Looking for a durable laptop. HINGES must be good quality.

[Broken-Butterfly]

I've had several laptops fall apart due to poor construction, hinges have been the worst culprit. My current laptop is an HP Envy, it has metal hinges that have held up very well.

HP has replaced the Envy series with the Omnibook series. The following model appears to be the most similar to what I currently have:
https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/pdp/hp-omnibook-x-flipngai-16-as0047nr

I cannot find any clear information about the construction of the hinges. Not in the manufacturer specs, not in consumer reviews, not in online duscussions. My experience isn't that one can't assume a "premium" device with a metal case actually has nicer or well made hinges; many laptops I've looked at in person will have the same bad plastic hinges on expensive models as the manufacturer uses on the cheap models.

Currently I'm limited in my ability to shop in person, so I can't get a good look at any computers with my own eyes.

Does anyone have any experience with this computer? Can you tell me about its construction? Are there any other models that are well built and won't have hinge issues?

Other considerations: I expect I'm going to switch from Windows to Linux. I expect most distros will run decently any any modern hardware. Is there any distro that would particularly well suited to this hardware?

I will be doing occasional Zoom calls and other video streaming. My current computer struggles when I use more than one camera at a time. It is getting old though, so I assume modern hardware will be able to handle that much more easily. Am I correct in that assumption? Are there any hardware considerations I need to make to be able to use two 1080p cameras at once while streaming?

I may end up switching one of my streaming cameras to 4k. Are there any hardware considerations I need to make in regards to streaming with one 4k camera and one 1080p camera?

I may need to do some video editing in the future.

 

1) What is your budget?

 

$1,000 - $1200

2) What size notebook would you prefer?

a. Ultraportable; 10" - 12" screen
c. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen

14" is acceptable
d. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen

15 and 16" are acceptable

e. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen

17" preferred

 

3) In which country will you buying this notebook?

USA

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?

a. Like: HP has been good
b. Dislike: Samsung. I have had several bad customer service/warranty issues with Samsung and will not buy their products.

 

5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?

No.

6) What are the primary tasks you will be performing with this notebook?

General computing, video calls/streaming, sound recording. Possible video editing.

7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?

Mostly desk use, occasional mobile use.

😎 Will you be playing games on your notebook? (If so, please state which games or types of games?)

I'm sure anything modern can run Skyrim, so not a consideration.

9) How many hours of battery life do you need?

Probably not more than 4 or 5, but higher is always good.

10) Would you prefer to see the notebook you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?

Online is fine.

11) What OS do you prefer? Windows, Mac OS, Linux, Chrome OS, etc.

Windows is acceptable, but I will most likely switch to Linux. Might partition.

12) What ports do you require on your laptop? (ex. MiniDisplayPort or HDMI? Displayport or USB-C w/ DP?)

As many USB ports as possible. An SD card slot is also a BIG PLUS. Ethernet port is a plus.

Screen Specifics

13) What screen resolution(s) would you prefer? See further below for explanations.

1080p is fine, but 4k would be nice.

14) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen? See further below for explanations.

Strongly prefer matte, but glossy is acceptable.

Build Quality and Design

15) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you

Not really. A color other than silver would be nice though.

Notebook Components

16) How much storage space do you need?

Ideally 1tb, 2 would be better. 512gb acceptable.

32gb of RAM prferred, but 16gb is acceptable.

Timing, Warranty and Longevity

17) When do you consider purchasing this laptop?

Within 6 moths to a year

18) How long do you expect to use this laptop?

5+ years. As long as I can squeeze out of it.

19) How long could you afford to do without your laptop if it were to fail?

A few days to a week.

20) Would you be willing to pay significantly extra for on-site warranty, or would it be acceptable to you to have to ship the laptop to the vendor for repair with perhaps a week or more outage?

I assume on site means taking it to a local repair shop. That is preferred. Shipping is acceptable.