La lottery. Buying a laptop with Windows is a bigger gamble nowadays than Russian roulette

Freedom of choice is not always in the interest of the consumer. After years of testing the equipment, I realize that there is no easy answer to the question "what laptop to choose with Windows".

La lottery , as Wireman used to say in the novel "The Hand of the Master" by Stephen King. Every year, around 20 laptops with Windows 10 scroll through my desk, from those costing less than the national average, to those for which the equivalent of a decent used car could be purchased.

Contact with these machines made me realize one thing - the consumer hunting for the machine with Windows has been snatched up.

There are many unpleasant things to say about Apple computers, but one can not be denied - buying a Mac, we buy quality. Sure, there are some smaller or larger constructional slips, which the manufacturer then attempts to put under the carpet (ot, the charms of electronics), but generally buying equipment with an apple can be sure of the quality of equipment and refinement of the software. And more importantly - each of these machines behaves the same way. Some have more, others have less computing power, but experience of use remains roughly unchanged.

What's more, the estimated increase in work comfort is directly proportional to the price we pay for the computer. Buying a more expensive model, we can expect faster operation. Buying cheaper - slower. Simple and logical.

In the world of Windows 10, the matter is different.

I would like to point out that the entire text is about equipment produced by Microsoft's partners. I can not attach myself to the hardware of Microsoft itself - the Surface computer line - in this matter. And generally, if the budget allows it, I would recommend buying computers with Windows 10 from them, because only Microsoft, as the main interested, guarantees the reliability of hardware and software at a level comparable to that of Apple.

At other manufacturers it happens ... differently.

I will not exchange equipment by name, because it is not the point in this text to hit a specific manufacturer or a specific model. However, I must tell you about several situations that have only happened to me in recent months. Fresh matters. In computers whose price should guarantee absolutely perfect performance.

Beginnings of knowledge with a laptop for 15 thousand. zł.

It was a great computer and I think about it today. But if I spent my own money on it and had to go through such an "initiation" as in a test copy, I would throw the device out the window.

Imagine the situation - you are unpacking freshly bought equipment for an exorbitant sum of money. You run it, everything works beautifully, until all of a sudden ... just after logging in the system displays a graphic card error message.

You install the drivers, you update the system - to no avail. The message will soon be joined by another symptom - screen flickering and a second message informing about the problem with the switching technology between integrated and integrated graphics. The computer becomes virtually unusable.

You are looking for a solution on the Web. The forum on the manufacturer's website suggests updating the BIOS. You are entering the procedure. This takes about 1.5 hours. The next hour is the reinstallation of Windows 10, because the BIOS update forced automatically restore the computer to the factory settings (do not ask why, I have no idea).

Suffice it to say that it should not look like the first day with a new computer. Particularly worth so much money.

It is Windows and Windows.

One of the most annoying differences in the behavior of partner equipment is the operating system. Theoretically, Windows 10 is everywhere, everything should work the same everywhere. However, experience teaches that every computer has its own whims.

Each manufacturer adds "something from each other" to the Windows computer. Half of it, if it's junk software that you can throw away at any moment and never think about it again. Worse, if they are software solutions necessary for the proper functioning of the machine.

For example - on the desk I currently have a 2in1 computer with a detachable keyboard for special tasks worth over 18 thousand. zł. Computer designed for specialist work in difficult conditions. For now:

  • half of the system is in Polish, half in english. BECAUSE,
  • the dedicated stylus software does not work, re-installation did not help,
  • the touchpad uses Windows Precision Drivers and Synaptics drivers simultaneously. The latter notoriously fall into error,
  • if we put the computer into sleep mode after disconnecting the keyboard ... you can not wake it up. BECAUSE NO.

¯ \ _ (ツ) _ / ¯

Inconsistency in the software is one thing. The lack of consistency in the equipment is even worse.

On the one hand, a multitude of machines with Windows 10 means a multitude of choices. And the choice is good for the consumer. On the other hand ... I prefer not to have a choice but to have a choice between the bad and the worse.

My favorite example is biometric security: on paper two computers with a fingerprint reader or a camera compatible with Windows Hello do not differ from each other, but in practice it may turn out that in one of the machines the reader does not want to cooperate at all, in the second camera unlocks the screen based on the optical face scan, not IR technology.

You can also talk a lot about the implementation of certain technologies introduced by Microsoft into partner equipment. Recently, I had this perfect example - a computer which is a business clone of Surface Pro has got into my hands. Disconnected keyboard, these matters.

The problem is that the company that designed the machine forgot about the magnets in the keyboard. As a result, if we grab a closed computer, the keyboard dangles happily on the hooks, instead of sticking to the screen, like in Surface Pro.

If at the moment you hit your forehead on the mere mention of this absurd, imagine how much I shot myself seeing this situation live ...

The price does not determine the quality.

While in the Apple world the price is a determinant of the quality progress, so in the world of Windows ... not always.

Computer for 15 thousand PLN may have, for example, much worse speakers, screen or computer keyboard for 5,000. zł. A computer for 5,000 PLN exceed the quality of much more expensive constructions.

A perfect example here is the recently tested Asus UX433 , which, at a price of PLN 5,499 , spreads many comparable models, which cost twice as much.

The Huawei laptops also illustrate the problem perfectly. The average consumer may think that "where ladies will take a laptop from Huawei, they make smartphones". Meanwhile, Matebooks are today one of the best machines with Windows 10 that you can buy. And they do not cost as much as some equipment from other manufacturers.

There is no simple answer to the question "what laptop to use with Windows".

The freedom of choice, so valued by Apple's antiphenses, does not always work for the benefit of the consumer. On each price shelf we find a multitude of brands and models, whose quality can not be assessed by looking at the price or technical specification alone. Choosing the right machine requires spending a lot of time knowing the options available. And even when we decide on something specific ... we have no guarantee of trouble-free operation at all.

I am a hardware tester. Testing computers is part of my job responsibilities, so I am able to go over many things on the agenda and accept various discrepancies in the operation of individual machines. And I am in a happy situation, that thanks to the work I can learn and check out the equipment, and only then decide on a possible purchase.

"Average Kowalski" has no luck. Even the best-stocked purchase can turn out to be a failure, and the best equipment on the paper, costing a lot of money, turn out - to put it bluntly - crap. The consumer will not find out about it until he has already spent the money on the device, comes back home with him and is very disappointed.

I would not like to end this text with an empty "it should not look like this", but ... it really should not look like that.

Partners with whom Microsoft grants licenses for the operating system and technological solutions should be required to adhere to the most stringent standards. Especially for those devices that cost a fortune.

The consumer should have a certain guarantee that by spending a five-digit amount on a portable computer he will receive a machine that works perfectly. Certain shortcomings and nuisances are acceptable on low price levels, but the highest ones are unacceptable. And yet sometimes dealing with a computer for 12 thousand. I have the impression that I was dealing with a device for 2 thousand. zł. And this is a situation that should not take place. It's just that he has. And often.

Let computers of different manufacturers differ from each other what they want - specification, shape, technical possibilities, never mind. It is important that, with all the freedom to choose and different computers, one thing remains unchanged - a guarantee of efficient operation and peace of mind.

I have been testing computers for many years and unfortunately, during this time, computer manufacturers have not taken a step towards providing this guarantee to consumers. Buying a laptop with Windows 10 is still a lottery .



La lottery. Buying a laptop with Windows is a bigger gamble nowadays than Russian roulette

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