Surface Laptop reviews

[raqball]

Maybe I'm missing something - how is this different to Apple? And if it is different, what's wrong with getting an entirely new replacement from Microsoft?

The difference is that this machine is using a fabric keyboard / deck that might be prone to stains, cuts, scratches and other damage.. Sure MS will send you a new one within a year, assuming they don't try and claim user abuse but what about at week 53? SOL unless you buy MS Complete..

 

[zen]

The difference is that this machine is using a fabric keyboard / deck that might be prone to stains, cuts, scratches and other damage.. Sure MS will send you a new one within a year, assuming they don't try and claim user abuse but what about at week 53? SOL unless you buy MS Complete..

Yes, true.

What a cool but strange laptop this is!

 

[skaertus]

Yet to see one, nor in the market as Surface Book is what I need and I picked one up 6 months back. Kind of leery of the Alcantara fabric finish myself as I can only see it being hard-work to keep looking decent. I live and work between the sub Tropics and Tropics mostly, so don't see it standing up to that for too long.

Q-6

I was thinking of buying a Surface Laptop but I am giving it a second thought. The Alcantara fabric seems not to be a good choice for the keyboard. I also live and work between the Tropics and Sub Tropics (in Brazil) so it may not stand for so long. Perhaps I go with the Surface Pro, which seemed to be more well-built (and which allows me to throw the keyboard away and buy a new one if needed).

 

[zen]

I was thinking of buying a Surface Laptop but I am giving it a second thought. The Alcantara fabric seems not to be a good choice for the keyboard. I also live and work between the Tropics and Sub Tropics (in Brazil) so it may not stand for so long. Perhaps I go with the Surface Pro, which seemed to be more well-built (and which allows me to throw the keyboard away and buy a new one if needed).

The Surface Book out of your price range?

 

[Queen6]

I was thinking of buying a Surface Laptop but I am giving it a second thought. The Alcantara fabric seems not to be a good choice for the keyboard. I also live and work between the Tropics and Sub Tropics (in Brazil) so it may not stand for so long. Perhaps I go with the Surface Pro, which seemed to be more well-built (and which allows me to throw the keyboard away and buy a new one if needed).

Only time will tell as the Alcantara does appear superfically to be very durable, might be worth looking on other forums how well the Alcantara keyboard cover for the SP4 has held up. I opted for Surface Book, previously and nothing has changed as I prefer the flexibility and additional performance. I am also considering a Surface Pro to replace my Retina MacBook.

To be honest if your just looking for a clamshell notebook there' s a lot of other options available with and without touch, equally I do encourage people to try a 2 in 1 as once you take the time to adjust and learn, 2 in 1's can really bring a lot to the table in the portable form factor.

I was looking at Huawei's new MateBook D this afternoon and first reaction was to touch the display to log on, unfortunately the MateBook D is non touch. Even after a relatively short period of time, not using a Pen & Touch enabled Windows notebook feels a little clumsy and unnatural. Try a Surface Pro or stretch to the non dGPU Surface Book, likely $400 more plus local taxes than the new Surface Pro & Laptop.

Q-6

 

[skaertus]

The Surface Book out of your price range?

It is not out of my price range, but is it worth it? I think it looks well built and I like the keyboard and the trackpad a lot. But the screen does not seem to me very firm. In addition, it does seem to incline very little. And the Surface Book is heavier than the Pro and the Laptop and still uses last year processors. Should I really consider it?

 

[skaertus]

Only time will tell as the Alcantara does appear superfically to be very durable, might be worth looking on other forums how well the Alcantara keyboard cover for the SP4 has held up. I opted for Surface Book, previously and nothing has changed as I prefer the flexibility and additional performance. I am also considering a Surface Pro to replace my Retina MacBook.

To be honest if your just looking for a clamshell notebook there' s a lot of other options available with and without touch, equally I do encourage people to try a 2 in 1 as once you take the time to adjust and learn, 2 in 1's can really bring a lot to the table in the portable form factor.

I was looking at Huawei's new MateBook D this afternoon and first reaction was to touch the display to log on, unfortunately the MateBook D is non touch. Even after a relatively short period of time, not using a Pen & Touch enabled Windows notebook feels a little clumsy and unnatural. Try a Surface Pro or stretch to the non dGPU Surface Book, likely $400 more plus local taxes than the new Surface Pro & Laptop.

Q-6

My main problem with other laptops is the quality of the keyboard and the trackpad. I bought a Dell XPS 15 last year, which everybody said would be top-notch in quality. I was disappointed at the quality of the trackpad and keyboard. The trackpad does not register very subtle movements. The keyboard does not offer a premium experience (and the space button is hitting twice when I press it once, something that I read affects several units). In addition, the keyboard gets a little hot sometimes.

The Surface models (all of them in fact) seem to me to have great keyboards and trackpads. The keyboards are nice, have a nice feel and a good travel distance. The trackpads seem precise even with very subtle touches, very much like the Macs.

This is why I am very reluctant in trying other laptops. And I am very, very picky in quality.

 

[Queen6]

This is why I am very reluctant in trying other laptops. And I am very, very picky in quality.

Same here, Surface Book keyboard is simply superb being one of the very best in the notebook format if not the best. I create and construct complex technical documents, often in field conditions as an aspect of my work. The Surface Book's flexibility, 3:2 display aspect ratio and keyboard were all defining factors in the purchasing decision, dGPU in the 13" space a bonus. Trackpad is equally good very responsive, although Apple's remain to be the best.

You might also want to look at Lenovo's Thinkpad X1 Carbon as it too is a excellent professional grade notebook, Surface Book is a little on the heavy side and bulkier versus the X1 C.

Q-6

 

[slitherjef]

I just did a quick look at one of these at best buy, I think it was the base model for 1k. It looked nice, the youtube video I watched (1080 only) looked good. I did not spend a whole lot of time with the device, but what crossed my mind was, who is this thing for? There looked to be only 2 ports (or was it 1+ charger) no SD slot. The 4gb of ram, I could not help but think for a bit more cash there was a MBP 13" with no touch bar a few steps away.

If the surface book was more laptop like this little fellow is, instead of detachable screen with a weird design, I think MS would have a winner. This thing? No idea. I guess this is because its geared more towards education and iPad replacement?

 

[raqball]

You might also want to look at Lenovo's Thinkpad X1 Carbon as it too is a excellent professional grade notebook, Surface Book is a little on the heavy side and bulkier versus the X1 C.

Q-6

I have the X1 Carbon (2017) and it's a fantastic machine.. KB is above average and might be the gold standard. Trackpad is good as well.. If you use Linux on it then the center button for the nub scroll does not work at the moment...

 

[skaertus]

Same here, Surface Book keyboard is simply superb being one of the very best in the notebook format if not the best. I create and construct complex technical documents, often in field conditions as an aspect of my work. The Surface Book's flexibility, 3:2 display aspect ratio and keyboard were all defining factors in the purchasing decision, dGPU in the 13" space a bonus. Trackpad is equally good very responsive, although Apple's remain to be the best.

You might also want to look at Lenovo's Thinkpad X1 Carbon as it too is a excellent professional grade notebook, Surface Book is a little on the heavy side and bulkier versus the X1 C.

Q-6

Thanks.

Do you have any issue with the form factor? I mean, the fact that Surface Book screen does not fold back too much because of the hinge Microsoft created? Does it feel firm?

How is battery life?

How is the trackpad on the X1?

 

[skaertus]

I have the X1 Carbon (2017) and it's a fantastic machine.. KB is above average and might be the gold standard. Trackpad is good as well.. If you use Linux on it then the center button for the nub scroll does not work at the moment...

How does the trackpad compare to Surfaces and MacBooks? I use Windows not Linux.

And how is battery life?

I actually never saw a X1 in person. Hard to find in stores. And the fact that I live in Brazil does not help (all laptops displayed on stores, apart from Macs, are really crap, so there are no Surfaces nor X1s).

 

[zen]

I don't have a Surface Book, I have only played with one in store, but the build quality seems superb and, most importantly, it has the best laptop keyboard currently available. I have no idea whether I would really use the detachable screen much.

My wife has a Lenovo X1 Yoga, which is a very nice machine, terrific touch screen and great keyboard, but it feels a bit more like a business machine - black case, lots of ports, nice looking but not "wow!". More function over style, but still not a bad style. She loves it, and it does a full fold-back so the keyboard becomes a stand and you can use it as a tablet.

 

[zen]

New review from The Guardian: 4/5, only real criticism the lack of USB-c (which I don't think is a big deal).

https://www.theguardian.com/technol...tery-screen-usb-c-port?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

 

[raqball]

How does the trackpad compare to Surfaces and MacBooks? I use Windows not Linux.

And how is battery life?

I actually never saw a X1 in person. Hard to find in stores. And the fact that I live in Brazil does not help (all laptops displayed on stores, apart from Macs, are really crap, so there are no Surfaces nor X1s).

The trackpad is very good.. One of the best you will find on a Windows machine. It's using the MS Precision version and it functions well..

I am getting pretty good battery life so far. I'd say about 10 hours for my use.

I did a lengthy comparison to the MacBook Pro here:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/lenovo-x1-carbon-2017-v-macbook-pro-ntb-2016.2050172/
[doublepost=1497877190][/doublepost]Re: Surface Laptop reviews.. Paul Thurrot gave it a look and was kind of meh..

https://www.thurrott.com/mobile/microsoft-surface/118570/microsoft-surface-laptop-first-impressions

 

[skaertus]

The trackpad is very good.. One of the best you will find on a Windows machine. It's using the MS Precision version and it functions well..

I am getting pretty good battery life so far. I'd say about 10 hours for my use.

I did a lengthy comparison to the MacBook Pro here:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/surface-laptop-reviews.2051000/page-2#post-24709548
[doublepost=1497877190][/doublepost]Re: Surface Laptop reviews.. Paul Thurrot gave it a look and was kind of meh..

https://www.thurrott.com/mobile/microsoft-surface/118570/microsoft-surface-laptop-first-impressions

I could not open your review as the link did not work.

As for Paul Thurrot's review, well, he is clearly pissed off with the fact that Microsoft did not send him a test unit. But his impressions are somewhat similar to mine.

 

[raqball]

I could not open your review as the link did not work.

As for Paul Thurrot's review, well, he is clearly pissed off with the fact that Microsoft did not send him a test unit. But his impressions are somewhat similar to mine.

Fixed the link..

Yeah he was but that's just the way he is.. Even when ticked off (which is standard for him) he is generally pretty fair and honest..

 

[zen]

That Thurrot review is pretty silly. He was looking for problems. As for the comment about the burgundy colouring being just on the surface, like lipstick - what is he expecting? That Microsoft have magically created burgundy aluminium?

 

[raqball]

I would not call his review silly.. He raises some very good points and concerns..

 

[Queen6]

The hinge has proved to be robust, some have said they would prefer the display to tilt further back. On my Surface Book what I find is that the display tilts back to a stopping point, you can then apply further pressure and it will tilt an inch or so more. Hinge remains to be solid, with no "Detach" issues occurring. Form factor is initially odd, however you soon become accustomed, it makes sent as angles the display once reversed. To be honest once in the bag the Surface Book is just the same as any other notebook to travel with. The one thing you do need to be mindful it's more prone to toppling over, mine never has, as i'm aware it can happen.

I've tried the X1 Carbon, however don't own one, so others will be better points of reference, equally the X1 Carbon impresses as a no nonsense notebook that's nicely designed & executed, impressively lightweight for a 14" with these features.

Q-6

Thanks.

Do you have any issue with the form factor? I mean, the fact that Surface Book screen does not fold back too much because of the hinge Microsoft created? Does it feel firm?

How is battery life?

How is the trackpad on the X1?

 

[zen]

I went and had a look at a Surface Laptop in-store today, and I have mixed feelings about it.

The screen is very nice. The keyboard is very nice (much nicer than my 2014 rMBP). The aluminium shell is very nice.

The keyboard surround is... strange. The alcantara is much softer and smoother than I expected - seems softer than the Surface Pro keyboard covering - and is comfortable, but I'm worried about how it will feel on a hot day after I've been working on the laptop non-stop for hours. The aluminium palm rests of my MBP get kinda sweaty on those occasions, but it's easy to wipe/clean. I can only assume the alcantara, being synthetic, is completely hydrophobic, but that still won't stop it getting a little warm.

Also, I was really concerned about the edge of the fabric, where it meets the aluminium around the edge of the laptop. Or rather, where it doesn't meet the edge - the covering is cut and stuck on, and there is a raw fabric edge of maybe 1mm. It felt a little sharp around the edges, until I hit a spot on the left-hand side, near the bottom. Here, it was super-rough, in just a small patch. I had a good look, and the fabric hadn't lifted and seemed well secured, but it's like it got twisted during cutting/milling/whatever they do, resulting in a rough patch. It felt like someone had hand-made a weird fabric cover, then glued it down to the laptop - even if you were super-amazingly-carefull, it wouldn't be perfect. That's what it felt like.

Could be it was a one-off defect, or as it was a display model, perhaps they've had customers trying to peel the fabric off from the edge. They had a Surface Book next to it and it was in bad shape, very dirty and pawed.

But it made me think twice. I would really just prefer this to be in aluminium.

 

[raqball]

I briefly played with one yesterday.. I was out and about and popped into a MS store to get hands on..

It's a nicely built machine and is on par or better build than the new Macbooks..

My concerns are still the same..

Bang for the buck is zero! It's seriously overpriced for what you get. It a bottom of the barrel i5 (7200U) and some of the slowest SSD's you will ever find anywhere... Add to that ONE port and it's USB A.....

I also did not dig the fabric. It's weird feeling and one of the display models I looked at (a platinum) already had wear / spotting in the palm rest area. Now that could be that someone who played with it was sweaty or had excessive grease or makeup on that was transferred but it stuck me as odd.. The MS store employee did tell me they clean them nightly and that the wear / spot / stain I saw would come out easily. I have my doubts.

I agree the way the fabric is mounted to the deck could be troublesome. I can see the corner areas as being serious 'issue' spots after extended use.

The screen was gorgeous but all 3 of the ones I looked at has screen bleed along the bottom.

My takeaway was there is no way I'd buy it at it's current price. If the 8GB / 256 was 1K maybe but not at $1300... For that amount of cash you are almost to a Surface Book which is the much better option...

My .02

 

[zen]

I went to a different store at the weekend and had a closer look at another Surface Laptop. I have to say, my concerns were still there.

The fabric is strange, and apart from the issues of life and wear, this display machine had an even rougher edge than the first machine I looked at in a different store. The fabric was sharp all the way around the edge of the keyboard, and was even jagged in places. If they're going to glue fabric to the deck, it needs to be absolutely smooth and seamless.

My focus on this trip was to do more of a typing test, and while the keys themselves were good, the flex of the keyboard is just insane - the whole thing bounces, and when I pressed down hard it bent like crazy. There was a Surface Pro with detachable keyboard next to the laptop, and that keyboard was stiffer than the one on the Surface Laptop! It was seriously sub-standard. I'm surprised only a couple of reviews have picked up on the flex. There was also a Surface Book, and it was rock-solid, like my rMBP.

I haven't examined the iFixit teardown in detail, but I would be very surprised if the keyboard/deck was aluminium like the rest of the machine. It feels like it is plastic, to save costs, and they've hidden that with the fabric.

I wouldn't be surprised if this time next year MS starts offering a purely aluminium version. But certainly, I wouldn't be happy with the current model.

 

[Queen6]

In many ways I don't get the Surface Laptop, seems priced too high, lacks the functionality to fully take advantage of excellent the Pen & Touch enabled display, with no 2 in 1 feature or 180/360 degree hinge. Keyboard deck concerns as simply don't see anyway to keep it clean in more industrial environments.

Looks to be a nice premium notebook on par with Apple's 13" MBP, not much else. Surface Book I get and own; 2 in 1 both detachable & reversible & dGPU in the 13" class. Surface Laptop is a nice premium notebook, equally think I would be putting my $$$$ elsewhere preferring Lenovo's Yoga 15" 720 with quad core CPU and 1050-GTX dGPU, 2 in1 with 360 degree hinge and full Pen & Touch support.

Q-6

 

[skaertus]

I went to a different store at the weekend and had a closer look at another Surface Laptop. I have to say, my concerns were still there.

The fabric is strange, and apart from the issues of life and wear, this display machine had an even rougher edge than the first machine I looked at in a different store. The fabric was sharp all the way around the edge of the keyboard, and was even jagged in places. If they're going to glue fabric to the deck, it needs to be absolutely smooth and seamless.

My focus on this trip was to do more of a typing test, and while the keys themselves were good, the flex of the keyboard is just insane - the whole thing bounces, and when I pressed down hard it bent like crazy. There was a Surface Pro with detachable keyboard next to the laptop, and that keyboard was stiffer than the one on the Surface Laptop! It was seriously sub-standard. I'm surprised only a couple of reviews have picked up on the flex. There was also a Surface Book, and it was rock-solid, like my rMBP.

I haven't examined the iFixit teardown in detail, but I would be very surprised if the keyboard/deck was aluminium like the rest of the machine. It feels like it is plastic, to save costs, and they've hidden that with the fabric.

I wouldn't be surprised if this time next year MS starts offering a purely aluminium version. But certainly, I wouldn't be happy with the current model.

I didn't like the keyboard that much either. I also preferred the keyboard in the Surface Pro.