Keyboard - I Need A Laptop With A Good Keyboard - Non Chiclet

sare^baw's · 16 Jul 2017 at 00:04

I have a Dell Inspiron 5749, it has a chiclet style keyboard and its truly awful for me to use. I do like the feel of the normal spring back keys found on pc keyboards but i know i wont find that on a laptop. The trackpad is rubbish too. I want to find a second hand laptop that meets my requirements, that might mean buying a gaming laptop or a high spec business type laptop, having a good keyboard is the priority here.

The laptop i need should be... I want a good keyboard with a 17" screen and good build quality, i will be installing windows 7 on it. I dont do anything too intensive so it does not need to be really high spec. It needs to be quiet ie no noisy fans when surfing the web. Not too heavy either. I dont mind a model thats a few years old.

what can you guys suggest?

Hades · 16 Jul 2017 at 13:56

I don't think there are many (any?) laptops nowadays with non chiclet keyboards. But in general the following makes tend to have high quality keyboards, albeit chiclet ones.

Lenovo ThinkPad series (not their consumer stuff quite as much)
HP higher end laptops
Macbook
Microsoft Surface Book (not 17" though)

crinkleshoes · 16 Jul 2017 at 14:20

Like Hades says, it's very hard to get a good keyboard that isn't chicklet nowadays.

Quite of lot of them are weak and wobbly, especially the lower end ones.

Keyboard is the highest on my list of things to search for in a laptop, screen a close second and trackpad third.

I'd agree with most of the recommendations that Hades has made + add the Razer Blade 14... but I wouldn't say even the high-end HPs are any good, the keys feel wobbly and don't provide good feedback.

I've used / worked with a lot of different units and the two best are:
Razer Blade 14
Microsoft Surface Book / Surface Laptop (not Surface Pro 4, although it isn't horrible)

The MSI & Acer gaming laptop keyboards are reasonably nice... the steelseries thing on the MSI is probably that bit better. Although it still annoys me a little because even the UK keyboards have the tiny enter key.

Hades · 16 Jul 2017 at 15:55

crinkleshoes said:
Keyboard is the highest on my list of things to search for in a laptop, screen a close second

This, this, this and this. If the keyboard is poor I just hate using it. I also highly prize a matte screen which narrows the choice down a lot.

crinkleshoes · 16 Jul 2017 at 16:35

Resolution is more important to me than matte/glossy... although I'd prefer matte. 1080p minimum. Actually 1080p ideal for a 13-15" screen... 2560x1440 for 17"... anything higher like 4k and it's a bit pointless as you have to use scaling and lose notable battery life.

tropicola · 17 Jul 2017 at 13:39

If a good keyboard is important consider waiting, unless you want mechanical beast that is the mega MSI GT83VR.....

wasn't razer trailing micro mechanical keys with Chiclet covers in like 2016? wonder how that went? or if there is any cheaper old razer models knocking about with this type of key in?

sare^baw's · 17 Jul 2017 at 14:19

Thanks for all the suggestions guys, i looked up a few of the models suggested and they are out of my price range second hand, my budget is £500 second hand. The Lenovo Thinkpads look ok, their keyboards seem like raised chiclet style keys but in unable to view them and test them anywhere. I already went into a big surrys/pcworld and all looked at all the laptops and they were all the same crappy chiclet keys. Im reluctant to buy a second hand laptop without having tested it first. I also would love it to be backlit keyboard. I may consider dropping to a 15" screen if i see something suitable.

tropicola · 20 Jul 2017 at 13:11

sare^baw's said:
Thanks for all the suggestions guys, i looked up a few of the models suggested and they are out of my price range second hand, my budget is £500 second hand. The Lenovo Thinkpads look ok, their keyboards seem like raised chiclet style keys but in unable to view them and test them anywhere. I already went into a big surrys/pcworld and all looked at all the laptops and they were all the same crappy chiclet keys. Im reluctant to buy a second hand laptop without having tested it first. I also would love it to be backlit keyboard. I may consider dropping to a 15" screen if i see something suitable.

your going to have to compromise with 500 quid, most laptops new in that range won't even have good specs let alone good build quality/keyboard

maybe look at asus zenbooks second hand 500quid is and keyboards/style similar to apple products my bro has one and keyboard is nice to type on (stlll not mechanical though).

possible Samsung chrome books also? if windows isn't required or if you don't mind apple should be able to pick up a decent mac book pro older model circa 2012 again keyboard is nice but it is a mac and the screen will be smaller...

I did find this also

Best Laptops for Writers, Writing, Bloggers & Journalists: 2017
Laptops

Processor | RAM | Storage Price
Acer Aspire E15
Intel® i5 | 8GB | 256GB SSD Under $600
HP 15
Intel® i5 | 8GB | 1TB Under $500
ASUS ZenBook
Intel® i5 | 8GB | 256GB SSD Under $700
Microsoft Surface Book
YOU CAN CHOOSE DEPENDS
Dell Inspiron
Intel® i7 | 8GB | 1TB Under $800
HP Envy x360 2-in-1
Intel® i7 | 8GB | 256GB SSD Under $1000
HP ENVY 13-ab016nr
Intel® i5 | 8GB | 256GB SSD Under $700
Acer Aspire E5-575-33BM
Intel® i3 | 4GB | 1TB HDD Under $400
Acer NX.SHWAA
Intel® N3710 | 4GB | 64GB SSD Under $300
MacBook Pro
Intel® i5 | 8GB | 256GB SSD $1500+

crinkleshoes · 20 Jul 2017 at 21:27

ZenBook is pretty good in that price range...

sare^baw's · 22 Jul 2017 at 03:36

Thanks guys i was looking for something second hand, i dont mind it being a few years old. It looks like im going to have to look hard for this and look at second hand laptops. @tropicola many thanks for posting that list but it looks like they are all chiclet keys also. SOme may be better that others i guess but i want to avoid them.

tropicola · 22 Jul 2017 at 13:19

sare^baw's said:
Thanks guys i was looking for something second hand, i dont mind it being a few years old. It looks like im going to have to look hard for this and look at second hand laptops. @tropicola many thanks for posting that list but it looks like they are all chiclet keys also. SOme may be better that others i guess but i want to avoid them.

I don't think you will find the keyboard you are looking for in a laptop

consider maybe finding a really nice portable keyboard that was made for typing and a nice surface/tablet you can stand in front and still stay portable?

something such as this? - https://www.massdrop.com/buy/tex-yoda?mode=guest_open

sare^baw's · 25 Jul 2017 at 15:13

@tropicola Thanks for your reply and suggestion, im afraid i need it to be laptop style so that i can sit back on the sofa with my feet up.

After researching everyone seems to hail the Lenovo thinkpad w520 x220 t520 and older as the best classic keyboards and the newer thinkpads are apparently still not that great compared to them. Some people who have a chiclet Thinkpad have installed the classic keyboard. I could not be bothered with that and so i bought a£240 Lenovo ThinkPad T520 15.5" Intel i5 [email protected] 8GB RAM 500GB SSHD Win 7 display 1600 x 900. I hope i like the classic keyboard and this machine is powerful enough for what i need. If i like it enough i will upgrade the keyboard to a backlit one if i feel the need for a backlit one. There are cheaper ones on ebay but the sellers are very vague regarding the condition of these laptops.

Many thanks to everyone for their input but i had to go back 5 years to get a decent keyboard. I guess its true they dont make them like they used to.

crinkleshoes · 25 Jul 2017 at 16:27

TBH - this Razer is the best keyboard I've ever used and it is chiclet... and I don't normally like chiclet - they've got it perfect. But it's nearly 4x your budget

Glad you've got what you were after and the spec sounds good for the price.

sare^baw's · 25 Jul 2017 at 16:47

@crinkleshoes thanks mate, that is my problem, to buy something modern with a great keyboard i need to spend big money, its pointless when i dont need a high spec laptop. I have a NUC for a htpc and downloading etc so this its mainly for internet with my feet up.

Andrew_McP · 25 Jul 2017 at 18:23

As you may have found from searched threads, I put off buying a 'decent' laptop for ages because the X220 I have is hard to beat for typing. I even prefer it to my desktop keyboards (though I've never tried a mechanical keyboard because I need something quiet). I only have the cheap screen on my X220 though, and I ought to try to upgrade it if -- as seems likely! -- I'm going to be using it for a long time to come.

However I'm typing this on my Lenovo Y700, which I bought when life got complicated and I needed something beefier and mobile. This plays Fallout 4 nicely despite the 'old' graphics chipset, and the chicklet keyboard is... well, it's grown on me compared to when I first got it (knowing I'd be disappointed after trying loads in shops). My typing speed is definitely worse, and the lack of a slight 'dish' to settle my fingers in and give confidence is sorely missed. But the action isn't horrible and it's almost pleasant to use when I properly anchor my palms, which is only possible when I toggle the touchpad off. It took me a while to realise that though, which didn't help the learning curve.

There must be good reasons why the chicklet rules, even higher up the price range, but it's proof that technology doesn't always move in the right direction... a bit like my fingers.

crinkleshoes · 25 Jul 2017 at 19:31

The move to chicklet meant manufacturers could make the laptops thinner... that's all it is really.

And yes - the modern Lenovos are a bit iffy... they're still one of the better chicklets around though, I've used much worse.

sare^baw's · 26 Jul 2017 at 16:04

It says something when a lot of people are still holding on to there classic thinkpads, maybe one they will become collectable and worth a lot more. I might be stuck with an old thinkpad and windows 7 for the rest of my life, windows 10 is not for me.

Hades · 29 Jul 2017 at 19:05

Andrew_McP said:
As you may have found from searched threads, I put off buying a 'decent' laptop for ages because the X220 I have is hard to beat for typing. I even prefer it to my desktop keyboards (though I've never tried a mechanical keyboard because I need something quiet). I only have the cheap screen on my X220 though, and I ought to try to upgrade it if -- as seems likely! -- I'm going to be using it for a long time to come.

I managed to get one of these for a bargain price on ebay. It's not quite as good as the older 7 row keyboards but it's nearly identical to the current Thinkpad chiclet range (no backlighting), really small and compact and connects with bluetooth. It's lovely to type on and useful for either the desktop or when my T530 is on a stand.

https://support.lenovo.com/gb/en/solutions/pd026744

You can get wired versions of this and also of the older 7 row non-chiclet keyboard if you look around.

Andrew_McP said:
However I'm typing this on my Lenovo Y700, which I bought when life got complicated and I needed something beefier and mobile. This plays Fallout 4 nicely despite the 'old' graphics chipset, and the chicklet keyboard is... well, it's grown on me compared to when I first got it (knowing I'd be disappointed after trying loads in shops). My typing speed is definitely worse, and the lack of a slight 'dish' to settle my fingers in and give confidence is sorely missed. But the action isn't horrible and it's almost pleasant to use when I properly anchor my palms, which is only possible when I toggle the touchpad off. It took me a while to realise that though, which didn't help the learning curve.

Maybe you could have also considered the Thinkpad X1 Yoga.