Just thought I'd post my thoughts on the Surface 2 I received as an advanced exchange last week. I had a few niggly issues with mine so thought I'd take advantage of the fact that MFST support staff will recommend exchanging it if you tell them about the BSOD on refresh (which is mental as it seems >99% of S2 with Dec update will do this - perhaps the reason why stock is so low!)
In comparison to my original Surface (purchased from JL in UK December)
1. Build quality feels slightly better overall. Tighter power button and volume rocker. The matte grey plastic surrounding the rear camera fits slightly more flush and has a "smoother" texture. Incidentally, the chassis has a tiny variation in design with a slight recess on one of the edges that sits flush with the kickstand that is not present on my older one - maybe just because of thicker coating in this area though. My original had a small area of chipped away coating on one of the corners - no such issues with the replacement. The new one is 4 grams heavier!
2. HDMI output: The replacement consistently outputs to my HDTV in proper 32 bit colour.The original, even updating all the drivers properly, would require a restart with the TV connected or it would output in 16 bit colour. No change in default sound output via HDMI - annoyingly you still have to open the control panel sound settings before it will output sound via HDMI instead of the internal speakers.
3. Screen: To my eye, on max brightness and with all drivers updated, the replacement has a slightly dimmer screen. Doesn't bother me as I never use max brightness, but worth noting perhaps. It also has a tiny (acceptable) amount of backlight bleed on the lower edge, wheras my original was bleed-free. Interestingly, there is slightly more banding on the newer screen on the live tiles also - both display this, but it is definitely more obvious.
I suspect that the screen is a downgrade overall.
4. Battery life: The major difference between the two lies in battery life - I was always slightly disappointed by mine and in fact ran into the BSOD on refresh originally because I wondered if performing a fresh reset would improve things. I would average around 6:45 estimated life in the battery report using the device for almost solely light-ish web browsing. Updating to the Dec drivers didn't change this at all.
My replacement is estimating approx 8:15 with exactly the same use (including live tiles,30% brightness etc etc) after 3-4 days. The difference is noticeable.
Thats about it. Overall - if you've any significant concern about either battery life / HDMI output not working properly, I'd think about an exchange, particularly as the BSOD on refresh gives you the opportunity to do this no questions asked for the time being (I presume at some point MFST may issue a fix!). However, its seems that there is a risk you might get a dimmer screen!
In comparison to my original Surface (purchased from JL in UK December)
1. Build quality feels slightly better overall. Tighter power button and volume rocker. The matte grey plastic surrounding the rear camera fits slightly more flush and has a "smoother" texture. Incidentally, the chassis has a tiny variation in design with a slight recess on one of the edges that sits flush with the kickstand that is not present on my older one - maybe just because of thicker coating in this area though. My original had a small area of chipped away coating on one of the corners - no such issues with the replacement. The new one is 4 grams heavier!
2. HDMI output: The replacement consistently outputs to my HDTV in proper 32 bit colour.The original, even updating all the drivers properly, would require a restart with the TV connected or it would output in 16 bit colour. No change in default sound output via HDMI - annoyingly you still have to open the control panel sound settings before it will output sound via HDMI instead of the internal speakers.
3. Screen: To my eye, on max brightness and with all drivers updated, the replacement has a slightly dimmer screen. Doesn't bother me as I never use max brightness, but worth noting perhaps. It also has a tiny (acceptable) amount of backlight bleed on the lower edge, wheras my original was bleed-free. Interestingly, there is slightly more banding on the newer screen on the live tiles also - both display this, but it is definitely more obvious.
I suspect that the screen is a downgrade overall.
4. Battery life: The major difference between the two lies in battery life - I was always slightly disappointed by mine and in fact ran into the BSOD on refresh originally because I wondered if performing a fresh reset would improve things. I would average around 6:45 estimated life in the battery report using the device for almost solely light-ish web browsing. Updating to the Dec drivers didn't change this at all.
My replacement is estimating approx 8:15 with exactly the same use (including live tiles,30% brightness etc etc) after 3-4 days. The difference is noticeable.
Thats about it. Overall - if you've any significant concern about either battery life / HDMI output not working properly, I'd think about an exchange, particularly as the BSOD on refresh gives you the opportunity to do this no questions asked for the time being (I presume at some point MFST may issue a fix!). However, its seems that there is a risk you might get a dimmer screen!
Last edited:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram