This is not about which one is better, or which one you would choose if you had to pick one or the other to use for the rest of your life.
This is more like, between your laptop and your desktop, which one do you enjoy using more?
Personally, I really love my upgraded Lenovo T420. I love that I can take it anywhere and do just about anything with it. The only thing I can't really do is run the newest games. I like to move around a lot when I work. I like to be able to sit, stand, lay down, etc.
My desktop just does not allow that flexability. Honestly the only reason I have it is so that I can run all the newest games.
screen real estate + mouse, keyboard, and mouse pad that i dont have to mess with beats laptop for me. i have both and when i need to travel it's nice to have the option but setting up my laptop then getting a mouse, keyboard, and pad to use and then having less space to do stuff seems like a lot of work for negligible pros.
I think both have drawbacks. Right now at my age I really need a laptop to play certain games for sure. I do not want to play sports sim sitting at a pc. I want to relax and gaming at pc is never really relaxed.
I have never owned one but I have worked on and repaired many a laptop. It always makes me cringe when I have to open that clam shell. The only "laptops" I respect are portable workstations or gaming laptops, but those things are so big I hesitate to call them laptops. They are portable PC's. I know there are zillions of laptops to choose from. But the market seems to be focused on sexy slim airbooks that have to have the performance gutted so they get decent battery life. I like my computing to have 'No Compromises, No Excuses."
First there is the obvious, you can't build a laptop and a desktop of equal power will always be less expensive.
I do not like trackpads. Hell... I hardly even use my Wacom tablet and I actually love that device.
The keyboards are too small and need to have too many 'Hold Fn - while pressing some other key' to do normal things.
The screen is too small and they get hot and the batteries don't last and on and on and more excuses for your compromise.
Maybe if I had a job that involved travel I might warm-up to laptops, but for me I wouldn't take a free laptop, even if it was a good one. Except to sell it for a Real PC.
Sorry for going off on a rant. Just because I need a desktop, doesn't mean that a laptop won't be fine for most people.
Coming from a pure work standpoint as that what I mostly do, Desktop for sure, Laptops just lack the power and also I always feel just a lot nicer sitting working at a desk. If it was just for media/looking at the web, ect I'd not mind sitting with a Laptop with a nice display.
I like my desktop. That way I have a designated spot to use "My PC" and can focus on other things while I'm not on it. I had a Laptop for a while and was constantly moving it with me just to watch stuff while doing things and that halfed my productivity or so.
I enjoy my desktop more because it's overall a better machine. I know you stated in the OP that's not about what's the best between both but that's the reason why I prefer my desktop. I have a decent laptop and I quite like it even if it's not the greates of all time and it's not the newest machine on the market. But my tower is my love, I've put it toghether with my own hands, I've gone through three RMA processes and now it's doing a fantastic job. You didn't expect this sentimental bond didn't you? lol
I've been using mech keyboards for long enough to get used to them I think. I've use Cherry Blue, Red, Brown, Razer Green, Steelseries QS1, Logitech Romer-G, and I believe Alps Cream (Apple Extended Keyboard II).
I definitely wouldn't go back to a cheap rubber dome keyboard or a laptop that has cheap rattly chiclets, but the T420 just feels amazing to me. It feels like a very high quality rubber dome with more comfortable caps and shorter throw. There's a lot more resistance and a lot more pop-up than any other laptop keyboard I've felt.
90% of my time is spent at my desk using my desktop PC. When I'm out and about or sat in the livingroom then it's my laptop. I admit there is a real nice feeling using a sleek well designed laptop. Something about the industrial design of a nice laptop that I find pleasing. I can't be alone in this or Apple wouldn't sell as many as they do. Make them feel nice to use and people will buy them. Not like I can afford an Apple laptop, my ASUS Flip Chromebook with it's sleek alloy body and bright clear screen gives off a feeling that I'm finding hard to explain. Some tech is just nice to use.
I put my vote in for my laptop, For one reason, and that is because it allows me to not have to sit at my desk to use it.
I had contemplated just getting a nice dock and dropping my tower but let's face it you can't max out bf4/bf1 on an ultrabook like the zenbook.
I think I wouldn't be as inclined to pick the laptop over the desktop if it was one of those thicker "gamer" variants. And not one of those mostly plastic feels like you might break it if you look at it wrong laptops.
I've tried the common blues, browns, reds, as well as blacks. My favorite are blues due to the clicky-clacky feel of them. I also have a G910, but I bought a cheap kailh blue tenkeyless keyboard to replace it since I just like clicks that much.
I have tried various thinkpad laptops(including some of the older ones) and I will agree that those are some of the better keyboards on a laptop out there. My WPM is still pretty fast on a laptop, but if I'm going to write an essay or some sort of program, I'm probably going to go to my desktop. I think I got too used to the solid bottom-out of a mechanical, especially.
I hover about 100wpm throughout most runs, even on my mech. Here's my first try on my laptop. http://play.typeracer.com/
I would consider using one of those high end gaming laptops with desktop class gpus in them, and having good peripherals at home, but the price is insane for those compared to building a desktop. Also I recently got into custom loops and you can't really do that on a laptop.
For travelling not even Cardboard 2.0, not even 3D 1.0 (upcoming hint hint) can hold a candle to my laptop. However for productivity and unproductivity alike, nothing beats a desktop attached to 5 monitors.