ultra thin laptops

[Skaperen]

laptops seem to keep getting thinner. how long until i can use them as a shaving razor?

[dddman]

Mine is 0.8 of an inch thick. For those on the metric count that would be very few of those mm things. I haven't tried shaving with it.

[yetimon_64]

Mine is 0.8 of an inch thick. For those on the metric count that would be very few of those mm things. I haven't tried shaving with it.

That is at least 20 of "those mm things", a bit too thick for shaving alright . I think you may have meant very few "of those cm things" (about 2 centimetres in this case). Metric, don't ya just love it ... .

[TheFu]

I love most things about the thin laptops, except ....

• keyboards tend to wear out within 2 yrs
• keyboards usually have a "mushy" feel
• replacement of the keyboards takes open-heart-surgery. Basically, we have to remove **everything** from the case to swap in a new keyboard.
• lack of RJ-45 port
• reduced number of other ports like VGA, HDMI, and full-sized USB ports.
• No RAM upgrades possible. RAM is usually soldered onto the MB

So, with all these negatives, the solution for many people is to bring along a case full of adapters - basically, we carry 0.5 lbs of extra crap rather than have it integrated into the laptop.

But some things I love:

• weight - actually have a 13 inch laptop that weighs just under 2lbs
• battery life - 8-11+ hrs is realistic
• no complaints about screen resolution. Have a 13 inch 1080p and a 15 inch also 1080p
• no complaints about performance. One has a Core i3 (5th gen - $430 new) and the other has a Core i5 (8th gen - $305 used). Sure, I'd like faster, but for the price paid, these are really amazing. My first was a Celeron 2995U based Chromebook and at the time, the performance on it was freakin' amazing for $200. Intel decided that making Celerons THAT fast was a bad idea and quickly started creating the Nxxxx series which were brain-dead in comparison. Eventually, the low-end, dual-core, cheap CPUs were rebranded as Pentium-Gxxxx CPUs.

Did I mention the keyboards suck and break? Every laptop I've owned since 2006 has this issue, except a 1.5inch thick Dell. I own Acer, Toshiba, and Asus ultra-thin laptops. The keyboards on each have failed - well - really just about 10-15 keys have failed, usually within 2 yrs.

The 15 inch is nice, but I wouldn't want to travel with it. Too large, too heavy. 8GB of RAM and replaceable 2.5in storage is nice. Swapped a 1TB HDD for a 500GB SSD.
The 13 inch is still my favorite, even with just 4G of RAM and limited ports.

But the keyboards, still suck. When it is time for a new-to-me laptop, it will be another ebay special, probably 12-18 months old, and probably an off-lease Dell. Who doesn't want to save 50% on a laptop with minor or zero cosmetic issues?

Looked up the specs for my 3 laptops.

• Acer C720 - 11.34 x 8.03 x 0.75 inches (19.05mm) 2.8 lbs 11.6in screen
• Toshiba Chromebook 2 (CB35-C3350) - 0.76 by 12.6 by 8.4 inches (19.3mm) 1.96 lbs 13.3in screen
• Asus VivoBook F510UA AH51 - 14.2 in x 9.6 in x 0.8 in (20.3mm) 3.75 lbs 15.6in screen

Of the 3, I love-love-love the 13.3in Toshiba for size, weight, screen and performance. It does feel "cheap" and w/ only 4G of RAM, it is hurting, but with 8G and a non-plasticy body, it would be fantastic. The sub-2lbs really is what I like most.

They all have good enough battery. I've never had any go below 20% in normal use for a day.

[dddman]

I had a Dell with a 17 inch screen. For three years I carried that brick around. Not ever buying a big screen laptop again. Went to the other end of the stick with a tablet. Comes with mushy keyboard and no ports. Three usb ports is all you get. Does have a blazing fast 4core i5, turbo's @ 3.8. Always had i7 in the past, its my first i5. I think it's just as good as an i7. I am sure there are lots of good brands out there, but I'm sold on Dell. I have never had a Dell die on me or keyboard problems with one. Dell just chugs along. 12 inch screen is good for me and with UHD resolution it just doesn't get any clearer than that.

My big screen is a dumb 1080p tv, so i hooked a computer up to HDMI and have a small wireless keyboard/touchpad for it. Has bluetooth and even rj45 ethernet hookup. Intel 4core/4threads; 4G ram/win10pro and will easily fit in your shirt pocket (less power supply). It's a computer stick and it has even less of those mm/cm things.

One day I want a desktop with a super small foot print. My ex-girlfriend kept my old desktop along with the apartment, but that's another story

[zebra2]

I have three 15 inch Lenovo laptops. Two are 23mm thick and one is 25mm thick. At my age I'm almost certain that I would get razor burn trying to shave with any of them but I do use the 25mm one to cut fire wood. It cuts just fine but the keyboard can't stand up to the sudden stop and since it is glued in place inside the case the glue will come loose so I had to do a keyboard replacement. I found a keyboard for 18 dollars on amazon and that is still cheaper than buying a cord of firewood. I guess I can try shaving with the other two but that will depend on whether I can find a high viscosity shaving cream. If you decide to try any of this yourself don't forget to backup your data. I'm still trying to recover my wife's checkbook.

[dddman]

25mm for the metric impaired...
Equals four quarters minus two cents so converting that to one inch is just about there or two one hundredth off. Which begs the question, why not 26? And that's something to think about over a pint, which is...

[yetimon_64]

...And that's something to think about over a pint, which is...

Depends on whether you use a UK pint or a US pint ..., you get many more millilitres with the UK pint than with the US ones

Getting back to the original topic I am posting from a rather heavy/thick HP Envy laptop (17 inch screen). I'd never consider buying an ultra-thin laptop; too flimsy feeling for my liking. I like the heavier and thicker units which often have more connection options and often have cd/dvd players available as well. I tend to use my laptop as a "desktop replacement" and only very rarely travel with it, I tend to use my android smartphone for internet browser use if/when travelling.

Heavier/thicker laptop units may cost more but generally suit my usage needs better. Even on heavier laptops I rarely use the keyboard if a USB port is spare, USB keyboard/mice combos are my preference for user input on any laptop.

[Skaperen]

my point is that manufacturers keep promoting how thin their next models are. if they really can do that, year after year, then they could be getting very thin. when will it stop? will people care if they can do paper thin? how thin is "too thin"?

right now i'd like to get a thick laptop. 50mm

[Irihapeti]

Once upon a time, cellphones were getting smaller and smaller. Until it got to a point where they were considered too easy to lose (or so I've heard).

Nowadays, cellphones seem to be getting larger and larger. I wonder how long that trend will last.

And maybe the same applies to the thinness of laptops...