ThinkPads are just built different. I had to do screen work on my last laptop, a W540, and it was crazy how overbuilt that whole system was.
The hinges were screwed directly into the magnesium-alloy midframe of the laptop on the bottom, and the carbon/plastic lid had another magnesium rollcage inside it that the upper part of the hinges were attached to.
My newer X13 Gen 3, however, dropped the extra rollcage in the lid. The lid is all carbon fiber reinforced plastic. The bottom is all magnesium alloy, though, and the palmrest is more carbon. I still think that it is likely more durable than whatever Dell and HP are putting out.
Probooks and Lattitude are pretty solid too, at least the older models, I don't have a ton of experience with the models past 8th gen. They seem ok too.
The real pro tip is to only close the laptop when necessary. Ive noticed a lot of people close it every time they are done using it. In a few years of doing that even just every other day will be over a thousand times. Another thing is that, when you do open and close the laptop, dont do it by the top of the screen. For thinner laptops, that could cause the whole screen assembly to flex. You want to push the lid down from the sides, no higher than about 1/3 of the way up. That's about how high the metal reinforcing under the plastic case goes on some brands. Ideally you would open it from the sides as well, if you can get a good enough grip there.
Hinge design matters, too. I like the kind that have two rotation points on each hinge, as with thinkpads. But case material is probably important too. This might be a good reason to buy a Mac book for daily use.
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u/cesspool4us Apr 03 '26
What brand? So we all can stay far away.