Entry-level SB2 worth it?

[BrickToTheFace]

I'm in the market for a new laptop and an heavily considering a Surface device. Build quality, looks and, hopefully, durability. Also great screens.

I don't do anything crazy with it. Work (browser based), email, Spotify, calendar and a bunch of tabs open. Watch videos (local and streaming). I don't really need the whole pen thing, but I love the "on the couch" form factor of the SP tablet.

I was going to get a SP5, but the entire line seems to suffer from lightbleed issues. Haven't seen a single good one yet.

Then someone told me... For the price of the SP i5/8Gig and the type cover you might as well get a SB2. Better build quality, longer battery, etc.

What do you guys think? Or should I just get a Surface Laptop?

 

[xandros9]

If durability is important, you'd be way better served by a ThinkPad or Latitude since they're less fragile and easier to repair at the cost of being a bit less svelte.

I think this is a good thread discussing the current Surface lineup.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/7ks9fd/surface_book_2_base_model_worth_it/

 

[BrickToTheFace]

If durability is important, you'd be way better served by a ThinkPad or Latitude since they're less fragile and easier to repair at the cost of being a bit less svelte.

I think this is a good thread discussing the current Surface lineup.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/7ks9fd/surface_book_2_base_model_worth_it/

Thanks for the tip. I'm afraid neither is an option at my retailer. :/

 

[cwc2311]

Amazon has the first generation Surface Book with a Core i5 processor, 256 GM SSD, and integrated Nvidia GPU for under $900 new. Maybe give that a look if it's an option.

 

[covfefe]

Booklet.

 

[giganotosaurus]

I'm in the market for a new laptop and an heavily considering a Surface device. Build quality, looks and, hopefully, durability. Also great screens.

I don't do anything crazy with it. Work (browser based), email, Spotify, calendar and a bunch of tabs open. Watch videos (local and streaming). I don't really need the whole pen thing, but I love the "on the couch" form factor of the SP tablet.

I was going to get a SP5, but the entire line seems to suffer from lightbleed issues. Haven't seen a single good one yet.

Then someone told me... For the price of the SP i5/8Gig and the type cover you might as well get a SB2. Better build quality, longer battery, etc.

What do you guys think? Or should I just get a Surface Laptop?

Surface laptop is what you need. Surface book, entry level is a sweet device, but if you don't care about the pen, the laptop is all you need.. the book is more than what most people need if you aren't buying the dual GPU device

 

[Drew Neilson]

I'm in the market for a new laptop and an heavily considering a Surface device. Build quality, looks and, hopefully, durability. Also great screens.

I don't do anything crazy with it. Work (browser based), email, Spotify, calendar and a bunch of tabs open. Watch videos (local and streaming). I don't really need the whole pen thing, but I love the "on the couch" form factor of the SP tablet.

I was going to get a SP5, but the entire line seems to suffer from lightbleed issues. Haven't seen a single good one yet.

Then someone told me... For the price of the SP i5/8Gig and the type cover you might as well get a SB2. Better build quality, longer battery, etc.

What do you guys think? Or should I just get a Surface Laptop?

I just bought a new Surface Pro with LTE, and prior to buying it I asked myself a similar question: should I buy a Surface Book 2 or a 2017 Surface Pro. (Side note: you called it the Surface Pro 5. There is no such thing as a Surface Pro 5. You should call it the '2017 Surface Pro', since 2017 is when it was released.) I chose the Surface Pro because it is the only of the two choices that is available with LTE as an option, and also the battery life of the Surface Pro is better than the battery life of the Surface Book 2 when the Surface Book 2 is detached from its base. If you plan on spending a lot of time using it like a tablet and holding it like a tablet, keep in mind that the Surface Pro series was designed FIRST AND FOREMOST as a tablet, while the Surface Book series was seemingly designed to only be used away from its base for short periods of time. Sure, you could detach the Surface Book's tablet half from the base, reattach it with the screen facing away from you, fold the screen down flat against the base, and pick up and hold the whole thing like it was a tablet, and use it like a tablet while still getting the benefit of the extended battery life provided by its base, but then you'd be carrying the weight of both the tablet and the base. If you plan on spending a lot of time using your Surface as a tablet, then maybe you should get a Surface Pro. If, however, you plan on using it mostly as a laptop (with occasional use as a tablet), then maybe get a Surface Book. I decided that I wanted to spend a lot of time using mine as a tablet, and I also wanted built-in LTE, so I chose the 2017 Surface Pro with LTE.

P.S. You said that you were afraid of light bleed. Read this:
https://www.windowscentral.com/does-surface-pro-have-light-bleed-issue. I was worried about light bleed in the 2017 Surface Pro, but that article calmed my worries.

You can also read this if you want to, but I personally haven't read it:
https://www.windowscentral.com/does-your-surface-pro-have-light-bleed-problems

 

[Jcmg62]

I'm in the market for a new laptop and an heavily considering a Surface device. Build quality, looks and, hopefully, durability. Also great screens.

I don't do anything crazy with it. Work (browser based), email, Spotify, calendar and a bunch of tabs open. Watch videos (local and streaming). I don't really need the whole pen thing, but I love the "on the couch" form factor of the SP tablet.

I was going to get a SP5, but the entire line seems to suffer from lightbleed issues. Haven't seen a single good one yet.

Then someone told me... For the price of the SP i5/8Gig and the type cover you might as well get a SB2. Better build quality, longer battery, etc.

What do you guys think? Or should I just get a Surface Laptop?

A couple of months ago, I was having the same debate as you are right now

Eventually, I went with the Surface Book 2. My reasoning was this:

I own a Surface Pro 4 and it's an awesome device, but ever since Panos got up on that stage in 2015 and blew the audience away with the first Surface Book, I was hooked.

I absolutely needed to own one.

So I saved for 3 years and eventually bought the i5 8GB model last month.

I'm just going to say it...it's the best goddam machine I've ever owned and I still get excited when I fire it up each morning. And that hinge...it's an engineering marvel.

The fact is, whether you get a pro, book or laptop, as long as it's a Surface, you're instantly buying into high quality and you won't be disappointed.

But if you want something to really show off in front of your family and friends, get the Book, because I guarantee you no other 2-in-1 device on earth does screen detachment as mind-blowingly