Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 Review: If It's Not Broken

Last year, Microsoft finally did what everyone expected: a laptop. Not a tablet that can be a laptop if you connect a keyboard, not a 2-in-1 device that you can detach from the screen to use as a tablet, but a simple and honest notebook flip . The Surface laptop was also a very good laptop – Microsoft has practically implemented everything and is therefore one of the best laptops of the year.

So, for this year's Surface Laptop 2, Microsoft has changed … basically nothing. The Surface Laptop 2 is pretty much the same computer as the first Surface laptop, with updated internal components and some extra color options. The price is even the same: the 2 laptop starts at $ 999 and can be set to exceed $ 2,000. Most people will be satisfied with the $ 1,299 option, which offers a comfortable amount of local storage and unlocks options for new colors.

Is all this a bad thing? I do not think so, the Surface Laptop 2 is a computer as good as the model of last year and it does a lot of things that matter with a laptop. As the saying goes, if it is not broken, do not correct it, and so on. But since the release of the Laptop Surface last year, several noteworthy notebooks from manufacturers such as Huawei and HP offer more modern options, more modern designs or more powerful components. The Surface Laptop 2 is playing the same ball as the Laptop Surface last year, but this time the game has changed a bit.

There is not much to say about the design and hardware of the Surface Laptop 2 that was not addressed in our review of the first model. It is always elegant, but not too elegant; light, but not too light; A well-made laptop, but not flawless, easy to carry, easy to use during a ride and easy to watch for hours at a time. All the features of the Surface Laptop have been reported: aluminum finish, Alcantara fabric on the keyboard deck, touch screen to 3: 2 aspect ratio and Windows Hello IR camera for hands-free connection.

Microsoft claims to have redesigned the keyboard of the laptop 2 so that it is a little quieter than before and, it is certain, that it is a little quieter than the model of last year. But the keyboard of the first laptop was not very loud at first, so I'm not sure most people will notice a difference without comparing them side by side. In both cases, the keyboard is backlit, very comfortable typing on the keyboard and contains all the expected function keys to control the media content, volume or slider.

Similarly, the trackpad of the Notebook 2 is covered with glass, very smooth and very comfortable to use. It records multitouch gestures without problems and, although it is not as spacious as the gigantic trackpads of the MacBook Pro range, it is nevertheless very bulky.

There was a lot of dismay and concern regarding the use of Alcantara on the keyboard of the first laptop. I used a Surface laptop for most of last year as the main computer. Even the light gray model held up surprisingly well, with just a bit of darkening at the place where my palms lie. This is not a problem for me, but if you are worried about it, you may want to choose the new black color that will probably hide the wear better.

This brings me to the change from last year: you can get the Laptop Surface 2 in black or pink (in China), in addition to the silver, blue and red models available last year . I'm using the black model for this exam and everything is fine, but nothing special. It does not really have the same textured finish as the Surface Pro 6 black, and fingerprints are a little more visible. I would choose the blue or red model, which is more interesting than black or silver.

For ports, the Surface Laptop 2 has the same low selection as before: a Surface connector for charging and docking, a single USB-A port, a Mini DisplayPort, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Microsoft has not added a USB-C port, which is disappointing given that Surface Book 2 and Surface Go offer one. As a result, I can not use the Laptop 2 Charger to charge my USB-C smartphone or connect USB-C accessories or displays without an expensive and cumbersome adapter.

There is also no SD card slot. So, whenever I have to transfer images from my camera, I have to use an external drive plugged into the only USB-A port. Few computers now have a full-size SD card slot, but the vast majority of Surface Laptop 2 price and size laptops have multiple USB ports and offer both USB-A ports. and USB-C. It's frustrating that the laptop 2 is still so limited in ports.

The main changes in the Surface Laptop 2 are therefore all under the hood. Microsoft has upgraded processor options from Intel's 7th Generation Dual-Core Chipsets to the 8th Generation Quad-Core Versions. The base models come with a Core i5-8250U processor, but you can upgrade to a Core i7-8650U if you decide to spend $ 1,599 or more. I tested the model at $ 1,299, bundled with the Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

As we saw with the 8th generation processors in many other laptops this year, the performance of last year's models has been significantly compromised, especially when it comes to tasks requiring multicore processing . However, even though I do not have a performance problem with Laptop 2, it is not faster than the previous model for basic daily work in a browser, write in Word, check emails, communicate with Slack, etc. It does everything quickly, with the only performance snag coming when I switch between virtual desktops and the jerks of the UI. It should be noted that this essentially happens with all Windows 10 computers, which is not unique to Laptop 2.

In addition, the new chips do not make the laptop 2 more proficient in the game. Its integrated graphics are no match for high-end games, and it does not have the discrete graphics options of the Huawei MateBook X Pro and other computers in this price range.

Laptop 2 is not a fanless computer, but you can imagine it. Fans rarely turn, and when they do, they are quiet and discreet.

Microsoft claims that even with the newer processors and more power, the Laptop 2 keeps last year's battery life of the model and, in my experience, that's largely true. In my experience, what is not true is Microsoft's 14.5-hour battery life claim, based on loop-through video testing and not actual use. In my use, I have a battery life of about seven hours between charges, which is certainly respectable, but there is nothing too exciting.

Finally, the other modification made by Microsoft is the laptop 2 delivered with Windows 10 Home, and not the S mode on Windows 10 Pro released last year. You can still activate S mode if you want, but if you want to use programs that are not available in the Windows Store, you should not do it. If you want to use Windows 10 Pro on the 2 laptop, you will have to pay to upgrade it.

Overall, the Laptop 2 is a great laptop, just like last year's version. It works well, does everything you expect from an uncompromising laptop or odd pitfalls and looks nice to start. It's easy to see that this is the default choice for laptops for Windows clients and even for those who aspire to update the MacBook Air and are not happy with other Apple MacBook options.

But I can not say it's the best laptop right now, because there are other options that offer better performance, equally elegant models, and more modern port selections. The Laptop Surface was certainly not down, but Microsoft could have done a little more to improve the Surface Laptop 2.

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