Microsoft Surface Pro 2 Review
by Anand Lal Shimpi on October 21, 2013 12:01 AM EST- Posted in
- Tablets
- Microsoft
- Mobile
- Surface
- Surface Pro 2
Display
Like Surface 2, Surface Pro 2 ships with 150% DPI scaling enabled for classic desktop applications. Unfortunately even under Windows 8.1 there are a lot of issues with DPI scaling in 3rd party applications and touch targets. Chrome for example is mostly unusable as a touch browser in classic mode.
There’s not much difference between the new 1080p panel in Surface 2 and what’s in Surface Pro 2. Both feature a laminated cover glass and the same increase in color gamut. The end result is a big improvement over the previous generation, but not quite up to the level of color accuracy we’ve come to expect from cheaper tablets.
Surface Pro 2's display does get substantially brighter than the panel in my Surface 2 review sample. One thing I don't have a good feel for is just how much variation there is between panel suppliers into the Surface lines.
It really is a very good display, it just could be better.
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beggerking@yahoo.com - Monday, October 21, 2013 - link
Anand is confused between a FULL windows OS vs ios / android...unfortunately.. probably half hearted review as well.putting my Surface Pro to "power saver" profile and it last 5-6 hrs easy.
every other review I read Surface Pro lasts 8 hrs.
Anand Lal Shimpi - Monday, October 21, 2013 - link
I believe Vivek pulled that number from our older, lighter tablet battery life test. The 4.7 number I re-ran for this review using the latest suite that we introduced with the iPhone 5 review last year. It's a heavier workload for sure.I will be running Surface Pro 2 through our standard Windows notebook battery life tests, just didn't have time to do so prior to the NDA lift.
cloudgazer - Wednesday, October 23, 2013 - link
Would be nice to see a rerun of the old test on the same Surface Pro device to see how much of the difference between 6 and 4.7 is down to battery age/condition.Travk06 - Monday, October 21, 2013 - link
Can you include the Snapdragon 800 reference platform in the performance charts?GooseGrease - Monday, October 21, 2013 - link
When Microsoft boasted ~40% greater colour accuracy, I expected a better panel, but I don't think they improved the display at all! They merely calibrated it and the saturation plots show all the tell tale signs of narrow gamut clipping post calibration. It looks virtually identical to the one in Anand's original Surface Pro review, post-calibration.The better display was one thing I was really looking forward to. I'm disappointed. :(
GooseGrease - Monday, October 21, 2013 - link
http://i.imgur.com/F7GlSHv.png(The saturation chart from Anand's Surface Pro 2 review. The grey triangle is the original Surface Pro's gamut)
This pretty much confirms my suspicion: Surface Pro 2's display is the same as Surface Pro's, except it's calibrated out the door.
tential - Monday, October 21, 2013 - link
I find it amusing that people are comparing a TABLET to a MBA.Then they are ignoring all of the tablet's benefits, while touting the MBA's and ignoring the detractions of the MBA.
I won't lie, I LOVE the MBA series. Always have. But you're comparing two products that do different things.
MBA is great for what it does.
Surface Pro 2 is great for having WINDOWS OS (which is a very important key word in all of this), in the palm of your hands.
Android devices are great at what they do.
In the end, it's all based on WHAT YOU NEED. Most of the comments on here clearly aren't objective and are pushing one party over the other.
nerd1 - Monday, October 21, 2013 - link
MBA now lags way behind competitions, lacking a proper high-resolution IPS display and touchscreen which becomes a new standard. Now you can pay $350 to get T100 (720p IPS display, touchscreen) or $500 to get venue 11 pro (1080p IPS display, active digitizer, touchscreen)ddriver - Monday, October 21, 2013 - link
Unimpressive-ness redefined! Keep it up M$...Silma - Monday, October 21, 2013 - link
I really don't think it's a good review. I know there is intense pressure to make reviews available as soon as possible but this seems rushed. A few benchmarks don't make for a review.On battery life you only talk about your own benchmark, which leads me to think you haven't even tried to time the battery while doing usual work with the tablet and you haven' the faintest idea of what it could be.
On the body all you complain is you find it too thick and too heavy which is your right of course.
But you certainly never explain how exactly this has an impact. Were you tired holding the tablet with 2 hands? With one? what did you do with it when holding it so?
Also your are very quick not to mention how this is a masterpiece of studiness, and the advantages that come from such a kind of industrial stength body.
USB3? Doesn't seem to interest you. Cameras? Yes the resolution is bad but they are clearly thought for video communication. The low light demo from Microsoft was outstanding, did you try to replicate it and what were your own conclusions? Sound? Whatever. Wifi? how good or bad is it? Pen? Barely mentioned there. Isn't it the case that it is one of the best pen tablet available today?