Microsoft Surface Book 2 15 - Reviews

(4.2)

40 reviews

Info

Reviewbucket.co.uk scanned the internet for Microsoft Surface Book 2 15 reviews.
You can find all Microsoft Surface Book 2 15 reviews and ratings on this page.

Read the reviews.

Analysis

For Microsoft Surface Book 2 15, 40 customer reviews collected from 1 e-commerce sites, and the average score is 4.2.

Detailed seller stats;
Amazon has 40 customer reviews and the average score is 4.2. Go to this seller.

Detail

Click to list all products in this category.

Similar Items

16.1.2018

Ever since I saw the first Surface Book at PCWorld and got to play about with it's amazing keyboard and screen/tablet I have been wanting one of these. However my time with Macs has taught me one thing. You never be "that early adopter" that grabs the first generation version of a new product! This knowledge served me well as the original Surface Book was both an amazing machine and a bit of a glitch magnet. Now that the Surface book 2 is here. I went to see if it was finally ready for a two to three year date with meet the mother potential. The answer is a resounding yes and here's why.The refinements, tweaks and fixes that this product has received make it one of the most solid and stable laptops I have used.Having said this I have a caveat. Do not, under any circumstances, get the base model with 4gb of ram and a 7th generation intel i5. The base version is missing one of the key components that make this laptop the stand out powerhouse that it is, be you a student, developer, videographer or designer. It's missing the Discreet Graphics Processor! For me this makes the base 4gb version nothing more than a pretty lump of aluminium. The minimum version you should aim for is the version that I am reviewing here (the actual base version as far as I am concerned) the i7-8650 8th generation intel CPU with the 2gb 1050 gtx Nvidia cards, 8gb of memory and a 256gb SSD.Looks and Practicality=================The first thing that strikes you about the Surface Book 2 is the sleek lines and the unique hinge design that was pioneered on the original version. This is also where you will find the first improvement in the new model. The hinge, while looking identical to the last one and being functionally identical, is a lot stiffer. This was done to reduce the wobble problem when using the device on an actual lap or other soft surface. This makes typing on the Surface Book a more pleasant experience than it's predecessor which tended to have a bit of hinge wobble if you typed aggressively. It also allows for a better pen experience with the tablet section docked in a normal laptop configuration. The ports have also been updated with the addition of 2 usb type 3 ports and an SD card slot on the left of the machine and a usb type C port with the surface magnetic power/docker port on the right. The USB C port is unfortunately not a thunderbolt port so no external GPU support is present. For creatives the full sized SD slot will more than make up for this however but, it is an oversite that I am annoyingly sure will be sorted in the next update to the surface book line.One of the unique selling points of the Surface Book (hereafter referred to as just the SB for the original model or the SB2 for the current one) was that you can detach the screen, which then works exactly as you would expect a tablet to work. The difference being that the SB2 in tablet mode still sports a fanless i7-8650 (13.5 inch model) as the tablet is where the processor resides along with a small battery that allows the unit to function at full capacity for around 1.5 to 3 hours depending on what load you put on it. Photoshop will drain the battery in around 2 hours while watching movies and light web surfing will get you a comfortable 3 hours of life in tablet mode.The SB2 has three distinct modes of operation which is identical to the original SB.1. Docked laptop mode where the screen is docked facing the keyboard and everything functions as you would expect a high quality laptop to do.2. Marquee mode, where you can undock the tablet screen, flip it 180 degrees then re-dock it to the keyboard base. In this mode the surface has all the benefits of being in laptop configuration but, you can flip the machine around and use it as either an artist tablet for serious photo editing, video editing and even presentations etc. etc.3. Tablet mode as discussed above. With the screen completely free of the base and keyboard.Performance==========So what about performance I hear you cry. Well let me tell you, with no reservations, the surface book performance is an absolute joy to behold. It powers through even the most intense tasks you can throw at it without batting an eyelid. The 13.5 inch model with the i7, 256gb ssd, 8gb of ram and 2gb 1050 gpu is geared towards video editing, light gaming at around the 1080p mark and tasks like software development, design and photo editing. The fanless cpu doesn't tend to throttle much except under extreme loads, like trying to play a game like Titanfall 2 at 4k, and there is a very quiet fan for the gpu that you'll rarely notice it in actual use. In practice I didn't notice it throttle at all though, when using monitoring software I could see it occasionally throttle. It is very telling that this throttling was not noticeable in any way. Clearly Microsoft have made huge strides in cooling for this new SB model.Battery======This brings us finally onto battery life. For a laptop you can have all the power in the world but it isn't going to do you any good if you're tethered to a wall socket! The original SB had about 10 to 12 hours of battery life in practical use but, didn't have a GPU to contend with so you'd expect the SB2 to have a shorter battery life than that. Wouldn't you?. Well a pleasant and unexpected suprise is that the new SB2 actually come in at around the same real world 10 to 12 hours of reasonable usage. With heavy usage like editing a 4k video we get around the 4 hour mark and the same If you go crazy on games that max out the GPU and CPU. Microsoft rates the SB2 for 17 hours of battery life but, these numbers are based on the old video loop test that has been recorded as the daily useage of no-one ever!! So in practice, with me coding, compiling, web surfing, light design work and watching youtube etc. etc. The SB2 lasts a comfortable 10 hours or more. This is more than enough for a full days productive work and I've yet to feel the need to drag a charger anywhere with me. Elevating my level of Smug, when at a costa or starbucks, to near Mac-book pro owner levels. You never go full reta...er Macbook Pro owner though so be careful with that!Conclusion=========My conclusion (I may update this review a month or so from now if anything changes) is that, if you can afford the price which right now is a whopping 360 pounds cheaper than it ought to be (on Amazon oddly not Microsoft's own site), then I would snap this model up before someone realises what a bargain it is. This is the sweet spot model unless you absolutely need 16gb of memory. I cheaply upgraded the 256gb SSD with the addition of a 200GB microsd and adapter card that I just slotted into the machine and was ready to go. You can happily run anything from office to games from the external storage with no issues. Leaving the internal SSD for the os, paging caches etc. etc. This allows the machine to run like a dream. Never having to clutter up the internal drive.On a final note. If you absolutely need something that can be used as an actual serious gaming rig (I kid you not) and you can wait a few months. You could instead wait for the 15 inch SB2 with the 6gb 1060 GTX card. This will comfortably do 4k gaming but, you'll pay a lot more for it. You also need to remember that a 15 inch laptop can be a real dog to lug about on a daily basis. These machines are carved from solid blocks of metal like the Mac-Books from Apple and I would only recommend you get the 15 inch if you really need a bigger screen and the extra GPU power. If not then what are you waiting for! Grab this before it's gone and back at it's original 1999 price!

4.4.2018

I’m an average business user that was looking for a capable laptop that would operate well for perhaps the next 5 years.In terms of budget, I wanted to be as prudent as possible, but the immediate cost of the laptop was not the only factor for me.As business owners, you are able to recoup approx 30% of the cost, which is worth bearing in mind.I considered many laptops very carefully including the hp spectre, the dell inspiron, the MacBook, the Lenovo and the surface book 2.Like most users, i don’t actually need a massive amount of grunt from a laptop, but the problem you will find (if you purchase an average device) is that within 2-3 years, it will start to struggle to run the most common software applications.You only have to look at how resource-hungry the latest Microsoft Office applications are today (as compared to just a few years ago) to understand how quickly your system will become obsolete if it is not ahead of its time.When I previously went down the route of finding a device that would be future-proof for 5 years, I purchased an i5 MacBook Pro 17-inch laptop (in 2010). By 2015 (and after a number of rebuilds), it was struggling.Though the MacBook performance was impressive overall, I’m an avid windows user, and running windows on Apple hardware always leads to compatibility problems and frustrations. This has improved In recent years with the onset of ‘parallels’ software but I’ve not used it and can’t really comment.In addition to Windows compatibility frustrations, the new MacBook touchbar design is similarly priced to the surface book 2, but visually little different from the 2010 model that I previously owned, so It just felt like a step backwards for me. That’s not to knock the design of the MacBook Pro; it is a nice looking device that is now more slimline than it used to be.For me, size is important; I’m not a fan of 13 inch ultrabook-style laptops; I need at least a 15 inch system to feel comfortable and since ultra books only tend to come in 13 inch size, the hp spectre was out the question. If you are looking for an ultra book however, then the spectre is beautifully designed with great performance at around £1500 for the meatier version.For the price you have to pay, I just didn’t find the design of the dell or Lenovo appealing and so these were very quickly out of the question for me.So why the surface book 2 ?The surface book2 is truly a stunning design, with equally stunning performance. Quad core, 8th gen 4.2ghz 16gb ram 256gb ssd.This machine is super-reactive and is an absolute delight to use.I would highly recommend going for a 15-inch system, It’s just so much more practical. Not only are you able to type more comfortably, but the screen size allows you to run multiple windows without needing a magnifying glass.There have been a lot of negative reviews about the weight of the surface book 2, but it really is a storm in a teacup. Yes, it weighs slightly more than the MacBook Pro (0.2lbs heavier I believe), but it is not a heavy laptop by any means. Don’t be put off by the reviews.The screen quality is fantastic and the sound system is also very impressive.The surface book comes with two internal batteries and in hibernate mode, it sees me out a working day quite comfortably.The ssd offers almost instant boot-up of the system, and though I only have 256gb ssd, its time we all moved to ‘cloud’ for storage of our data.With this in mind, Windows 10 is fully integrated with Microsoft’s ‘onedrive’ and I have to say, it is very impressive and easy to use.For me, Microsoft software has always been far more intuitive than apple software and they have proven this again with the ease of use or their cloud integrated technology.So what about the tablet function?Beautifully designed, easy to use and a massive plus over the MacBook. It’s not just a party trick; it’s very functional and you will find yourself using it. We have all become accustomed to touchscreen technology and though this feature wasn’t something I felt I needed (neither did it drive my decision), it is actually quite brilliant.So overall, if you have the immediate budget I would highly recommend this magnificent device.Pros:- Stunning, instantaneous performance for personal and business usage- A truly beautiful design that will give you great pleasure in use- Reduce your stress levels and get back some of your valuable time (this is a genuine benefit I have found of the instant performance of this device).- no need to replace the laptop every two years or so (you will save money over time if you are able to spend more now)- Very responsive keyboard and touchpad- Available in 15-inch (I would highly recommend)- Great screen and sound system- Very useful tablet function and detachable screen (that you will find yourself using even if it may not seem important to you from the outset)- Impressive Windows 10 integration with ‘onedrive’ cloud storage- I am certain that this laptop will see me out the 5 years that I need from it and i am sure I will still get a reasonable amount of money when I come to sell it.- If you are vat registered and can expense this on your business then this (or the MacBook equivalent) is a no-brainerVery Minor Cons:- The next jump to 512gb ssd increased the cost of the laptop by another £400 which I found a bit peculiar, but we all need to move to cloud storage anyway so this is a mute point for me- The battery life may not be as good as some of the competition but it will last a working day with the right efficiency settings (this is a massive improvement on the 3-4 hours battery life I used to get on my old MacBook)- The weight is not an issue as far as I’m concerned - it is 0.2lbs heavier than the MacBook equivalent (hardly worth mentioning)- The laptop is so stunning you will want to spend money on finding equally stunning accessories for it..!

16.12.2018

This laptop is a winner on all fronts.I had the original surface book and after using it for a short time I fell in love with it. As a laptop user and a mobile worker there is a list of things which affect the computer you choose.1. Battery life - this is at the top because without this you will simply not choose a laptop.2. Size and weight - Mobility - it has to be something you can put in a bag and not be affected by the weight.3. Style - People like me are using this thing in public and with clients a lot - it needs to convey that we know what we are doing. Having this laptop speaks of the choices you make as a professional.Capability - For my use an i5 8gb 256 is the sweet spot.I suspect this is true for many mobile professionals.Capability is not a variable as every reasonable manufacturer will provide a good i5 laptop because this has become standard.The battery life on this laptop is not 17 hours but it is over 10 on a typical day and that is exactly what is needed.When you just need to sit and write that report or blog or get your thoughts in order. The knowledge that you can do so without thinking about your battery life is fantastic. Apple users have had that luxury for a long time. I would marvel in airport lounges when the PC folks would be looking for an outlet and be undoing their cables in order to plug in while their colleagues with macs would simply pull them out and start working. I would be thinking - are you not concerned that you will not have enough juice for the flight? Now I know what they were feeling and it is awesome.This PC is not the slimmest for sure but I put it in my bag and it disappears. It is deceptively light. It looks bigger than an Ultrabook but when you look at the numbers (it is just over half a pound or 0.3kg heavier than a MacBook pro 13) - it is light and very easy to have with me all day. I can fit it into a very slim backpack. If I don't want to take the plug-in power adaptor - I don’t have to. I even have the option of charging it if need be with my power bank.Style wise - there is nothing like the surface book Nothing looks like it or works like it.I will never forget being in a meeting with a client and during the meeting - just whipping off the screen and walking over to his side of the table with my screen and pen. I sat beside him and drew out what he was saying and captured the essence of what he wanted to say. From that moment there was a new trusting our relationship. The laptop disappeared - we were simply able to work closely and get things done.I have bought a stand which will allow the screen to stand on its own and be used as a mini tv without the keyboard. It is an indulgence as I can turn it around and hide the keyboard or just have it like a normal laptop but being able to have the screen stand on its own and work just like a screen is fantastic in a hotel room.As a notebook it is amazing. I have almost everything I do in OneNote now and this device is rivalled only by the surface pro 6 as the KING of OneNote devices. It is so easy to pull off the screen and have a substitute for a pad of paper. It feels the same size and with the pen the writing is fantastic. Taking notes in a meeting is so easy and unobtrusive. No big screen between me and my colleagues or my client. I can be in the moment and present And they do not feel in any way disconnected from me.As a business coach - I can make notes during a session without losing connection with my client.In every way this machine helps me do everything I need to do …. Just more smoothly.Add to this that it is an i7 with a discrete GPU which makes it an editing beast and a gaming machine for the time when I want to dabble in any of these - now you are taking things to another level.On previous machines I found that photoshop was not as fast as I would have liked but on this - the experience is like a knife through butter. I learn things I found difficult to approach on previous machines.I know I could have simply moved over to Apple some time ago and experienced some of these things like significantly better battery life and some photo editing application smoothness but I have become so attached to the touchscreen and the pen that I was not willing to compromise on that and this machine takes the power of the windows platform to another level.Don’t get me wrong - there are things I would still like e.g. a thunderbolt 3 port – or maybe 2-3 of them, an even lighter machine, even more battery life (20 hours) and 10 with just the tablet without more weight :-). Of course ... it goes without saying that all of us would love it lto be cheaper. Maybe some of these will appear in the Surface book 3. I will be waiting for that.For all road warriors and mobile professionals … especially those who work at close quarters with others, you will be hard pressed to find a better machine for your needs - on the plane, in the executive lounge, in the lobby, in meetings and yes in that coffee-shop you love - I cannot recommend a better machine to make your companion as you deliver the best of you and put the final touches to your world changing masterpiece.Surface book 2 i7 8GB 256GB GTX1050 - if there is any way you can ..... just get it.

21.10.2018

I have been using the Surface Book 2 for about four months and I can't think of any other device that would allow me to work as flexibly as I do with this computer. Every day I use for hours both as a laptop and a pen driven tablet. I don't need it for gaming, but opted for the entry i7 version to help future-proof my purchase. Not surprisingly I'm overflowing with capacity and spare performance! Highlights:- genuine dual use device as a powerful laptop and a tablet. Detaching the screen from the keyboard for me is always easy - hold the button and it works. Swapping the screen round to use in 'presentation' mode always gets peoples' attention, but then is hugely easy to show a screen or slide show,then annotate the content as well as showing the slides. Surprisingly better to use in this way than 10 inches further back behind a keyboard, I'm not sure why.- shifting to Windows tablet mode is automatic, sensible, seamless and convenient.- inputting text in tablet mode is a little more difficult than with a keyboard (not surprisingly). However I've found that the handwriting recognition is adequate for short sentences, and I now probably prefer it to any of the onscreen keyboard options. Most of my annotation remains handwritten on screens or on documents (using a tool like Drawboard PDF).- battery life is good - Clearly shorter when using the tablet on its own, but I have yet to run short, and simple to charge both sides of the device from the same cable and connector. I usually choose to select "battery saver mode" when using the tablet which is an easy selection from the battery icon on the windows taskbar - and seems to be effective in helping the battery last even longer.- integration with MS Office - particularly pen-driven OneNote - is spectacular. Not only are all my handwritten notes now in OneNote (rather than Moleskin notebooks), but I can copy, reorganise and insert new text or drawings wherever I need to. I can also search on handwritten text, which understandably will make better sense of neater handwriting than pure scribble - but it does work. Incredibly it also finds text written in photographs! (Obviously also stored to the cloud and accessible from other devices as an extra advantage.)- embedding content into MS Office tools is easy. I now routinely take photos of workshop output or other documents and paste them into OneNote or Powerpoint. It's easy to use either camera on the Surface Book 2.- I also frequently share scribbled sketches with co-workers on the Surface Screen instead of using a whiteboard or a flipchart, which I find more engaging and has the advantage of retaining all the versions of words we've written down.- Build quality of the device itself is excellent. The magnesium body feels high quality and solid. The hinge looks idiosyncratic, but does its job well and solidly locks the screen in place without any wobble. (I take is as a compliment when people think I'm using a Mac, because the Macbook is its obvious competitor, and certainly for build quality I think they are equivalent).- Screen is clear, my 13" is the right compromise for my use, and the 3x2 ratio is most useful for documents moving vertically whilst being perfectly good for video. The keyboard feels high quality too, comfortable and light. The trackpad is not as huge as the Apple's but feels high quality and sensitive for mouse movement and clicking.- I've read lots about the deficiency of omitting the thunderbolt connector - it's not an issue for me. The range offered is more than adequate for my needs.- The surface pen is essential, convenient and comfortable. Getting used to using the side button on the pen makes it more useful. I chose to buy an MS arc mouse, which is both handily flat and works amazing well using the finger driven track pad on its top edge as well functioning as a normal mouse clicker. This particularly helps when scrolling through documents.- very little else to say other than this Surface Book has surpassed my expectations in almost every way. It has changed the way I work and is now an essential part of my daily interaction with colleagues and clients. Yes it's expensive, and I could get a laptop much cheaper, or a mac at about the same price, but neither would give me the combination of quality, versatility and cachet that this machine offers. As a very occasional reviewer, it takes something special for me to share opinions online, but I've felt motivated to do so for this laptop. And suffice to say I've not regretted my purchase for a second.

21.12.2017

Prior to buying, I was um-ing and ah-ing. I was sceptical that the 13" would be the right size. I was adamant that I needed a 15". However after taking the plunge I'm glad I got the 13". It's the perfect size for my needs.When I'm doing some serious work such as using Vivado/Altium I just connect my laptop up to a dock with dual monitors. However, even without such a setup, it is comfortable using those applications with the laptop as is. (Be wary of resolution/icons scaling)The good stuff1. The build quality is exceptional.2. The hinge is very sturdy and supports the monitor/tablet very well.3. The laptop keyboard is great. The keys have the right level of resistance. They make a nice sound when touched.

5.5.2018

Ok so far, enjoying using it. If that changes I'll update the review.As others have noted, the white-lit keys are ok in darkness but not helpful in bright light.If you are looking to get a dock for it, I would recommend the Dell 6000. The Microsoft dock works fine, provides power and extra ports but only lets you drive two screens. I tried connecting two via the mini-DP ports and a third via the surface book's USB-C port but this didn't work. I happened to bring home a Dell 6000 docking station from work and thought I would give it a try, plugging it in to the Surface book's USB-C port. Sure enough it provided power and allowed me to drive three 27" monitors (two LG 4K and one Dell).

16.3.2019

I want to keep this short!This device is amazing! A real 15 hour battery life! Screen is fantastic! Speakers are great! The perfect gaming ultrabook! I've played many games without any issues! Runs nice and cool even under load! The fan does get loud when gaming!Used it in tablet mode a lot more than I thought I would.Easily a 10/10 from me! I'm truly amazed at how great the GTX1050 is!One of the best keyboards I've ever used!I love the fact I can leave the charger at home now and I've had a lot of questions about it in the office!I'll answer any questions anyone may have about this laptop! Just ask :)

7.7.2019

So far this laptop has exceeded my expectations. I had a gaming laptop that wasn't portable in the slightest and needed something that would be much more accessible and replace my last one. This laptop has done that and more. Its handled everything I've thrown at it with a great set of gestures in and out of tablet mode while having a great battery life. Admittedly, if I had the money I'd have got the 15" but the smaller one is still amazing with a great screen. It detaches from the keyboard easily which also feels solid and great to type on.If you have the money then this is well worth every penny.

9.1.2019

As a laptop, the battery life is fantastic. Use as a tablet, then it will have to be charged several times a day.The feel of the laptop is very good and has an excellent keyboard. Also, it has a very good screen. I decided to go for the Book 2 as opposed to the Surface Pro as it is the main computer for our household and has more ports and a larger screen. Yet, it is still very portable and easy to take on holidays. As long as you configure the mouse to your own set-up, which took several days to master, it works very well. Overall, I am very pleased with my purchase.

24.8.2018

I've received this machine from work. I didn't have any issues with it, as it seems some people complain about blue screens and all, but Microsoft is known to be quick to issue a replacement / refund etc.Amazing piece of hardware, I am not sure how well it stacks up to an equivalent Mac, as those are pretty nice as well. For me, the 2 main factors for choosing it over a Mac were having a pen and being able to take notes / scribble down charts on the touch screen and second the dedicated graphics card, which is good enough for occasional gaming.

21.6.2019

Well I use it everywhere, home, living room on main TV, at the office plugged in a monitor with an additional keyboard, on trips etc. It is very powerful and very light so you have a beast on the go. I cannot give less than 5 stars as my previous laptop, an alienware was so heavy and noisy. However in view of small screen (13'') and restricted keyboard with very small arrow keys, you will need a big monitor and a wireless keyboard to work for hours.

14.4.2019

Bought this product for a particular purpose...to create a new HD children's animation. The animator found the computer easy to use with chosen animation software. Screen calibration was good, ease of drawing using the stylus and audio sound providing a professional product. Animation now passed Amazon Video Direct QC so very happy indeed with good feedback. So for our team was an excellent choice and using Amazon made the whole deal great thanks

3.3.2019

The king of 2 in 1’s, this thing is a monster and will take anything you can throw at it, the price however reflects that and I do feel you could probably get what you need for a much lesser price, if your in for the spend you won’t go wrong with this, browsing, spreadsheets, general emails/office use it’s got your back!Please take a second to hit the helpful button it makes taking the time to write the review worthwhile x

27.5.2018

Bought it mostly for VR. It's ok-ish, even though it is advertised as a full 90Hz Windows Mixed Reality machine, sometimes it lags quite badly in VR mode. Don't get me wrong, I like this machine a lot, but it is a bit underpowered (considering the price) for some tasks. Also a bit heavier than I would like. I'd probably think about a new Razer Blade if I had to take this decision again. Happy overall.

8.8.2018

Ok...so i haven't bought a laptop in over 10 years...and never online. I was a bit dubious because of the price... BUT what a beautiful machine! Quick, brilliant colour, amazing features! A bit bigger than I imagined but what an incredible machine!!! I'm very happy i got it from this seller!! Reliable seller, great communication and product is wonderful. Highly recommended! Well worth the price!

List All Products

Terms and Conditions Privacy Policy