due diligence
You need to do due diligence with any laptop in looking at the build quality and specs. I don't know why everybody these days wants to shortcut the selection process by pinning their hopes on just the reputation of the manufacturer. All of the manufacturers that you mention make hundreds of different models, each engineered to a price point. It's a production process, and all production model processes have a limited time-line before they bring out the new models and rejigger their production processes again. This is, imho, the reason why Apple stays at the top of the quality curve: They have very few models in production, and can afford to work out their kinks because they don't make radical changes to their production lines. It's also why Apples last longer, and why they cost more. But other manufacturers subsidize the cost of their high-end machine production processes with low-end consumer models that are mass produced in a less than "perfect" quality control environment.
For instance, I bought two Dell Inspirons four and a half years ago. One was a 15 inch and the other was a 14 inch. The differences were like night an day in terms of the build quality. The 15 inch was plastic and lasted only a short time with moderately heavy use. The 14 inch was magnesium and it's been dragged all over the world, through swamps, etc. It's still running well. The two cost approximately the same, although the 14 inch was a refurbished machine. So, if I were rating Dell, as a manufacturer, it would only get a 50% rating. But the individual machines would each have their own ratings (0% and 100%). The build quality of the Inspiron 1420 (14 inch) was incredibly better than the Inspiron 1520 (15 inch).
I've not had good luck with Acer. They aim for price points only. Asus machines seem well engineered, but getting parts or service has been a problem for me. Lenovo high-end machines have proven their value, but again getting parts and service has been difficult in foreign lands. Though I'm a fan of some Dell machines, I stay away from those that are mass-marketed at the lower price points. And Dell's service - although not stellar - is at least workable all over the world. Replacement parts are easily purchased, and the machines are generally built for modular replacement. You can get a repair manual on-line, with step-by-step instructions, and most models are designed with a service tech in mind.
I'm currently thinking of replacing the old Inspiron 1420 (magnesium shell 14 inch) with the XPS 14z because of the build quality and value. I've already examined the repair manual, and it's a relative piece of cake (compared to Apple) to replace or upgrade memory or drive. My strategy is to wait until after Xmas when Dell will some refurbished models available at their outlet. Why refurbished? Because they will analyze why the machine was returned, test and repair items that gave the original owner pause, and bring the machine back to warrantee level. Plus the price will be lower.
Those are just my personal strategies. YMMD.
