Laptop / Tablet (11-13")

L-Dog

L-Dog

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Hey Guys

I am looking for a small & portable laptop / tablet for work and limited media. Basically mostly mails, a few excels and some movies / music while on the plane.

Budget around R 5000 but can stretch it slightly as you usually get what you pay for.

Also not worried about buying online (wish, banggood etc.) as long as you guys have any recommendations?

Thanks
 
The problem with sites like Wish is that they use the post office, which means there is a good chance you will never receive your laptop. So, personally I would not risk it.

They do offer insurance I think, but even with that, the hassle and the heartache is just not worth it. Besides which, warranty repairs become impossible. In fact, even regular repairs become impossible because nobody will import the spare parts. I mean, let's say the screen on a Chinese laptop fails. Nobody would import that screen.

Anyway... so up to you whether you want to risk Wish.

I bought an Acer Spin One last year, which I got for R4800 from Takealot. I then upgraded it from 2GB to 4GB of memory, and from a 500GB HDD to a 128GB SSD. Total cost was around R6200 and it is a brilliant little machine. Perfect for my needs. Battery life is long, it can be used as a tablet, and it has a good screen (A full HD IPS touchscreen).

I use it for word processing most of the time, which it is perfectly good for.

The problem for you is that I am not sure whether you can get an Acer Spin One anymore. Not sure if they still make them.

One more thing - if you do buy an Acer Spin One, ask me before you upgrade it. It has a little "feature" that makes upgrading difficult.
 
Ancalagon said:
The problem with sites like Wish is that they use the post office, which means there is a good chance you will never receive your laptop. So, personally I would not risk it.

They do offer insurance I think, but even with that, the hassle and the heartache is just not worth it. Besides which, warranty repairs become impossible. In fact, even regular repairs become impossible because nobody will import the spare parts. I mean, let's say the screen on a Chinese laptop fails. Nobody would import that screen.

Anyway... so up to you whether you want to risk Wish.

I bought an Acer Spin One last year, which I got for R4800 from Takealot. I then upgraded it from 2GB to 4GB of memory, and from a 500GB HDD to a 128GB SSD. Total cost was around R6200 and it is a brilliant little machine. Perfect for my needs. Battery life is long, it can be used as a tablet, and it has a good screen (A full HD IPS touchscreen).

I use it for word processing most of the time, which it is perfectly good for.

The problem for you is that I am not sure whether you can get an Acer Spin One anymore. Not sure if they still make them.

One more thing - if you do buy an Acer Spin One, ask me before you upgrade it. It has a little "feature" that makes upgrading difficult.
Click to expand...

Looks great thanks however the Acer Spin one price has increased somewhat. What is the battery life like ?

I might also look at the Lenovo, however need to update the HDD and the battery doesn't seem great?


https://www.takealot.com/lenovo-yog...ron-n3060-11-6-convertible-noteb/PLID46639367
 
L-Dog said:
Looks great thanks however the Acer Spin one price has increased somewhat. What is the battery life like ?

I might also look at the Lenovo, however need to update the HDD and the battery doesn't seem great?


https://www.takealot.com/lenovo-yog...ron-n3060-11-6-convertible-noteb/PLID46639367
Click to expand...

The battery life in the Acer Spin One is fantastic. I use it about 1 hour per day and often more than a week goes by before I have to charge it.

The keyboard is decent - I have no problems using it on my lap.

Also bear in mind that the Lenovo Yoga has an old CPU. The N3350 in the Acer is a lot newer and more powerful than the N3060 in the Yoga.

Latest generation low power CPU - N5000
Previous/current generation low power CPUs - N4200, N3450, N3350 (ordered from best to worse)
Older generation quad core low power CPUs - N3710 (older but still good)

I would rather have the N3710 than the N3350, but I'd rather have the N3450 than the N3710. And the N5000 is better than everything else.

Hope that makes sense.

That being said, the CPU is only one component of the system. Get one as fast as your budget allows, making sure the other specs are good.
 
L-Dog said:
Hey Guys

I am looking for a small & portable laptop / tablet for work and limited media. Basically mostly mails, a few excels and some movies / music while on the plane.

Budget around R 5000 but can stretch it slightly as you usually get what you pay for.

Also not worried about buying online (wish, banggood etc.) as long as you guys have any recommendations?

Thanks
Click to expand...

slightly over budget :

https://www.evetech.co.za/lenovo-v110-core-i3-laptop-deal/laptops-for-sale/8125.aspx

https://www.evetech.co.za/asus-vivobook-14-x442ua-core-i3-laptop-deal/laptops-for-sale/7769.aspx
 
Get one of those ilife 14" notebook units from hifi or connecx from CNA. Comes with a slot to put in a bigger drive, standard is a 32gb emmc drive though. Usb 3, dual band wifi, decent screen that doesn't wash out if you look from an angle.

The one from hifi has 3gb ram, cna only 2gb. both costs R3000

14" but the bezels are small, making it smaller than a lot of 13" units

Theres also the 11" ilife thingy from Hifi, similar specs as the asus you linked, just a flip around keyboard instead of detachable... at R3k
 
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Thanks [MENTION=10257]Zenthrax[/MENTION].
These ilife notebooks are truly amazing. Full HD display, with modern CPU, ideal portable device. In addition to the basic office use, it is capable of playing movies with very challenging codecs H.265 and VP9.

11' tablet type model with FHD IPS display and ac WiFi is also good for R3.3K, but surprisingly is not the best for playing latest movies (the main purpose of the tablet), CPU is not capable.

Can we upgrade RAM, ROM in these devices?
 
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sajunky said:
Thanks [MENTION=10257]Zenthrax[/MENTION].11' tablet type model with FHD IPS display and ac WiFi is also good for R3.3K, but surprisingly is not the best for playing latest movies (the main purpose of the tablet), CPU is not capable.

Can we upgrade RAM, ROM in these devices?
Click to expand...

Have yet to come across any new codec/video that my old z37xx atom couldn't handle, my newer z8350 doesn't sweat either (both FHD and 2gb ram only). Ram/emmc are soldered onto these tablet, very few have sata connectors, only seen acer/hp units with hdd in the docks. Some chinese brands have some with a m.2 slot.

Edit: Problem with the units that have a hdd in the dock.. super expensive and goes into the i3 laptop / core m3 2-in-1 detachable pricerange
 
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I'd suggest leaning more towards the laptop side of things than tablets.

Found the 2-in-1s to be frustrating at best
 
Agreed the 2 in 1's don't really work for me although sometimes convenient. The touch screen laptops are slightly better but even the top end one's have issues here and there.

The i-life looks exactly like the notebook I wan't just require slightly storage and possible more ram
 
Zenthrax said:
Have yet to come across any new codec/video that my old z37xx atom couldn't handle, my newer z8350 doesn't sweat either (both FHD and 2gb ram only).
Click to expand...
Atom Z8350 Cherry Trail graphics can only decode 8-bit H.265 in hardware. It will try to decode 10-bit in software, but CPU is not powerful enough. Did you try Jelly Fish 10-bit HEVC samples? Tests on similar CPU are here: https://www.avforums.com/review/tronsmart-ara-x5-plus-mini-pc-media-box-review.12540

Celeron N3350 can play 10 bit H.265/VP9 up to 4k@60Hz in hardware without draining up the battery. It is why 14" ilife ZED AIR 2 is better.
 
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Usually the ultra cheap models cannot be upgraded at all. Also, I would not buy a device with 32GB of eMMC storage. It is just too little. 64GB minimum. I've heard of people being unable to install Windows updates because there is not enough space to unpack the update and install it.

I like what are essentially the modern netbooks - the hinge allows the screen to fold flat so you can use it like a tablet, but the keyboard is not removable. And of course a touch screen.
 
Ancalagon said:
Usually the ultra cheap models cannot be upgraded at all. Also, I would not buy a device with 32GB of eMMC storage. It is just too little. 64GB minimum. I've heard of people being unable to install Windows updates because there is not enough space to unpack the update and install it.

I like what are essentially the modern netbooks - the hinge allows the screen to fold flat so you can use it like a tablet, but the keyboard is not removable. And of course a touch screen.
Click to expand...
It's fine if you stick a 128gb SDHC card in them & store your data on that.

But yeah...still a pain overall
 
What is an "External Drive Slot" in Zed Air 2?
HiFi Corp in Fourways did not allow me to open the pocket. I expect standard SATA or M2 slot. Any clarification on this?

I see Incredible Corr%^&ion offer 3 years warranty on the same notebook, while HiFi Corp only one year. Price is the same. I would chose 3 years, of course.
 
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