Dubai: Microsoft’s Surface Book 2 is hefty and powerful ultra-premium beast as the first version with no major design changes. The two-in-one device which is detachable can be used as a tablet.
With this device, Microsoft is directly targeting MacBook Pro with its better specs and features.
It has two sizes — 13.5 and 15 inches. The one I got for this review was a 13.5-inch device powered by eighth-generation 1.9GHz Intel i7 processor coupled with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of solid-state drive. It runs on 64-bit Window 10 Pro version.
It has got a 2GB GeForce GTX 1050 discrete GPU and weighs more than 1.6 kilos with the keyboard and the tablet weighing around 820 grams each.
The PixelSense display has a resolution of 3,000x2,000 pixels that is 267 pixels per inch density and with an aspect ratio of 3:2 that is good for writing and reading. It supports 10-point multi-touch and the Surface Pen, but the stylus and mouse are not included in the box.
The screen is bulkier than the usual ultrabook as that is where you are getting the full power.
To detach the tablet from the base, there is a dedicated button next to the delete button on the top right side. When you are using it as a tablet, it feels like you are holding a gigantic tablet but it is light.
Regarding ports, it has two regular USB 3.1 ports, a full-size SD card reader, 3.5mm headphone jack on the right side of the tablet, USB Type-C port and Surface Connector for charging and to connect the Surface Dock peripheral. Strangely Microsoft hasn’t added Thunderbolt 3 support.
The placing of the headphone jack is in an awkward position and they should have placed it on the keyboard part.
The backlit keyboard has got no flex underneath the full-travel keys and the key spacing is perfect. The touchpad is better and got a smooth glass surface to provide the right amount of resistance. It could have been bigger as there is ample space below the keyboard. Multi-touch gestures worked fine.
The Surface Book 2 has the usual facial recognition 5MP camera for Windows 10 Hello password-less login. It is fast and recognises every time with ease. The rear has an 8MP autofocus camera with 1080p HD video and dual microphones.
The rear camera takes decent shots but in good light conditions and struggles in low light. Tablet cameras can never perform like smartphone cameras.
The stereo speakers on top of the tablet, on both edges, provide decent audio and crisp sound, accompanied by Dolby Audio processing. It is loud but not too loud and lacks bass like most notebook speakers. It is great for watching movies and listening to music.
The dynamic fulcrum hinge to connect the keyboard and tablet is unique but it wobbles when you touch the display in the laptop mode but the magnesium chassis is solid and sturdy with zero flexing or bending.
However, it lacks the 360-degree convertible mode like in most models but the display can be removed and flipped over and reattached to convert it into a tent mode.
There is no fan noise when you use it for Microsoft Office or WordPad but when you play graphics-intensive games, the GPU kicks in and then the fan starts working. The tablet is fanless.
Regarding connectivity, it has the usual 802.11ac WiFi and Bluetooth 4.1.
The laptop has two batteries — one in the keyboard and one in the tablet. In lasted for just over 10 hours in web browsing test, more than six hours when stressing the CPU and GPU, and more than 16 hours when watching videos.
However, the tablet gave close to three hours in web-browsing test and three hours and 45 minutes in video test. It is priced at $2,699.73 (Dh9908) But the Surface Book 2 is arguably the best Windows laptop available on the desk.
Pros
• Powerful two-in-one device
• Excellent battery life
• Excellent cooling
• Good keyboard and trackpad
• Dedicated Nvidia graphics
Cons
• Very expensive and heavy
• Awkward position of headphone jack
• No Thunderbolt 3 support
• No Bluetooth 4.2 support
• Display wobbles when you touch it
