For what it's worth, I just got a Dell M3800, and couldn't be happier with it. While I do miss the trackpoint on my Thinkpad, the trackpad on the M3800 is one of the finest I've used on any laptop ever. Only second to the Macbook trackpad and Logitech T650 (which I consider equally as good as one another). Other than that, it's light, sturdy, and the 4k screen is magnificent.

This site has some good information. It's focused on used models, but it gives you a basis for comparing the product lines of Lenovo, HP, and Dell.

http://ktgee.net/guides

The amount of work that people need to put into finding a quality pc laptop is one reason Apple laptops do so well.

For pc laptops, even if you find a good model once, chances are that the 'model line' branding decisions have quite possibly shifted by the time you're up for your next laptop. So you often end up having to do it all over again.

100% on both counts.

This is exactly it.

They are bloody expensive for my home country, where the average salary is around 400 euros before taxes.

While I live abroad and could afford one, it doesn't offer the CPU/GPU combo I care about, so in spite of the body quality I never bought one.

Not to mention that the last OS releases quality isn't that inspiring.