Laptop Suggestions Student up to $1.5k

LWildozer on 06/04/2021 - 22:05
Last edited 09/04/2021 - 16:01 by 1 other user

Update: You're all legends and we've decided to go for the MacBook. Cheers for the help

Hi People,

I've been tasked with finding a nice laptop for my sister to use for study, basic word processing, watching videos etc. She's capped the price at 1.5k, but she would of course like to spend less if possible.

Main factors to consider are product lifetime (best bang for buck and product longevity), battery life, light weight, nice screen, not too large (under 15 inch), cool and quiet, and it has to look the part (Thinkpads are unfortunately not on the table).

I've been looking around and it's near impossible to find anything without soldered RAM these days, and most laptops with 16GB RAM or above are out of the price range. So I've resigned to accepting 8GB which will unfortunately impact product lifetime.

Here's three that have caught my eye, please let me know of alternatives or if you think one in particular is a good decision.

Huawei Matebook D14 (14", R5-3500U, 8GB/512GB SSD) - $899
Pros: cheap, slim, looks the part, I can't really fault it on paper.
Cons: I have doubts about quality, is it trash that will fail in 2 years? I'm not concerned about CCP, so avoid bringing it up please. Just quality and performance here.

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5, 14 (14", R5-4500U, 8GB/512GB SSD)- $1079
Pros: Better processor than Huawei, seems to be a good midpoint between Huawei and Mac
Cons: Chassis is half plastic, unsure of build quality

MacBook Air 13.3" 8-Core M1 7-Core GPU 8GB/256GB - $1439
Pros: Good build quality, M1 chip is supposed to be great, should run cool and quiet
Cons: Price, connectivity ports and MacOS - she has never used a Mac and doesn't like them when she does. But we both imagine that it's something that you would get used to fairly quickly and she may even prefer it over time (she has an iPhone if that means anything).

What are some hidden gem laptops I'm missing here? Any Intel options to consider? I've been steering away from Intel as what I've read states they draw more power and generally aren't as good value.

All help appreciated,

Thanks

Computing Computer Laptop

Comments

  • bweiss on 06/04/2021 - 22:24
    +2

    For what it sounds like your sister would use it for 'basic word processing', 'watching videos', she could almost use a well cleaned potato…
    I think with the way technology moves these days it's not really worth buying something expecting it to last for >5 years.. since it will be well behind track performance wise at that time.

    Better to buy something cheap, and upgrade (buy a new unit) more often.

    The Asus Vivobook looks like it would tick the boxes for what she needs, and almost comes in at a third the price she is looking for…
    https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/asus-vivobook-f512-15-6-f…

    • Wildozer on 06/04/2021 - 22:36

      Agreed that for the tasks at hand the power required is minimal. I was on the train of thought of buying something more expensive now with a better screen, battery life, nicer feel and higher build quality - you'll never get any of those things even if you buy a new cheap laptop 3 times. But maybe you're right, I'll pitch it to her. Major drawback will be the battery I think

  • Kib33 on 06/04/2021 - 22:26
    +1

    she has never used a mac and doesn't like them when she does

    Huh? Which is it?

    • Wildozer on 06/04/2021 - 22:38

      Caught me on a technicality mate. But I think everyone has sat down in front of a mac at some point in their lives without owning one.

  • MS Paint on 06/04/2021 - 22:27
    +7

    MacBook Air M1

    Best screen, best battery life.

    would get used to fairly quickly

    Yep. Cuppla days.

    • Wildozer on 06/04/2021 - 22:50

      I think you and some other commenters are right, and she'll love the Mac. Price being the only negative there I think.
      I really want the Huawei to be up to scratch though, but am looking for some first hand opinions to either back it up or shoot it down. Looks great, good price, definitely enough horsepower. That's just my bargain senses tingling though, the sister doesn't share the same passion

  • TheElderLegend on 06/04/2021 - 22:36
    +3

    I also didn't like using Macs prior to buying one 8 years ago. However, I've not used anything but a Mac for the past 8 years. MacOS does take some getting used to, but once you are, it's smooth and intuitive.

    Regarding longevity, I only replaced my 7 year old MacBook Pro last year, and that was thanks to the significant other spilling coffee on it 😞 Who knows how much longer it would have lasted otherwise!

  • EnforcerOfJustice on 06/04/2021 - 22:36
    +2

    I've been awfully happy with the MacBook Air M1 8gb model for word processing, videos browsing and the like. Never produces any heat, makes any noise or shows any inclination to ever slow down rom my experience with those sort of tasks.

  • MagicMushroom on 06/04/2021 - 22:48

    Just missed out on this https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/615204

  • deme on 06/04/2021 - 23:16
    -1

    Get a Chromebook or be prepared to support her

    • MS Paint on 06/04/2021 - 23:33
      +1

      Like how do I install Microsoft word on my Chromebook?

      Where are the windows 10 thingies on my Chromebook?

      • deme on 06/04/2021 - 23:34
        +1

        Office 365

  • raisinberry777 on 07/04/2021 - 08:03
    +2

    My suggestion would be a MacBook Air M1 (if you think she can adjust to the Mac - and I'm sure she would), or if going with Windows, a Lenovo Thinkpad E14 when they're on sale - I got one of these and am quite happy with it:

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/581391

    Both should last a long time - before switching to my Lenovo I had managed 7 years out of my previous MacBook Air, and the only reason for switching is that I wanted to replace my desktop and laptop with one device (and I'm stuck with some Windows-only software).

    EDIT: Oops, just saw no Thinkpad. The Ideapad S540 is a decent option if you can find one at the right price, eg:

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/598337

    Nicer screen than the Slim 5 noted above - closer to the MacBook Air in that sense.

  • stirlo on 07/04/2021 - 09:19

    MacBook Air all the way. It's the only one that will hold its value as well. Second hand 3 year old Macbook Airs still sell for 50% of what you paid for them.

    Add in the extra sync features with iPhone (like iMessage app, Airdrop, Safari bookmarks/history sync) and it's a no brainer.

    Plus M1 chip is streets ahead of the competition at the moment.

  • Bigredkeg on 07/04/2021 - 11:32

    Windows desktop user here but recently bought a m1 mac air for 1.2k for university. Can't beat it for the price/quality. Its light and sleek AF.

    Price to quality ratio it seems to be unmatched

  • HaveANiceDay on 07/04/2021 - 20:23

    I'd pick the Macbook Air too. Coming from a Windows PC, I absolutely love my new Macbook Pro. It has greatly improved my productivity with certain apps which I find very useful. if you're unhappy with it, you could return it within 14 days with Apple. Although I do admit I wish I got the 16GB model due to my workload, but eh I'll make do with it considering my PC has 32GB of RAM lol. The 8GB model will probably work better due to the unified memory than the 8GB on Windows laptops which may not make sense.

  • VYCanisMajoris on 08/04/2021 - 11:35

    For a new laptop at that budget, the m1 mba is fantastic (great high res screen/build quality, good keyboard, class leading trackpad/battery life, great speakers and very portable) but You should get years of use out of the macbook especially as they rate their batteries to have 80% capacity after 1000 cycles unlike their competitors - (for example, Dell only rates the XPS 15 for 300 cycles at 80%).

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