It’s now about two years since I got my new laptop and replaced my Surface Go and my desktop computer with it to be more flexible when commuting. Here’s a small recap on why I’m so happy about my companion.

I bought the GIGABYTE U4 UD for 449 € and since replaced the battery with a larger one (73 Wh — 45 €) and upgraded the memory (to 40 GB — 62 €) and storage (1 TB Crucial P5 Plus — 80 €). So in total, I spent about 636 € on it.

As it’s based on the Clevo barebone L141PU, which is also used by quite a few other laptops, it’s easy to get compatible replacement parts. It’s also built in a way that it’s easy to open up and replace parts. Not as easy as a Framework laptop, but much cheaper.

And I have to say I am quite pleased with it. Sure, the build quality isn’t top-notch, the hand rest and the keyboard are already showing signs of use and the plastics have a few scratches here and there. But it’s reliable and does its job well. With an 11th Gen Intel Core i5, it’s as fast as I need it to be. The display is bright and shows the colors in a good way.

And the best of it is its weight, so lightweight. With the smaller battery, it’s marketed to weight less than 1 kg! Now with the larger one, it’s probably a bit over 1 kg, but when I compare it with the monster that is my work laptop, it’s a feather.

Speaking of the larger battery, MacBooks are often praised for their excellent battery life. My laptop has an exceptional battery life as well. For how I use my laptop, I get about 10 hours of use from a single charge. It’s more than enough for a long train trip or an evening of programming and blogging. And when the battery shouldn’t be enough, I can still charge it via USB-C with a power bank.

The only (a bit) annoying thing is that the sleep mode doesn’t work perfectly. In sleep mode, it makes some sound that reminds me of piezo sounds. But I got used to it and always use hibernate mode now. Some online research showed me that Windows generally doesn’t work well with sleep mode.

What I want to say with this post, even I as a developer and blogger that likes to tinker with a lot of stuff, I don’t need the latest and greatest and most expensive MacBook or laptop to be happy. I’m more than fine with a cheaper device that does everything I require it to do. More money to spend on other things in life. 😊