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Comment by TinyRick | Hacker News Reader

I have a Dell XPS from around 2018 that I run arch on. Only issue I've had is needing to replace the battery once due to swelling (very easy to swap), but otherwise the hardware and specs are on par with my work assigned Macbook.

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I have had a few dell XPSs, newest one was a 2019 one and they work, but they were not even close to the quality of the full macbook package. The keyboard was dogshit, the webcam didn't work on linux, the mic picked up huge amounts of fan noise, finger print scanner didn't work on linux and the maintainers of the open source drivers believed the hardware to be critically insecure so there is no reason you'd want it supported anyway.

You could upgrade the ram on the 16" versions though which is nice. Although this is still not something I have ever done on a laptop. The new Macbooks now have easily replaceable batteries which is a welcome change.

But how does it feel to use? On my MacBook Pro, the trackpad and keyboard feel like I am manipulating text and windows at the speed of thought. On my work-assigned Dell, with specs ~matching my MacBook, it feels like there's a hidden friction to everything I do. Like going from skating on ice to jogging on sand.

Had a 2019 16" XPS and I'd describe the keyboard as borderline unusable. It was weirdly squeaky and if you hit a key on the edge a bit it just wouldn't register so I had so many typing mistakes.

I have never noticed any friction when performing any task on my XPS. I will admit I'm not a Mac/Apple guy myself, so for me it's the opposite (I'm much slower on my work Mac than doing the same thing on my personal Dell)

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