{"id":1525,"date":"2017-07-03T11:59:37","date_gmt":"2017-07-03T11:59:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.battaussie.com\/blog\/?p=1525"},"modified":"2017-07-03T11:59:37","modified_gmt":"2017-07-03T11:59:37","slug":"guide-buying-one-microsofts-excellent-surface-computers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.battaussie.com\/blog\/guide-buying-one-microsofts-excellent-surface-computers.htm","title":{"rendered":"The guide for buying one of Microsoft\u2019s excellent Surface computers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Microsoft now has a wide variety of surface equipment instead of your laptop. There is a removable display surface of the book, the surface Pro bracket, and now the new surface of the notebook computer, is the most traditional notebook computer, Microsoft has done. I have recently used these three methods in full, and have learned the advantages and disadvantages of each approach. If you want to buy a Microsoft surface device, here is what you need to know.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Surface Book<\/h2>\n

I reviewed the original Surface Book nearly two years ago, and while I\u2019ve been using it as my day-to-day laptop, it\u2019s far from perfect. Microsoft created the Book with a detachable display, and it\u2019s something I rarely ever use. You can push a button and the display will release and transform into a large tablet. I\u2019ve used this for taking down notes or showing friends YouTube videos, but unless you\u2019re an illustrator, it\u2019s not a feature you\u2019re likely to use regularly.<\/p>\n

Using the Surface Book as a tablet isn\u2019t ideal, either. Battery life when detached from the base is only around three hours, and it doesn\u2019t have a kickstand to prop it up on a desk or table. Windows 10 still lacks tablet apps, so its best for basic tasks like watching videos or browsing the web. If that\u2019s all you want to do, then it\u2019s fine for that, but for anything more you\u2019ll want a dedicated tablet like the iPad.<\/p>\n

The Surface Book is more suited to its laptop mode<\/div>\n

If you stick to using the Surface Book as a laptop, you\u2019ll have a better experience. While the display is a little wobbly and top heavy at times, the base for the keyboard is sturdy and great for writing long emails or typing out dissertations. I rarely use the touchscreen, but I do occasionally reach up and swipe away notifications, scroll a webpage, or pinch-to-zoom on a picture. A touchscreen on a laptop isn\u2019t essential, but you\u2019ll notice a lack of one if you get used to something like the Surface Book.<\/p>\n

The overall dimensions of the Surface Book make it heavier and chunkier than most 13-inch laptops, so consider that if you\u2019re looking for a lighter laptop. The bonus of this heft is the battery packed into the base and the option to get a model with an additional GPU inside. The GPU-equipped Surface Books make a big difference for if you\u2019re using them with external monitors and apps like Photoshop, and I\u2019ve found the battery life on the Surface Book is solid at around seven hours for mixed usage.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Surface Pro<\/h2>\n

I\u2019ve been using a Surface Pro 4 as a secondary device, mostly in my living room, for around 18 months now. Microsoft\u2019s latest Surface Pro simply improves the internals, the Surface Pen, and introduces some minor design changes. While the Surface Pro 4\u2019s\u00a0HP 364602-001 laptop battery\u00a0<\/a>life only lasts around four hours for me, the latest Surface Pro stretches to about seven hours, which is a solid improvement. It\u2019s more of a refined Surface Pro than a wholly new generation, but Microsoft has also solved some of the fan issues that have plagued the Surface Pro 3 and Pro 4.<\/p>\n

If you opt for the Core i5 model you\u2019ll never hear the fans as it\u2019s a fanless design (and it\u2019s not a Core M chip inside), but even with the Core i7 version I\u2019ve only heard the fans once when I was running games and apps like Photoshop on an external monitor. During regular use, I\u2019ve never noticed the fans, which is wildly different than the Surface Pro 4 that would spin its fans up at every opportunity.<\/p>\n

The biggest drawbacks to the Surface Pro for me are the display size and the kickstand. I\u2019d love to use the Surface Pro as a laptop replacement, but when I\u2019m travelling to tradeshows I find it difficult to use in my lap for long periods of time. The kickstand isn\u2019t sturdy enough, and the keyboard has a lot of flex when it\u2019s not seated on a table. Microsoft\u2019s 12.3-inch screen size is just a little too small for me, and I prefer the bigger 13.5-inch displays on both the Surface Book and Surface Laptop.<\/p>\n

Microsoft\u2019s latest Surface Pro also includes support for an updated Surface Pen. While the Surface Pen is now sold separately, it now supports tilt for shading and is way more responsive. I\u2019m not an illustrator, but I\u2019ve noticed the Surface Pen is definitely more responsive compared to the Surface Pro 4.<\/p>\n

One of the other benefits to the Surface Pro is its weight. At 2.3 pounds with the Type Cover attached, it\u2019s barely noticeable in a bag. I do occasionally travel into the office with the Surface Pro on days when I don\u2019t want to carry the significantly heavier 3.6 pound Surface Book.<\/p>\n

Surface Laptop<\/h2>\n

Microsoft\u2019s newest Surface is an actual laptop as most people think of them. I\u2019ve been using it for a couple of weeks and I\u2019ve not touched my Surface Book ever since. The wedge-like design is very similar to the MacBook Air, and the Surface Laptop comes in striking colors to set it apart from most other laptops on the market. It also comes with Windows 10 S, a new version of Windows 10 that\u2019s designed to only run Windows Store apps. You can quickly upgrade to Windows 10 Pro free of charge, and I\u2019d recommend doing that immediately if you use a lot of traditional Windows apps.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve heard about the Surface Laptop, then you\u2019ve probably heard about the alcantara fabric that\u2019s used around its keyboard and palm rest. I still have concerns about its durability in the long-term, but if you\u2019re not messy and you wipe it down occasionally, then there\u2019s probably little to worry about. The fabric feels great to rest your palms on, and the keyboard is a lot like the one found on the Surface Pro. That does mean there\u2019s a little flex, but it\u2019s nowhere near as much as the Surface Pro Type Cover.<\/p>\n

The Surface Laptop\u2019s 13.5-inch display is really great at color reproduction, and my only criticism is that I wish I could adjust the angle a little more. I\u2019d also like to have seen a USB-C port on the Surface Laptop, but for most people this won\u2019t be a concern. Battery life on the Surface Laptop, whether or not you use Windows 10 S, is a solid eight hours. That\u2019s enough for me to pack this away in my bag without a charger and leave for the day, something I\u2019ve never done with a Surface device before.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for just a regular laptop that doesn\u2019t covert into a tablet, then the Surface Laptop is that simple device. It\u2019s likely going to be the laptop I\u2019ll recommend to most Windows users.<\/p>\n

Which Surface should you buy?<\/h2>\n

If you’re considering all three Surface devices, then here are some really <\/em>simple suggestions:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Surface Pro<\/strong> – If you want a the lightest computer you can get and you don’t care about lap use. Around seven hours of battery life on Core i5 model with a 12.3-inch display. You’ll need to purchase a Surface Pen and Surface Type Cover separately.<\/li>\n
  • Surface Book <\/strong>– If you want a powerful laptop and you’re not worried about weight or a slightly top-heavy display. Around seven hours of battery life with a 13.5-inch display. Base keyboard and Surface Pen included.<\/li>\n
  • Surface Laptop <\/strong>-If you want a traditional laptop that\u2019ll do everything most people need and lasts all day. Around eight hours of battery life with a 13.5-inch display. Surface Pen sold separately<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Microsoft now has a wide variety of surface equipment instead of your laptop. There is a removable display surface of the book, the surface Pro bracket, and now the new surface of the notebook computer, is the most traditional notebook computer, Microsoft has done. I have recently used these three methods in full, and have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4],"tags":[796,797],"class_list":["post-1525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-battery-knowledge-base","category-laptop-batteries-tips","tag-hp-364602-001-laptop-battery","tag-hp-pavilion-dv2000-battery"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.battaussie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.battaussie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.battaussie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.battaussie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.battaussie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1525"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.battaussie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1525\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1527,"href":"https:\/\/www.battaussie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1525\/revisions\/1527"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.battaussie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.battaussie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.battaussie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}