I'm thinking of replacing my desktop with a surface pro. What's the longevity of a surface I plan on using this for about 6-7 years for basic stuff web surfing Netflix and reading comics.
Surface pro 2017
- Thread starter david818
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Zachary Boddy
Staff member
The Surface Pro is certainly a premium product that will last as long as you take care of it. The only item you may have issues with in the future is the longevity of the battery. The Surface Pro's battery is extremely difficult to replace and it'll start dwindling down after about five years probably. For the basic tasks you're describing the Pro would certainly do very well although it may be a little overpowered even at the low end.
If you take care of your things, it shouldn't be an issue.
If you take care of your things, it shouldn't be an issue.
xandros9
Active member
The Surface lineup is not for you.
The Surface Laptop, Book and Pro are largely, like their Mac counterparts, disposable computers by design.
Their svelte designs also has the downside of making repair near impossible. When the battery wears out in a couple/few years, that's the end of the computer's use as a portable. If something as small as a power button or as large as the entire display breaks, that's the end of the device altogether.
Do you NEED portability? Because if now, another midsize desktop is the way to go. But if you do, I highly recommend an easier-to-repair computer. I'm a fan of Lenovo ThinkPads and Dell Latitudes since they're often designed to be more robust and serviced by in-house IT rather than replaced outright.
But most other laptop models are an improvement.
The Surface Laptop, Book and Pro are largely, like their Mac counterparts, disposable computers by design.
Their svelte designs also has the downside of making repair near impossible. When the battery wears out in a couple/few years, that's the end of the computer's use as a portable. If something as small as a power button or as large as the entire display breaks, that's the end of the device altogether.
Do you NEED portability? Because if now, another midsize desktop is the way to go. But if you do, I highly recommend an easier-to-repair computer. I'm a fan of Lenovo ThinkPads and Dell Latitudes since they're often designed to be more robust and serviced by in-house IT rather than replaced outright.
But most other laptop models are an improvement.
convergent
New member
I disagree that the battery will be out in a couple of years. Will it degrade, sure. Will it be unusable after 5-6 years, I don't believe so. It might be only giving you half the battery life at that point but could still be very usable.
Unlike some other devices that the battery is hard to replace, the in the Surface Pro it is nearly impossible to replace because there is a lot of glue used in assembly. Perhaps by then some enterprising organization will have developed an approach to replacing them.
Zachary Boddy
Staff member
I doubt that. I think there are definite compromises to buying a high-end, ultra-portable device like a Surface, and potential reparability is one of them. Whether or not the compromises are worth the cost is entirely up to the customer in question.
Go for it! I use one, in work and also at home, in exactly the same way you do. Of course, over the years, I have changed from a SP3 to a 4 and now a 2017 sp. Once you like the form factor you'll be hooked. I've changed machines a LOT over the years yet the Surface Pro is the one form factor I've stayed with.
L0n3N1nja
New member
If it lasts 6 or 7 years I doubt the battery will still hold a charge.
I've got a 3 year old Surface Pro 3, still works well however it runs warmer than it used to and battery life isn't what it was new.
Then these also only have dual core processors, plenty for browsing and Netflix, but how well will it still perform in 5 plus years is hard to predict.
They are great devices, I'm not trying to talk you out of getting one, but realistically it may not last 6 or 7 years as a primary computer.
I've got a 3 year old Surface Pro 3, still works well however it runs warmer than it used to and battery life isn't what it was new.
Then these also only have dual core processors, plenty for browsing and Netflix, but how well will it still perform in 5 plus years is hard to predict.
They are great devices, I'm not trying to talk you out of getting one, but realistically it may not last 6 or 7 years as a primary computer.
ScubaDog
Banned
Well, I bought my SP3 in early 2014 and it is STILL my main device outside of the home studio. I take it almost everywhere. I set it up with the sound techs to run our musical productions at the theater (THANK YOU "Live Performance Player" app. I'll never, ever go back to a laptop. My wife has had her SP4 since they came out, and she loves it. I'm holding on to my SP3 until the prices on the fifth gen SP come down.
deckem
New member
With regard to my Surface Pro 3, I'm on my fourth.
1. Defect out of the box. Bad construction, the screen was sunken into the bezzle. Replaced by shop.
2. Wifi failed. Replaced by MS. First year.
3. Touch screen failed. Replaced by MS. Second year.
Now my complete has expired, so the next fail means a new tablet. Would still god with surface.
In context, I'm also on my fourth iPhone 6. Both devices have had very different lives and suffered from a different defect each time and never due to a physical break on my part.
venom5150
New member
I have had my Original Surface since it's release date on 2/2013 and i still use it. It's no longer my main device as I replaced it with a Surface Book but it's still running great.
Battery life will noticeably degrade after 5 years from my experience. I had a SP3 for 2 years and a SP4 for a year and a half. The SP3 I had replaced at 9 months because the screen developed a yellow streak down the left side. The replacement developed that too after a while but never as bad. The battery on my replacement SP3 degraded a noticeable amount over the year and 4 months I owned it, probably going from 4.5-5 hours down to 3.5-4.5 hours under normal use depending on brightness. A half hour to an hour might not seem like much but since that's only after the first year, it's a big deal imo.
The SP4 was WAY worse. I never had it replaced but it gave me so many more problems than the SP3 on a regular basis it drove me insane. From screen flickering to the type cover randomly quitting for a while, it was bad. The battery life was terrible as well, and degraded over the year and a half from maybe 4.5 hours to being lucky if I got 3. After a year and a half I was out of warranty and the smart port on the bottom that the type cover plugs into failed. I tested new type covers, reset the surface, never got it to work again so I sold it. I can't speak personally to the new SP because I haven't and won't buy one because I'm still leery from past experiences at the moment. Maybe in the future.
Now don't get me wrong, the surface devices are glorious and I very much enjoyed the SP3 and the SP4 when it worked, but the quality control and longevity of the devices, from my point of view, is not great at all. (And let's not bring up the fact that I owned the Band 2 and had it die on me 3 times in a year and half, and one of my friends had it die on him twice. that device was Microsoft's deep dark shame.)
The SP4 was WAY worse. I never had it replaced but it gave me so many more problems than the SP3 on a regular basis it drove me insane. From screen flickering to the type cover randomly quitting for a while, it was bad. The battery life was terrible as well, and degraded over the year and a half from maybe 4.5 hours to being lucky if I got 3. After a year and a half I was out of warranty and the smart port on the bottom that the type cover plugs into failed. I tested new type covers, reset the surface, never got it to work again so I sold it. I can't speak personally to the new SP because I haven't and won't buy one because I'm still leery from past experiences at the moment. Maybe in the future.
Now don't get me wrong, the surface devices are glorious and I very much enjoyed the SP3 and the SP4 when it worked, but the quality control and longevity of the devices, from my point of view, is not great at all. (And let's not bring up the fact that I owned the Band 2 and had it die on me 3 times in a year and half, and one of my friends had it die on him twice. that device was Microsoft's deep dark shame.)
I've been using my original Surface Pro for five years now and it is going strong - though I only use it about 2 hours a day (I have a more recent model at work). I don't see why it shouldn't last another couple years. Battery life will eventually diminish but that doesn't make it unusable. All that being said, using it as your main computer for 8 hours a day for seven years will push it. Microsoft has also been pretty quick to abandon old hardware recently, so I'm not going to vouch that what you buy now will receive OS upgrades seven years from now.
FFugue
New member
I'm writing this from my Surface Pro 1 that I bought at launch 4 years ago. It's still working great! I use it at work every day with a second screen plugged in and then use it some more when I get home. I even used it to do Full HD video editing in Premiere and After Effects for a while.
The only problem it has is the battery life which isn't great (lasts less than two hours, so I use it plugged in most of the time), but it's still good for a first generation device that came out four years ago! The new Surface Pros have MUCH better batteries than this one had when it launched. Also, I had to change the keyboard because the first one I got broke, but again, that was the first generation of a completely new type of keyboard so I'm sure the new keyboards last a lot longer.
DJCBS
New member
"What's the longevity of a surface I plan on using this for about 6-7 years"
Well...it really depends on how much you'll use it. I can only tell you my personal experience:
- Surface RT: I have one pretty much since launch. It'll be 5 years old in December. It still works. Of course, it's slow as hell and barely does anything useful and I haven't used it for the last 3 years except ocasionally if I go on achievement hunting on the Xbox (it serves as a guide). However, the original Surface RT unit I had died after the first 6 months.
- Surface Pro 3: I also have one since launch (It turned 3 years a couple of days ago). It still works fine. The battery, however, goes away quickly so I now barely use it unplugged. But that's pretty much it. However, I had to get a Spectre X360 to replace the Pro 3 for mobility. Because I needed a portable device and the new Surface Pro is way too overpriced for the little that it offers.
However, again, my original Surface Pro 3 unit also died within the first year (well, in this case it was the keyboard connector that died).
So...if you take REALLY good care of it, it *can* last you for 6-7 years. But quite honestly, I wouldn't count on it. The Surface devices are pretty but they are most definitely not the most reliable. And I certainly wouldn't count on them lasting you that long with daily use. Furthermore, the older the device gets the more likely it will be for Microsoft to NOT support it even with hardware repairs. If for example in 4 years you have a problem with the device, it's very likely that Microsoft won't fix it for you, even if you pay them. Because the thing was discontinued already and they don't actually repair devices, they replace them with new units.
I would go for something else. The HP Spectre line is a good one to give a look at. And if you're in the US or any country that Dell covers, their offerings are also worth taking a look at.
Well...it really depends on how much you'll use it. I can only tell you my personal experience:
- Surface RT: I have one pretty much since launch. It'll be 5 years old in December. It still works. Of course, it's slow as hell and barely does anything useful and I haven't used it for the last 3 years except ocasionally if I go on achievement hunting on the Xbox (it serves as a guide). However, the original Surface RT unit I had died after the first 6 months.
- Surface Pro 3: I also have one since launch (It turned 3 years a couple of days ago). It still works fine. The battery, however, goes away quickly so I now barely use it unplugged. But that's pretty much it. However, I had to get a Spectre X360 to replace the Pro 3 for mobility. Because I needed a portable device and the new Surface Pro is way too overpriced for the little that it offers.
However, again, my original Surface Pro 3 unit also died within the first year (well, in this case it was the keyboard connector that died).
So...if you take REALLY good care of it, it *can* last you for 6-7 years. But quite honestly, I wouldn't count on it. The Surface devices are pretty but they are most definitely not the most reliable. And I certainly wouldn't count on them lasting you that long with daily use. Furthermore, the older the device gets the more likely it will be for Microsoft to NOT support it even with hardware repairs. If for example in 4 years you have a problem with the device, it's very likely that Microsoft won't fix it for you, even if you pay them. Because the thing was discontinued already and they don't actually repair devices, they replace them with new units.
I would go for something else. The HP Spectre line is a good one to give a look at. And if you're in the US or any country that Dell covers, their offerings are also worth taking a look at.
I have an Original Surface Pro (1) that I still use regularly. I believe I bought it just over 4 years ago. Battery life on it is still pretty decent. I can easily still get a good couple hours of it with light to medium use. I mainly use it for web surfing, video streaming, the occasional windows store game or light PC gaming, and occasionally for work to remote access other computers and/or edit documents.
My only real gripes about it to this day is just the weight is a little much, screen size is almost too small, and the power button I usually have to hold down for a few seconds to turn it on. However, those are all minor complaints (all of which have been fixed in later generations of the device).
From my experience with my original Surface Pro, I can 100% recommend a Surface Pro product as something that should last you at least 4-5 years and likely much longer.
Despite some of the complaints about various versions of this tech, these devices have always been solid. I know people who use the newer generations as well and everyone seems to love them.
Just my thoughts, but I'd say you're good to go on that purchase.
convergent
New member
Microsoft isn't going to "repair" a Surface Pro at any time, because its glued together and likely impossible to repair.
If you get the extended warranty and happen to "drop it" with about 10 days to go you will be fine on both battery life and performance for 6-7 years. Also if you use it mostly as a desktop with a Surface dock you aren't really using much battery.
Tech lasts a lot longer than us nerds give it credit for.
Tech lasts a lot longer than us nerds give it credit for.
My 2012 Surface RT is still working well every single day. It functions perfectly at all levels of service excepting the following issues.
1.The manual volume switch no longer works. Software control works.
2. I occasionally have to tighten screws on flip stand.
3. Windows 8.1, IE 11 and a slow CPU impede some surfing activities.
My wife has Surface RT 2013. Zero problems.
My wife has Surface 3. Zero problems.
My Surface Pro 3 has had zero problems.
I absolutely recommend the Surface line of products.
1.The manual volume switch no longer works. Software control works.
2. I occasionally have to tighten screws on flip stand.
3. Windows 8.1, IE 11 and a slow CPU impede some surfing activities.
My wife has Surface RT 2013. Zero problems.
My wife has Surface 3. Zero problems.
My Surface Pro 3 has had zero problems.
I absolutely recommend the Surface line of products.
Felix Wong
New member
My Surface Pro 4's battery degraded by 17% in 1.5 years and now the battery lasts only about 4 hours with mixed use and wi-fi on. It's enough to cause "range anxiety." Auxiliary battery options to alleviate such anxiety are also limited due to using a 12V proprietary power connector instead of USB-C.
I would not consider any existing Surface tablet or laptop anymore, unless I was fully confident I'd replace it in 2-3 years max, because of how difficult (or expensive) it is to replace the battery.
For 6-7 year use, I would definitely consider something like the HP Elite x2 G2 (which does have a user-replaceable battery and USB-C) instead, especially if you really wanted this type of form factor.
I would not consider any existing Surface tablet or laptop anymore, unless I was fully confident I'd replace it in 2-3 years max, because of how difficult (or expensive) it is to replace the battery.
For 6-7 year use, I would definitely consider something like the HP Elite x2 G2 (which does have a user-replaceable battery and USB-C) instead, especially if you really wanted this type of form factor.
wpguy
New member
My original Surface Pro purchased in Feb 2013 still works great. I have run almost every PC I've owned for well over five years, and I expect my Surface Pro to last another 2-3 years.
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