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What are the best laptops for development and Photoshop use?

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The best 1 of 5 OptionsWhy?

5 Options ConsideredPriceCPUStorage
Excellent
Apple MacBook Pro
2.0/2.9 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5256GB/512GB SSD
Dell XPS 15
Intel Core i3-7100H / Intel Core i5-7300HQ / Intel Core i7-7700HQ500GB HDD + 32GB Flash / 1TB HDD + 32GB Flash / 256/512GB/1TB PCIe SSD
MacBook
1.1GHz Intel Core M Turbo Boost 2.4GHz / 1.2GHz Intel Core M Turbo Boost 2.6GHz256GB / 512GB PCIe SSD
HP Spectre x360 15t
8th Generation Intel Core i7256GB SSD
Microsoft Surface Book 2 (15-inch)
8th Generation Intel Core i7–
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Apple MacBook Pro

Excellent
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Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

The default macOS is very developer friendly since it's a Unix

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OSX is based on XNU (Darwin) kernel, it's certified Unix and arguably a lot more developer friendly than Windows. Development for Unix is native on OS X. There's a large selection of great development tools available for OSX. The operating system itself comes bundled with a powerful termi...
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Fantastic display

•••
The MacBook Pro has a sharp, color accurate 2560 x 1600 IPS display. It's bright at 500 nits, has great viewing angles (viewable at up to 178 degrees) and capable of displaying 87.3% of sRGB color gamut.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

One of the best SSDs that can be found on a laptop

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With read speeds at 3.1Gbps and write speeds at around 4.7Gbps, the SSD used in the Macbook Pro is the best in the market by far. This doesn't just mean opening/saving files is quicker, but it also has a pretty huge impact on general application performance.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Amazing build quality

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The MacBook Pro has an all-aluminum body that looks great and is sturdy enough that worries of accidentally damaging are mostly alleviated. It has a robust lid, well-spaced back-lit keyboard with speakers on each side of the keyboard and an excellent button-less trackpad.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

New OSX updates run on older models for quite a long time

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Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

OSX/macOS and most software apps have great HiDPI support

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Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

One of the best trackpads around

•••
The Macbooks are renowned for having the best trackpad out of any laptop. It has full gesture support, you can configure in the software how much pressure you want before it physically clicks and the finger tracking is perfect.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Great performance

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The MacBook pro offers great performance both for day-to-day stuff and more niche graphic-related activities. The latest model also has had an update in hardware specs where both the CPU and GPU have been upgraded to their respective latest generations. The 16GB to 32GB help with performance as we...
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Very portable

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The latest Macbook Pro has a trimmed down design compared to predecessors. It's 0.61 inches (15.5 mm) thick and and weighs 4.02 pounds. It's thinner than Macbook Air even.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Good stability

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Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Good battery life

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The battery drains in about 9 hours of typical use.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Great keyboard

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The 2016 Macbook uses the second generation of the "butterfly" keyboards first introduced in 2015. They feel different to use than most laptop keyboards as they are very shallow, but most people report really enjoying the keyboard after getting used to it.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Good customer support

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Apple offers support over the phone worldwide, provides support in Apple retail stores and authorized resellers and has community forums where users can help users.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

The OS is exceptionally easy to use

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Macbooks are famous for working out of the box. The default operating system (macOS) is also exceptionally easy to use even for people who have never used it before. Most people will not need to customize or change anything since all the apps just work out of the box. The people who like to custom...
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Both the hardware and software are designed in-house

•••
Both the operating system and the hardware are designed by Apple and are made to be as compatible as possible from the get-go. Any drawback that the hardware might have compared to competitors, is made up by the great compatibility between the hardware and OS. Furthermore, because Apple controls t...
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Both the hardware and software are designed in-house

•••
Both the operating system and the hardware are designed by Apple and are made to be as compatible as possible from the get-go. Any drawback that the hardware might have compared to competitors, is made up by the great compatibility between the hardware and OS. Furthermore, because Apple controls t...
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Terrible Linux support

•••
The 2016 hardware has zero Linux compatibility due to new standards used by Apple. Until drivers are released for Linux, which there has been no news of, the 2016 Macbooks cannot be used for Linux at all.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Hard to repair or upgrade the hardware

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The battery and other components are glued in, and the battery blocks access to other parts. The battery will wear out eventually, and the fact that it's glued in means that Apple prevents you from easily repairing or upgrading a MacBook Pro.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

You can't upgrade the RAM

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Since RAM is soldered in, you can't switch and upgrade it.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

You need to pick the 16GB version if you want to do more than simple web browsing

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A lot of applications people use on Mac (Adobe Suite apps, IDEs, video editing programs) eat up a lot of RAM and 8GB of RAM is simply not enough.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

The trackpad may be too large for some people

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The trackpad is comparatively giant compared to most ultrabooks and some users have expressed frustration from accidentally touching it while trying to rest their hands.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

No Ethernet or FireWire ports

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An adapter is required to transfer data over FireWire or connect to the Internet using an Ethernet cable.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

You need dongles or a dock to connect USB-A devices

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There are no USB-A ports, so you'll need a dongle or a dock to use things like webcams.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

The touchbar version is missing the physical ESC key

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The touchbar version of the MacBook Pro 13 has a bit higher specs than the non-touchbar counterpart. However, there is no physical function or escape keys as they have been replaced by a touch screen, so if you're a big Vim user and don't want to change your habits, the Macbook might be a p...
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Limited gaming performance

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The Macbook lacks a dedicated GPU, so gaming performance will be limited. That said it comes with the best integrated graphics on the market and will be able to play modern games on low settings well.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Requires the use of proprietary firmware

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The source code of the firmware isn't available for users to audit or modify.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Glossy screen

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Apple has deleted the matte-screen option from its lineup, an unfortunate decision that reduces the usability of the computers and means you get less work done. You won't realize how much time you spend moving your head around to get reflections off whatever you're trying to see until you s...
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

The keyboard is unique in how it feels and some people may need some time to get used to it

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The keyboard on the Macbook is unique and some people may not like the way the keys feel to press or not having physical function keys.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

The default OS spies on you

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Apple spies on its users, and helps others spy on them too. OSX needs to be wiped from the laptop and be replaced with Linux or another acceptable OS before it can be used. There have also been cases of security issues being reported and not fixed for quite some time. An example is a security iss...
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4 Other Options Considered

Dell XPS 15

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Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Very well-rounded laptop

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The cheapest configuration is a great choice for general non-intensive use - things like internet browsing, watching movies and similar tasks. Whereas the more expensive configurations are gradually more capable of intensive tasks, like video editing or gaming. It’s not as good as a specialized co...
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Slick design

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The whole design is quite stylish. The aluminium chassis provides a very clean look while the black carbon fiber palm rest with an almost borderless display cements it as a visually modern laptop. All of this is made with a premium build quality.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Solid keyboard and trackpad

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The keyboard and trackpad are reliable and solid all-around. The keyboard is responsive but is not super “clicky”, rather a bit soft. It has a white backlight on black keys that illuminates them at night. The touchpad is rather large while having no buttons. Despite this, the XPS 15 can reliably di...
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Amazing display

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Two display choices are available for the XPS 15, an Ultra HD touchscreen or a Full HD non-touch screen. Both screens have a very wide array of colors as they cover approximately 100% of sRGB color space. The viewing angle is around 170 degrees. However, at 45 degrees, slight color change can be...
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Good battery life if you pick the 1080p display

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Models with the 1080p screen last about 10 hours with general usage. Naturally, if more intensive tasks are involved, the battery will be drained faster.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Operates well on a Linux system

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All essential things, like network connectivity, ports and sound, work right “out-of-the-box” with a Linux operating system. There is a compatibility issue on the new 9560 model with its graphics card but the laptop is still very usable with its integrated Intel graphics card.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Can run most modern games

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Being an excellent all-rounder, it can be used as a gaming laptop for games that are not exceptionally demanding, like Overwatch or Dota 2. Unless you’re using the cheapest model, you can expect a reasonable 60 frames per second for almost all modern games, provided that you’re willing to lower the...
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Optional password-free-sign-in via a fingerprint reader

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For an additional $25 it’s possible to enjoy a password-free-sign-in by having a fingerprint reader. It will keep your laptop safe while still providing convenient access to it.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Awkward webcam location

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The webcam is located under the screen instead of on top. It means that your face will be shown from a lower angle which can seem a bit weird. It also means that your fingers can partially obstruct the webcam while you’re typing.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

9560 model's GPU has compatibility issues on Linux

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The new 9560 model has some trouble accepting its GTX 1050 Ti video card while running a Linux operating system. Fortunately, the integrated Intel graphics card is capable enough to substitute it. The manufacturers are probably aware of the issue and will, most likely, release an update for it.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Palmrest collects sweat

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The palm rest is made from carbon fiber which attracts fingerprints and sweat. After some time it gets kind of unpleasant to touch and needs to be cleaned.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Noisy fans

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The laptop is very quiet during idle and light usage but when there is some workload, the fans get quite loud and distracting.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Battery doesn’t hold long with the Ultra HD screen

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If you’re choosing the configuration with an Ultra HD screen, expect a very short battery life of around 6 hours for general usage. With more intensive tasks it's even less than that.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Audible coil whine

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Coil whine can be heard when it’s generally quiet and the fans are not running. Audible when the laptop is connected to the power supply. The manufacturers have acknowledged it as a problem and, if possible, will push out an update which should eliminate it. Until then, it’s still a gripe.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Some ghosting in games

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The display is not intended for gaming purposes so it can produce an effect called “ghosting”. Ghosting is when the pixels are not able to change their colors fast enough, so the color of the preceding frame can still be slightly seen on the next frame. This causes a blurring effect. Note that it o...
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MacBook

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Yoshiyuki
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Available in 4 colors

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The laptop is available in space gray, gold, silver, and rose gold (pink) finishes.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Excellent trackpad

•••
The MacBook has a large 4.4 x 2.7-inch Force Touch trackpad with a Taptic Engine that delivers haptic feedback whenever the user taps on it to give them the impression that they are actually clicking on it. It also supports gestures and multi-finger swiping. The accuracy is almost perfect and the...
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

macOS is developer-friendly

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macOS is based on XNU (Darwin) kernel, it's a certified Unix and arguably a lot more developer friendly than Windows. Development for Unix is native on macOS. There's a large selection of great development tools available for macOS. The operating system itself comes bundled with a powerf...
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Very good speakers

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The speakers, found above the keyboard produce loud and clear sound with minimal to no distortion whatsoever. They can be used for both listening to music and watching movies with no problem at all.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Decent battery life

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The battery lasts around 7h30m of continuous web browsing which is about average for this class of laptops. Where this laptop's battery truly shines though is under heavy stress where it manages to last an impressive 2h35m under a total stress test (maxed out brightness and processor usage - ci...
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Completely silent operation

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Thanks to the Core M processor (which doesn't require a fan) and the SSD storage, there are no moving parts the in MacBook. It will operate in complete silence.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Extremely portable

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The laptop weighs just 2 pounds and is 13.1 mm thin. It's one of the thinnest and lightest laptops on the market and it's extremely portable and easy to carry around.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Amazing display

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Everything about the display is very good - from its high resolution (2304x1440) to the brightness (325 nitts), uniform brightness distribution (90%), and high contrast ratio (1000:1) with over 95% of the sRGB spectrum. Overall, a great display which will come in handy for people who work with visu...
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Decent keyboard

•••
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Connecting more than one thing requires a hub

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The laptop comes with a single USB-C port that's used for charging as well as any other peripherals or external storage devices. Connecting more than one thing at a time requires using a USB hub.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

It's a bit hard to get used to the keyboard

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The keys are pretty shallow, with a travel length of just 0.5mm. They still provide good feedback and the writing experience itself is not bad, but it's just a bit hard getting used to, especially if you are coming from a laptop that's not a MacBook.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Not very powerful

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With an Intel Core M processor, the Macbook isn't a serious development laptop. While it will get the job done for lighter tasks, it will struggle with heavier jobs.
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HP Spectre x360 15t

•••
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Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Great design

•••
The HP Spectre x360 has an all-aluminum body that gives it a very premium feel. The edges are all smooth and polished which provide a great highlight accent to the laptop.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Long battery life

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For simple activities such as web browsing and editing files, the HP Spectre clocks in at around 11 hours of autonomous battery life.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Great, colorful display

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The Spectre x360 has a great glossy Full-HD screen to complement its amazing design. At 317 nits, the screen is pretty bright and it has a decent color range as well, covering 101.7 percent of the sRGB color spectrum.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Good keyboard

•••
HP put a lot of effort in the creation of this keyboard and it shows. With 60 gram actuation weight and a travel length of 1.3mm, typing on the Spectre x360 is a great experience, reminiscent of typing on a mechanical keyboard.
Izem Lavrenti
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Excellent performance

•••
Performance of course depends on the configuration, but a medium-powered configuration with 8GB RAM and i7 provides an excellent performance. Multitasking is a breeze and the laptop doesn't stutter or lag even with 20 Chrome tabs open simultaneously. The SSD is also extremely fast and is able...
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Can easily trap heat and overheat

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The extremely thin chassis is a drawback as far as heat management goes. Even a relatively simple activity like streaming HD videos will overheat the laptop and put the internal heat at about 105 degrees Fahrenheit which is 10 degrees higher than the 95 degrees "comfortable" threshold.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Has some bloatware

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While it's less than HP usually has, there are still apps like Netflix, The Weather Channel, Hearts Deluxe, Connected Photo etc.
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Microsoft Surface Book 2 (15-inch)

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Add Media iconAdd Video or Image
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Great tying experience

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Even though the keyboard is rather shallow (just 1.2mm of travel), the typing experience is excellent. Keys have a great amount of feedback when clicking and you rarely (if ever) bottom out when typing.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

The battery easily lasts a full work day on a single charge

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The Surface Book 2 lasts on average 12 hours on a single charge. This should be more than enough to get anyone to the end of their workday on a single charge.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

The hinge is quite stable as far as 2-in-1 laptops go

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The new fulcrum hinge that Microsoft used for the Surface Book 2 is much more stable than the one found on the previous Surface Book or even other 2-in-1 laptops for that matter.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Great display for creative professionals

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This laptop's display is bright and vivid, making it perfect for people who do a lot of drawing, design, or video editing work. The display offers an excellent coverage of 131% of the sRGB colour gamut (the average for this price range is 101%). The colour coverage and the bright display which...
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

One of the best performances found on a 15-inch laptop

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Equiped with an Intel Core i7-8650U CPU, 8GB (or 16GB) of RAM and an SSD that goes up to 1TB, the Surface Book 2 certainly packs a punch. It handles multitasking perfectly; you can open dozens of Chrome tags, stream video, and draw using the built-in software without experiencing any lag even once.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Gaming performance on-par with gaming laptops

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The 15-inch version of the Surface Book 2 comes with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 GPU. This is a powerful, VR-ready card that handles intensive gaming tasks. As for real-world performance, Hitman (1920 x 1080, ultra) runs at 71.9 frames per second, Grand Theft Auto V runs at 45 fps. It should also...
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

The pen must be bought separately

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If you want to use the Surface Book for drawing then you will probably have to buy the Surface Pen which unfortunately does not come bundled with the laptop (it costs an additional $99).
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

No Thunderbolt port

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For a laptop aimed at creative professionals, the missing Thunderbolt 3 port is surprising considering the fact that Thunderbolt 3 is used to connect a laptop to peripherals such as external GPUs or power-dual 4K displays.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Disappointing audio performance

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The audio that comes out of the speakers is quite average. It's enough to fill a small room but that's it.
See 7 more Pros & ConsSee 7 more Pros & Cons

Dell Precision 5510

Flagged
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MSI VR Ready GE62VR

Flagged
•••
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37 Community Recommendations

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Apple MacBook Pro
Recommended 15 days ago by DaringRaedieahkka
It's definitely the best. Mostly for the OS I think
Pro
 One of the best SSDs that can be found on a laptop
Pro
 Great keyboard
Pro
 Good stability
Pro
 Fantastic display
Pro
 Good customer support
Pro
 OSX/macOS and most software apps have great HiDPI support
Pro
 New OSX updates run on older models for quite a long time
Pro
 Great performance
Pro
 Very portable
Pro
 Good battery life
Pro
 Amazing build quality
Pro
 The default macOS is very developer friendly since it's a Unix
Pro
 One of the best trackpads around
Pro
 Both the hardware and software are designed in-house
Pro
 The OS is exceptionally easy to use
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