Just when you thought that Microsoft could never create its own desktop, it produces the Microsoft Surface Book at $1,700, a highly effective, capable hybrid gadget that combines the best features of laptops with the flexibility of Windows tablets. Its impressive design and large, wonderful display, besides the class-leading features and over 16 hours of continuous usage in the experts’ assessments totally deserve their price.
The Surface Book’s metal alloy frame has a top quality look and feels just like a 13” Apple MacBook, its most easily recognizable competitor. It surely has a less heavy color than the full-black Dell 2-in-1 devices, which are a main choice for business removable-hybrid tablet. As a laptop and with its keyboard connected, it has a thickness between 0.5” and 0.9”. Its dimensions are 9.1” in length and 12.5” in width and it is close in size to Dell Latitude, albeit a bit longer and thinner.
The whole gadget has a weight of only 3.35lbs in laptop mode and 1.5lbs as a tablet. That is a tad bulkier when used as a laptop than the Lenovo LaVie Z 360, which weighs 2.05lbs, but this device is convertible without a detachable screen. In both cases, it can be comfortably maneuvered, even when you are lying in bed or on the road.
Detachable-hybrid products use a wide range of securing systems. Microsoft’s Surface Book has a technical attachment, but it is triggered electronically. When you press the detach key placed near the delete button on the laptop’s keyboard, the Surface will vibrate and a notification led on it will become green. Then, an alert will appear on the display to tell you when it is safe to remove the keyboard and it only requires a couple of minutes to use its display as a tablet.
The product can be folded back extremely easily, using alloy hinges and magnets for assistance during the operation. Or, you can fold it with the screen facing the other way in Display, which has the laptop’s keyboard optimized for improved touch-screen access. Because the volume and power buttons are placed on the side of the device that sits on the flat surface, experts suggest not using it in Tent mode.
Microsoft Surface Book’s 13.5” and 3:2 ratio display is bigger than the image quality on a Surface Pro 4. The gadget is developed to fit rapidly in any place, with better stability than a product with 16:9 ratio, such as Dell Latitude 7350 and the 11.6” Lenovo Helix.
The screen is bright, with stunning shades even in the sunlight-filled spaces. It has a great 3,000×2,000 resolution, which is a lot higher than a regular 1,920×1,080 quality met in many laptops and hybrids on the market. You will be able to see images, excel spreadsheets and video clips without having to use the zooming in options.
Keeping several windows open next to each other is also simple, even if the quality is lower than 4K, but you will not feel its absence unless you are a professional videographer filming your video content at an extremely high resolution.
Image source: Xboxlive