Surface Book as a Tablet

[slysy]

Is the Surface Book any good as a tablet? I would be using it with the keyboard reversed (used as a kickstand). Is the screen wobble annoying when touching the screen in this configuration?

I know what you are thinking, get the SP4 instead if you want a tablet. But the GPU in the SB is attractive, as I want to also do some gaming.

 

[Lethal_NFS]

The Surface Book is great as a tablet. If you keep it attached to the keyboard, you will experience a lot of wobble though.

The Surface Book is quite buggy though.

 

[slysy]

The Surface Book is great as a tablet. If you keep it attached to the keyboard, you will experience a lot of wobble though.

The Surface Book is quite buggy though.

Thanks for the info. Maybe I should avoid it then. I don't want to use it detached from the keyboard, as there is no kickstand

 

[kevinpleasants]

There are more than one configurations you can use it as a tablet while attached tent mode which you won't experience any wobble. I've found the wobble to be very minimal on my SB. Go into a Best Buy or Microsoft store and try one. If you update your software you'll discover Microsoft has workout all the software bugs. The display driver crash was not only hopping on the SB but with all pc that has the Skyline video card. I think you should try it out. Never mind the software glitches that you may find in a display model because a lot of people have used it. I hope this helps.

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[kaadian]

Without the keyboard it is a great tablet. Battery life a little short but very useable.

with the keyboard reversed it works very well, especially when it is folded flat. A tad heavy perhaps but still manageable.

I'm actually looking for games that work well in tablet mode I enjoy it so much.

 

[Dush Ku]

The screen is big but the clipboard is so light it's great to hold.

 

[zerospace-net]

There are more than one configurations you can use it as a tablet while attached tent mode which you won't experience any wobble. I've found the wobble to be very minimal on my SB. Go into a Best Buy or Microsoft store and try one. If you update your software you'll discover Microsoft has workout all the software bugs. The display driver crash was not only hopping on the SB but with all pc that has the Skyline video card. I think you should try it out. Never mind the software glitches that you may find in a display model because a lot of people have used it. I hope this helps.

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

I respectfully disagree with the statement that MS has worked out the bugs. They have NOT. I used to use my SB in "tent mode" a lot, but stopped because my screen would just go black when I'd detach or re-attach it about 1/3 to half the time after the November update (this never happened prior to the November Windows 10 update). No rhyme or reason to it but I hated forcing it to reboot so often.

SB as a tablet is just OK when compared to a Surface Pro. The Pro 3 (and probably 4, but I don't know as I don't have a Pro 4) is a far, far better tablet experience than the Surface Book, IMHO. For one, Windows 8.1 is more stable as a tablet OS than 10 is currently. For another, the Pro has the built in kickstand for using the device as a tablet. The Book's keyboard base is grossly heavy if you're only using it as a stand and really don't need the laptop capabilities. If you want a tablet, get a Surface Pro and skip the book. If you need a laptop that can be a tablet sometimes, then the Surface Book is nice for that, provided you don't run into the same issue that I do with the black screen on detach/re-attach.

The main reason I went to a Surface Book from the Pro 3 was because I desperately wanted the GPU's power. Intel's integrated graphics are OK, but suck for heftier games & for hardcore graphics work. I completely miss the portability factor of the Surface Pro, but I adore the ability to sit on my couch & watch a baseball game while playing Diablo 3 at the same time, and when I'm done playing, be able to detach the screen and play casual games like Solitaire or surf the web with a lighter unit in my lap. There's just nothing else quite like it. When MS works out more of the bugs (and Intel fixes their drivers), the Surface Book will be a unique & fantastic 2-in-1, but IMHO, it is NOT the best "tablet" on the market by far.

 

[Lethal_NFS]

If you update your software you'll discover Microsoft has workout all the software bugs.

Oh my goodness this is completely false.....

I can not in my right mind direct anyone in the direction of the Surface Book for a tablet. $1,500 for a product that has a lot of bugs to finish working out.

 

[Dush Ku]

The OS and driver updates totally fixed the few problems I had, except battery leak on sleep. The SBook is really solid and totally been worth the money. I didn't get a preorder device though and I don't have the custom dGPU.

 

[etphoto]

I don't have a SB but don't believe the bugs are worked out quite yet. When I first got my Surface 3 it drove me crazy all the bugs. Yet, today, its pretty darn nice. I'd give the SB another month or two and most if not all the bugs will be corrected.

Sent from my Surface 3

 

[spasell]

I respectfully disagree with the statement that MS has worked out the bugs. They have NOT. I used to use my SB in "tent mode" a lot, but stopped because my screen would just go black when I'd detach or re-attach it about 1/3 to half the time after the November update (this never happened prior to the November Windows 10 update). No rhyme or reason to it but I hated forcing it to reboot so often.

SB as a tablet is just OK when compared to a Surface Pro. The Pro 3 (and probably 4, but I don't know as I don't have a Pro 4) is a far, far better tablet experience than the Surface Book, IMHO. For one, Windows 8.1 is more stable as a tablet OS than 10 is currently. For another, the Pro has the built in kickstand for using the device as a tablet. The Book's keyboard base is grossly heavy if you're only using it as a stand and really don't need the laptop capabilities. If you want a tablet, get a Surface Pro and skip the book. If you need a laptop that can be a tablet sometimes, then the Surface Book is nice for that, provided you don't run into the same issue that I do with the black screen on detach/re-attach.

The main reason I went to a Surface Book from the Pro 3 was because I desperately wanted the GPU's power. Intel's integrated graphics are OK, but suck for heftier games & for hardcore graphics work. I completely miss the portability factor of the Surface Pro, but I adore the ability to sit on my couch & watch a baseball game while playing Diablo 3 at the same time, and when I'm done playing, be able to detach the screen and play casual games like Solitaire or surf the web with a lighter unit in my lap. There's just nothing else quite like it. When MS works out more of the bugs (and Intel fixes their drivers), the Surface Book will be a unique & fantastic 2-in-1, but IMHO, it is NOT the best "tablet" on the market by far.

Agree with all of this comment. MS worked out all of the kinks? I'd like what the guy is having. My issues, and many others on the MS website forum, still include:

1. Battery Drain when in sleep (100% to 85% overnight and sometimes worse)
2. Battery Drain when fully powered off!! (100% to 92% over night...full powered off)
3. Screen freezing when removing screen and flipping around in clipboard mode. Full restart required every time
4. With basic tasks, Office, Email, light web browsing, brightness around 50%, battery down to 10% after 6 hours
5. Random crashing and screen freezing. Full restart required
6. Pen disconnects randomly
7. While performing PPT's in meetings, had to restart TWICE with clients. Embarassing

 

[sundog55]

Which is kinda why MS doesn't refer to the SB as a tablet, it's a laptop with a detachable screen ("clipboard"). Comparing as if it were a dedicated tablet is kinda ignoring some of the advantages the SB actually has with it's particular design ie: a laptop.

I have an SB Pro 3 which I've used for a while and just got my SB back in November. The thing I really like is the 3:2 ratio, which makes using it in portrait mode for reading web pages or any kind of page size reading very handy and enjoyable. I don't watch movies on these things, just the occasional short video or something work related, but I do read a lot with it so portrait mode ratio of the Surface and the clarity of the display is a key feature for me. This is even nicer with the Surface book due to the increased screen size, thinner and lighter weight of the display (lack of a kickstand is a non factor since it doesn't support this mode anyway)

With the SB3, when it was on my desk, I had the power cord, a separate display and usb mouse connected to the tablet. If I wanted to use it in portrait to read something, I had to disconnect everything from the tablet before prying it off the keyboard, and then when I was done, reconnect it all back again. Not a huge problem, but did make using in portrait a little cumbersome when I had everything hooked up at the desk and sometimes I would just wouldn't bother.

The Surface book by virtue of having everything connected to the base, solves this problem completely, I can just peel off the display without disconnecting anything. I can't tell you how many times I get up from my desk and peel the screen off and take it with me to another room or the sofa (or the kitchen to make coffee) while keeping up with email, sending im's to my business partners, or watching a webinar or just want to jot a couple notes in ontenote while walking around the house. Come back to my desk and drop it back in the base, and back in business as a laptop. Hell, even sitting at my desk, I'll pull the screen off just to lean back in my chair while reading a document in portrait.

I really like the ease with which I can pop the display off the SB and flip to portrait while leaving all my devices connected to the keyboard. I do this countless times during the course of my day. As a desk workstation, this to me is a useful advantage the SB has compared to my Pro 3.

I still have my SB Pro 3 and still use it as well. Both devices work well in their respective use cases and each has disadvantages and advantages compared to each other. They are both pretty cool.

And as far as issues, the SB is no more/no less than any other computer I've ever owned in my life. Well, except the very first IBM PC AT's back in the 80's, oh man, talk about issues, if the 10mb hard drive lasted the first 4 days before crashing, you were doing very well, lol...

 

[TheGENERAL412]

Just got mine today. Getting it charged to 100% and all the MS Updates and Defender Updates. I guess Ill stop back later tomorrow to give day one full use feedback.

 

[zerospace-net]

Which is kinda why MS doesn't refer to the SB as a tablet, it's a laptop with a detachable screen ("clipboard"). Comparing as if it were a dedicated tablet is kinda ignoring some of the advantages the SB actually has with it's particular design ie: a laptop.

I have an SB Pro 3 which I've used for a while and just got my SB back in November. The thing I really like is the 3:2 ratio, which makes using it in portrait mode for reading web pages or any kind of page size reading very handy and enjoyable. I don't watch movies on these things, just the occasional short video or something work related, but I do read a lot with it so portrait mode ratio of the Surface and the clarity of the display is a key feature for me. This is even nicer with the Surface book due to the increased screen size, thinner and lighter weight of the display (lack of a kickstand is a non factor since it doesn't support this mode anyway)

Surface Book is a laptop first, tablet secondary. Surface Pro is a tablet first, laptop secondary. The kickstand is an issue if you want a better tablet experience vs laptop experience. But if the question is "how is the Surface Book as a tablet", you cannot ignore the lack of kickstand when evaluating its usefulness as a tablet. I sorely miss the Surface Pro 3's kickstand when using the clipboard from the Surface Book. The thinness and lightness of the clipboard unit is great, but it doesn't help me prop the 13 inch tablet up in my lap in the evening while surfing the web. It may not be heavy or thick, but I still find it annoying to hold the SB clipboard for an extended period of time without balancing it on something.

With the SB3, when it was on my desk, I had the power cord, a separate display and usb mouse connected to the tablet. If I wanted to use it in portrait to read something, I had to disconnect everything from the tablet before prying it off the keyboard, and then when I was done, reconnect it all back again. Not a huge problem, but did make using in portrait a little cumbersome when I had everything hooked up at the desk and sometimes I would just wouldn't bother.

The Surface book by virtue of having everything connected to the base, solves this problem completely, I can just peel off the display without disconnecting anything. I can't tell you how many times I get up from my desk and peel the screen off and take it with me to another room or the sofa (or the kitchen to make coffee) while keeping up with email, sending im's to my business partners, or watching a webinar or just want to jot a couple notes in ontenote while walking around the house. Come back to my desk and drop it back in the base, and back in business as a laptop. Hell, even sitting at my desk, I'll pull the screen off just to lean back in my chair while reading a document in portrait.

I really like the ease with which I can pop the display off the SB and flip to portrait while leaving all my devices connected to the keyboard. I do this countless times during the course of my day. As a desk workstation, this to me is a useful advantage the SB has compared to my Pro 3.

I have the Surface Pro 3 docking station, and none of that was ever necessary. Pop the tablet onto the dock (all peripherals/accessories plugged into the dock) and you're good to go for desktop use. I did this every day, as my Surface device is my primary computer, and I docked and undocked the Pro 3 many times per day going between my office and other places. The ease of this was the reason I loved the Pro 3 so much. The experience of undocking the SP3 from the desktop docking station is the same as popping the clipboard off the base on the SB. Pop open the docking station, remove the Surface Pro 3 and voila, you have a tablet with all accessories detached, just like the Surface Book (and the Pro 3 was cheaper even including the docking station). With the proper desktop setup, the two are equal in this regard.

That said, I love the Surface Book, but if someone is looking for a tablet as the primary use case with some time spent using it as a laptop, the Pro 3 or 4 is better, as that is the intended use of those devices. The Surface Book is a laptop that can be a tablet when you need it, not the other way around.

 

[sundog55]

Surface Book is a laptop first, tablet secondary. Surface Pro is a tablet first, laptop secondary. The kickstand is an issue if you want a better tablet experience vs laptop experience. But if the question is "how is the Surface Book as a tablet", you cannot ignore the lack of kickstand when evaluating its usefulness as a tablet. I sorely miss the Surface Pro 3's kickstand when using the clipboard from the Surface Book. The thinness and lightness of the clipboard unit is great, but it doesn't help me prop the 13 inch tablet up in my lap in the evening while surfing the web. It may not be heavy or thick, but I still find it annoying to hold the SB clipboard for an extended period of time without balancing it on something.

Not sure if you read my reply correctly, but I said basically the exact same thing, the SB is a laptop, not a tablet. We are in complete agreement on this point.

I also mentioned my primary use for the tablet, whether it's my SP3 or my SB, is in -portrait- orientation while surfing the web or reading. In this orientation, the kickstand on my SP3 (and the lack of on the SB) is a non factor since you can't use it holding it this way. So be it the SP3 or the SB, I have to prop it or hold it when reading. For -this- use case, I think the SB clipboard comes out ahead as it's bigger (easier to read) and lighter to hold. The only drawback is battery on the SB clipboard, but I have a short attention span so I'm done browsing or reading long before the battery is done.

Maybe I'm the only one, but I find the 3:2 form factor of the SP and SB perfect for page size reading in portrait orientation, I love it and use it this way for any kind of reading I need to do.

I have the Surface Pro 3 docking station, and none of that was ever necessary. Pop the tablet onto the dock (all peripherals/accessories plugged into the dock) and you're good to go for desktop use. I did this every day, as my Surface device is my primary computer, and I docked and undocked the Pro 3 many times per day going between my office and other places. The ease of this was the reason I loved the Pro 3 so much. The experience of undocking the SP3 from the desktop docking station is the same as popping the clipboard off the base on the SB. Pop open the docking station, remove the Surface Pro 3 and voila, you have a tablet with all accessories detached, just like the Surface Book (and the Pro 3 was cheaper even including the docking station). With the proper desktop setup, the two are equal in this regard.

Point taken, yes, if you have the $200 docking station, then they are equal in that regard. I didn't spring for it myself.

That said, I love the Surface Book, but if someone is looking for a tablet as the primary use case with some time spent using it as a laptop, the Pro 3 or 4 is better, as that is the intended use of those devices. The Surface Book is a laptop that can be a tablet when you need it, not the other way around.

Like I said, we are in total agreement here. Each unit has it pluses and minuses, I have them both and think they are both great. I'm lucky I'm able to keep both (though my wife has kinda stolen the SP3)

 

[Lethal_NFS]

The Surface Book has tremendous potential. However, with every 1 thing I love, there are 2 things I hate.

I have no doubt in my mind that eventually the Surface Book line will be the Cadillac of 2 in 1 laptops. And hopefully they can turn the "laptop first, tablet second" in to a "tablet or laptop first". I would love to have both aspects working in perfect harmony. Sadly this is not the case here. Nobody should buy this as their tablet. Such a waste of money if that is your main need.

There are times when I simply love my Surface Book. Yesterday for instance. I was playing on the PS4 and used my SB to Google trophy guides. Sitting in my chair I grabbed my SB and flipped the screen around so I could see the screen while playing and keeping perfect balance. It was great!

Then there are times where the SB is a royal pain in my ***. One day Microsoft will get this thing figured out.

 

[sundog55]

Nobody should buy this as their tablet. Such a waste of money if that is your main need.

If someone buys an SB expecting a tablet, it's a waste of money only because they didn't do their research on what the SB is.

I think Microsoft has been very clear in their marketing of the Surface Book vs the Surface Pro line, that the SB is their 'ultimate laptop', note nothing there about tablet, 2/1, etc, just laptop.

It's the media reviews and user forums that seem to get confused and complain that the Surface book is not a good tablet and scream that Microsoft needs to fix this. There is nothing to fix, this is exactly what they intended to make, a laptop. It's everyone else who is trying to compare it as a standalone tablet, a 2 in 1, hybrid, or this that and the other.

Maybe future revisions will do as you hope, make the tablet/laptop balance a little more even. If that happens, yea sure I'll buy in at that time. But for now, while it's not perfect, the SB and the SP3 are two of the nicest pieces of tech I've ever owned.

There are times when I simply love my Surface Book. Then there are times where the SB is a royal pain in my ***.

Lol, I could use this quote (just substitute the name of the device) and it would apply to every computer I've ever owned or built myself.

 

[TheGENERAL412]

First impressions and issues:
1) Battery not lasting an entire day kind of sucks! Getting about 4-5 hours
2) Had an issue where the screen just started flashing and it wouldn't stop till I restarted
3) Twice now I get this message that there is something wrong with the detach and had to restart two times to get it to go away. The weird thing was the the detach button worked and I was still able to remove from base
4) Fan seems a bit loud and when it is really chugging away the slow down and stop make it feel like its a tower PC fan
5) This 34w power supply BLOWS! 4-5 hours to get a full charge from 10% to 100%

I'm hoping this all works itself out with a few updates...but so far I am totally loving this as my SP3 replacement. Cant wait for the dock to come in next week along with the 65w power supply.

 

[zerospace-net]

Lol, I could use this quote (just substitute the name of the device) and it would apply to every computer I've ever owned or built myself.

Really? All my custom built machines prior to getting the Surface Pro 3 were great -- my last 2 builds (by today's standards, they are old... a P4 and a Core 2 Quad system) were solid & stable for at least 4+ years before I gave them up. My P4 rig lasted more like 5 years and it was STILL stable, just slow, the day I took it apart.

That said, I agree with you regarding the SP3. That thing is a fantastic device. It is easily the best non-custom-built machine experience I've had ... ever. Until the SP3, I always built my own machines. After switching to the SP3, I actually took an old P4 portable gaming rig (built from a Shuttle barebones) and set it up as a NAS. I still have so much love for my Pro 3, and it's still here at my desk though I don't use it anymore. My trust in the Surface Book is not quite there yet, so the SP3 is my backup should my SB completely go nuts one day.

I'm in agreement with Lethal_NFS's feelings about the Surface Book. It's a total joy and a complete pain in my *** all at once. I love it and hate it at the same time, but it could easily be the absolute best 2-in-1 machine on the market if Microsoft & its hardware partners (Intel, nvidia) could fix the issues with the drivers & Windows 10.

But to buy the Surface Book for a tablet? No. Not unless you need a laptop AND a tablet at the same time. Then maybe. I made the switch back to a laptop form factor only because the Surface Book combines what I loved about the Pro 3 (tablet with stylus) with what I need from a mid-range pseudo-gaming laptop (graphics card). It has been utter frustration some days, and total perfection on others. I've kept it in the hopes that MS will work out the bugs and deliver the the most awesome laptop/tablet experience one could ask for -- I think they will, but it may take longer than I'd hoped.

 

[kevinpleasants]

My SB has no bugs in the software. I'm sorry some people are experiencing problems.

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android