How does Surface 2 Pro compare with 3rd party tablets?

[bsayegh]

Were I to get a tablet, I generally assumed that I would get a Surface product. I figured MS knows what they are doing and has a lot riding on it, so they would make the best product possible. There are, however, a lot of great alternatives that I have heard of, many of which are cheaper. The new Lenovo Thinkpad they just reported on looks really nice. The screen is a little too small for me, but I like the display and that cool "bend-part-of-the-cover-to-turn-on-the-camera" trick. The Yoga series also looks great and I think the overall flexibility makes it seem more like a very portable laptop. Dell has plenty of devices, but I don't rally hear much about them.

I have looked at the specs and at least messed around with a Surface 2 at Best Buy, but I haven't really spent much time with the others. Is the Surface line likely to be the leader in Windows 8 tablets or are there better alternatives?

 

[Jorlon]

Hello Bsayegh

Honestly you can not really compare the Surface 2 Pro to regular 3rd party tablets. The Surface 2 Pro is both a tablet and a computer allowing you to install anything you want that you would normally have on a computer. The Surface 2 however is just a tablet with desktop mode for Office and IE and you can only download apps from the Microsoft store just like most 3rd party tablets, not sure if 3rd party tablets have desktop mode though.

 

[mase123987]

To me, it really comes down to what you want out of your computer and how you use it. Surface Pro 2 is a great tablet PC. It makes sense if you want to take advantage of the power of i-series processors, active digitizer, Surface keyboards and the tablet form factor.

Here was my biggest issue with the Surface line and why I would go with the Yoga line: couch use. I use my devices while on the couch. While it is certainly possible to use a Surface tablet (with keyboard) on your lap, it isn't the most comfortable and it limits how you can move around.

Honestly though, it really depends on what you will be doing it with.

 

[bsayegh]

I thought anything with the word "Pro" meant it ran the same OS as Surface 2 Pro. There are a few of them out there. I could be totally wrong though and they are just RT tablets with higher specs.

 

[bsayegh]

To me, it really comes down to what you want out of your computer and how you use it. Surface Pro 2 is a great tablet PC. It makes sense if you want to take advantage of the power of i-series processors, active digitizer, Surface keyboards and the tablet form factor.

Here was my biggest issue with the Surface line and why I would go with the Yoga line: couch use. I use my devices while on the couch. While it is certainly possible to use a Surface tablet (with keyboard) on your lap, it isn't the most comfortable and it limits how you can move around.

Honestly though, it really depends on what you will be doing it with.

I personally don't have much use for a tablet. I have a laptop, which is portable enough around the house. I was actually thinking of getting a tablet for my girlfriend. Her jobs basically requires her to work around the clock. She has a laptop that she lugs around, and I don't think the specs of that laptop are any better than a Surface Pro. She mostly uses Office and IE, so an RT tablet might be perfectly fine for her, but I figured she would appreciate it more if she could do basically anything on it. Maybe she could totally replace her laptop with something just as powerful but more portable.

If I got the base model Pro 2 with the keyboard cover, it would cost around $930, right? There are other devices that are cheaper and come with a keyboard as well, but maybe they aren't as portable or aren't as powerful? I know there are 2-in-1s out there that are similarly priced, but I haven't had the chance to play with one to get an idea of how they feel.

 

[mase123987]

I personally don't have much use for a tablet. I have a laptop, which is portable enough around the house. I was actually thinking of getting a tablet for my girlfriend. Her jobs basically requires her to work around the clock. She has a laptop that she lugs around, and I don't think the specs of that laptop are any better than a Surface Pro. She mostly uses Office and IE, so an RT tablet might be perfectly fine for her, but I figured she would appreciate it more if she could do basically anything on it. Maybe she could totally replace her laptop with something just as powerful but more portable.

If I got the base model Pro 2 with the keyboard cover, it would cost around $930, right? There are other devices that are cheaper and come with a keyboard as well, but maybe they aren't as portable or aren't as powerful? I know there are 2-in-1s out there that are similarly priced, but I haven't had the chance to play with one to get an idea of how they feel.

Here is what I would get: Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga Pro 2 Ultrabook 2in1 13.3" TouchScreen Laptop 4GB Memory YOGA 2 PRO - 59386387 - Best Buy

It is pretty light considering it is a laptop and not too heavy when you want to use it as a tablet. It can easily replace her current laptop. It will also be much better for lap use.

 

[Jorlon]

Here is what I would get: Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga Pro 2 Ultrabook 2in1 13.3" TouchScreen Laptop 4GB Memory YOGA 2 PRO - 59386387 - Best Buy

It is pretty light considering it is a laptop and not too heavy when you want to use it as a tablet. It can easily replace her current laptop. It will also be much better for lap use.

That's not bad at all for the price.

 

[MBytes]

To me, I think that the digitizer pen input is a must for work. The simple fact that the pen provides a thin/small point compared to your fingers, makes jumping to text locations easy. You can also insert with ease drawing, sketches and diagrams (and math). While possible with a keyboard and mouse it's definitely more time consuming by a long shot (unless you use Visio for your diagrams, but that is more for official final work to show, and not just express an idea on the go)

I have done extensive research, and I found massive flaws or potential issues in nearly all offering, except the ThinkPad Yoga (the one with the digitize pen), and the Surface Pro 2. Both are very good products.

The Surface 2 is also a great choice, but I see it more as for students in a non-science, non-medical, non-engineer class, where its nearly all typing. The power of OneNote and Office on your side on the device is great, and with Flash in IE11 it provides you with a great web experience that you won't be blocked with anything. You can edit and view PDF with Word, and you have the Reader app (let alone you can download Adobe Reader Windows 8 App).

The Surface Pro 2 strength is providing similar battery life as the ThinkPad Yoga, similar feature, but is more compact. It must be noted that, however, if you plan to use Windows desktop a lot, at native DPI setting (100%) to enjoy the full workspace of the provided 1080p display. You must have good eyes that see things small. Personally I have no issues, and I can see fine with a small distance, but i know many won't be able to. The yoga, being bigger and same resolution, makes that setup easier, as things will be larger. (there is a half way DPI settings if you wonder). Go at the store that has a Surface Pro and check it out.

It must be noted that the ThinkPad Yoga is using a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) to control the back light level of the screen, instead of using a real dimming circuit (costs more to implement). PWM is generally used on budget monitors or mainstream monitors, as a cost effective way to provide the ability to control the back light level of the white LED back light. The way it works, is that it turns ON the LED's at full power, then turns them off, then turns it back on than off, continuously. The lower the brightness the slower the rate it goes, the higher the brightness the faster is goes. The flickering is not visible by us as it goes really fast, but many people are sensitive. Many cases of people having headaches when using a computer for a long time, or trouble reading text on the screen, is due that the monitor uses a PWM to control the back light. But usually, for most people, a PWM back light causes no problem, as either they are not effected by it, or they don't use the computer long enough to see a problem. So if you know your wife is sensitive to a PWM back light, the ThinkPad Yoga might be a problem. I can't comment on the IdeaPad Yoga 2, as I don't know.