nice one--for the same reason, i'm doing the research and creating a list of options just now. Myy requirements lists, at least for your first two sets of bullets, are the same.
My leading contender at the moment is an Alienware 13, which is sold in three different configurations from $1,000, $1,100, and $1,500. (note: i have no affiliation with Alienware nor am i a gamer).
it's not ideal for my use cases (which are probably similar to most other dev), eg, i don't need the industrial strength speakers, which is one of the reasons the box depth is a little on thicker than most laptops to say the least. After having a MBP for the past 7-8 years, an Alienware will feel practically cuboid.
one additional criterion i have is high build quality which has led me to look closely at ThinkPad and Alienware. I had an Alienware quite a few years ago before the company was purchased by Dell; The build quality was superb; i have no direct experience with the quality of the newer units (post-acquisition).
My leading contender at the moment is an Alienware 13, which is sold in three different configurations from $1,000, $1,100, and $1,500. (note: i have no affiliation with Alienware nor am i a gamer).
it's not ideal for my use cases (which are probably similar to most other dev), eg, i don't need the industrial strength speakers, which is one of the reasons the box depth is a little on thicker than most laptops to say the least. After having a MBP for the past 7-8 years, an Alienware will feel practically cuboid.
one additional criterion i have is high build quality which has led me to look closely at ThinkPad and Alienware. I had an Alienware quite a few years ago before the company was purchased by Dell; The build quality was superb; i have no direct experience with the quality of the newer units (post-acquisition).