As a side-note I found another like-minded person that wrote about the same issues I've raised regarding long-term sustainability of a modern laptop:<p>* "Expansion Bays: Another Thing We have Abandoned for Thin Laptops" -- <a href="https://cheapskatesguide.org/articles/dell-cpi.html" rel="nofollow">https://cheapskatesguide.org/articles/dell-cpi.html</a><p>* the HN link for the above article -- <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22821222;" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22821222;</a>
Thinkpads are amazing value for money if you don't mind getting them used. I bought an x250 (i5-5300U with HD5500 integrated graphics) off eBay and fitted it with an IPS screen and extra RAM - cost me just a little over £200 in total.<p>I initially put Fedora on it but switched to Lubuntu. Have been using it as my daily driver for almost a year now with no issues of note.<p>My x250 meets all the requirements you mentioned, except that it has a Mini DisplayPort instead of HDMI. The ports vary somewhat between models and series so I'm sure there's one that fits all your needs.
Dell XPS 13 Developer edition is probably considered the best.<p>I would also recommend System76 out of Colorado. Quite an interesting, boutique company.