Questions on the Surface Pro 6/Laptop 2?

Hey everyone, I don’t usually post on the forum so I thought this would be a good start.

Much like the Pixelbook piece I did a while ago, I am doing a similar piece on the Surface Pro 6 and Surface Laptop 2. I have been using these two devices — completely replacing my MBP — over the last week or so for my uni work, so let me know if you have any questions about them (especially for a student).

I will try to answer the questions on the piece itself, or through this post.

Happy holidays!

Conversation 10 comments

  • ken_kelly

    09 December, 2018 - 5:55 pm

    <p>Many times when I close the lid and then open it again when does get stuck into a blank pattern where I have to hold the power button for more than 20 seconds in order to do a full hard reset. Is this a setting in windows or just a design flaw that prevents it from working properly.</p>

    • wright_is

      Premium Member
      10 December, 2018 - 12:25 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#380205">In reply to Ken_Kelly:</a></em></blockquote><p>That isn't normal Windows behaviour. I've experienced something similar on my old SP3, but on the various Lenovos, HPs, Dells and Fujitsus I've used over the last 4 years, I've never experienced this phenomenum.</p>

  • ken_kelly

    09 December, 2018 - 5:57 pm

    <p> When testing the battery life on the surface laptop 2, I was not able to get anywhere near the 14 hours reported by Microsoft. What suggestions do you have in order to extend the battery life.</p>

    • wright_is

      Premium Member
      10 December, 2018 - 12:22 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#380207">In reply to Ken_Kelly:</a></em></blockquote><p>For battery testing, you generally have to stream a locally stored video, disable Wi-Fi and turn down the brightness to about 100 lumens… Battery life tests in general aren't worth the "paper" they are printed on.</p><p>The only battery test that is relevant is the one done using your typical daily routine. Everybody's routine is different, so no standard test is going to tell you how long a battery will hold out.</p><p>My Spectre was classed at 12 hours, I believe. I could just about get through a working day (8 hours) of doing translation work on it.</p>

  • CRoebuck

    Premium Member
    09 December, 2018 - 6:13 pm

    <p>Mehedi,</p><p><br></p><p>After numerous keyboard failures including one on a new 2018 (plus a screen issue) I'm pretty much through with Apple. I love OS X but can't deal with the issues the latest being PWM flicker (on the A03E panels on the 13" device) giving me headaches after just 30 mins use (even my wife can notice the eye strain after 20 mins use)</p><p><br></p><p>What I care about is the track pad, how good / bad is this really compared to the MBP ? That's the only think stopping me pull the trigger on a SL2</p><p><br></p><p>Cheers</p><p><br></p>

    • ecumenical

      09 December, 2018 - 8:41 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#380209">In reply to CRoebuck:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>My 2c, curious what Mehedi will say.</p><p><br></p><p>As someone who used Mac laptops exclusively for about 7 years, and now uses Surface products personally (Laptop for my wife, Pro 6 for myself) alongside a 2015 MBP at work, I think it's essentially a tie. Windows and Mac have a slightly different feel to the pointer acceleration by default, and it's possible you'll still prefer the Mac's "feel," but the Surface trackpads are fantastic. They do gestures perfectly, track your finger, clicks (taps or physical clicks) and two-finger clicks accurately etc.</p><p><br></p><p>One potential issue is size. If you feel there's an advantage to the comically oversized Mac trackpads, then you might find the normal-sized Surface ones to be inferior in that regard.</p><p><br></p><p>On the other hand, if you like a physical click, you can get that on the Surface but not the Mac these days.</p><p><br></p><p>I've certainly never had any of the issues I had with other Windows trackpads from brands like Lenovo and Acer that used Synaptics drivers – missed clicks, jumping cursor, etc.</p>

      • wright_is

        Premium Member
        10 December, 2018 - 12:19 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#380271">In reply to ecumenical:</a></em></blockquote><p>Size was certainly the Issue with the Pro 3, the touchpad was a little on the small size, but worked fine. I eventually realized I spent around 95% of the time docked, using a mouse and keyboard and 0.5% of the time in tablet mode and ended up with an HP Spectre X360, which has an excellent touchpad. I actually find it more comfortable to use than the one on my daughter's 2017 MBP.</p><p>The SP3 trackpad would sometimes stop working, which would require ripping the keyboard off and re-attaching. Hopefully Microsoft have resolved that problem over the last 3 generations.</p>

  • Mauerque

    10 December, 2018 - 9:42 am

    <p>Hi Mehedi,</p><p><br></p><p>What has been your experience with the fan noise on these devices, especially the Surface Laptop 2? I've seen some claims they've improved the thermals despite the 8th gen processor. Would it be fair to expect largely silent browsing and such, or is that asking too much? And could you compare it to other premium Win10 devices you've tried? </p><p><br></p><p>Thanks so much!</p>

    • PhilipVasta

      10 December, 2018 - 11:34 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#380427">In reply to Mauerque:</a></em></blockquote><p>I have the Surface Laptop 2, and under casual use, it's silent.</p>

      • Mauerque

        10 December, 2018 - 1:44 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#380464">In reply to PhilipVasta:</a></em></blockquote><p>That's great, thanks! My current laptop's fan runs almost constantly and drives me completely nuts. Leaning towards finding something fanless for my next one, but the surface laptop 2 is tempting if it's as quiet as you say. </p>

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