Cheap 11.6" laptop suggestions?

brianl

I looked at a Lenovo 100 series with windows for $140 at Best Buy today. Feature set was great but cursor tracking was sticky and jittery. worst of all the screen colors didn't pop. Dull screen. Any suggestions? hopefully under 3lbs. Open to chromebooks. Need it for surfing and hopefully something I can plug an external drive into and view photos and video files. Thanks

Vitaliy_Kiselev

You need good IPS FullHD screen.

Sony made Vaio Tap with 11" screen with quantum dots (so 99% sRGB coverage on tablet). Dell also has some products.

Remember to always look at screen measurements, as even IPS screen can have horrible colors.

Look for refurbished brand tablets and laptops.

brianl

This one looks decent enough. Has a touch screen and usb3. a tad heavy. thoughts anyone? Warnings? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834217318

Intel Celeron N2840 (2.16 GHz)
2 GB Memory 32 GB SSD
Intel HD Graphics
Touchscreen
1366 x 768
Windows 10 Home

Vitaliy_Kiselev

No, it is not.

It is bad TN screen, very slow eMMC disk and old processor.

bannedindv

These will blow your mind.

http://m.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Venue-11-Pro-7130-10-8-i3-4020Y-4Gb-128Gb-SSD-Windows-8-1-Pro-Tablet-Black-/262315376614?nav=SEARCH

http://m.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Venue-11-Pro-4th-Gen-i5-4300Y-8GB-RAM-256GB-10-8-Wins-8-1-Pro-Wi-Fi-Tablet-/152001593238?nav=SEARCH

Can be found cheaper with lower spec, atom, etc, but why skimp.

eatstoomuchjam

Depending on your definition of "cheap," you might consider a 2011 Macbook Air 11".

Ezzelin

I have a Surface Pro 2, and I love it. Sounds like the right size for you. It's the last Surface with a Wacom stylus as well, and has a full mobile Haswell i5 and professional Windows. They can be found used these days for around 300, often with the keyboard, which is a great deal.

brianl

Thanks for the suggestions. I visited Fry's, Best Buy and Walmart today. Incredible that the the affordable laptops were locked into into anti theft devices resembling a 19th century bear trap. They were missing keys and couldn't power up. None of the salesmen could tell me what advantage a chromebook has over a windows mini laptop. The prices aren't much different. None could tell me if I can connect an external hdd to a chrombook via usb and view video files. Complete exercise in futility. Are they giving up on bricks and mortar retail? I did see a functioning Asus ebook. must have the cheap tn screen because colors were dull. Wallmart carries a brand that seems a good value, and has a great name: Vulcan. Did Spock use it? Of course it didn't power up. The salesguy said it's "Made in America".

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Never buy any Chrombooks. If you will later want to set Chrome as boot OS it is possible.

And look online, as I said. For manufacturer(!) refurbished stuff. Do not rush.

Ezzelin

Here's a current eBay deal on a manufacturer refurbished Surface Pro 2 for $330:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/172127939098

Add a keyboard and you're set!

Vitaliy_Kiselev

As far as I remember early Surface had not very good screens.

Ezzelin

I find the display fine. It's an IPS, and according to this article has more accurate colors compared to the Surface Pro 1:

http://www.trustedreviews.com/opinions/surface-pro-2-vs-surface-pro-what-is-different

Vitaliy_Kiselev

@Ezzelin

You need to see actual measurements for display, not words.

Ezzelin

Here's a better review with measurements:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Microsoft-Surface-Pro-2-Tablet.105769.0.html

Certainly not the best, but it's an IPS screen and quite good for the price at this point in time, especially with calibration. The Surface Pro 3 is better, and the Surface Pro 4 better still, but the original poster was looking for a budget choice. Here's the review of the other two:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Microsoft-Surface-Pro-3-Tablet-Review.122170.0.html http://www.notebookcheck.net/Microsoft-Surface-Pro-4-Core-m3-Tablet-Review.153843.0.html

Vitaliy_Kiselev

the supported color space is still far away from covering all of the sRGB color space.

Check this site http://www.displaymate.com/mobile.html

Its Color Gamut is just 63 percent of the Standard Gamut, which results in noticeably bland and mediocre multimedia colors and picture quality.

And stay far away from old Surface models. As I said, for example, Sony Tap 11 has around 99% sRGB coverage and much better screen. Many others tablets and notes are also very good.

Vitaliy_Kiselev

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/11-6-Inch-Laptop-1920-1080-Onda-OBook-11-Windows-10-Tablet-PC-2GB-RAM-32GB/32560947466.html

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Woot sale

http://computers.woot.com/plus/convertible-notebooks-6

Vitaliy_Kiselev

ASUS T300CHI 12.5" Touch Transformer 2-in-1 M5Y10 4GB 128GB, FHD IPS screen, $358

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ASUS-T300CHI-12-5-Touch-Transformer-2-in-1-M5Y10-4GB-128GB-Win8-1-T300CHI-F1-DB-/252345071257

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Dell Venue 11 Pro with FullHD IPS, $200

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Dell-Venue-11-Pro-5130-10-8-HD-Z3770-2GB-64GB-8MP-Windows-8-1-Wi-Fi-Tablet/262304135279

brianl

Thanks Vitaliy. I ended up just getting a cheap earlier generation $150 Asus T100. It's nothing special but a pretty good value if anyone is interested. The GOOD: small and light; well built, USB 3, good battery life, touchscreen/keypad, The BAD: because the screen detaches, in notebook mode it doesn't have a full range of motion; ugly red color The MEH: It's an IPS screen but it's just okay. could be worse, but doesn't pop. not a speed demon. adequate for simple function though.

Overall, if you're like me and spend a lot of time on your computer doing important stuff like Facebook, it's well worth having a touch screen + mechanical keyboard. Takes physical stress off fingers and wrist.

Vitaliy_Kiselev

@brianl

Yep. But it is good thing not to hurry. It is lot of deals if you wait enough.

Also note that it is best to get not only touchscreen but also stylus.

brianl

There are good deals. I saved about 80 bucks or so. And mine was the last one they had. They move off the shelves if the price is good....

xsa

So, Venue 11 is best bet among cheap offers? Or chinese tablets?

Vitaliy_Kiselev

HP Elite X2 G1 11.6" Ultrabook/Tablet - Intel Core M 5Y51 - 8GB RAM - 128GB SSD, $449

http://www.ebay.com/itm/121686085644

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