Hi OzBargainers, I'm looking at a laptop for around $600.
I've been leaning towards the Surface Laptop Go. But I need to ask people much smarter than me to help find best bang for buck with long battery life laptop. Will be used mainly for Uni work and media.
Won't create a poll just yet until I see some options worth listing.
Thanks everyone.
It's a laptop so it definitely is part of the frame
Is it a refurb?
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/115713201015?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mk…
Nope ..yesterday they had 10% off. Oh well
@maverickjohn: Released in Late 2020, but as mentioned below a MB Air might be better, especially an M1.
Surface Go claimed battery life doesn't appear close to reality. Have you considered MacBook?
I did but almost double.. I had a 2011 air and it was amazing. I just want to see if I can get anything around 600.
That's a shame on the battery life.
If you're prepared to go pre-owned, you'll find a 12-inch MacBook under $600. Ensure it has a new keyboard under Apple's replacement programme.
Hmmm id rather not as they would already have a lower battery life
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/795631
This one is pretty good, a bit more expensive than your budget but good specs. Screen is meh. But seeing as using for uni, you should be able to get lenovo student discount.
See jpeg-jpg comment about upgrading the storage to 256GB. Lenovo's configurator is pretty good.
But first you should probably decide
1a. What size screen do you want
1b. do you need a touch screen
2. amd or intel - AMD seems to be the way to go these days. youll generally get better battery life than an equivalent intel with similar or better performance at the same price point
keep in mind:
go for 16GB Ram, 8GB not really enough longer term if you're planning on keeping it a little while
as much storage as you want (at least 256GB these days) (post suggests you probably dont want to open it up and upgrade the SSD yourself, which is fine, just that you would want to select the max storage upon purchase now)
I saw Lenovo same model with 512gb for 950 and erred away. But this is more in line with what I'm after. Thanks
Screen size ideal would be 13 but can flex up to 15
cool
below 750 you'll be lucky to find anything new that doesn't have a TN panel, and if you won't be using with an external monitor most of the time you'll thank yourself for getting something with an IPS.
Besides that you might do well with one of the refurb deals on a 2-3 year old Dell/Lenovo Refurb with an i5 or i7, 16GB RAM and 256GB+ storage.
only issue is batteries might not have been replaced, so you're looking at 80-90% battery health on older chips, you'll probably get 3-4h max under normal usage.
You mentioned $600 Surface Laptop Go - im guessing this Mobile Citi deal?
Gonna suggest you avoid it, 4GB RAM and 64GB storage is pretty far from ideal
Nah it's the 128gb I linked it above.
Ideapad Slim $700
16GB of RAM, 6 core processor and lots of I/O, and also very lightweight at 1.37KG. Downside: it exceeds your budget.
MSI Modern 14 $699
1.4 KG with USB-C charging. Lightweight. Downside: you're forever stuck with 8GB RAM and it also exceeds budget
Acer Aspire 3 $499 with R3-7320U/8GB/256GB / FHD Display
Cheap and meets your budget. Downside: 8GB Soldered DDR5. Unexceptional build quality, probably bad low nit display, and weights 1.78 kg and lacks USB C charging.
Refurbished Dell Latitude Core i7-8650U 32GB DDR4 256GB SSD $449.98
Cheap and meets budget. Good build quality, rugged and lots of RAM. Downside: Battery health not 100%, but seller claims 6 hours. only 6 months remaining warranty
I think the ideapad might be the way to go from the looks of it.
The 14in model is also on sale if you dont want such a big device
Definitely do the following
(takes price to $700.20)
Would recommend these also
This is the best one yet. Thanks
Could consider an external USB-C PD powerbank (65W or above), if you can stomach the extra ~$150 and the extra weight.
That way you can extend the battery life of multiple devices when you're on the go
@andresampras: That's smart. I'd rather not carry anything extra but can see how that may be an option
Surface Laptop Go - I doubt Keyboard will be included at that price.