Laptop for holidays

d00d

d00d

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David
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Hi all

I'm planning a couple of holidays ... firstly three weeks in Portugal in May and something in the autumn.

For the first time ever I plan to take a mini laptop/Chromebook/iPad/whatever. My Ricoh gr3x, possibly doing some editing and uploading to Google Photos

So what's small, light, with at least 1 USB, will hold photos and run Paint.Net? Basic raw development (WB, EV, etc) can be done in camera.

I think I like the idea of a small W11 lappy, but not the tiniest.

Cheers d
 
Depending on budget etc. What about a surface pro?

When my daughter was needing something for uni, we did a lot of research, and that came out top.
 
I am Surface Pro user, i have just got the bottom of the range 4gb mem / M3 proc chip model and its great for Internet and streaming movies / music etc
It can handle light photo processing ok in Capture 1 / LR
I use it when away more for culling of photos and copying them to an external drive to properly edit when i get home.
Its easy enough to bring a usb hub for more usb ports

If budget is real tight they also do a basic Surface Go model but i have not used it
 
Hey thanks guys, Surface Pro, rings a bell, off to google it. :D
 
Question: Surface Pro is made by MS, right? I've been using Windows machines forever and my tendency is to avoid MS products: Office, their browser, search engine etc. This is easily done on say a HP, Lenovo or other machine. Is it equally as easy on an MS machine?
 
My favourite laptop for this sort of thing is was my old 12” Retina MacBook - not much bigger than an iPad, but with a proper operating system, keyboard and mouse.

More recently I’ve got the 14” MacBook Pro and the 13” MacBook Air and whilst “only” an inch or two bigger they feel much bulkier.
 
For many years, my carry around laptop has been a 2010 MacBook Air - the 11.6 inch screen version with a SSD. It's still a very useful piece of kit for editing on the move...

MacBook Air with Sony HX90 Ixus 70 IMG_4373.JPG
 
Cheers @Craikeybaby I'm looking through Curry's website, they've got 372 laptops inc. some Macs .... all 13.+" going up to 16"

Narrowing it down to 10"<>12" = 36 items

4GBs = 20 / 8GBs = 16
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
For many years, my carry around laptop has been a 2010 MacBook Air - the 11.6 inch screen version with a SSD. It's still a very useful piece of kit for editing on the move...

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Yeah - Macbook AIR FTW. I have an old one that I bought in a rush when my ancient Pro died and it's perfect for stuff like this. Tiny, great screen and relatively bomb proof.

@d00d if you hate OSX you can always install Windoze on an Air. The one @AndrewFlannigan has is a bit old - it may even be older than mine but there are plenty of newer models. If it were me I would look here

CeX Buy & Sell Games, Phones, DVDs, Blu-ray, Electronics, Computing, Vision & CDs

uk.webuy.com uk.webuy.com

Failing that a Dell XPS 13 inch might fit the bill. Almost as small as an Air and decent battery life. Screens aren't as good as the Apples but they aren't bad. Can be very pricey new but lots of companies buy them and churn every few years so there are second hand bargains that have never moved off somebody's desk.
 
d00d said:
Question: Surface Pro is made by MS, right? I've been using Windows machines forever and my tendency is to avoid MS products: Office, their browser, search engine etc. This is easily done on say a HP, Lenovo or other machine. Is it equally as easy on an MS machine?
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If the Surface Pro is x86 based then you can treat it as a PC. I would be more wary of the Arm based versions,

One thing to watch is the keyboard 'type cover' and pen. Sometimes shown in the product images but not always supplied in the price. So check the details.

I'd also look at Macbook Air and the likes of the Lenovo Yoga. Lenovo have had deals on some laptops over the last few weeks.
 
d00d said:
Question: Surface Pro is made by MS, right? I've been using Windows machines forever and my tendency is to avoid MS products: Office, their browser, search engine etc. This is easily done on say a HP, Lenovo or other machine. Is it equally as easy on an MS machine?
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It's a Windows box. There is no special MS forcing beyond what Windows does on any other box.
 
Mr Bump said:
surface pro all day long
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I worked with a fellow contractor once, whose company had supplied him with a Surface as his mobile office machine. After two months of constant chaos, he finally got a laptop replacement, which worked perfectly.

I must point out that I am not now and never have been a Surface user... :naughty:
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
I worked with a fellow contractor once, whose company had supplied him with a Surface as his mobile office machine. After two months of constant chaos, he finally got a laptop replacement, which worked perfectly.

I must point out that I am not now and never have been a Surface user... :naughty:
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They're OK. SWMBO has had one (now just on to her second) for over 6 years. When time came to change to a new one last year she specifically asked for another Surface Pro. She also prefers it to my iPad - even though it's a bit chunkier she can run all her software 'just like a PC' and at the same time opt to use it like a tablet.

The issue for the people I work with is the lack of upgradability and the headline prices. They like the size and screen quality and pen facility. I have some reservations over non standard charger socket and the type cover keyboard - but again I know some who prefer the very flat keyboard.

I tend to regard the Surface range as similar to Apple's product range. Rather expensive - and not to everybody's taste. The x86 Surface products carry PC baggage - which is a curse and an advantage depending on what you need.
 
I've just changed laptops, thoiugh the one I bought is a bit big at 16" and 2kg for a super-light holiday machine. Previously had a Dell xps15 bought in 2014, now have a Lenovo Flex 5 16". The Dell was about £1000 from the outlet, the new Lenovo £650 plus another £42ish for 2 years next business day onsite warranty. I also swapped out the storage from std 512GB to 2TB, but the RAM (16GB) is soldered in place. Build-wise it's just not in the same class as the XPS, which feels better constructed and with a nicer keyboard & trackpad, but slightly better than my work dell Inspiron. It was important that it had 100% sRGB screen and better than 1080P resolution. The touchscreen & supplied pen is a nice bonus that I plan to use for image editing.

There's a nice 13" Lenovo (13X) that is super-light at 0.9kg at about £700 and was very tempting for travel, but having had a 13" Macbook it's just a touch too small for me.
 
Craig1912 said:
Why are peeps mentioning Macs when paint.net doesn’t work with Macs?
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All Macs run OS-X which has Preview built in. Preview does most of what Paint.net does and is generally easier to use.
 
Thanks all (y)

Been to Currys today to get a feel for the different sizes ... 10" - 11" a bit too small / 12" - 13" I like

So I think I've narrowed it down to 12 -13, proper laptop with proper hinges 8 GB Ram, don't need massive amounts of storage. Gosh some of those 13" are so small thin & lightweight.
 
d00d said:
Thanks all (y)

Been to Currys today to get a feel for the different sizes ... 10" - 11" a bit too small / 12" - 13" I like

So I think I've narrowed it down to 12 -13, proper laptop with proper hinges 8 GB Ram, don't need massive amounts of storage. Gosh some of those 13" are so small thin & lightweight.
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I'd choose 16GB RAM for future proofing - my XPS came with 16GB in 2014! But be aware many computers have the memory soldered now, Dell being a notable exception.

This is what I'd have chosen for a 13" laptop: https://www.lenovo.com/gb/en/p/laptops/thinkbook/thinkbookx/thinkbook-13x/20wj002muk
 
Craig1912 said:
Why are peeps mentioning Macs when paint.net doesn’t work with Macs?
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I mentioned them from the perspective of having 12", 13" and 14" models and being surprised at the difference it makes in the metal. However the OP has had a look at laptops now and has a better idea of sizes.
 
Craikeybaby said:
I mentioned them from the perspective of having 12", 13" and 14" models and being surprised at the difference it makes in the metal. However the OP has had a look at laptops now and has a better idea of sizes.
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What I want to know is: who's this Peeps bloke? Is he Pepe's brother? :tumbleweed:
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
All Macs run OS-X which has Preview built in. Preview does most of what Paint.net does and is generally easier to use.
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Or....Macs can run Windoze. The second hand Apple market is way easier to understand than Dell's Alphabet soup. Pretty much any Air will make a great light, fast W11 box.
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
All Macs run OS-X which has Preview built in. Preview does most of what Paint.net does and is generally easier to use.
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Yep I know that (I use a Mac myself) I was just asking as, running paint.net was a requirement of the OP and running windows on a Mac seems a little overkill given his very straightforward requirements.
 
Craig1912 said:
Yep I know that (I use a Mac myself) I was just asking as, running paint.net was a requirement of the OP and running windows on a Mac seems a little overkill given his very straightforward requirements.
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I think buying a whole laptop for a couple of hols is overkill - but who am I to judge? I seldom buy brand new tech devices because CeX have such a good warranty. Buying a 2nd hand MB Air and sticking Windows on it is IMO an easier route to getting a decent lightweight laptop than walking through the Dell/Lenovo minefield.

Also, I've never heard of paint.net, didn't Google it and only skimmed the original post - but I'll never admit that :D
 
ancient_mariner said:
I'd choose 16GB RAM for future proofing - my XPS came with 16GB in 2014! But be aware many computers have the memory soldered now, Dell being a notable exception.
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I'm listening Toni (y)

Blinded by science: what's "future proofing"? What's "my XPS"? And what's "the memory soldered now"?

I clicked your link and .... interesting.
 
d00d said:
I'm listening Toni (y)

Blinded by science: what's "future proofing"? What's "my XPS"? And what's "the memory soldered now"?

I clicked your link and .... interesting.
Click to expand...

Sorry for jargon overload.

Future proofing is an excess of optimism, but it's the idea of choosing a specification that will last longer in the face of increasing demands.

My XPS is a 2013 model Dell XPS laptop (referred to earlier in the thread). Each maker gives different model ranges different names: Apple have Air, Pro etc. Dell have the Vostro as base level, Inspiron mid-range workhorse and XPS upper range. There are a few niche models for workstations and gaming too. Lenovo have a wider range of models, but the ThinkPad is their top end business model and the X designates lightweight.

Memory soldered refers to making some aspects of the machine non-upgradable, so the RAM can't be changed or increased. Its a way of making the machine cheaper or smaller, or in the case of Apple, the memory is an integral part of the processor. Apple stopped making their laptops upgradable a long time ago, but many others can be upgraded to keep them working well. I just changed the 512GB SSD in my new laptop for a 2TB drive. In my XPS I was running 3TB of storage on 2 separate drives at one time.

HTH
 
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d00d said:
My current laptop is a beaut but 17.3" and weights a ton. I'm not taking that on hols.
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Costco have a deal on the LG Gram 17" at the moment. - only 1.35Kg despite the screen size (i7 + 32GB RAM + 1TB SSD) for 1079.99.

Not much heavier than a current Macbook Air (Apple have sadly allowed the weight of the Air to bloat over the years).
 
Dryce said:
Costco have a deal on the LG Gram 17" at the moment. - only 1.35Kg despite the screen size (i7 + 32GB RAM + 1TB SSD) for 1079.99.
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Good price for that spec and I can recommend it as a well sorted Windows machine - I'm writing this on one. :naughty:
 
for me my (older) surface pro only cost me £200 and it runs W11 quite well and pops in my bag so easy, its not light but feels well buillt.
as people say its essentially a full windows tablet with a nice keybaord for very low money.
 
If you're flying you need to consider how you'll be carrying your camera and laptop. The last time we flew we were only allowed one piece of cabin baggage each so mine had a lot crammed into it and weighed much more than the permitted 5kg but, mercifully, wasn't weighed. If I don't want to do anything too complex while away I take a Surface Go 2 with 11" screen as it fits in the tablet pocket of my camera bag.
 
Thanks again. I've had to put this on hold.
 
David, if this requirement does wake up again I have a Dell XPS 13" from a few years ago that I can put in the sales section.
 
A refurb surface pro is a better quality piece of kit than a more modern cheap laptop. Lightweight fairly powerful great screen decent battery life.

I had one for work, bought my own for home, have since replaced it as a main machine, but I’ll keep it for travel.
 
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