Hey Peter,
Last month, I was in the same position as you. I bit the bullet, and I’m glad I did.
I personally think it is a fantastic laptop. I also had cold feet, especially with all the horror stories.
Keyboard for me is fine, I have no issues with it at all (I’ve never had a MacBook Pro, so I cannot compare).
Screen flickering – I did experience this, which was a bit annoying. However, after applying some changes, it hasn’t happened since.
To be honest, it seems like it’s a lottery, there’s a small probability that something could occur, but a greater probability that it will be fine. I’m really enjoying the laptop – The screen is fantastic, and I have a blank desktop and I use the app 9zen wallpaper which automatically changes the wallpaper.
I’m not a heavy laptop user, browse and I’m using it to study – however, today I achieved 4-5hours of battery life on 25% brightness, I’m guessing it depends on what you do.
In terms of temperature, I don’t find this an issue at all, it gets slightly hot at the bottom of the laptop, but nothing excessive.
Overall, I’d recommend this – particularly if you are able to obtain this at a good price 😉