I know that this request is going to be a longshot. Either what I'm wanting is not going to exist, or it's going to be so prohibitively expensive to the point that I shouldn't even bother. But...it doesn't hurt to ask.

I plan on buying a laptop for my kid that's having a birthday soon, and want to surprise them with a laptop. The new laptop will replace the aging Dell Latitude 5285 2-in-1 that we've had since late 2017. Due to COVID, the past year has made remote schooling pretty standard, so Microsoft Office and/or Google Docs would be be one of the main uses of the laptop. My kid, like all teenagers, spends a lot of their time watching Netflix, YouTube, web surfing, and video chatting with friends, so media consumption would be the other main use of the laptop. Gaming is currently not a priority, but I don't want to exclude the option. Essentially I would like the hardware quality and warranty of a Macbook, but without getting sucked into the Apple ecosystem.

Anywho, here's my suggestion form.

• Total budget (in local currency) and country of purchase. Please do not use USD unless purchasing in the US:

  Moving back to the USA in the next couple of months, and don't have a set budget. Thinking around $2000-ish. I want to buy the best laptop possible, with the best possible warranty, in hopes of minimizing as many headaches in the future.

• Are you open to refurbs/used?

  No

• How would you prioritize form factor (ultrabook, 2-in-1, etc.), build quality, performance, and battery life?

  Honestly, everything is a priority. I would like the thinnest, lightest, most powerful laptop possible, with the longest possible battery life and awesome warranty. A 2-in-1 is out of the question, as we both hate the kickstand on 2-in-1s due kickstands only being stable at a few angles.

• How important is weight and thinness to you?

  Both are extremely important

• Do you have a preferred screen size? If indifferent, put N/A.

  13-15 inch

• Are you doing any CAD/video editing/photo editing/gaming? List which programs/games you desire to run.

  No CAD or video/photo editing expected. Some light gaming is possible, though my kid is currently not much of a gamer. The only game they currently play is Meadow on Steam, but that's not exactly a graphically intensive game. However, I wouldn't exclude the possibility of them wanting to play more games in the future. If they do decide they want to game, I don't foresee them needing RTX 3090 capabilities.

• If you're gaming, do you have certain games you want to play? At what settings and FPS do you want?

  See above.

• Any specific requirements such as good keyboard, reliable build quality, touch-screen, finger-print reader, optical drive or good input devices (keyboard/touchpad)?

  In no particular order:

  • Warranty
  • Touch screen preferable
  • 500GB SSD (m.2 preferable)
  • 16GB RAM
  • Stylus support would be great, but not required
  • Matte finish is preferable to avoid fingerprints
  • Backlit keyboard (RGB not required)
  • Excellent trackpad
  • Top-notch and quiet-ish keyboard
  • Great webcam
  • IPS display, QHD (or higher), w/refresh rate of 120 Hz is preferable
  • Optical drive not needed

• Leave any finishing thoughts here that you may feel are necessary and beneficial to the discussion.

  In order to meet most of the above requirements, it seems that something like the Razer Stealth or Book are both options as they check most of the boxes, but I'm not too crazy about gaming laptop aesthetics and I'm sure my kid won't like them either. Is there anything out there that meets my requirements without l33t G4M3R stylings? Also, call me crazy, but I'm always hesitant to consider brands like Lenovo and Acer due to previous issues with rootkits/spyware, data breaches, etc. Buying from a company that has a strong security track record without a history of shenanigans is a major bonus.