My aged Surface Pro 3, which I use for client visits is dying, my trusty Dell latitude 6400 which essentially runs my labs in a rack at home is groaning under the strain. I need to replace them both. The latitude was a proper flying machine back in its day with 16gb of ram, dual quad core i7s and three SSDs. The SP3 is a lowly i5 with 4gb.

I’ve a pile of windows-based software that I can’t really let go of (mindjet, VMware w/s pro, full acrobat, visio pro, Project) so moving to mac, much though it really appeals isn’t viable.

I travel quite a bit, so it needs to be robust, but not as tank-like as the latitude which used to give me back ache through airports. The technical schematics I work on can be vast, so it needs a big 15″+ display, ideally with touch. USB C is a given, an on-board mini display port or HDMI would be ideal.

What should I go and look at: a surface book, thinkpad, something from dell, something else or something weird like an azure subscription and an ipad pro?

ThinkPad or s series something from Lenovo, Dell XPS, or a newer, fruitier Surface I’d have thought. Asus and hp also have decent thin, light, portable options now, too.

Dell XPS13/15 metal case, tough as nails.

Mine has been kicking around the world 3.5 years now with no protection!

Thinkpad X1 Extreme is lovely if you (or your IT department) can afford it. 15.6″ 1080p or 4k display (touch if you want it to be), full size dongle-less HDMI, couple of full size USB3.1 as well as USB-C/Thunderbolt3, starts at 1.7kg.

Surface Laptop (as opposed to Book) can be had in 15″ display these days. I had all sorts of issues with my Surface Book but that was a first-gen one, later ones may be more reliable. I found I hardly ever undocked the display anyway.

XPS15 wins. Found I still have some EPP discounts that work. Thanks guys and mr Barclaycard. (Strewth I’ve bought cheaper blades).

Lenovo Yoga for plane work? I nearly got one from work, but they only had the 8Gb version but there is a 16Gb one.

I find it very hard to use a laptop on a plane but a tablet PC is great. I can read documents or webpages and even edit them with the pen. Or as above, a Surface Book since you could leave the keyb in the bag or get it out if you find you have enough space.

I ended up with a 13″ MBP (purely because the restricted selection of PCs were larger or less powerful) which should be easier on a plane but not as good as a tablet.

Another vote for Lenovo Thinkpads here – the Ti case appeals to the bike nerd in me, but is also properly solid. With the extended (replaceable) battery, some of them have outstanding battery life. I’m thinking of getting a refurbed one for travel and as a backup for the home office, in case I lose/ kill my main laptop

Hp Spectre? I loved mine, and a top spec 15 incher should be ok for you.

Good choice on XPS.
I got an i7/16gb ram one with SSD.
4K touchscreen is very nice.

Battery life not great