How can you check for issues on the surface 2

[umang_k91]

I stay in India, and my father is traveling to the US. I have asked him to buy the surface 2 for me with the type cover 2. I have read about people having issues with the surface 2. I have asked him to buy it at a MS store as far as possible as it looks like they are the best in terms of helping you once you buy the device(over best buy for sure). Are there any issues I should ask him to look out for which he can check easily before he returns? If I find faults with it once he brings it back, it will be really hard to trade it in. Please let me know what you'll can think of. He can check simple stuff. nothing too complex. Also is there anyway to find out if the battery has issues, because that seems to be a problem also with the surface 2.
Thanks in advance

 

[rav16]

I stay in India, and my father is traveling to the US. I have asked him to buy the surface 2 for me with the type cover 2. I have read about people having issues with the surface 2. I have asked him to buy it at a MS store as far as possible as it looks like they are the best in terms of helping you once you buy the device(over best buy for sure). Are there any issues I should ask him to look out for which he can check easily before he returns? If I find faults with it once he brings it back, it will be really hard to trade it in. Please let me know what you'll can think of. He can check simple stuff. nothing too complex. Also is there anyway to find out if the battery has issues, because that seems to be a problem also with the surface 2.
Thanks in advance

I'm exactly in the same boat like you . Iam from Mumbai - India too . And travel to USA very often every year . Infact right now my friend is there and going to come back on the 19th to Mumbai . Iam just a bit apprehensive to order the surface 2 because of the build quality issues which people are reporting and the display problems too . The problem is once it gets here it will be difficult for me to exchange or repair it .

Btw any idea if it's launched in Singapore or Thailand ?

 

[kristalsoldier]

This is a difficult question to answer. One never knows till one opens the box and turns on the device. But if you go through the posts here and at other related forums, you will find the most common concerns such as issues with the screen, WiFi connectivity, running warm/ hot, sluggish interface etc. And, sometimes there may be other hardware related issues such as a lose volume rocker or the power button. Other problems are usually related to apps which, I think, are not covered by MS. Usually, one of the first things that are advised - in case the problem is software/ OS related - is to (soft) reset the device (which does not affect the apps installed and/ or any files and documents) or to (hard) reset the device to factory defaults (which cleans out the device totally). Hardware issues are a completely different matter and may require a replacement.

Having said this, don't you guys think it would be wise to look for a MS service centre and/ or authorized service centre at your location? Or, maybe you already have.

I should also mention that while defects do occur, statistically, I am not sure the number is significant, but it is - like when purchasing anything, particularly electronics - a matter of luck. I am currently on the Surface 2 and had used the Surface RT for about 9 months prior to that. In neither case have I experienced any problems. Sure, I have had issues with apps (such as the Mail app), but then I have not hesitated to reset my device (though, in my case, I still experience issues with the Mail app and am now seriously considering moving to Outlook RT).

 

[rav16]

This is a difficult question to answer. One never knows till one opens the box and turns on the device. But if you go through the posts here and at other related forums, you will find the most common concerns such as issues with the screen, WiFi connectivity, running warm/ hot, sluggish interface etc. And, sometimes there may be other hardware related issues such as a lose volume rocker or the power button. Other problems are usually related to apps which, I think, are not covered by MS. Usually, one of the first things that are advised - in case the problem is software/ OS related - is to (soft) reset the device (which does not affect the apps installed and/ or any files and documents) or to (hard) reset the device to factory defaults (which cleans out the device totally). Hardware issues are a completely different matter and may require a replacement.
.
Having said this, don't you guys think it would be wise to look for a MS service centre and/ or authorized service centre at your location? Or, maybe you already have.

I should also mention that while defects do occur, statistically, I am not sure the number is significant, but it is - like when purchasing anything, particularly electronics - a matter of luck. I am currently on the Surface 2 and had used the Surface RT for about 9 months prior to that. In neither case have I experienced any problems. Sure, I have had issues with apps (such as the Mail app), but then I have not hesitated to reset my device (though, in my case, I still experience issues with the Mail app and am now seriously considering moving to Outlook RT).

Thanx a lot for your reply .

In all honesty how big is the performance difference between surafce rt and surface 2 ? And is there a visible difference in screen too ? Is there any huge difference in day to day use between the surface rt and surface 2 with windows 8.1 ? Iam asking because I can personally get one from Singapore this month but the problem is that they only have released the surface rt there and not the surface 2 . So is it advisable to buy the rt ?

 

[kristalsoldier]

Thanx a lot for your reply .

In all honesty how big is the performance difference between surafce rt and surface 2 ? And is there a visible difference in screen too ? Is there any huge difference in day to day use between the surface rt and surface 2 with windows 8.1 ? Iam asking because I can personally get one from Singapore this month but the problem is that they only have released the surface rt there and not the surface 2 . So is it advisable to buy the rt ?

Wow! Another difficult question to answer. But let me try:

Performance difference: RT has Tegra 3; Surface 2 has Tegra 4. The latter is definitely much snappier than the former. But that said, with the arrival of Win 8.1RT, it has made a huge difference to the RT. Personal opinion: Surface 2 is faster.

Screen: RT has a 720p screen; Surface 2 has a 1080p screen. Obviously the latter will be a bit more crisp than the former, But is it a problem? Not really. In fact, I would say, the screen was not the main reason I bought the Surface 2. But please remember that this is my personal opinion, YMMV.

Difference between RT and Surface 2: For me there were two main reasons why I bought the Surface 2 - (1) the 2-step kickstand. I used to find it a bit uncomfortable to use the RT because of the one angle of the kickstand. The 2-step kickstand of the Surface 2 has made a big difference in my use of the device. (2) The Tegra 4 chip. Certainly, apps open faster than they did on the RT (but remembered that the performance of the RT has improved post the release of Win 8.1RT). Minor reasons for my opting for the new model include: the silver colour, the hardly noticeable difference in weight and thickness as compared to the RT.

Is it advisable to buy the RT? This is really a difficult one. If you get the low prices that I keep reading about that the RT is available at in the US (or, if it is your only option for purchase), then absolutely. But, if not, then I would opt for the Surface 2 simply because it is a newer iteration of the device and to that extent it is as future proof as it can be.

One point: I have read reports that the battery life on the RT apparently slightly better than on the Surface 2. Though I can test both since I still have ready access to my former RT, I have not tested them.

Anyways, hope this helps and good luck with your purchase.

 

[luv2skipow]

Owned both and the Surface 2 is way faster.
Loose volume rocker and excessive backlight bleed are the two things I would check for.
Backlight bleed at boot up in a low light room. Loose rocker evident by just shaking it.

 

[umang_k91]

I'm exactly in the same boat like you . Iam from Mumbai - India too . And travel to USA very often every year . Infact right now my friend is there and going to come back on the 19th to Mumbai . Iam just a bit apprehensive to order the surface 2 because of the build quality issues which people are reporting and the display problems too . The problem is once it gets here it will be difficult for me to exchange or repair it .

Btw any idea if it's launched in Singapore or Thailand ?

yeah I'm form mumbai too. we will probably be the only 2 in mumbai to have a surface. i don't know if it has launched in Singapore yet, but microsoft does have an online presence there for the surface. i don't think thailand will have it.

 

[umang_k91]

This is a difficult question to answer. One never knows till one opens the box and turns on the device. But if you go through the posts here and at other related forums, you will find the most common concerns such as issues with the screen, WiFi connectivity, running warm/ hot, sluggish interface etc. And, sometimes there may be other hardware related issues such as a lose volume rocker or the power button. Other problems are usually related to apps which, I think, are not covered by MS. Usually, one of the first things that are advised - in case the problem is software/ OS related - is to (soft) reset the device (which does not affect the apps installed and/ or any files and documents) or to (hard) reset the device to factory defaults (which cleans out the device totally). Hardware issues are a completely different matter and may require a replacement.

Having said this, don't you guys think it would be wise to look for a MS service centre and/ or authorized service centre at your location? Or, maybe you already have.

I should also mention that while defects do occur, statistically, I am not sure the number is significant, but it is - like when purchasing anything, particularly electronics - a matter of luck. I am currently on the Surface 2 and had used the Surface RT for about 9 months prior to that. In neither case have I experienced any problems. Sure, I have had issues with apps (such as the Mail app), but then I have not hesitated to reset my device (though, in my case, I still experience issues with the Mail app and am now seriously considering moving to Outlook RT).

thanks for your replies. out of curiosity under what conditions does your surface 2 work sluggishly?
i do agree with you about the fact that the number of defective units can be insignificant however this crowd is the most vocal(and rightly so), so it would be hard to tell exactly. however id rather have it checked out before i get stuck with a defective piece for a long time.
Regarding local repairs for the surface thats unlikely as MS has no physical presence for the surface here. The best option for us would be the 2520(because nokia has a HUGE presence in India), but for me the inbuilt usb port and kickstand makes the surface 2 a far better option.

 

[umang_k91]

Owned both and the Surface 2 is way faster.
Loose volume rocker and excessive backlight bleed are the two things I would check for.
Backlight bleed at boot up in a low light room. Loose rocker evident by just shaking it.

thanks a lot for your reply. Could you post a picture of the backlight bleed if possible so i can see if the one bought for me suffers a similar problem. Also do u have anything on the battery life? as that seems to be poor. Also the speakers seem to be a widespread issue, anything on that?

 

[kristalsoldier]

thanks for your replies. out of curiosity under what conditions does your surface 2 work sluggishly?
i do agree with you about the fact that the number of defective units can be insignificant however this crowd is the most vocal(and rightly so), so it would be hard to tell exactly. however id rather have it checked out before i get stuck with a defective piece for a long time.
Regarding local repairs for the surface thats unlikely as MS has no physical presence for the surface here. The best option for us would be the 2520(because nokia has a HUGE presence in India), but for me the inbuilt usb port and kickstand makes the surface 2 a far better option.

TBH, my Surface 2 has not been sluggish at all which, I think, is a function of the Tegra4 SoC. The Surface RT (i.e., the 1st gen device), however, was and is sluggish especially before 8.1 was released. Usually, the sluggishness was apparent when opening up apps and when running more than 2 apps. But some of this problem, I think, has been ameliorated with the 8.1 release. The caveat is that I have not worked on the RT at all after I received by Surface 2. It is currently at the service of my family member.

Btw, I am currently in India and will be in Mumbai the day after tomorrow. Maybe I will be the only one there with a Surface 2?????:smile:

Edit:

Battery life: I suspect the battery life on the RT is slightly better than that of the Surface 2. I think the screen in the Surface 2 plays a role in this. Otherwise I have found the battery life on the Surface 2 to be perfectly acceptable. I have consistently found that I get between 8-9 hours of battery life with the following use: 2 Word documents open; WiFi on; IE11 open with 4 tabs; brightness at default settings with auto-dim on; 1 PDF document open and all applicable Live Tiles on. On the flight to India (which took about 9 hours excluding the time spent travelling to and from airports, the waiting time at airports and with flight mode on), I found that even after working on Office documents (but with no media playing), I had about 50% battery left when I reached my hotel in Mumbai, which is when I plugged it in.

The speaker issue: I rarely use the speakers so I can't speak about that. But yes, reading through various forums, I have found many to be reporting the issue. Apparently, there was a similar issue with the RT also in its initial stages, but was fixed by a s/w update subsequently by MS. One hopes the same will happen in the case of the Surface 2. In this connection, I think that over the next few months, MS will be issuing a number of firmware updates that will further optimize the Surface 2 and of course updates to 8.1 that will refine the OS further.

 

[umang_k91]

TBH, my Surface 2 has not been sluggish at all which, I think, is a function of the Tegra4 SoC. The Surface RT (i.e., the 1st gen device), however, was and is sluggish especially before 8.1 was released. Usually, the sluggishness was apparent when opening up apps and when running more than 2 apps. But some of this problem, I think, has been ameliorated with the 8.1 release. The caveat is that I have not worked on the RT at all after I received by Surface 2. It is currently at the service of my family member.

Btw, I am currently in India and will be in Mumbai the day after tomorrow. Maybe I will be the only one there with a Surface 2?????:smile:

Edit:

Battery life: I suspect the battery life on the RT is slightly better than that of the Surface 2. I think the screen in the Surface 2 plays a role in this. Otherwise I have found the battery life on the Surface 2 to be perfectly acceptable. I have consistently found that I get between 8-9 hours of battery life with the following use: 2 Word documents open; WiFi on; IE11 open with 4 tabs; brightness at default settings with auto-dim on; 1 PDF document open and all applicable Live Tiles on. On the flight to India (which took about 9 hours excluding the time spent travelling to and from airports, the waiting time at airports and with flight mode on), I found that even after working on Office documents (but with no media playing), I had about 50% battery left when I reached my hotel in Mumbai, which is when I plugged it in.

The speaker issue: I rarely use the speakers so I can't speak about that. But yes, reading through various forums, I have found many to be reporting the issue. Apparently, there was a similar issue with the RT also in its initial stages, but was fixed by a s/w update subsequently by MS. One hopes the same will happen in the case of the Surface 2. In this connection, I think that over the next few months, MS will be issuing a number of firmware updates that will further optimize the Surface 2 and of course updates to 8.1 that will refine the OS further.

yeah haha you will probably be the only one in mumbai with a surface 2. Hopefully that will change come sunday. I have only seen one surface in the wild in mumbai, back in September i think, but that was in the rooftop bar of a hotel, so mostly not a locals.
8-9 hours of battery life sounds decent to me honestly, however its sad MS couldn't push it up a lot more given that the iPad Air is thinner, lighter, has a higher resolution screen and the A7 (which is equally good, if not better than the Tegra 4) has better battery life. I hope MS comes out with a fix for the surface 2 like they did with the pro 2 and give it a big bump in battery life.
good to hear that the speaker problem can be resolved in future updates.
also I had 2 more questions,
1)does the surface 2 slow down a lot when you have several things open together, like you said your RT did?
2)does MS have patch Tuesdays for the Surface 2 like they did with the RT?

 

[kristalsoldier]

also I had 2 more questions,
1)does the surface 2 slow down a lot when you have several things open together, like you said your RT did?
2)does MS have patch Tuesdays for the Surface 2 like they did with the RT?

I have not yet had the Surface 2 lag on me... yet!

I have not really followed the MS update schedule, but I do notice that there have been firmware and OS updates (aside from app updates which come in through the store).

Btw, make sore you get a keyboard cover. Personally, I favour the Type Cover 2 (purple in colour and backlit, which I have). Having at least one of the keyboard covers will give you the best and most comprehensive experience of the Surface.

Sadly, on Sunday, I will have left India else there would have been 2 Surface 2s in the wild in BBY!

 

[umang_k91]

I have not yet had the Surface 2 lag on me... yet!

I have not really followed the MS update schedule, but I do notice that there have been firmware and OS updates (aside from app updates which come in through the store).

Btw, make sore you get a keyboard cover. Personally, I favour the Type Cover 2 (purple in colour and backlit, which I have). Having at least one of the keyboard covers will give you the best and most comprehensive experience of the Surface.

Sadly, on Sunday, I will have left India else there would have been 2 Surface 2s in the wild in BBY!

im glad to hear that th surface 2 doesn't lag.. else i would have seriously contemplated the 2520. The inbuilt USB and kickstand just kill it for me.
yeah I'm buying the type cover 2 in black(or maybe cyan). i do like purple but its too bold to buy it without seeing what it looks like. also are there any known issues with the type cover 2's?
what a shame haha... we could have been 2 out of 12-13 million.

 

[kristalsoldier]

Re: Type Cover2: I have not faced any problems thus far. Contrarily, as I mentioned earlier, I think it is excellent.

 

[rav16]

Re: Type Cover2: I have not faced any problems thus far. Contrarily, as I mentioned earlier, I think it is excellent.

Btw which part in Mumbai are you going to be staying brother ?

 

[kristalsoldier]

Btw which part in Mumbai are you going to be staying brother ?

I usually stay at the Orchid Hotel which is near the domestic airport. Or, if I am flush with funds, then at Taj-Lands End (which is not very often because I keep buying gadgets like the Surface 2 :smile

 

[kristalsoldier]

2)does MS have patch Tuesdays for the Surface 2 like they did with the RT?

Take a look at this: Microsoft delivers new batch of Surface updates | ZDNet

 

[umang_k91]

yeah haha i would take the orchid+surface2 over taj lands end. however if you are flush with funds and in mumbai, try staying at the intercontinental on marine drive. the room is full of different gadgets. i saw the rooms back in 2004 and it was stuff i hadn't seen ever before. also thats where i saw the surface in the wild.

thanks for the link. any noticeable change with the new updates?

 

[kristalsoldier]

Well, it was pretty late at night when I downloaded it, at this moment all I can say is that my Surface 2 seems smoother to operate. I'll post later in detail.

Edit: The reason I don't stay on the Marine Drive side of town is because the commute is killing and most of my work is in and around the airport. I was also thinking about the Marriott in Juhu, Have stayed there once and the rooms seemed quite nice.