Dell 13 7000 vs HP Spectre x350 vs Samsung Spin

NelsonGray

Estimable
Nov 25, 2015
11
0
4,570
1. What is your budget? - Soft limit of $1400 USD
2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering? - 13.3 inches
3. What screen resolution do you want? - At least 1080p
4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop? - Yes.
5. How much battery life do you need? - I'm going to university to study science and engineering, so at least 6 hours or so, I'd guess.
6. Gaming specs? - The most graphically intense games I'd play would be Team Fortress 2 and Tribes: Ascend, but I'm happy to be on medium or low settings at full-resolution.
7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? - Microsoft Office, Skype, Photoshop, and probably some engineering-specific programs I haven't been introduced to yet
8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need? - SSD with at least 256 GB
10. How long do you want to keep your laptop? - I need this to last me through the rest of this year and 4 years of university afterwards... so count on 5 years
11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? - None, who uses that archaic technology anymore? :)
12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons. - See below.
13. What country do you live in? - I'm lucky enough to live in the good ol' US of A

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I've narrowed it down to three options:

Dell Inspiron 13 7000 Series 2-in-1 Special Edition
(http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-13-7353-laptop/pd?oc=dncwz03h&model_id=inspiron-13-7353-laptop)

Specs:
  • Intel Core i7-6500U (Max 3.1 GHz)
    8 GB RAM
    256 GB SSD
    1080p 13.3” Touchscreen
    43 WHr battery (~8.5 Hours)
    ~3.75 lb

HP Spectre x360 - 13-4105dx
(http://store.hp.com/us/en/pdp/Laptops/hp-spectre-x360---13-4105dx-%28energy-star%29)

Specs:
  • Intel Core i7-6500U (Max 3.1 GHz)
    8 GB RAM
    512 GB SSD
    1440p (2.56K) 13.3” Touchscreen
    56 WHr Battery (~11.5 Hours)
    3.17 lb

Samsung ATIV Book 9 Spin
(http://www.samsung.com/us/computer/pcs/NP940X3L-K01US)

Specs:
  • Intel Core i7-6500U (Max 3.1 GHz)
    8 GB RAM
    256 GB SSD
    3.2K 13.3” Touchscreen
    39 WHr Battery (7.3 Hours)
    2.87 lb


I'm having trouble deciding between the three. I like the keyboard on the HP, the weight and design of the Samsung, and the price of the Dell. The "hard" specs are pretty similar, other than battery life. What do you think I should choose, and why?

It's important that I get something that will be relatively durable, yet fast and powerful enough to still be very usable in 2020 (that's why I'm sticking with i7s, I find they tend to age much more gracefully than otherwise-identical i5s).

Thank you very much for reading my long-winded request! I hope you can help me out! :)

EDIT: Forgot to mention, I'd like to make the decision in the next day or two so I can capitalize on the Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals, hopefully then I'll get to leave a few Benjamins in my bank account :)
 
Solution
I've decided to go with the Samsung ATIV Book 9 Spin.

I figure that in 5 years, the Dell will seem hopelessly heavy and oversized, and that the plastic case it's made from will get very scuffed and damaged, while the metal on the Samsung or HP would just get a few scratches, at worst. Also, the Samsung's 3.2K screen will probably still be relatively high-resolution, so I won't miss out on any high-definition content that might become popular by then. The HP, while also nice, is a bit heavier (though it feels a bit more solid) and much more expensive, so I think the Samsung will be the best choice for me.

NelsonGray

Estimable
Nov 25, 2015
11
0
4,570
I've decided to go with the Samsung ATIV Book 9 Spin.

I figure that in 5 years, the Dell will seem hopelessly heavy and oversized, and that the plastic case it's made from will get very scuffed and damaged, while the metal on the Samsung or HP would just get a few scratches, at worst. Also, the Samsung's 3.2K screen will probably still be relatively high-resolution, so I won't miss out on any high-definition content that might become popular by then. The HP, while also nice, is a bit heavier (though it feels a bit more solid) and much more expensive, so I think the Samsung will be the best choice for me.
 
Solution