful even with the iPencil and keyboard accessories. I like it for general web browsing and, sometimes, reading books though.

[swifty]

I've tried editing on my iPad pro. It's... umm... how to say it politely? Awful. In fact, just about everything is awful even with the iPencil and keyboard accessories. I like it for general web browsing and, sometimes, reading books though.

Thanks for the report.
Do you mind me asking which software you used for your photo editing?
And was it the editing in that software or the general iOS workflow that was awful for you?

[Boo53]

Thanks for all the suggestions and sorry for the delay in replying but I wanted to see a few unit sin the big smoke when I went down yesterday

HP make a reasonable unit with these (remembered) specs:
Generic model name is HP Envy
15" 1080P touchscreen
16 GB RAM
A "pretty goodly specced" Core I7 processor
256 GB SSD and 1 TB HDD (in shop ads always reversed in order for some perverse reason)
Heaps of USB3 ports
Win 10...
...other un-remembered stuff...

Price was ~$2300 at JB HiFi.

The thing to look out for is the variation in the model numbers under the same Envy name.
Some have only 8GB RAM, for example, and lots LESS of other specs. Same goes for other
brands. I was looking for a machine for a friend some months back, and this was the closest
to my very similarly specced ASUS. - Ie, even ASUS wasn't there any more.

I had a look at JB's and I think the "helper" directed me to the appropriate units.

Well worth considering but as swifty said, and I hadn't considered before, thinner units would be more convenient for travelling.

Most of our travels have been in car & caravan so this hasn't been something I'd thought much about, and I was taking the apple anyway, but we are planning some o/s trips in the next few years.

We've just come back from NZ, typical of Apple to clag out the day after we got back and not before we left when we could have got the GST back. Why be helpful/friendly when you can be apple.

I’ll just throw this out there as an option although it’s not what you asked for.

Have you considered editing on a tablet? I’m due for a new laptop soon too but I’ll be considering buying an iPad Pro instead because if I take photo editing out of my laptop tasks, my current one seems perfectly adequate despite its age. In fact the only reason to dump it would be the day it no longer supports the newest OS and accompanying security updates.

The iPad Pro screens are very nice and although smaller than a 15” MBP, you’d typically hold a tablet closer and the interface will change, especially if you’re using a stylus (Apple pencil). It should make travelling with one nicer though, especially hand luggage on flights.

The other thing is editing software and availability on tablets systems but I actually think this is the direction many companies are going and may be a strength in the future. What software do you currently use for your editing?

Thanks for that. iPads/tablets aren't likely to suit me as we're away for long periods and I want to able to do everything on the laptop in the caravan that I would do on the iMac at home.

I use Lightroom/photoshop of course, but also some of the topaz AI add ons, ptgui pro, etc:

But the convenience of a unit when flying hadn't occurred to me. I've had the MacBook since 2014 and had forgotten life before it.

If you don't want to go with Apple you might consider one of the Lenovo X1 Carbon (6th gen) ultralight laptops. My X1 Carbon is about the same size as my iPad Pro (possibly slightly lighter if the iPad pro has the keyboard attached!) and has a 2560 x 1440 14" IPS screen, so it's probably comparable to a retina display in terms of pixel density and panel technology. The colour rendition is actually very good out of the box as well. I calibrated the screen but it was hardly worth it to be honest -- without calibration it's, in my opinion, very good. The X1 carbon does come in different versions with different screen resolutions (also some are touch, some not touch... mine is not a touch screen). A possible downside is that that it uses Intel graphics rather than a nvidia or amd gpu (it's not a gaming laptop after all). That said, though, the i7 CPU does handle photo editing more than acceptably. Battery life is great. The downsides I would note are: a) the SSD size (but, meh, I don't actually keep a lot of stuff on it for any length of time anyway, that's what my desktop computer is for); b) Windows 10 font scaling is not perfect, but if you're using the latest versions of software it's not an issue. I really like it and I'm a pretty fussy person. Before purchasing it I was also looking at Microsoft Surface thingies, but ended up going with the Lenovo.

I haven't been able to get hands on one of these but youngest son will have a look at Scorptec for me. I'll have to take the scorptec staff's word on the calibratability (?) of the screen

I would avoid M$ surface.

I'd also avoid Apple.

Haven't considered a surface but I don't think I'll consider them. A more conventional laptop form will probably be something I'd be comfortable with.

As for Apple, their "You vill use it our vay or not at all (typing in a teutonic accent)" attitude is atrocious. It appears the new units only have firewire outlets. If you want to us USB, HDMI, or sd cards, or even an old fashioned LAN cable connection you have to use a 3rd part (and expensive) adaptor. If it wasn't for the fact I know how good the screens are I run km's in the other direction.

We're up at Bright for the next week, and the MacBook still works on 240v (but with the magnetic connection of the power cable it does disconnect if you hold your tongue the wrong way, even with half a roll of 3m's best duct tape holding it in place.

[gcflora]

I just remembered that my first choice, before the Lenovo X1 Carbon was the Dell XPS 13 which is slightly more expensive (darn good laptop based on reviews though). The screens on both the Lenovo and the XPS 13 are IPS panels with high pixel density (i.e. retina using Apple terminology). IPS, as far as I know, is the best for colour and viewing angles. My main choice in choosing the laptop was the screen. My first choice was the XPS 13, based on reviews, but I had to wait 9 weeks (they're that popular!) and could get the Lenovo immediately. I am not disappointed. For my desktop computers I have a lg 27uk850 and a dell ultrasharp something. The Lenovo laptop screen is in some ways better. I just turned off calibration all my computers and... well... it's night, but the Lenovo probably looks best/closest

PS: If you're in Brisbane in the near future, give me a PM and you can come over and look at all 3 monitors (+ iPad Pro) to see the differences in the screens. They're all pretty similar. The LG is better than the iPad pro, but if I had to make a choice I'd say that, uncalibrated, the Lenovo is the best of the three (although the LG is 3840x2160 and the Lenovo is 2560x1440 the Lenovo screen size is smaller so the pixel density is probably about the same and colours looks closer to reference images before calibration). That said, I'd say you'd be pretty hard pressed to tell a difference visually without hardware (which I have) to measure differences by eye although the iPad pro's colours are worse than the others (IMO)

PPS: I just noticed that someone mentioned price. I hadn't considered that since you were initially talking about, well, Apple so considered price not an obstacle. The Lenovo X1 Carbon is not a cheap laptop. The Dell XPS 13 is slightly more expensive. The LG 27UK850 monitor for my desktop is about, hmm, maybe half the cost of the entire Lenovo X1 Carbon. Considering that I think the Lenovo screen is better in many ways, and a whole computer not just a screen, I think it's a pretty good deal.

[Boo53]

I just remembered that my first choice, before the Lenovo X1 Carbon was the Dell XPS 13 which is slightly more expensive (darn good laptop based on reviews though). The screens on both the Lenovo and the XPS 13 are IPS panels with high pixel density (i.e. retina using Apple terminology). IPS, as far as I know, is the best for colour and viewing angles. My main choice in choosing the laptop was the screen. My first choice was the XPS 13, based on reviews, but I had to wait 9 weeks (they're that popular!) and could get the Lenovo immediately. I am not disappointed. For my desktop computers I have a lg 27uk850 and a dell ultrasharp something. The Lenovo laptop screen is in some ways better. I just turned off calibration all my computers and... well... it's night, but the Lenovo probably looks best/closest

PS: If you're in Brisbane in the near future, give me a PM and you can come over and look at all 3 monitors (+ iPad Pro) to see the differences in the screens. They're all pretty similar. The LG is better than the iPad pro, but if I had to make a choice I'd say that, uncalibrated, the Lenovo is the best of the three (although the LG is 3840x2160 and the Lenovo is 2560x1440 the Lenovo screen size is smaller so the pixel density is probably about the same and colours looks closer to reference images before calibration). That said, I'd say you'd be pretty hard pressed to tell a difference visually without hardware (which I have) to measure differences by eye although the iPad pro's colours are worse than the others (IMO)

PPS: I just noticed that someone mentioned price. I hadn't considered that since you were initially talking about, well, Apple so considered price not an obstacle. The Lenovo X1 Carbon is not a cheap laptop. The Dell XPS 13 is slightly more expensive. The LG 27UK850 monitor for my desktop is about, hmm, maybe half the cost of the entire Lenovo X1 Carbon. Considering that I think the Lenovo screen is better in many ways, and a whole computer not just a screen, I think it's a pretty good deal.

Thanks for that extra information.

I was wondering how I'd consider the Lenovo if my son checks it out a scorptec as he isn't in to photography so his appraisal of the screen would be coming from a different direction.

Thanks for the offer to check out your units. We're in Victoria and will be heading north through Central Australia, so need to sort this out before we leave

[Floribunda]

I am not at all technologically minded (hopeless in fact) but read all these threads out to my husband who is VERY savvy with these matters.
His comment - "Alisha nailed it!"

[Boo53]

Time to report back.

My son was quite impressed with th Lenovo offering at Scorptec, but I'm not going to have time to get to one of their stores before I head off.

I don't think I could cope with a 13" screen for any length of time. I'm away for weeks at a time and couldn't not get in to some significant editing during that time (most evenings in fact)

I decided to bite the bullet and stick with the devil I know.

A new MacBook Pro model was announced for the same price as the old one, so I contacted a couple of stores to see if I could get it cheaper. $300 off from a store in a relatively local country town was the best I could do.

Of course $300 soon disappears when you need a new Thunderbolt to USB/SD adapter and a second charger (when we're on the road I use the 240v inverter that the Landcruiser has built in to charge whilst we're driving).

We head off on a 9 week trip in 3 weeks so I'm currently loading my software on to the new unit. Unit is the 15" pro with 512GB ssd drive