The Microsoft Surface Book Review
by Brett Howse on November 10, 2015 8:00 AM EST
When Microsoft first launched the Surface Pro, they decided to tackle a market that was pretty much untested. Sure, tablets had been around for a while already, but no one had packed a full Ultrabook inside of a tablet. True, the initial Surface Pro had some compromises made due to the hardware available at the time, but Microsoft started to build a brand with Surface, a brand that they lifted from another product line altogether. It’s taken a few generations for the hardware to catch up with that original vision, but I think it’s fair to say that the Surface Pro tablet line has solidified itself as the Windows tablet to beat. The build quality, materials, and performance, are really second to none at this time.
I’m talking about branding because it’s one of the most difficult parts of a new product lineup. Microsoft, perhaps more than most companies, has certainly had its struggles with branding over the years. Surface though, has truly been defined, and molded, and evolved, into a strong brand for the company, and it plays right at the high end. And that brings us to Surface Book. Surface Book is an extension of the Surface brand, and Microsoft now wants to try its hands at the laptop market. Their goals for Surface Book are certainly not the same as they were for the original Surface Pro, since the laptop market is already well defined, and there are already many excellent devices available. For Microsoft to throw their hat in the ring in this segment is a much different proposition than before, and to succeed, as well as to continue to evolve the Surface brand, they set out to build what they are calling “The Ultimate Laptop”.
Surface Book certainly keeps the tradition of Surface alive and well. The 13.5-inch laptop has the same 3:2 aspect ratio of the rest of the Surface line, and it is built out of magnesium with the same finish. The fit and finish is very high, and the entire device feels as premium as it should. I think the defining feature of the Surface tablet lineup is the kickstand, and with the Surface Book it is most certainly the hinge. The hinge on the Surface Book is truly unlike anything ever used on a notebook computer before, and while it may not be to everyone’s taste, it certainly draws comments. The hinge, other than a design element, brings a lot of function to the party as well, with it being a key component to keeping this laptop balanced correctly. Balance is generally not an issue with laptops, but the Surface Book has another trick up its sleeve – the display detaches. The Surface Book is hardly the first device to do this, but it is one of the few that has tried to tackle the balance problem with 2-in-1 devices where the screen detaches, and the hinge is a key component to that. Microsoft calls it a Dynamic Fulcrum Hinge, and it extends the base of the laptop slightly to give it more leverage over the display section.
The design is unique, and what is inside is unique as well, at least potentially. There are two models of the Surface Book. The first model is a typical Ultrabook inside, with an Intel Core i5-6300U processor, but the second model is the only detachable laptop which also has a discrete GPU. There are a couple of reasons this has never been done before, with the main reason being it’s very difficult to dissipate the extra heat that a GPU brings to the table. Microsoft has designed the Surface Book with a GPU which lives in the keyboard base, with the rest of the required components behind the display. This gives them two thermal zones, and by moving the GPU to the base like this, it lets the Surface Book cool the CPU and GPU independently. The extra space in the keyboard is then packed with batteries.
| Surface Book | |||
| Core i5 | Core i5 w/GPU | Core i7 w/GPU | |
| GPU | Intel HD 520 | Intel + "NVIDIA GeForce" (Approx. GT 940M) w/1GB GDDR5 |
|
| CPU | 6th Generation Intel Core i5-6300U (15w) | 6th Generation Intel Core i7-6600U (15w) | |
| Memory | 8-16GB RAM | ||
| Display | 13.5" IPS 3000x2000 resolution 1800:1 Contrast Ratio 100% sRGB, individually calibrated 10 point touch and Pen support |
||
| Storage | PCIe 3.0 SSD 128 GB to 1 TB | ||
| I/O | USB 3.0 x 2 (In Base) SD Card reader (In Base) Surface Connector (In Tablet and Base) Headset Jack Mini DisplayPort |
||
| Dimensions | Laptop (mm) : 232 x 312 x 13.0-22.8 (inches) : 9.14 x 12.3 x 0.51-0.90 Tablet Only (mm) : 220.2 x 312.3 x 7.7 (inches) : 8.67 x 12.3 x 0.30 |
||
| Weight | Laptop 1.515 kg / 3.34 lbs Tablet Only 726 g / 1.6 lbs |
Laptop 1.579 kg / 3.48 lbs Tablet Only 726 g / 1.6 lbs |
|
| Camera | Windows Hello (Front) 8 MP Rear Facing 5 MP Front Facing |
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| Price | $1499+ | $1899+ | $2099+ |
Looking at the specifications, one thing to point out is the battery capacity. Most Ultrabooks would average somewhere around 50 Wh of capacity, with a few somewhat higher and a few somewhat lower. By combining the battery in the tablet, which Microsoft calls the Clipboard, with the base, the Surface Book has an amazing 70 Wh of battery capacity. This should help out on battery life, assuming the 3000x2000 display doesn’t drag that down. The rest of the Surface Book is pretty similar to the Surface Pro 4, with PCIe NVMe storage options up to 1 TB, and touch and pen support via the PixelSense display. There are also two USB 3.0 ports in the base, along with a DisplayPort output, and the Surface Connect port which is used for charging, as well as connecting the Surface Dock. There are no ports on the Clipboard at all, with the exception of the Surface Connect port, so if you are using the Clipboard on its own, you will have to dock it to access USB. Like the Surface Pro 4, it would have been nice to see a USB Type-C port included, and the Clipboard would be a perfect spot for that.
Microsoft is calling the Surface Book “The Ultimate Laptop” and that is a pretty lofty goal for a first generation product. In this review, we will examine all aspects of the Surface Book and see how they compare to the best laptops around. Let’s start with the design.
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s.yu - Sunday, November 15, 2015 - link
Many ultrabook displays cover the same color gamut with just as good color and greyscale Delta E They're calibrated, they just don't advertise it so much. You're fooled by MS. As for 13.5" 3:2, 14" 16:9 is similar and you could get more done on the new XPS15's 15.6" screen, with more screen and less bezel.450nits, yeah that's unique, however quite useless. It's like Xperia Z4's ~800nits panel, nobody needs that much and sunlight visibility ends up slightly worse than S6's panel which topped at ~600nits. I just got a new panel for my notebook because the old one leaked liquid crystal. It's much brighter and sometimes seemed too vibrant (I admit it's 95% AdobeRGB) when displaying some saturated colors, which reminded me how much the old one's backlight aged in 3 years, but when I calibrated it, Spyder showed that it was only 194nits, I couldn't believe it as I was almost sure it's over 250nits just looking at it with my bare eyes, so I'm positive that I'll never need anything past 250nits on a notebook.
The narrow gamut on the MSB however, couldn't be made up for.
ninjacut - Tuesday, November 10, 2015 - link
After coming from Dell, Lenovo, HP I always wanted Microsoft to build their own laptop. So the Surface Book announcement was very exciting.The good technical part was covered well by Anandtech, with some gaps around pen, etc. with some obvious Apple bias creeping. But I don't agree with the conclusion. After the Nov 2 update, I have no issues with the unit. On the contrary, having used the device last 2 weeks made me realize how productive this device is.
I am impressed with the keyboard, touchpad, pen very superior to any earlier experience. The display is awesome in size and richness. Biggest surprise was how light is the display unit in tablet mode, hard to realize it has a Core i7 running with 8GB and 256 SSD.
In one of my recent meetings, I just removed the display and handed over to the client to go through some dashboards and he was flabbergasted. The meeting turned out very positive.
This unit is a keeper, and if the updates come in regularly I never will buy any other OEM laptop for sure
Cobalt Wraith - Tuesday, November 10, 2015 - link
Dito, in the same book and have not encountered any of the allegedly prevalent problems.s.yu - Wednesday, November 11, 2015 - link
Go on Amazon to read the amazing number of 1 star reviews. Some complained a great deal but gave 3-4 stars out of decency.solipsism - Tuesday, November 10, 2015 - link
1) I'm glad to see that the trackpad feel and firmware is decent.2) I don't know if it comes to down to a lack of volume or a lack of expertise, but MS's horrible use of space on their logic boards repeatedly wastes a shitload of space that could reduce the device volume, reduce the weight, and/or allow for a larger battery.
nikon133 - Tuesday, November 10, 2015 - link
Leaving space for next gen improvements? :)nerd1 - Tuesday, November 10, 2015 - link
Returning mine soon. May get thinkpad 460 instead.Teknobug - Tuesday, November 10, 2015 - link
Got my eye on HP Spectre x360 or Dell 13 7000, but saw the Yoga 3 Pro too.nerd1 - Tuesday, November 10, 2015 - link
x360 is a really nice device. Good build, nice screen (even 1080p), good keyboard and big battery. I don't like the weird trackpad (still usable though) and garbage synaptics pen though.It will be great if HP release a new x360 with 3:2 screen and wacom AES pen. I'd gladly pay $1500 if they make one.
GeorgeH - Tuesday, November 10, 2015 - link
I'm going to be "that guy".1) Not putting any information about the competing laptops (esp. CPU) makes the performance comparisons almost completely worthless, especially when you consider how sensitive U-series CPUs can be to their thermal solution and firmware configuration. I could of course assume that they are specced as tested in previous AT reviews, but why should I be doing that work?
2) A “bunch of battery” doesn't just disappear (conclusions). Either the battery life indication is bad or you’re not properly conducting/controlling the test. The fact that the Book’s fans became audible and very hot when closed makes me guess that Windows detected an idle state and was doing background tasks. That further tells me that the tests probably weren’t properly controlled and have significant margins of error.
3) I understand you no longer have review models in house, but there’s absolutely no mention of different Windows versions (or CPU/hardware differences) in your battery life tests (I know Win8/10 are almost identical, but still). Could the Book’s superior life be due to Windows 10, OS optimization work Microsoft did specifically for the Book, generational CPU improvements, or something else? Any of those could have been addressed and/or tested for, but instead we get an insipid “dunno, GDDR5?” statement. When we consider the fact that the GPU is undockable and that this device is therefore uniquely capable of a rough analysis of how adding a discrete GPU affects laptop battery life, that kind of “hell if I know” statement is even more ludicrous.
This was an OK review when compared to the raft of “long forum post” reviews available elsewhere, but very disappointing in relation to what I expect from an AT review.