The ultimate mobile Surface buying guide.
Jessie is in the market for a new portable and lightweight laptop for tertiary studies. Specifically, the Microsoft Surface line up has gazed her interest, so she asked me to suggest which Surface’s are most suitable?
1. Surface Laptop 2 – from $1,499AUD
As Microsoft’s most conservative and traditional laptop device, the Surface Laptop 2 is a more ‘ordinary’ device. In a traditional clamshell laptop setup, the only speciality is the inclusion of a touchscreen and the capability for stylus input, even though it’s quite awkward as you can’t detach or flip the display.
Nevertheless, the Laptop 2 features a bright 2256 x 1504 (201 ppi) ‘PixelSense’ 13.5″ multi-touch display; the availability of either a 8th generation fan-less Intel Core i5 or i7 quad-core processors (great for creative applications); 8GB or 16GB of RAM; and solid state storage (SSD) ranging from a measly 128GB to a whopping 1TB. Running on Windows 10 Home, there’s also a convenient Windows Hello recognition camera for facial unlocking; a great keyboard and glass trackpad; durable and premium Alcantara keyboard wrist rest; lightweight aluminium body; and the availability of various colours, including cobalt blue, matte black, platinum silver, and burgundy red.
The glaring disappointment are the ports, or lack thereof. There’s only one USB-A 3.0 port, a headphone jack, Mini DisplayPort, and a proprietary magnetic Surface Connect port for charging. There’s no sign of any SD card slot, USB-C and Thunderbolt 3, nor another USB-A port; as a result, transferring data across drives will be more cumbersome.
Overall, though, the Surface Laptop 2 is most recommended for university students due to its simple form factor, portable and premium design, and its simplicity. However, if you want a more unique and versatile device, look elsewhere in the Surface line up.
2. Surface Pro 6 – from $1349AUD + Type Cover (from $199AUD) + optional Surface Pen ($139AUD)
Want a unique device with versatility and multi-functionality in mind? Ostensibly, the Surface Pro 6 may seem like an ordinary and useless iPad Pro-like tablet. But, you’d be mistaken. Running full Windows 10, the Pro 6 is a tablet first, with the ability to attach and detach a full-sized keyboard, connect a stylus, and you’ve got your uni-ready computer setup.
With a smaller 12.3″ 2736 x 1824 (267 ppi) ‘PixelSense’ touchscreen; the same 8th generation fan-less Intel Core i5 or i7 quad-core processors; 8GB or 16GB of RAM; SSD’s ranging from a measly 128GB to 1TB; Windows Hello facial recognition camera with a rear-facing 8MP camera (perfect for taking whiteboard photos); and one more important port than the Laptop 2: a micro SD card reader, in addition to a USB-A 3.0, headphone jack, Mini DisplayPort, and Surface Connect.
Disappointingly, it’s not without its downsides, though. Firstly, the Surface Pro 6 is only sold out of the box in its tablet only – meaning you’ll need to pay extra for a keyboard (this is obligatory) and a stylus if you need one. You can choose the cheapest Surface Pro Type Cover in black at $199AUD; Signature Type Cover with the Alcantara material in either platinum silver, cobalt blue and burgundy red (mimicking the Laptop 2) at $249AUD; or you can even get the black only Type Cover with Fingerprint ID which adds a fingerprint scanner, hence the name, at the same $249AUD – that’s despite the Pro 6 already including a facial recognition camera. The Surface Pen stylus – great for note-taking – in the same colour variety at $139AUD extra, and the Surface Dial is also available, though not necessary and more of a gimmick so I won’t go in-depth with it. If you add up the optional extras, it can exceed the Laptop 2’s price – and quickly. Furthermore, while it is portable, the nature of its kickstand support mechanism and keyboard equates to the total device using significantly more surface area than a traditional laptop, the Surface Laptop 2. As a result, it may not fit well on small university lecture tables, nor your lap.
But, if you’re looking for a unique 2-in-1 device with a priority for note-taking using a stylus and a tablet form, the Surface Pro 6 is worth considering, despite its cons and expensive pricing.
3. Surface Go – from $599AUD + Type Cover ($199AUD) + optional Surface Pen ($139AUD)
Looking for a cheaper price tag and even better portability? You can consider the recently launched Surface Go. Ditto the Pro 6, this is simply a smaller, tamer version, but with a similar experience.
Headlining the device is an even smaller 10″ ‘Pixel Sense’ touchscreen display at a resolution of 1800 x 1200 (217 ppi) with pen compatibility; Intel’s slower Pentium Gold 4415Y processor (the only CPU available); 4GB or 8GB of RAM; 64GB eMMC drive or a faster 128GB SSD; the availability of 4G/LTE service; and the same Windows Hello facial recognition camera as in the Laptop and Pro. Surprisingly for a budget Surface, the Go features a USB-C port – though not Thunderbolt 3; micro SD card; a headphone jack; and Surface Connect.
Superficially, it seems quite good value; however, it is significantly compromised. As per the Pro 6, the Signature Type Cover and Surface Pen are yet again optional extras; there are no USB-A ports, meaning you’ll need to buy an USB-C adapter; and the Pentium Gold processor is significantly hampered in its performance. Sure, it will get you through the usual work documents and web browsing with multiple tabs, but it’ll slow down once you nail the throttle a bit more. More importantly, the most storage you can get is 128GB which is arguably not enough for storing university work and personal files at the same time; you’ll need to use an USB or SD card to expand it. While it is already compromised due to its price, I’d stay away from the base model with even less RAM and slower minute storage.
Nonetheless, the Surface Go is decent value. It’s the cheapest Surface and most portable device around, but you’ll need to accept its compromises and pitfalls in the long term, namely performance and storage space.
4. Surface Book 2 – from $1799AUD + optional Surface Pen ($139AUD)
If you demand the best Surface you can get right now, choose the Surface Book 2. It’s all about performance and versatility with the traditional laptop form, plus the ability to become a full tablet.
The Book 2 is available in either a 13.5″ ‘PixelSense’ touch display at a resolution of 3000 x 2000 (267 ppi) or a larger 15″ 3240 x 2160, (260 ppi) display; older 7th generation Intel Core i5 dual-core processor or an 8th gen quad-core Intel i7 CPU; the availability of a dedicated graphics card – great for graphics intensive applications – from a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (2GB GDDR5 memory) to a GTX 1060 (6GB GDDR5 memory); 8GB or 16GB of RAM; 128GB to 1TB of SSD; Windows Hello facial recognition camera; a full magnesium-made body; and the fulcrum hinge, allowing the display to be detached with the press of a button to be used as a tablet for note-taking in lectures. Moreover, there are quite a few more ports with two USB-A 3.1; one USB-C; a full size SD card reader; a headphone jack; and two Surface Connect’s.
In spite of this, the Book 2’s design of a clamshell laptop shape with the 2-in-1 tablet functionality has its negatives, with the fulcrum hinge not allowing the laptop to be completely closed. This means, there’s an unsightly gap from the hinge to the edge of the keyboard base, allowing lint and dust to enter the keyboard keys when in your bag or hands. To add, it weighs in from 1,534 grams, which is quite heavy for a laptop this size and may not be the best device to constantly carry around. And did I mention the price? The base model doesn’t perform as well compared to its cheaper Surface counterparts listed above, yet is more expensive. As for the beastly performance, you don’t really need the fancy discrete graphics card if you’re just doing up Microsoft Office documents, unless your course requires photo, video and rendering applications, such as Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects or AutoCad, just to name a few.
Thus, while the Surface Book 2 isn’t as portable nor affordable, its transformable form factor from a traditional laptop to tablet is easily the best implementation on the market, and packs a punch in performance. You just need to ask yourself: Do I really need all that power?
The Bottom Line
Overall, I’d still highly recommend the Surface Laptop 2 any day. It’s a simple and traditional laptop with a premium design, great keyboard and screen, and acceptable price tag. However, if you’re looking to note-take using a stylus pen, the Surface Pro 6 is worth a look, if you’re willing to overlook its minor downsides.
Look further than these two Microsoft devices and you start seeing glaring compromises. On the one hand, the Surface Go is affordable, quite small and has less power, albeit acceptable for university studies. Over at the other end of the richter scale, the Surface Book 2 has the best transformable 2-in-1 form factor with beastly performance, though at a high price.
Jessie, the Surface Laptop 2 seems to be the best fit for your university studies. But if you’re willing to be more flexible, there are a variety of other laptops from other manufactures from the likes of HP, Lenovo and Dell, which can provide a better experience at a cheaper price in some instances. I hope your laptop hunt goes well!
*All devices, models, and pricing listed are as of December, 2018.
The Connected by Henry Man 