Microsoft announced the Surface Laptop 2 at a Surface event on October 2, 2018, which was designed to be a powerful laptop that gives Apple’s MacBook Pros a run for their money. The Surface Laptop 2 has a starting price of $999 and upgrading some of the specifications could quickly drive the price up to more than $2,000. The Surface Laptop 2 was designed with an aluminum finish and Alcantara fabric for the keyboard.
Here is a breakdown of some of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 pros and cons:
Pulse 2.0 Score: 4 out of 5 Stars
The Microsoft Surface Go has received a Pulse 2.0 Score of 4 out of 5 stars. The reason why the score was on the higher end is due to the beautiful display, speedy performance, and impressive specifications.
Pro #1: Beautiful Display
The bright and sharp 13.5-inch (2256 x 1504 resolution) touchscreen display on the Surface Laptop 2 is beautifully designed and makes staring at the screen for hours at a time a much more pleasant experience. Plus it has a 3:2 aspect ratio touchscreen display and Windows Hello IR camera.
Pro #2: Excellent Keyboard And Trackpad
The keyboard and trackpad are well put together. And both the keyboard and trackpad are comfortable to the touch.
And the backlit keyboard was designed in a way so that it is quieter than before. Plus it has all the function keys you need for controlling your music and videos.
The glass trackpad supports multitouch gestures and is very responsive.
Pro #3: Speedy Performance
The Surface Laptop packs some powerful internal components, making it a speedy machine. Microsoft upgraded the dual-core 7th Gen Intel chips to quad-core 8th Gen Intel chips this year. This enables rapid application launching and strong multitasking abilities.
However, it’s worth mentioning that the integrated graphics in the Surface Laptop 2 does not support hardcore gaming. The Surface Laptop 2 is best used for productivity reasons.
Because of the powerful internal components, the fans rarely turn on.
Pro #4 Additional Color Options
Microsoft has added some additional color options to the Laptop 2. Along with offering the Laptop 2 in silver, blue, and red, it is also available in black and pink (China). As a warning for those of you considering the black version, I recommend having cloth wipes on-hand regularly since you may see your fingerprints smudged on it sometimes.
Con #1: No USB-C Port Or SD Card Reader
The Surface Laptop 2 has a Surface Connector for charging and docking. And it has one USB-A port, a Mini DisplayPort, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Unfortunately, it does not have a USB-C port or an SD card slot.
Con #2: Average Battery Life
Microsoft lists the battery life of the Surface Laptop 2 at 14.5 hours of local video playback. However, it seems to be hitting an average of 7-8 hours of regular usage. I would say that this is not bad, but it is not great either.
Neutral #1: Minor Changes
Since the Surface Laptop was a high-end machine when it was introduced, it did not really require too many changes. So Microsoft just made some minor internal upgrades and added some color options. This gives less of a reason for those of you who already own a Surface Laptop to upgrade. But the upgraded internal hardware gives enough of a reason for consumers who were considering buying a Surface Laptop model to pull the trigger on the Surface Laptop 2.
Neutral #2: Ships With Windows 10 Home
The Surface Laptop 2 is shipping with Windows 10 Home rather than Windows 10 Pro this year. S Mode can be enabled if you would like. But this limits applications to the ones that are available in the Windows Store. Windows 10 Pro requires a paid upgrade.
Want to buy the Microsoft Surface Laptop 2? You can buy one here:
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