What should I look for in a laptop with Core Ultra X7 358H: build quality, ports, and expandability?

  The 358H is a mobile standard-voltage platform with a soldered board — buy the whole machine and prioritize three areas: whether RAM is on-board and sized right the first time (most can't be upgraded, so 32GB or more is safer); how many M.2 slots and whether they're full-length 2280; and ports — full-speed USB-C, HDMI 2.1, and a card reader.

  Differences at this price mostly sit in these three; verify each against your use case before ordering.