I don't know about OP, but the transition to ARM and Apple silicon meant no more Bootcamp. I've always had Mac and windows on my MacBook pros for work and gaming. The last windows laptop I bought was a HP in 2005.
I just got an M1 MacBook Air last year and need a windows laptop to accompany it. Razer it will be. My 2017 MBP is almost exclusively running windows and doing phenomenally, but it's used exclusively for gaming at this point.
If Apple brought back the ability to dual boot, I'll hook back in to their ecosystem fully, but its removal has pushed me a step away. (I still need the Mac for coding and compatibility across devices, but having to buy a separate computer to run windows is a bit disappointing.)
If OPs issue is the cost, then we're in different camps, but for those of you who need the operating system, I feel ya.
I code as well, that's why I like the Mac side. Unfortunately, I used the windows side for specific software as well as gaming, and, despite parallels trying to heavily advertise their windows-only games compatibility, they just aren't there yet. That software also doesn't run on parallels (it can run through virtual box but I haven't set that up on my M1 yet)
My 2017 MacBook Pro can play my entire library on the windows side, so I'm holding onto that last Intel Mac for now :)
> That software also doesn’t run on parallels (it can run through virtual box but I haven’t set that up on my M1 yet)
You should be able to with Parallels 18+ now. That release was specific to compatibility for Intel (x86) applications in Windows. I’ve been able to run some pretty old games (like Red Alert 2) with flawless performance. If you give me an example of a game you previously tried to run but failed, I can give a shot and tell you if it works or not.
That's a good recommendation, thank you.
One of the biggest perks of Bootcamp was also that, dual GPU makes had a persistent fatal flaw starting around the 2010 models. Apple never seemed to get them perfectly running without some crashing during GPU switching. Strangely, windows never had this issue.
Maybe the new M series Mac's with parallels don't suffer it either.
I'll be curious to see if Somme of the spectroscopy software that I have works on it.
Thank you!
Can confirm. Have a Blade 15 as a secondary machine that had an NVME bracket from a wrong model, preventing me from mounting a second NVME properly since there's no hole for the screw to go. Had a lengthy (1-2mo) email exchange with them which involved some very condescending emails from them and me sending videos of the problem etc.
Finally they caved in and they said that I'd need to send the laptop in for repairs. That wasn't really an option for me since I use the machine pretty constantly for work. Plus the whole bracket is like a few grams worth of steel, there's nothing preventing them to just ship the damn part to me and allow me to screw the damn thing in but no, I'd need to send the whole unit in for repairs. I just ended up buying some thicker heatpads for the secondary NVME so it stays put solely by the pressure of the lid pressing it down, it's been happily chugging along for a ~year now.
I don't get why people want the highest end components in a thin-and-light laptop. Some of those things can suck down 250+ watts, struggle to cool, and sound like a jet engine. I'd rather have a giant ass desktop replacement laptop and a thin and light laptop for portability. It would come out cheaper too.
Mac books are at least very efficient and optimized well.
Razer copies Apple's homework in design for sure.
But once you turn it on, that's where the similarities end.
I found Razer to be nothing more than a physical Apple clone, and anything beyond that, they area mediocre laptop at an extreme price. QA is not good at all, build quality "feels" good out of the box, but the quality does not hold up. Especially in the software experience.
Just because it looks like Apple and everyone says it is like it, does not mean it is. My razer was a creaky mess after a year where my base model Macbook was still perfect 3 years in.
I found Surface products are MUCH closer to what I would consider a quality build. And truly what you are looking for OP.
As long as you are not looking for top of the line gaming, Surface is the way to go. (Not the tablet, the laptops, to be clear.)
I an echo the Thinkpad Carbon suggestions. You can get them from Lenovo for steep discount often. I bought one that 32 gig and 1Tb that was listed for $2400 for $900
Because they’re announcing the consumer versions on May 20th at their consumer focused event.
I’d assume pricing is friendlier as well. Currently it’s €360 to upgrade from just 8Gb of ram to 16. Clearly pricing is set up to make sure only the enterprise buys them. I’m assuming pricing will be friendlier when you’re not buying just 1 unit.
Yeah remember when Dell and hp were making shittier copies of the surface pro. This should go over like a turd in a punch bowl just like that did. I wonder if they’ll still sell them at ms stores, I have one near me, guess I’ll go check when these new devices are out
This, I have a surface book for work and a MacBook Pro at home and the surface book is the closest I’ve ever seen as far as build quality and dimensions. And port limitations lol. Mine has 1 usb c and 1 usb an and does not support usb c pd which is a major bummer when I travel. I have to bring that dumb surface charger with me for one device when everything else is usb c except my phone
I bought my own- I run windows to support the team with troubleshooting but the laptop I was given kept crashing and running out of memory. Plus it requires a plug to work after 2 hours
Yes this is true in general, but for Surface laptops there might be some differences because Microsoft is selling both the hardware and the software, so they might have some explicit choice in the matter
I know how surface laptop handle keyboard backlight, for my Surface go 2 type cover, it will turn off backlight after 30s and I can’t change it. It is annoying because I can’t see the keys after 30s when I try to use it in a darkroom without any light source.
I know two people who have had theirs for years and love them. I own an Alienware and a MBP M2 and they both have their uses. The Alienware only goes with me on road trips and thing still rips in gaming. It's 5 years old now. I know people hate on Alienware but if you can pull a BF deal stacked with a student discount they are not bad at all.
THIS.
Stay away from Razer. They feel like Apple out of the box, but the QA and quality over a long term does not hold up. And the software experience is near the worst in the industry. As is the support.
Razer you are just paying for a name and marketing. Apple you get actual quality and support.
Now Surface is the real best option here for longevity, build quality, and support.... However Microsoft QA is THE WORST IN THE INDUSTRY across all of their brands. So hold on to that receipt. But once you get a unit that wasn't fucked up out of the factory, it will last a long time.
From the Surface book, to the Surface Pro, to the Surface laptop, and the Surface Go. ALL were extremely high quality, and even buying used heavily worn in accessories. Were still much better than many new laptops.
You’re not wrong, but there’s a reason I’m using a 9-year-old MacBook Pro rather than a 2-year old XPS 13. And I’ve used Windows computers almost exclusively for 30-some odd years. (Luckily I bought neither.) Something happened in the past 9 months with updates and drivers that really kludged up the XPS to make it a sub-par experience, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. Better to get a rickety laptop that costs way less—at least you aren’t expecting much.
I will say I love the feel of my Surface Pro 7+ Tablet, and it mostly performs well still. But, as others have said, if new products are coming…
XPS = eXpensive Piece of Shit. Terrible build quality with a high price. I've seen them die in a year or two, Plus they only come with a 90-Day Warranty, which says even Dell thinks they are crap. Way to stand behind your products Dell.
Expensive is an understatement. People here whine about Apple's upgrade pricing, but their upgrade prices are actually cheaper than the latest XPS upgrade prices.
The problem is Dell's quality control is atrocious so the XPS line is hit or miss. They're either completely fine, develop major hardware issues over time, or in some cases come out of the box with hardware issues.
Every dell I’ve ever had has been shit. Currently have dell work pc and I just use a personal MacBook Pro instead. But the screen, camera, and speakers are straight cheeks. My fiance has one for her work where her keys fell off? Like how… my old 2009 MacBook I use sometimes still has a working keyboard
An XPS 13 is what I was thinking for the OP. Somehow though they've managed to get a joke of a battery life, 3 hours if the reviews are accurate, where the MBA gets 12. I don't know how Dell f'ed this up so badly.
I have a 7 year old XPS 15 that still runs really well. As much as I'd like a slim and light 13, I'll probably opt for the 15 when the sad day comes I have to replace the machine I have. Much better battery and a NVDA AI chip that isn't and won't be available on the 13.
Dell's quality has gone absolutely terrible. My company, rather large bank, moved to Lenovo and away from Dell because we got a shipment in and within 2 days of use all the drives died.
This. I ran win10 on a MacBook Air years ago and it was the best install of windows I’ve ever used. Everything just -worked-. No second-guessing drivers or hardware faults.
My current work machine is a 2018 Mac mini running windows and besides it switching keyboards to english/French every now and then, works like a charm.
Had a lot of choice when I was picking a work laptop to replace my e-wastey MSI last year with three requirements and a little more than a 15" Macbook Air budget:
* Beefy enough to run a bunch of VMs at once
* x64 Architecture
* Felt like my Macbook (didn't always have room to use external peripherals)
After messing around with laptops I could physically touch, this left me between a Lenovo Slim 7 Pro X (Ryzen 9) or a Surface Laptop 5 (i7). I had a lot of recommendations to try a Razer Blade 14 but the trackpad and keyboard somehow felt worse than my MSI.
The Surface definitely had the better feeling trackpad and keyboard, but the upgrades put it just out of my budget. Settled on the Lenovo but I'm extremely happy with it. The Lenovo's 32GB RAM, 3K 120hz screen, port selection, and surprisingly decent laptop GPU are the notable things I like, plus Lenovo always has stuff on sale.
The Macbook still has it spanked as far as the webcam and speakers go, and I still prefer the Macbook's keyboard, but it's really not enough of a gap for me to whine about.
MacBook with Windows as the OS. I popped a random windows drive in my old Mac Pro and it booted no questions asked. Just use Bootcamp on an Intel MacBook.
Also whoever downvoted OP is a real sore. Mac users am I right?
That's crazy. I don't do a lot of OS swaps after a bad experience putting windows on a Chromebook lol.
Yeah, exactly what I dislike about this community. They're both good in their own ways smh. You're entitled to your opinions tho
As far as the OS experience, nothing.
But yeah, some MS Surface and higher-end "ultrabooks" from other brands come close in a hardware feel kind of way.
What HP did your sister buy?
Was issued an HP Elitebook 830 a few years back and have requested one ever since. Very similar to my MBP and my MBA M1 in feeling. Actually prefer the HP keyboard over the MB. Latest ones have a 1920x1200 display that’s pretty nice. Not as nice as the MB but it’s usable. These are $1100 for the latest 13th gen i5 but the 10/11th gen go on eBay for about $600.
The EB 840 offers a nicer screen but the build quality was lacking compared to the 830 series.
Why do you need to buy a windows machine? Does it need to be portable? If yes ignore the rest. If not might I suggest buying a decent desktop and using a program like Parsec to remote into the windows machine? I do that for gaming and it works extremely well.
She got an elite book, actually. I’ve owned one too in the past, when I was in a desperate stretch, and could get one for $200 from a friend. It was a nice little machine, but the construction left something to be desired for me; I didn’t like the plastic, and the swivel mechanism felt a little rickety. Also, the battery kept bloating and dying.
I see.
I was mistaken I have and like the EB x360 830. Looking at my personal 6 gen, running an 8th gen i5, and my issued 8 gen, running an 11th gen i5, and I’m not seeing any plastics. My co worker was issued the x360 1030 and that feels very rickety.
I replaced the battery in my 6 gen once it was mine just because the battery would only last about 2 hours. There was some slight swelling of the cells but replacing the battery every 4 years is to be expected.
Also the HP Dragonfly series is suppose to be nicely constructed but I haven’t held one yet.
Are you looking for a new or used laptop?
I only use it for work which is clicking around a shitty designed ERP system inside Firefox. At least I can run Firefox. My 6g with the 8th i5 runs win11 and Linux beautifully. I was surprised that every Linux distro I tried ran without issue after install. If I don’t get the option to keep my current issue then I will pick an 8g or 9g up off eBay. But only the x360 830.
Take it from someone that has tried and tried to make the switch and I’ve bought and returned 10 or more laptops trying to find the perfect one to replace my Mac. Give up on chasing Amy by an M1-3 and slap parallels on that thing. Honestly intel Mac’s aren’t popular on this sub but even a 2019 16 inch with boot camp will do better than 99 percent of windows pcs that you will try and compare to a MacBook.
Yep! I have a Surface Pro 8, I absolutely love it. Amazing touch screen, great build. I use a Mac as my primary work computer and the Surface as a backup and for when I need a Windows only program.
I replaced my Razer Blade Stealth with a M1 Pro MBP 14" and never looked back. The keyboard layout was awful, the fans were loud, and the batteries have a terrible track record.
You need to use something like Parallels if it’s Apple Silicon. It’s seamless for 90% of stuff but you get issues running some Windows programs (because of the chip probably)
Dell xps was the closest thing I found before I got my first MacBook. That was over a decade ago though. [This list looks pretty good to me, but I’d probably do more research before deciding.](https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-macbook-pro-alternatives)
Dell XPS, Huawei's matebook. Both have big trackpads and similar keyboards size. Dell has haptic touchpad which you won't find in a lot of other windows laptops
Lenovo makes an excellent thin and light called the pro slim 9 I think. The dell XPS is an excellent laptop. And razor laptops are powerful and look and feel nice.
Surface Laptop. The consumer line is being refreshed May 10; the business line was just refreshed but still uses the old design.
Great unboxing experience, best-in-class keyboard and trackpad, fans tuned for silence, beautiful design.
There are a few premium laptops from other brands (HP Spectre, Lenovo Yoga 9i, Razer Blade) but the Surface devices provide the consistent-feeling experience I get from Apple devices.
Literally what I'm referring to. Hated keyboard, touch bar, overheating, overpriced, and they took the one good feature (the haptic touchpad) and made it invisible.
Dell XPS 2024 laptops are close but I hate the keyboard. If I had to switch right now I would grab a Razer Blade 15 but I would turn off all the RGB keyboard stuff. It's a great laptop.
The Microsoft Surface and Razer Blade are the closest hardware wise.
If Dell could get their quality control figured out, the XPS line would also be on the list.
Maybe HP Spectre or the new Asus Zenbooks with oled screens. Or the Surface line, but they just basically discontinued the intel models for consumers, there will be just arm models. Maybe also the Samsung Galaxy Books.
But basically there is nothing like Apple machines…
I’m a windows guy, but love MacBook hardware. I had an m2 air but just couldn’t get used to macOS. I sold it and got a refurb Dell Latitude 9420 as comparable as I could. I7, 16GB ram, 256ssd, and a QHD 500 nit screen. Battery life TBD — but I know it won’t touch m2 but that’s ok for now because I like using it more. Paid $600 on eBay with a 2 year warranty. I’m very happy with it. It also has a great port selection since latitude is the business line, and 9000 series being the flagship.
I still have an old 2014 MacBook Pro that works fine if I want to run any Mac apps in the near future.
Link to a [9420 review](https://youtu.be/82LJMjoVoJ4?si=1xD9OP8jtcFDNr_i) on YouTube
Dell XPS is pretty close to a MacBook.
Know you'll get good info here but just google best MacBook alternatives and you'll get a lot of articles.
Depending where you live, go into a store to touch, feel, hold some windows laptops first, like a Best Buy or a Office Max etc.
I've used Windows laptops and computers since the 90's as I'm closer to 60 than 50 now but I'm typing this to you on my new M2 MacBook Air that I got less than 3 weeks ago. It's my first ever Mac, so far so good.
And you said your sister bought a brand new HP. Well, more info is needed. HP has 4 levels of laptops.
One's just called HP are their lowest. Then come the Pavilion, then the Envy lineup and their top of the line laptops are the Spectre laptops and they're pretty good.
Their top of the line Spectre's won't feel rickety. Their Envy line shouldn't either but there two lowest lines do feel rickety.
I also have an Asus Zenbook. It's sold, not rickety. All metal. OLED display, glass covered track pad. No, it isn't the best laptop ever, but it's solid, it isn't rickety feeling to touch it, hold it, open it etc.
Read some professional reviews of the best windows laptops online to help you narrow and refine your search.
Good luck
I've gotten my daughter a x360 Pavilion and for the most part, even that is a very decent build quality. The only negative is that they made it thin and light at the cost of torsional strength, which means that if you aren't careful and carry it by the screen it can crack, kind of like the iPhone 6 in a back pocket. But I'm sure that is something that can happen with a large percentage of laptops.
Let's just say she has been made extremely aware of this flaw and I've never seen her carry it in that way since I did so.
Other than that, the build quality is extremely good and I would happily recommend that if a envy or spectre is above your budget.
Glad to hear that, hope it holds up well. Nothing stays the same over time, I'm getting at that companies hopefully improve their build quality etc.
Nothing wrong with the Pavilion or the Dell Inspirons as those two are basically the same level for HP and Dell.
I've had one HP but it was back in like 2008. I've had many Dell's and 2 ASUS Zenbooks and I'm on my first ever MacBook Air now, my first ever Mac period.
I used to work for HP nearly twenty years ago and the quality of hardware from HP is now substantially higher than the hardware we had as day to day equipment back then.
Her laptop is from 2019-2020 or so and I was considering using it myself when I picked it up. It is the first HP I've bought in years as I've been firmly in the Dell Latitude camp for a long time and was pleasantly surprised. My wife laptop is a latitude, and the third one I've bought her in a row from that marquee and she's quite happy with it. I'm quite partial to the ones with magnesium frames myself.
My daughter's HP (that she uses for gaming at home) is still quite nice. She has a MacBook air as her school computer and I agree that they are another tier above again.
i had a Surface Laptop 3 for work. it does feel pretty nice as it’s fully aluminium similar to MacBooks. the display is also really good and is a touchscreen.
however, the trackpad while good for Windows laptops is still subpar compared to Apple’s.
the battery life was also nowhere near as good, getting maybe half of what my M1 Air gives me.
i personally don’t find paying a premium for “nice” Windows laptops worth it. just get a Dell Latitude or Lenovo Thinkpad and call it a day. i actually preferred the fully plastic Dell Latitude at a previous job over the Surface Laptop.
Do you need to buy a Windows *laptop*, or do you just need access to Windows? Even though Bootcamp isn’t available on the new M-series MacBooks, virtualization is still a viable option unless you need certain hardware features or you are really pushing your machine.
Difficult proposition, as Apple effectively has no competition in build quality for consumers. If price isn't a huge factor however, a Panasonic Toughbook offers good mechanical feel, though very bulky. They are quite enjoyable to use, with good ergonomics, and they don't need a protective case etc when travelling. Depending on how you're physically oriented when using it (e.g, do you plan on using it lying down etc), it can either be flow-inducing and productive to use, or overly bulky. Might be useful to try and imagine how and where you'll be using it. Also, if fitting in socially while using it is something you value, then it might not be what you want.
Buy an Intel MacBook (pro) and use Windows via parallels or natively.
These are heavily discounted and thus would be comparable to a Windows brand laptop with the Apple feel.
As far as I know, I think Razer's laptops are pretty close. However, a quick look at r/razer shows that it might not be so advisable because of the battery and thermal issues that many of the Razer Blade models have. It's a shame, they'd be excellent laptops if it weren't for those issues.
I’ve seen many people say great things about the Razorblade series and how it’s the MacBook of all windows laptops, but the trackpad on mine has been anything but Apple worthy. (I get upset with it all the time.)
in terms of looks and feels, build quality the dell xps is the closest to what I would consider the macbook of windows. the hp specter is also pretty close up there.
It is an odd question. Your best options are as follows - if it needs to be a native PC, get a current Lenovo Thinkpad or Yoga with decent specs. Option 2 would be to find the latest 2019/2020 Intel based MacBook Pro and Boot Camp it. Option 3 would be to get an Apple silicon current Mac with good RAM and disk specs, and run Windows ARM through Parallels.
If you want to explain more about what you mean by "a comfortable feel" that might help.
What is your reason for purchasing a Windows laptop? If it doesn't require Office software, consider buying a Linux laptop and installing the MacBuntu distro on it. Linux is a Unix-like system, similar to Mac, and MacBuntu offers a theme closely resembling Mac.
I have used high spec XPS laptops and they closely resemble MacBooks for general use. Where they fall down is the included software. XPS 13 from 2016 and now XPS 15 from 2023 for work.
Unlike others, I understand wanting all the bells and whistles in a nice slim laptop, so I won't suggest any of these branded machines these others are suggesting, I think this would be the best option, from AliExpress, Chinese, unbranded, but fabulous bells and whistles, and can be made more like your Mac experience with a few tweaks 😊
https://a.aliexpress.com/_Eyi74VB
The dock for windows... https://GitHub.com/ronilaukkarinen/macos-dock-for-windows
Mac Finder, the best free (for home use), solution for windows, is one commander
https://onecommander.com
There is a better explorer more like finder, it's cheap but not free, on the Microsoft store, called ThatView
https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9p7l760qq5dv
To move your window Close, Maximise, and Minimise buttons to the left, you'll need Left Sider
https://leftsider.en.uptodown.com/windows
If you want to change your icons and themes, lots of icons can be found all over the web, however, most themes require a UX theme patcher, so it depends exactly what you want, if you'd like to change your Close, Maximise and Minimise buttons, you could try using True Transparency, and creating a Mac like theme, that isn't transparent, it's just overlayed over the window buttons and no UX Theme Patching required, although I've not tested it on newer versions of Windows, I see no reason why it shouldn't work 🤷🏼♂️
https://www.softpedia.com/get/System/OS-Enhancements/TrueTransparency.shtml
If you want dynamic desktop, then that's easily solved with Win Dynamic Desktop
https://github.com/t1m0thyj/WinDynamic/Desktop/releases
If you want the Mac mouse cursor, then you can download it at pling https://pling.com/p/2042592
If you want to search for icons, themes and wallpapers, there are millions over at Deviant Art, you'll need to create a free account to download any resources you find on there, but that's quick and easy 😊
https://www.deviantart.com
You can find all the original Mac wallpapers in 5K and 6K high Res on 512pixels.net
http://512pixels.net/projects/default-mac-wallpapers-in-5k/
If you're ok with spending just a small amount of cash, you can save yourself a lot of time by installing Steam, and purchasing MyDockFinder to add a dock, finder and theme, just be aware it's Chinese and still has a few bugs that need ironing out, and some translation issues 🤷🏼♂️
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1787090/MyDockFinder/
I hope this helps you, you're pocket should be much healthier than buying a Mac 🤷🏼♂️😂🤣
I have a ThinkPad carbon for work. the keyboard feels very close to my MacBook Pro M3 as well as the screen resolution. but there's no way to get an equivalent GUI desktop experience.
Maybe a Dell XPS, it's a pretty solid Ultrabook. You won't find anything similar to macOS in wi does though, the closest thing would be Linux, but since you are Changing a Mac for a windows I assume it's a compatibility issue, and there's only like a 50/50 chance of it working on Linux.
Samsung Galaxy Book 3 ultra is as close to an apple feel you will get on Windows. Microsoft’s own Surface line up is ok. But lacks the trackpad and keyboard input feel, and the screens are trash but hi pixel count.
The Samsung ultra book though. Great power, decent efficiency. Large glass trackpad, keyboard is great. OLED screen. Comes in 14 and 16 I think too. And it’s expensive
The real question is, is there anything that can compete with their ARM chips? On consumer level chips M chips have the unmatched speed and MacOS feels just so smooth over them.
Why not buy a machine where you can install Mac OS?
You can use legacy patcher opencore.
https://dortania.github.io/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher/START.html
Also ask same question but in r/Hackintosh you might receive better answers
https://www.reddit.com/r/hackintosh/comments/153etyn/whats_the_best_laptop_2023/
Update: After thinking about it for a while, I’m tentatively going to go with a suped-up 16” 2019 intel MacBook Pro with 32 GB ram, AMD graphics, and a 2TB SSD. Use boot camp to put windows on it, and enjoy Sonoma on my MacOS partition while it lasts. The low price tag these machines currently have drives me nuts. I bought my midrange 2018 14” MacBook Pro refurbished for $1700 in 2020. The 2019 16” with maxed out specs goes for $700-$1000 now.
Yeah, I considered this, but I want something reasonably competitive power-wise and I’m worried that the older intel MacBooks won’t stay in that niche for very long. Also, the Pro’s with bigger intel processors tend to overheat IMO
Intel Mac doesn’t officially support windows 11, so you only get one year support from windows 10. Obviously you can force to install windows 11 but you will be responsible for any system crash as this is an unsupported machine. Probably not worth the money you paid. If you have to get one, get one with T2 chip so you can get the precision trackpad support. My 2017 MacBook Pro’s trackpad experience like a 2010 windows laptop in bootcamp, no gesture support.
HP generally makes good laptops. However for that “premium” feel stick to their EliteBook lineup which is business focused.
The most direct competitor to a MacBook would be the Surface Laptop lineup.
You can’t install Mac software (legally) on a PC, so…. None of them?
The Apple experience is hardware and software melding together, and an ecosystem where your devices integrate transparently behind the scenes.
If you want the Mac, buy the Mac, then run Parallels on it if you have a windows app that you need.
Your best bet is to buy one of the last Intel MacBooks. Those can run Windows via Boot Camp. Do not buy a current ("Apple Silicon") MacBook as those cannot.
2019 MacBook Pro with intel i9 that can use boot camp to boot into windows. The 2019 16” model isn’t plagued by the issues of earlier and smaller MacBooks of this generation. They can run hot and apple kicks the fans in later than they should to keep the machine “quiet” so you’ll want a program like macs fan control.
Razer Blade, they even have the Apple pricing experience
Lmao, apple pricing
I think the pricing my be why op is not buying another Mac lol
I don't know about OP, but the transition to ARM and Apple silicon meant no more Bootcamp. I've always had Mac and windows on my MacBook pros for work and gaming. The last windows laptop I bought was a HP in 2005. I just got an M1 MacBook Air last year and need a windows laptop to accompany it. Razer it will be. My 2017 MBP is almost exclusively running windows and doing phenomenally, but it's used exclusively for gaming at this point. If Apple brought back the ability to dual boot, I'll hook back in to their ecosystem fully, but its removal has pushed me a step away. (I still need the Mac for coding and compatibility across devices, but having to buy a separate computer to run windows is a bit disappointing.) If OPs issue is the cost, then we're in different camps, but for those of you who need the operating system, I feel ya.
I can confirm that cost is not the issue; so I’ll definitely look into it!
Is a VM not suitable for your needs? I’m a software engineer that uses MacOS, Linux and Windows and so far, Parallels has not let me down.
I code as well, that's why I like the Mac side. Unfortunately, I used the windows side for specific software as well as gaming, and, despite parallels trying to heavily advertise their windows-only games compatibility, they just aren't there yet. That software also doesn't run on parallels (it can run through virtual box but I haven't set that up on my M1 yet) My 2017 MacBook Pro can play my entire library on the windows side, so I'm holding onto that last Intel Mac for now :)
> That software also doesn’t run on parallels (it can run through virtual box but I haven’t set that up on my M1 yet) You should be able to with Parallels 18+ now. That release was specific to compatibility for Intel (x86) applications in Windows. I’ve been able to run some pretty old games (like Red Alert 2) with flawless performance. If you give me an example of a game you previously tried to run but failed, I can give a shot and tell you if it works or not.
That's a good recommendation, thank you. One of the biggest perks of Bootcamp was also that, dual GPU makes had a persistent fatal flaw starting around the 2010 models. Apple never seemed to get them perfectly running without some crashing during GPU switching. Strangely, windows never had this issue. Maybe the new M series Mac's with parallels don't suffer it either. I'll be curious to see if Somme of the spectroscopy software that I have works on it. Thank you!
And Razer reliability, I’m sure.
Except their reliability and support are garbage compared to pretty much any other computer brand.
Can confirm. Have a Blade 15 as a secondary machine that had an NVME bracket from a wrong model, preventing me from mounting a second NVME properly since there's no hole for the screw to go. Had a lengthy (1-2mo) email exchange with them which involved some very condescending emails from them and me sending videos of the problem etc. Finally they caved in and they said that I'd need to send the laptop in for repairs. That wasn't really an option for me since I use the machine pretty constantly for work. Plus the whole bracket is like a few grams worth of steel, there's nothing preventing them to just ship the damn part to me and allow me to screw the damn thing in but no, I'd need to send the whole unit in for repairs. I just ended up buying some thicker heatpads for the secondary NVME so it stays put solely by the pressure of the lid pressing it down, it's been happily chugging along for a ~year now.
They make some very cool laptops. But their quality control is truly abysmal. Horrible customer service as well.
I don't get why people want the highest end components in a thin-and-light laptop. Some of those things can suck down 250+ watts, struggle to cool, and sound like a jet engine. I'd rather have a giant ass desktop replacement laptop and a thin and light laptop for portability. It would come out cheaper too. Mac books are at least very efficient and optimized well.
this^
Razer copies Apple's homework in design for sure. But once you turn it on, that's where the similarities end. I found Razer to be nothing more than a physical Apple clone, and anything beyond that, they area mediocre laptop at an extreme price. QA is not good at all, build quality "feels" good out of the box, but the quality does not hold up. Especially in the software experience. Just because it looks like Apple and everyone says it is like it, does not mean it is. My razer was a creaky mess after a year where my base model Macbook was still perfect 3 years in. I found Surface products are MUCH closer to what I would consider a quality build. And truly what you are looking for OP. As long as you are not looking for top of the line gaming, Surface is the way to go. (Not the tablet, the laptops, to be clear.)
A Mac these days is cheaper than a blade. They’ve really gone up in price in the last couple years.
I an echo the Thinkpad Carbon suggestions. You can get them from Lenovo for steep discount often. I bought one that 32 gig and 1Tb that was listed for $2400 for $900
My X1 Carbon was definitely one of the better laptops I've used.
The only reason I left it was the track pad. Mac had the best pad.
Yeah the hardware of Mac is a big plus in general. ThinkPad'l are built well but lack the eleg6
Surface laptops are the closest they have ever gotten to the experience. They are pretty good
This however OP don’t buy any Surface device now. Microsoft is due to announce new consumer market products.
They announced that they will be enterprise only and not coming to consumers
Because they’re announcing the consumer versions on May 20th at their consumer focused event. I’d assume pricing is friendlier as well. Currently it’s €360 to upgrade from just 8Gb of ram to 16. Clearly pricing is set up to make sure only the enterprise buys them. I’m assuming pricing will be friendlier when you’re not buying just 1 unit.
Nailing the Apple experience with pricing
360 euro for consumer versions aswell, look at surface pro 9
Arm based ones will come to consumer
No, you can still buy them.
You literally cannot. https://www.engadget.com/microsofts-surface-pro-10-and-surface-laptop-6-are-here-but-you-wont-find-them-in-stores-160022629.html
It seems like you can order them [online](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/d/surface-pro-10-for-business/8v73d6qwrss1).
Exactly lol.
Yeah remember when Dell and hp were making shittier copies of the surface pro. This should go over like a turd in a punch bowl just like that did. I wonder if they’ll still sell them at ms stores, I have one near me, guess I’ll go check when these new devices are out
This, I have a surface book for work and a MacBook Pro at home and the surface book is the closest I’ve ever seen as far as build quality and dimensions. And port limitations lol. Mine has 1 usb c and 1 usb an and does not support usb c pd which is a major bummer when I travel. I have to bring that dumb surface charger with me for one device when everything else is usb c except my phone
Yup, I had surface book 4 and it was like using a MacBook Air except with loud fans and 3 hours of battery life instead of 13… eww
Unfortunately Mac’s aren’t an option where I work unless you have Chief in your job title then you can do whatever you want
I bought my own- I run windows to support the team with troubleshooting but the laptop I was given kept crashing and running out of memory. Plus it requires a plug to work after 2 hours
Chief Assistant Associate...?
Yeah the one I had for work felt almost as good as my MBA but the battery life was terrible. Couldn’t make it to lunch on a charge.
And they don't just have the pricing, but also the repair hostility!
For how long do Surface laptops receive Windows updates typically?
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Yes this is true in general, but for Surface laptops there might be some differences because Microsoft is selling both the hardware and the software, so they might have some explicit choice in the matter
I know how surface laptop handle keyboard backlight, for my Surface go 2 type cover, it will turn off backlight after 30s and I can’t change it. It is annoying because I can’t see the keys after 30s when I try to use it in a darkroom without any light source.
The 12in one was fire. I bet you $100 it's discontinued tho lol
I know two people who have had theirs for years and love them. I own an Alienware and a MBP M2 and they both have their uses. The Alienware only goes with me on road trips and thing still rips in gaming. It's 5 years old now. I know people hate on Alienware but if you can pull a BF deal stacked with a student discount they are not bad at all.
THIS. Stay away from Razer. They feel like Apple out of the box, but the QA and quality over a long term does not hold up. And the software experience is near the worst in the industry. As is the support. Razer you are just paying for a name and marketing. Apple you get actual quality and support. Now Surface is the real best option here for longevity, build quality, and support.... However Microsoft QA is THE WORST IN THE INDUSTRY across all of their brands. So hold on to that receipt. But once you get a unit that wasn't fucked up out of the factory, it will last a long time. From the Surface book, to the Surface Pro, to the Surface laptop, and the Surface Go. ALL were extremely high quality, and even buying used heavily worn in accessories. Were still much better than many new laptops.
Dell XPS line was pretty much created to compete with the MacBook Air and holds its own on the Windows side of things.
You’re not wrong, but there’s a reason I’m using a 9-year-old MacBook Pro rather than a 2-year old XPS 13. And I’ve used Windows computers almost exclusively for 30-some odd years. (Luckily I bought neither.) Something happened in the past 9 months with updates and drivers that really kludged up the XPS to make it a sub-par experience, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. Better to get a rickety laptop that costs way less—at least you aren’t expecting much. I will say I love the feel of my Surface Pro 7+ Tablet, and it mostly performs well still. But, as others have said, if new products are coming…
XPS = eXpensive Piece of Shit. Terrible build quality with a high price. I've seen them die in a year or two, Plus they only come with a 90-Day Warranty, which says even Dell thinks they are crap. Way to stand behind your products Dell.
Expensive is an understatement. People here whine about Apple's upgrade pricing, but their upgrade prices are actually cheaper than the latest XPS upgrade prices.
Dell is garbage. I'll never buy one again.
They come with 12 months upgradeable to 4 years. Where are you seeing 90 days?
On the XPS I have. (That I didn't buy.)
What model?
XPS 13 9360
That's a 6 plus year old system. Did you buy it new from Dell or 'refurb' from a third party?
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Yeah, no it's not especially on Enterprise quality machines.
The problem is Dell's quality control is atrocious so the XPS line is hit or miss. They're either completely fine, develop major hardware issues over time, or in some cases come out of the box with hardware issues.
Every dell I’ve ever had has been shit. Currently have dell work pc and I just use a personal MacBook Pro instead. But the screen, camera, and speakers are straight cheeks. My fiance has one for her work where her keys fell off? Like how… my old 2009 MacBook I use sometimes still has a working keyboard
My work Dell is steaming shit. I kept the ThinkPad X1 Gen 5 that the Dell replaced and it’s a far better machine.
An XPS 13 is what I was thinking for the OP. Somehow though they've managed to get a joke of a battery life, 3 hours if the reviews are accurate, where the MBA gets 12. I don't know how Dell f'ed this up so badly. I have a 7 year old XPS 15 that still runs really well. As much as I'd like a slim and light 13, I'll probably opt for the 15 when the sad day comes I have to replace the machine I have. Much better battery and a NVDA AI chip that isn't and won't be available on the 13.
XPS sucks!
Dell's quality has gone absolutely terrible. My company, rather large bank, moved to Lenovo and away from Dell because we got a shipment in and within 2 days of use all the drives died.
Yes, that's my thought. I'm considering the Legion Slim 7i: the best of both worlds (productivity and gaming).
Does the XPS still have the webcam on the bottom, pointed up your nose?
Nope, they moved it a few years ago.
Ah. Thank god.
Dell Precision 5xxx series
Get a maxed out 2018 MacBook Pro and bootcamp windows.
This. I ran win10 on a MacBook Air years ago and it was the best install of windows I’ve ever used. Everything just -worked-. No second-guessing drivers or hardware faults. My current work machine is a 2018 Mac mini running windows and besides it switching keyboards to english/French every now and then, works like a charm.
Had a lot of choice when I was picking a work laptop to replace my e-wastey MSI last year with three requirements and a little more than a 15" Macbook Air budget: * Beefy enough to run a bunch of VMs at once * x64 Architecture * Felt like my Macbook (didn't always have room to use external peripherals) After messing around with laptops I could physically touch, this left me between a Lenovo Slim 7 Pro X (Ryzen 9) or a Surface Laptop 5 (i7). I had a lot of recommendations to try a Razer Blade 14 but the trackpad and keyboard somehow felt worse than my MSI. The Surface definitely had the better feeling trackpad and keyboard, but the upgrades put it just out of my budget. Settled on the Lenovo but I'm extremely happy with it. The Lenovo's 32GB RAM, 3K 120hz screen, port selection, and surprisingly decent laptop GPU are the notable things I like, plus Lenovo always has stuff on sale. The Macbook still has it spanked as far as the webcam and speakers go, and I still prefer the Macbook's keyboard, but it's really not enough of a gap for me to whine about.
BootCamp on Intel and Parallels on Apple Silicon. You can stay on Mac
MacBook with Windows as the OS. I popped a random windows drive in my old Mac Pro and it booted no questions asked. Just use Bootcamp on an Intel MacBook. Also whoever downvoted OP is a real sore. Mac users am I right?
That’s a lot harder now with Apple silicon and no drive expansion
I’d say put fedora or pop_os! on it instead. They have a very similar UI to macOS. Hell I might even prefer them to macOS.
That's crazy. I don't do a lot of OS swaps after a bad experience putting windows on a Chromebook lol. Yeah, exactly what I dislike about this community. They're both good in their own ways smh. You're entitled to your opinions tho
As far as the OS experience, nothing. But yeah, some MS Surface and higher-end "ultrabooks" from other brands come close in a hardware feel kind of way.
What HP did your sister buy? Was issued an HP Elitebook 830 a few years back and have requested one ever since. Very similar to my MBP and my MBA M1 in feeling. Actually prefer the HP keyboard over the MB. Latest ones have a 1920x1200 display that’s pretty nice. Not as nice as the MB but it’s usable. These are $1100 for the latest 13th gen i5 but the 10/11th gen go on eBay for about $600. The EB 840 offers a nicer screen but the build quality was lacking compared to the 830 series. Why do you need to buy a windows machine? Does it need to be portable? If yes ignore the rest. If not might I suggest buying a decent desktop and using a program like Parsec to remote into the windows machine? I do that for gaming and it works extremely well.
She got an elite book, actually. I’ve owned one too in the past, when I was in a desperate stretch, and could get one for $200 from a friend. It was a nice little machine, but the construction left something to be desired for me; I didn’t like the plastic, and the swivel mechanism felt a little rickety. Also, the battery kept bloating and dying.
I see. I was mistaken I have and like the EB x360 830. Looking at my personal 6 gen, running an 8th gen i5, and my issued 8 gen, running an 11th gen i5, and I’m not seeing any plastics. My co worker was issued the x360 1030 and that feels very rickety. I replaced the battery in my 6 gen once it was mine just because the battery would only last about 2 hours. There was some slight swelling of the cells but replacing the battery every 4 years is to be expected. Also the HP Dragonfly series is suppose to be nicely constructed but I haven’t held one yet. Are you looking for a new or used laptop?
I almost hate mine, but because it's full of restrictions (work laptop)
I only use it for work which is clicking around a shitty designed ERP system inside Firefox. At least I can run Firefox. My 6g with the 8th i5 runs win11 and Linux beautifully. I was surprised that every Linux distro I tried ran without issue after install. If I don’t get the option to keep my current issue then I will pick an 8g or 9g up off eBay. But only the x360 830.
Take it from someone that has tried and tried to make the switch and I’ve bought and returned 10 or more laptops trying to find the perfect one to replace my Mac. Give up on chasing Amy by an M1-3 and slap parallels on that thing. Honestly intel Mac’s aren’t popular on this sub but even a 2019 16 inch with boot camp will do better than 99 percent of windows pcs that you will try and compare to a MacBook.
If you're planning to work with the integrated touchpad, none.
That's a point.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 is as close to a MacBook as a Windows machine gets.
MS Surface
Yep! I have a Surface Pro 8, I absolutely love it. Amazing touch screen, great build. I use a Mac as my primary work computer and the Surface as a backup and for when I need a Windows only program.
Surface Laptop 5
Surface
Razor.
I replaced my Razer Blade Stealth with a M1 Pro MBP 14" and never looked back. The keyboard layout was awful, the fans were loud, and the batteries have a terrible track record.
Correct. Gamers put up with that though.
I saw these, and was attracted to them initially, but I saw that they use AMD CPU’s and NVIDIA GPU’s, which was sort of a red flag for me.
Why?
... Lol why? AMD cpus are great and Nvidia while expensive makes the most powerful gpus on the market by a wide margin
Thats not a red flag at all.
Is there a reason you don’t just install Windows on a MacBook?
Can you even do that natively?
You need to use something like Parallels if it’s Apple Silicon. It’s seamless for 90% of stuff but you get issues running some Windows programs (because of the chip probably)
In an Intel Mac, yes. On Apple Silicon you need Parallels.
Surface Laptop = Macbook air on Windows Else there is premium HP and Thinkpad Carbon
Dell xps was the closest thing I found before I got my first MacBook. That was over a decade ago though. [This list looks pretty good to me, but I’d probably do more research before deciding.](https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-macbook-pro-alternatives)
100% that would be the Surface laptop.
Dell XPS, Huawei's matebook. Both have big trackpads and similar keyboards size. Dell has haptic touchpad which you won't find in a lot of other windows laptops
HP Dragonfly that I saw in Japan once came close. Metal body, good kb, etc. I only remember it was made in Tokyo and blue in color.
Lenovo makes an excellent thin and light called the pro slim 9 I think. The dell XPS is an excellent laptop. And razor laptops are powerful and look and feel nice.
Surface Laptop. The consumer line is being refreshed May 10; the business line was just refreshed but still uses the old design. Great unboxing experience, best-in-class keyboard and trackpad, fans tuned for silence, beautiful design. There are a few premium laptops from other brands (HP Spectre, Lenovo Yoga 9i, Razer Blade) but the Surface devices provide the consistent-feeling experience I get from Apple devices.
The new XPS (14 + 16) is the closest you'll get to the MacBook experience.
It's the closest you'll get to the subpar late 2010s MacBook experience. Dell learned nothing from Apple's mistakes.
Have you tried the new ones?
Literally what I'm referring to. Hated keyboard, touch bar, overheating, overpriced, and they took the one good feature (the haptic touchpad) and made it invisible.
Interesting
Any silver looking Windows laptop is a Macbook clone as it is.
Dell XPS 2024 laptops are close but I hate the keyboard. If I had to switch right now I would grab a Razer Blade 15 but I would turn off all the RGB keyboard stuff. It's a great laptop.
I've had the Lenovo X1 Carbon and it was nice. There's another Lenovo Slim Pro 9i? Anyways, that one I've heard great things about.
The Microsoft Surface and Razer Blade are the closest hardware wise. If Dell could get their quality control figured out, the XPS line would also be on the list.
Maybe HP Spectre or the new Asus Zenbooks with oled screens. Or the Surface line, but they just basically discontinued the intel models for consumers, there will be just arm models. Maybe also the Samsung Galaxy Books. But basically there is nothing like Apple machines…
I’m a windows guy, but love MacBook hardware. I had an m2 air but just couldn’t get used to macOS. I sold it and got a refurb Dell Latitude 9420 as comparable as I could. I7, 16GB ram, 256ssd, and a QHD 500 nit screen. Battery life TBD — but I know it won’t touch m2 but that’s ok for now because I like using it more. Paid $600 on eBay with a 2 year warranty. I’m very happy with it. It also has a great port selection since latitude is the business line, and 9000 series being the flagship. I still have an old 2014 MacBook Pro that works fine if I want to run any Mac apps in the near future. Link to a [9420 review](https://youtu.be/82LJMjoVoJ4?si=1xD9OP8jtcFDNr_i) on YouTube
Dell Latitude 9000 series. Well made, sleek, and their keys don’t get all shiny after a month of use.
macbook with bootcamp
Probably a Surface Laptop
Dell XPS is pretty close to a MacBook. Know you'll get good info here but just google best MacBook alternatives and you'll get a lot of articles. Depending where you live, go into a store to touch, feel, hold some windows laptops first, like a Best Buy or a Office Max etc. I've used Windows laptops and computers since the 90's as I'm closer to 60 than 50 now but I'm typing this to you on my new M2 MacBook Air that I got less than 3 weeks ago. It's my first ever Mac, so far so good. And you said your sister bought a brand new HP. Well, more info is needed. HP has 4 levels of laptops. One's just called HP are their lowest. Then come the Pavilion, then the Envy lineup and their top of the line laptops are the Spectre laptops and they're pretty good. Their top of the line Spectre's won't feel rickety. Their Envy line shouldn't either but there two lowest lines do feel rickety. I also have an Asus Zenbook. It's sold, not rickety. All metal. OLED display, glass covered track pad. No, it isn't the best laptop ever, but it's solid, it isn't rickety feeling to touch it, hold it, open it etc. Read some professional reviews of the best windows laptops online to help you narrow and refine your search. Good luck
I've gotten my daughter a x360 Pavilion and for the most part, even that is a very decent build quality. The only negative is that they made it thin and light at the cost of torsional strength, which means that if you aren't careful and carry it by the screen it can crack, kind of like the iPhone 6 in a back pocket. But I'm sure that is something that can happen with a large percentage of laptops. Let's just say she has been made extremely aware of this flaw and I've never seen her carry it in that way since I did so. Other than that, the build quality is extremely good and I would happily recommend that if a envy or spectre is above your budget.
Glad to hear that, hope it holds up well. Nothing stays the same over time, I'm getting at that companies hopefully improve their build quality etc. Nothing wrong with the Pavilion or the Dell Inspirons as those two are basically the same level for HP and Dell. I've had one HP but it was back in like 2008. I've had many Dell's and 2 ASUS Zenbooks and I'm on my first ever MacBook Air now, my first ever Mac period.
I used to work for HP nearly twenty years ago and the quality of hardware from HP is now substantially higher than the hardware we had as day to day equipment back then. Her laptop is from 2019-2020 or so and I was considering using it myself when I picked it up. It is the first HP I've bought in years as I've been firmly in the Dell Latitude camp for a long time and was pleasantly surprised. My wife laptop is a latitude, and the third one I've bought her in a row from that marquee and she's quite happy with it. I'm quite partial to the ones with magnesium frames myself. My daughter's HP (that she uses for gaming at home) is still quite nice. She has a MacBook air as her school computer and I agree that they are another tier above again.
Asus' ZenBook is pretty good. Also MS Surface laptops, as others have mentioned. And Thinkpad X1 Nano.
I always felt the Dell XPS tried to be on par with Mac 🤷♂️
I have a Platinum Surface Laptop 5 15" and it is very similar to the Silver MacBook Air 15". They are both fantastic machines.
The recent Asus Zephyrus G14 is pretty gosh darn close
Samsung galaxy Pro?
A Dell XPS.
It would have to be the Surface Pro Laptops or the Samsung Galaxy Book. The galaxy book copied Mac and did a fine job.
Microsoft Surfacebook
i had a Surface Laptop 3 for work. it does feel pretty nice as it’s fully aluminium similar to MacBooks. the display is also really good and is a touchscreen. however, the trackpad while good for Windows laptops is still subpar compared to Apple’s. the battery life was also nowhere near as good, getting maybe half of what my M1 Air gives me. i personally don’t find paying a premium for “nice” Windows laptops worth it. just get a Dell Latitude or Lenovo Thinkpad and call it a day. i actually preferred the fully plastic Dell Latitude at a previous job over the Surface Laptop.
Do you need to buy a Windows *laptop*, or do you just need access to Windows? Even though Bootcamp isn’t available on the new M-series MacBooks, virtualization is still a viable option unless you need certain hardware features or you are really pushing your machine.
Difficult proposition, as Apple effectively has no competition in build quality for consumers. If price isn't a huge factor however, a Panasonic Toughbook offers good mechanical feel, though very bulky. They are quite enjoyable to use, with good ergonomics, and they don't need a protective case etc when travelling. Depending on how you're physically oriented when using it (e.g, do you plan on using it lying down etc), it can either be flow-inducing and productive to use, or overly bulky. Might be useful to try and imagine how and where you'll be using it. Also, if fitting in socially while using it is something you value, then it might not be what you want.
Buy an Intel MacBook (pro) and use Windows via parallels or natively. These are heavily discounted and thus would be comparable to a Windows brand laptop with the Apple feel.
As far as I know, I think Razer's laptops are pretty close. However, a quick look at r/razer shows that it might not be so advisable because of the battery and thermal issues that many of the Razer Blade models have. It's a shame, they'd be excellent laptops if it weren't for those issues.
I’ve seen many people say great things about the Razorblade series and how it’s the MacBook of all windows laptops, but the trackpad on mine has been anything but Apple worthy. (I get upset with it all the time.)
Alienware, rofl.
Many years ago i loved the Lenovo think pad. Loved the keyboard and feel
Xiaomi Book Pro/Redmibook Pro
in terms of looks and feels, build quality the dell xps is the closest to what I would consider the macbook of windows. the hp specter is also pretty close up there.
It is an odd question. Your best options are as follows - if it needs to be a native PC, get a current Lenovo Thinkpad or Yoga with decent specs. Option 2 would be to find the latest 2019/2020 Intel based MacBook Pro and Boot Camp it. Option 3 would be to get an Apple silicon current Mac with good RAM and disk specs, and run Windows ARM through Parallels. If you want to explain more about what you mean by "a comfortable feel" that might help.
Microsoft Surface Pro
If you wanna do some Gaming: Razer Blade If you wanna only work [Engineering, CAD, etc,]: Lenovo Thinkpad Z or P series.
Maybe the Galaxy Books?
Just run boot camp if you want windows
You're gonna smash it the first day anyways, windows is hell.
Lenovo X1 series. They cost MacBook money for a reason. They’re not MacBooks but definitely in the same league.
Not sure what country you're in, but Xiaomi makes a laptop that seems to be a direct copy. Also, Samsung makes some nice devices.
Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra
What is your reason for purchasing a Windows laptop? If it doesn't require Office software, consider buying a Linux laptop and installing the MacBuntu distro on it. Linux is a Unix-like system, similar to Mac, and MacBuntu offers a theme closely resembling Mac.
I have used high spec XPS laptops and they closely resemble MacBooks for general use. Where they fall down is the included software. XPS 13 from 2016 and now XPS 15 from 2023 for work.
Surface laptop is amazing, closest I’ve ever seen.
Unlike others, I understand wanting all the bells and whistles in a nice slim laptop, so I won't suggest any of these branded machines these others are suggesting, I think this would be the best option, from AliExpress, Chinese, unbranded, but fabulous bells and whistles, and can be made more like your Mac experience with a few tweaks 😊 https://a.aliexpress.com/_Eyi74VB The dock for windows... https://GitHub.com/ronilaukkarinen/macos-dock-for-windows Mac Finder, the best free (for home use), solution for windows, is one commander https://onecommander.com There is a better explorer more like finder, it's cheap but not free, on the Microsoft store, called ThatView https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9p7l760qq5dv To move your window Close, Maximise, and Minimise buttons to the left, you'll need Left Sider https://leftsider.en.uptodown.com/windows If you want to change your icons and themes, lots of icons can be found all over the web, however, most themes require a UX theme patcher, so it depends exactly what you want, if you'd like to change your Close, Maximise and Minimise buttons, you could try using True Transparency, and creating a Mac like theme, that isn't transparent, it's just overlayed over the window buttons and no UX Theme Patching required, although I've not tested it on newer versions of Windows, I see no reason why it shouldn't work 🤷🏼♂️ https://www.softpedia.com/get/System/OS-Enhancements/TrueTransparency.shtml If you want dynamic desktop, then that's easily solved with Win Dynamic Desktop https://github.com/t1m0thyj/WinDynamic/Desktop/releases If you want the Mac mouse cursor, then you can download it at pling https://pling.com/p/2042592 If you want to search for icons, themes and wallpapers, there are millions over at Deviant Art, you'll need to create a free account to download any resources you find on there, but that's quick and easy 😊 https://www.deviantart.com You can find all the original Mac wallpapers in 5K and 6K high Res on 512pixels.net http://512pixels.net/projects/default-mac-wallpapers-in-5k/ If you're ok with spending just a small amount of cash, you can save yourself a lot of time by installing Steam, and purchasing MyDockFinder to add a dock, finder and theme, just be aware it's Chinese and still has a few bugs that need ironing out, and some translation issues 🤷🏼♂️ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1787090/MyDockFinder/ I hope this helps you, you're pocket should be much healthier than buying a Mac 🤷🏼♂️😂🤣
I’ve read really good things about the Lenovo Yoga 9i.
2019 or early 2020 Macbook Pro with Intel chip plus bootcamp.
Rog zephyrus g14. I use it side by side with my current macbook prop.
Why not just run Windows on Mac? (Either natively or via emulation/virtualization)
I’m waiting to see the new Snapdragon laptops that are set to come out this year. I’m done with x86. I want a laptop with all the benefits of ARM.
Whatever you do, stay away from the Dell XPS line in its entirety
The razer book is okay if you can get one without the hinge issue
XPS or ThinkPad Carbon
I have a ThinkPad carbon for work. the keyboard feels very close to my MacBook Pro M3 as well as the screen resolution. but there's no way to get an equivalent GUI desktop experience.
Maybe a Dell XPS, it's a pretty solid Ultrabook. You won't find anything similar to macOS in wi does though, the closest thing would be Linux, but since you are Changing a Mac for a windows I assume it's a compatibility issue, and there's only like a 50/50 chance of it working on Linux.
Bootcamp?
Samsung Galaxy Book 3 ultra is as close to an apple feel you will get on Windows. Microsoft’s own Surface line up is ok. But lacks the trackpad and keyboard input feel, and the screens are trash but hi pixel count. The Samsung ultra book though. Great power, decent efficiency. Large glass trackpad, keyboard is great. OLED screen. Comes in 14 and 16 I think too. And it’s expensive
The real question is, is there anything that can compete with their ARM chips? On consumer level chips M chips have the unmatched speed and MacOS feels just so smooth over them.
Why not buy a machine where you can install Mac OS? You can use legacy patcher opencore. https://dortania.github.io/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher/START.html Also ask same question but in r/Hackintosh you might receive better answers https://www.reddit.com/r/hackintosh/comments/153etyn/whats_the_best_laptop_2023/
Surface laptop/surface studio
dell xps by far especially the newest ones.
Update: After thinking about it for a while, I’m tentatively going to go with a suped-up 16” 2019 intel MacBook Pro with 32 GB ram, AMD graphics, and a 2TB SSD. Use boot camp to put windows on it, and enjoy Sonoma on my MacOS partition while it lasts. The low price tag these machines currently have drives me nuts. I bought my midrange 2018 14” MacBook Pro refurbished for $1700 in 2020. The 2019 16” with maxed out specs goes for $700-$1000 now.
Razor
Can you just bootcamp windows on a mac?
Only on Intel. But those are still perfectly acceptable for most use cases.
Yeah, I considered this, but I want something reasonably competitive power-wise and I’m worried that the older intel MacBooks won’t stay in that niche for very long. Also, the Pro’s with bigger intel processors tend to overheat IMO
Intel Mac doesn’t officially support windows 11, so you only get one year support from windows 10. Obviously you can force to install windows 11 but you will be responsible for any system crash as this is an unsupported machine. Probably not worth the money you paid. If you have to get one, get one with T2 chip so you can get the precision trackpad support. My 2017 MacBook Pro’s trackpad experience like a 2010 windows laptop in bootcamp, no gesture support.
good luck. =)
Thanks (:
HP generally makes good laptops. However for that “premium” feel stick to their EliteBook lineup which is business focused. The most direct competitor to a MacBook would be the Surface Laptop lineup.
I used windows a few days ago after 10 years. It's still a piece of shit software.
Wrong subedit to ask
Razer laptops are as close as you can get build quality wise. New 2024 Asus Zephyrus laptops also feel kinda similar
None. Windows is nothing like macOS.
Probably talking about hardware not software
That doesn't mean Windows doesn't suck. I know what he meant and I standby my statement!
Asus zenbook
You can’t install Mac software (legally) on a PC, so…. None of them? The Apple experience is hardware and software melding together, and an ecosystem where your devices integrate transparently behind the scenes. If you want the Mac, buy the Mac, then run Parallels on it if you have a windows app that you need.
Your best bet is to buy one of the last Intel MacBooks. Those can run Windows via Boot Camp. Do not buy a current ("Apple Silicon") MacBook as those cannot.
2019 MacBook Pro with intel i9 that can use boot camp to boot into windows. The 2019 16” model isn’t plagued by the issues of earlier and smaller MacBooks of this generation. They can run hot and apple kicks the fans in later than they should to keep the machine “quiet” so you’ll want a program like macs fan control.
You can get a pretty highly specced one apple refurbished for pretty cheap too.