SpankyMo

Apparently you have to get one of the 20 pin versions so that it will carry the power and data. I've seen lots of bad reviews of them - issues like coming apart and exposing pins. There also doesn't seem to be any made by a big well known manufacturer which is a bit of a red flag.

Unfortunately the icy box and the i-tec are both molded. I think I've been quoted £75 and £65 respectively

So I've just ordered 60 of the Lenovo E14's, we managed to get the price down and get a 3yr next business day onsite warranty. It was a really tough decision to be honest, I really liked the Stonebook Lite and the warranty and support from Stone are exceptional, but almost every member of staff I showed them to preferred the Lenovo. It was really surprising how many people like the little joystick thing and the extra buttons on the trackpad. A few also preferred the slightly bigger enter key on the Lenovo as well. I think I am going to order 60 of the Icy Dock ICY BOX IB-DK2102-C as they worked really well, they have VGA, 3.5mm Audio, HDMI, USB C power delivery. I tested a few others but this was my favourite and you can also flip it over so it didn't matter which side of the laptop the USB-C port was on. If I can't get these then I will look at these i-tec docks. Neither of these docks come with power supplies so I have ordered these USB-C ones and the clover leaf power leads to go with them.

Had the 2nd trial device delivered yesterday. This is a Lenovo e14. They have sent me a 4000 series Ryzen 3 to test but the ones we buy will be either i5 or Ryzen 5. 8GB RAM, 256GB M.2 SSD, Wi-Fi 6, 1920 x 1080 FHD screen, USB-C PD, TPM 2. This feels a little heavier, bigger and sturdier than the Stone but when you actually put them side by side there's not an awful lot in it. It says it has a 2 sided metal finish, so I think the bottom and top are metal but the bit around they keyboard is plastic. Lenovo say its MIL-SPEC and it definitely feels like this can take a bit more of a beating. There is also a little red power light on the lid. Screen is nice and bright, the camera is 720p and it does have a privacy shutter. I can't decided it that is a good thing or not for teachers though. Keyboard is really nice, it has a caps lock light and no NUM Lock which I'm good with. I don't like the red joystick but I guess that's a personal thing. For me the Trackpad lets this laptop down a little, it's OK but after using the Stonebook Lite the one on the Lenovo feels a little small and just not as nice. It has buttons at the top and you can click at the bottom as normal. It has the USB-C on the left which would make it easier for me to get the USB-C PD docks that I like, so that's a big thing. The charger is also USB-C. It also has 1 x HDMI, 1 x USB 3, 1 x USB 2, 1 x Ethernet, 1 x 3.5mm dual purpose mic/headset and a Kensington lock. The power button on this is on the right hand side, next to the keyboard. For the Ryzen 5 model I have been quoted £470, plus £20 to upgrade to a 3 year depot warranty. I'll be honest.. I like the Lenovo, I like the feel of everything other than the trackpad. I prefer the placement of the USB-C port but having a 3 year depot warranty ain't gonna cut it. I'll have to have a chat with the supplier and see what they can do.

for 60 units I've been quoted £425 with the Stone 3yr NBD on-site warranty, its £60 extra to upgrade to an i5 and £35 to upgrade to a 5yr warranty. All in all £510 for the i5 with a 5Yr warranty that cover the battery and PSU. I really, really like these stone laptops. The only issue for me is the placement of the USB-C port, its on the right hand side and most of the docks I have been looking at need the port to be on the left.

For those interested, the first test device arrived yesterday. Its a Stone Stonebook lite - 14 inch FHD, 10th Gen i5-1035G1, 8GB DDR4 2666, 240GB WD Green M.2 2280 SSD, Intel 2x2 AX200 Wi-Fi, USB-C PD, TPM 2.0. The laptop itself is black plastic, if you have used one of the older Stone laptops or something like a Lenovo E50-80, its a similar feel. It is a bit of a fingerprint magnet though. Reasonably lightweight but doesn't feel flimsy, the hinge feels solid and the lid closes with a satisfying thud. The screen looks good, nice, clear and bright, does 1920*1080. They keyboard feels good, keys have a nice little click to them, there are 3 little lights above the keyboard for power, caps lock and num lock. The trackpad is nice and big which I really like, there also isn't one of those stupid little red joystick things in the middle of the keyboard. Built in camera is good, more than adequate for teams. It has 1 x HDMI, 1 x USB-C, 1 x USB 3, 1 x USB 2, 1 x 10/100/1000 RJ45, 1 x MicroSD, 1 x 3.5mm dual purpose mic/headset port and a Kensington lock bit. Overall I really like this. Its going to be tough to beat at this price point. I just need to test it with a USB-C dock now.

I don't miss CC3 or CC4 one bit

I've got some samples coming from Stone, Lenovo and Dell. We will see what they are like but it doesn't seem like anyone can match the price/spec of the stone devices. - - - Updated - - - Forgot to add, thanks to everyone who replied.

Which model of Lenovo did you go for? We have about 130 Lenovo PC's and 40 Lenovo Laptops at the minute, I think I've had an issue with 2 in 4 1/2 years.

Surface Pro's would be great, but I don't think I have that sort of money. It more than likely going to be a Stone, HP, Lenovo - that sort of thing.

Hi All, We are looking to kill 2 birds with 1 stone and issue all teaching staff with new laptops (USB-C Power Delivery capable) and replace all of the teacher workstations in classrooms with a USB-C docking station. The idea is the docks will stay in the class and be wired in to visualiser, touchscreen, ethernet that sort of thing, the teacher can just roll up and plug their laptop in via USB-C and get power and port replication. Has anyone had any experience with going in this direction? How did it work for your school? Cheers.