Should I buy a SP2017 this month or should I Wait?

[Santiago Del Bono Lonardi]

Hi,

Today I have an HP Elitebook x2 1012 G1 as my secondary device, is a good device but a a little bulky and the battery life is so-so.

I was thinking to sell it and get a new SP2017 (i5 256GB), again, is as my secondary device for my home. Thing is that I am asking if I should not wait till the new "SP 5" (with type C ) arrives...

I didn't hear anything about a new SP..., should I buy a SP2017?

Cheers,

 

[Golfdriver97]

Waiting might not be a bad idea. It can't hurt to at least see what might be coming before making a decision.

 

[Santiago Del Bono Lonardi]

Yes, I agree, but I am tempted because of the deal that I just saw in the 128GB ($799 with the type cover ). Honestly 128GB is enough for me and I can always add an MicroSD Card. I will see...

 

[ven07]

Yes, I agree, but I am tempted because of the deal that I just saw in the 128GB ($799 with the type cover ). Honestly 128GB is enough for me and I can always add an MicroSD Card. I will see...

If it's enough for you and you've done your homework (checked if it can do everything you'll need it to do), I'd say go ahead and dive in. The deal is pretty good

 

[Jcmg62]

Here's the thing with waiting...there's always something new literally just a few months down the road.

You just gotta buy what you need and enjoy it.

Besides, whatever surface product you pick up, chances are you'll be using it for at least 5 years, which is plenty of time for even more cool stuff to arrive

 

[Andrew G1]

I wouldn't hold my breath on a new, updated Surface Pro. There are no indications that one is coming soon (correct me if I'm wrong) and Panos Panay is always saying that he'll only introduce or update a new Surface device if it represents a big change from previous models. So I don't think a Surface Pro refresh is coming in the next few months.

I didn't buy the HP model you quoted because it was too heavy and the reviews said its battery life sucked. Instead I bought a Surface Pro 2017 i5/4GB/128, which I think is the model you're talking about. I love my Surface Pro, with the minor exception of a little light bleed at the bottom of the screen (not noticeable in most scenarios but can get annoying and is clearly a manufacturing error).

If I were confident of being able to get rid of the HP at a good price, then I'd get the new Surface.

If the HP were serving me well but I just wanted more, I'd probably wait, even if I could sell the HP at a good price.

Happy shopping! Good luck with your decision.

Hi,

Today I have an HP Elitebook x2 1012 G1 as my secondary device, is a good device but a a little bulky and the battery life is so-so.

I was thinking to sell it and get a new SP2017 (i5 256GB), again, is as my secondary device for my home. Thing is that I am asking if I should not wait till the new "SP 5" (with type C ) arrives...

I didn't hear anything about a new SP..., should I buy a SP2017?

Cheers,

 

[wpcautobot]

Have you asked Ms to replace your unit with one without light bleed?

 

[DRDiver]

Okay, honestly, why are you waiting on USB-C? I have the SP3 and 2017 SP, and my wife has the SP4. What have we been connecting to it (other than Bluetooth devices)? USB-A. Unless you have a specific device that only comes in USB-C that you need to connect to your tablet, just get an adapter and get a discounted current SP.

 

[Mike Buckhurst]

Too true, I have a surface pro 4 and my wife a dell XPS, what does she use the USB-C port for, an adaptor to give here a network port and some proper USB sockets, her USB C port is a complete waste of time, I've no doubt USB C will become more useful, but there's a reason MS didn't see the need to fit one and so far I'd agree, give it 2 or 3 more years. Hell I've got new a desktop with USB2 ports still, the USB3 ports seem to be in the 'look we've given you some special blue ports' category, C is even further behind.

 

[david kramer4]

Hi,

Today I have an HP Elitebook x2 1012 G1 as my secondary device, is a good device but a a little bulky and the battery life is so-so.

I was thinking to sell it and get a new SP2017 (i5 256GB), again, is as my secondary device for my home. Thing is that I am asking if I should not wait till the new "SP 5" (with type C ) arrives...

I didn't hear anything about a new SP..., should I buy a SP2017?

Cheers,

Have you tried looking at the Eve 5?
Good machine in the fact it included all the ports that others leave off.
https://eve-tech.com/pages/eve-v/

 

[Cruzer1]

Unless you need more power, I say buy the SP. I've got that model i5/256gb and it is sufficient enough as a secondary device/tablet. With the discounts and deals they have now, a SP is now worth its price tag. Dont expect deals if a new SP comes out.

 

[Great deal]

Wait. The Surface Pro 2017 will get cheaper after the new one is released and you will either save money or be convinced to spend more and get a better machine at the start of the lifecycle. 3 months ago id advise you to buy, not now though, were not that far from a new model, if you do need a machine right now, there are other models such as the Dell XPS that are at the start of the lifecycle. A new i5 is faster than the older i7..

 

[Awhispersecho]

I bought the 799.00 i5-128GB with 8GB Ram and keyboard bundle you are considering from Best Buy about a month ago. I traded in my SP4 and got 350 bucks toward it. I am thrilled with it and the difference between it and my previous SP4 is more pronounced than I expected. At this price, if you are cool with 128GB plus an SD card, I would jump on it now.

 

[Akram Eleyan]

I don't advise to wait, SP 2017 is really good machine, just avoid the 4 GB RAM thing if you can. The reason I am saying not to wait, your needs are precise, secondary device, you are not looking for a power-house here, so the dual core CPUs are more than enough.
Add to that, Surface Go was just introduced, with that I don't see any refreshed SP coming anytime soon. So pull the trigger on the SP 2017 with the current good deal. Also why you don't check out the new Go?! It looks ideal as secondary device (I will personally lean towards the SP 2017)

 

[overbored]

The $799 is a great deal. I just picked that up...I love a completely silent machine. It's awesome. My only complaint is the lag/stutter dealing with the taskview. I don't know why the machine does this compared to other integrated graphics machines I have used. Sliding the power bar to the right makes it a little better, but it needs a smoother multi-tasking view. After using my iPad with iOS 12 beta, as a completely and utterly smooth experience switching apps, it feels less than stellar.

 

[Valantar]

Besides, whatever surface product you pick up, chances are you'll be using it for at least 5 years, which is plenty of time for even more cool stuff to arrive

While I agree with your sentiment about buying what you need when you need it, what you're saying here is exactly why waiting makes sense. For a device that'll be in use for more than a year or two (which ought to be any device for the vast majority of people), up-to-date I/O is crucial. Type-C might not matter much today, but in four years? Do you want the main reason to upgrade in the future to be "it has the wrong connector" rather than "it can no longer keep up with my use"?

This is particularly crucial with type-C, as it isn't only a data connector, but also allows for using reasonably priced universally compatible USB-PD chargers and non-proprietary display adapters (the latter of which mDP also supports, of course - but mDP lacks typeC's versatility).

 

[CrippsCorner]

I'm on my third Surface Pro (2017) and all of them had light bleed... I just gave up and learnt to deal with it (I only ever notice it on the ctrl + alt + del screen)

 

[overbored]

I guess I must be lucky with my recently obtained i5/8/128gb as the screen is flawless. I was annoyed watching movies at first though - crushed blacks made everything look terrible. Then I realized there's a color toggle by default set to "enhanced" and I promptly switched it to sRGD. I also created a third profile to lift gamma using the screen calibration tool. I also had to disable the DPST crap that's still on surface that bugs the heck out of me when brightness is below 25%.

 

[Wevenhuis]

For me having used a surface pro first gen as a daily driver, the SP5 2017 has been a significant upgrade. Happy with the choice. I've considered waiting for usb C support, but can manage fine with the current specs. I don't think I would go for an upgrade to usb c if the opportunity came. It does allow a lot more freedom when mobile as usb c charging is more ubiquitous than the proprietary surface charging. But the latter is fast, the SP battery life is significantly better, that I don't really need to charge when at work for my daily use. Charging to full at home is within 2 hours, that's fast.

The achilles heel in my experience is that the proprietary charging. The brick is relatively big and the chargers are expensive. Lose it and its a daychore to find and get one the same day. With usb c would be far less worried, but I'm not sure if it'll charge as fast as as the surface charger. Compromises, compromises.

I will not upgrade for some time. I think these devices are too expensive and good to be replaced within 3 years. That's what I've experienced with the solid firstgen device. The surface pro, if used and handled properly can be used fine for at least 5 yeats in my experience, likely longer, the limiting factor is for microsoft to finish a half baked windows 10. The surface pro deserves a much higher quality stable better featured tablet experience and better performance than is currently being delivered.

For me the lack of joining a faster hardware upgrade cycle is really windows 10 lagging in quality for the surface line.

I would consider upgrading if these conditions are met:
-at least 50% better battery life in teal world perfirmance
-at least 40% better chip performance within the same formfactor
-a better built in application to hold the pen. The magnets are strong, but the magnets are still not good enough in many conditions to not loose the pen. Buying a new pen is an expensive affair you will not want to lose often.
-proprietary fast charging and data transfer over usb c
-a better camera with better image taking algorithm.
-built in gps