I'm typing on a Razer Blade Stealth right now that I've had since February and it is already falling apart, with most of the screws on the bottom plate falling off and a trackpad that constantly sticks. The fans buzz and brush against their metal grills often enough that you have to gently slap the side of the laptop to make it stop. I've also had its USB-C charger literally fall apart when the USB-C connector came off, which then had to be replaced in its entirety. The 2015 MacBook charger at least let you swap the cable, which was a lot more sane since it appears USB-C is fragile.
After 10~ years of owning Apple laptops, this was a rude awakening of how bad it can be not buying one. I'm hoping moving to a Thinkpad next will not be a similar disaster.
This is all ignoring the insanely bad support from the Razer Web store, which was probably the worst ordering experience I've ever had. Their support is so infamously bad, that even the fans on /r/razer usually defending the company beyond any sense of proportion will admit it is bad.
Not to mention, you don't have to look very far to see others with the same issues. Here's a sample from /r/razer.
USB-C issues: https://www.reddit.com/r/razer/comments/4b6gj5/razer_blade_s...
Screws falling out: https://www.reddit.com/r/razer/comments/3vq4pu/do_not_buy_a_...
Fans buzzing: https://www.reddit.com/r/razer/comments/4eoh15/razer_blade_s...
Sticking trackpad: https://www.reddit.com/r/razer/comments/4l1v00/razer_blade_s...
Various threads complaining about their support: https://www.reddit.com/r/razer/search?q=support&restrict_sr=...
Hope your Razer laptop never has a problem.
Um, this is what _you_ said -- "Currently, only Air fits the bill, but it's getting old."
Sorry, I still have no idea why are you're looking for a MB air replacement instead of upgrading to a newer model.
Pros:
- Almost unbeatable specs for the chassis size
- 14" display, which seems to be getting rarer now, but I really appreciate the extra inch of screen space
- High quality display, if you get a good IGZO panel. Some panels have color issues, but this seems to be common to all IGZO type panels--my Nexus 6 has the same issue. You can return it until you get a satisfactory panel.
- Can dual boot to Windows and play modern games at high quality if that's your thing
- Clean and simple chassis (excluding the silly bright green logo)
- Excellent Linux compatibility
- You can purchase an aftermarket SSD and upgrade it yourself if you're OK with voiding your warranty
- Very nice trackpad with multitouch that even works in Linux. It has physical buttons which I personally prefer, and that's also getting harder to find
Cons:
- Absurdly expensive
- Parts are proprietary so you have to mail the unit in for even the most basic repairs (changing the battery for example), and repairs are expensive
- Matrix-green keyboard and logo color scheme is a little silly and might not look professional. I put a matte black round sticker over the lid logo which helps
- A poster below mentioned screws falling out; I've noticed this with mine too. I think since the chassis is aluminum and is itself part of the system's heat sink, the heating and cooling expands it and gradually pushes the screws out. But pulling out your Torx screwdriver once every few months is enough to fix the issue
Overall I very much like the machine and even moreso since it supports Linux without headaches.
In this case the machine is excellent and compatibility could be much worse. Wifi, Bluetooth, multitouch trackpad, touchscreen, etc., all work out of the box. The Nvidia card might also, I just don't use it at all so I don't know.
God, I wish that was true. I cannot keep screws in my Razer Blade Stealth at all, not for lack of trying.
Only three of the eight screws remain on my back plate: The two in the back by the hinge vent and the left-hand middle screw. Possibly these areas suffers less thermal stress? Who knows.
Also: Good luck finding replacements when one pops off and you lose it.
Superb Linux compatibility...and can be charged using the Dell companion battery pack !!
And if I might add - excellent swag appeal.
I'd get a new MBA if there were a new one with updated specs and a better screen.
With your criteria, only the Lenovo X Carbon series comes to mind. (Maybe the Dell XPS series?)
That and that it's compact (13") and lightweight and that it makes coffee! I know, but that's what I want. As for high-powered CPU, I would be OK with some super-duper i5 mobile or something. i7 is not a must. Also, I was under the impression that CPUs, these days, do not drain battery more than low-powered one if you're not hitting the gas pedal?
My primary concerns are:
- not to have open it up and clean from dust. That's what all of my laptops, except Air, suffered from. They get dust inside and then get hot and loud. I move around a lot and it's inevitable. I don't want noise and I want as little heat as possible.
- Multitouch Trackpad like on Macbook Air. It's wonderful!
- Long battery life with moderate to high power cpu.
- Great 13" monitor that you can see what's going on in direct sunlight.
- As much as possible of internal fast storage.
- Lots of RAM.
- Great typing experience. I'm fine with chiklet on Air. It's just fine. I write a lot, more than typical programmers - treatments, instructions, screenplays on a daily basis.
Currently, only Air fits the bill, but it's getting old.
So, a high(er)-powered Air 13" with longer battery life and more RAM and disk space and better screen with updated CPU and graphics would be great. I haven't found one. I don't care which OS it runs. They're all the same these days.