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by flexd 633 days ago
If anyone happens to have a XPS 13 9350/60 palm rest case that isn't broken, let me now! I was very happy with the laptop until last year when the whole metal case where the hinges attach broke. Looking on eBay for a replacement part just gives me lots and lots of listings of the same part broken in the same place, or they are ridiculously priced (like $250).

To make things more complicated, I have a Nordic layout and all the parts I can find are US/UK, so realistically I'd also need a new keyboard, front cover and everything else!

Maybe I should try to just design a case for this so I can use it as some sort of home server instead. Seems wasteful to just throw it away

1 comments

Same issue with a xps 15 9550. I was able to source it in alegro.pl I am on my 3rd palmrest with the hinge part breaking in different ways. I am so tired of replacing it that I decided the next time I am scrapping the laptop.
It's really unfortunate because other then that it's still a great laptop. 4k screen with touch, just enough CPU and RAM for browsing, some coding/ssh terminals and more.

I bought a StarLite Mk 5 [1] to replace the Dell laptop, and regret it so far. Battery life isn't anywhere near promised and since I primarily use the laptop sitting on a couch it's useless because of the magnetic keyboard/being a tablet. It's my own fault for buying it, I should have cancelled the order, and I don't think I can return it even if it's basically brand new unused in the box it came in.

[1] https://no.starlabs.systems/pages/starlite?shpxid=61ecd87f-f...

Ohh thanks for the tip. Coincidentally I was thinking of going with the exact same concept as you and I have the same use cases. I actually thought that it turning into a tablet was quite a nice thing, as I also use it in a couch these days. Why did the tablet and magnetic keyboard suck so much?
Because it's a tablet in a magnetic case keyboard thing it doesn't stand up on it's own. It needs a surface for the back of the case to be on for the screen to stay upright. A normal laptop has hinges, this is just a cloth hinge or something like that. So it's effectively useless in "laptop mode" in a couch, unless it's on a solid plate or book or something. See this image https://no.starlabs.systems/cdn/shop/files/StarLite-MkV-05x2...