With the possibility of pre-order your Surface Book 2 now and with the amount of opportunities that arise to get hold of the new Surface Pro on sale, seems like a good time to review the catalog of Surface devicesat differences what is between them and the Prices of each one, to help you decide which of them may be the Better option for you.
Surface Pro
La Surface Pro is the star in TabletZona, not only because it is the pioneer, but because it is the one that best fits the concept of a tablet, although like the rest of the Windows, it is somewhat atypical in that the keyboard is an almost obligatory accessory, which makes it more of what It is usually known as a 2 in 1.
Surface Pro vs. Surface Pro 4
It must be said that occasionally you can still find the Surface Pro 4 Also, but we are not going to include it as one more option in this guide because the offers that can be found are not even worth much in terms of prices, which is the only incentive we can have to bet on an older model, since there is no radical leap between this and the new one, but there are many improvements from which we will want to benefit: later generation processors, more autonomy, design without ventilation even in models with i5 ...
Common features
As is usually the case with Windows tablets, also with the Surface Pro we have a huge variety of possible configurations, but there are some common key features for all of them, such as the screen of 12.3 inches with resolution 2734 x 1824, the cameras of 5 and 8 MP, the stereo speakers with Dolby Audio Premium or the ports (USB 3.0, nothing type C).
Available configurations
Regarding the configurations that we can choose, they range from the most modest with processor Intel Core m3, 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage, what does it cost? $950, up to the top with Intel Core i7, 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage, what does it cost? $3100. As you can see, the range is very wide although there are some things that are left out, such as Nvidia graphics (in all cases they will be from Intel). When it was launched we already left you some Surface Pro benchmarks to help you get an idea of the power of each of them and help you choose.
Important note: accessories
When we think of getting the Surface Pro you have to keep in mind that the keyboard will not be included and, contrary to what happened with the Surface Pro 4, the Surface Pen either. It is true that the stylus is not a basic accessory for an average user, but the keyboard will be and its price is 170 euros, so if we do not already have another compatible one, what it will cost us the whole goes up quite a bit.
2 Surface Book
El convertible de Microsoft from its launch it was a reference in the field of convertibles, standing out above all for its spectacular screen. Unfortunately, the first generation was never sold in Spain and buying it imported has always been inconvenient for many because of the keyboard. The good news is that 2 Surface Book Yes, we will be able to buy it directly in our country: it will arrive in March and it is already in the reserve period.
Maximum versatility
It should be pointed out that the 2 Surface Book It has a design feature that makes it very different from other convertible laptops, which normally have a screen that rotates 360 degrees, allowing us to leave the keyboard behind and use them in tablet mode. This is undoubtedly an interesting option for those who have more qualms about moving away from the traditional format of PCs, but it does lose a lot in agility. The advantage of Microsoft is that yes we can undock the screen completely, although due to its size and weight it will never be as comfortable to handle as the Surface Pro.
Difference in size and weight with the Surface Pro
Let's see this difference in more detail, taking into account that the 2 Surface Book It has been launched in two sizes, one with a 13.5 inchs and another of 15 inches: while the Surface Pro measures 29,21 x 20,14 cm, these reach 31,2 x 23,2 cm and 34,3 x 21,5; in thickness we went from 8,5 mm to up to 23 mm (although with the keyboard included); and finally, in weight, we went from about 770 grams to no less than 1534 grams and 1905 grams (also with keyboard).
The advantages of the Surface Book 2
Beyond our personal preferences, it is clear that the Surface Pro has in its favor being a more manageable team and this is something that we will appreciate if we are going to have a lot in motion, but at the 2 Surface Book There is no shortage of claims: both the 13.5-inch and 15-inch models have higher resolution (3000 x 2000 y 3240 x 2160, respectively), have more autonomy and they have an advantage in ports, with two USB type A, but also one type C.
More powerful settings
The main reason to bet on it (apart from the format and size), however, is that we have the option of getting more powerful configurations, with Intel Core i5 and i7 processors (the 15-inch model only comes with i7) and even the latter can be from eighth generation. The RAM here is also only 8 or 16 GB. The most important thing for many, however, is probably that with the Surface Book we can have a nvidia graphics (with i7 models): one GeForce GTX 1050 for the 13.5-inch and a GeForce GTX 1060 for the 15-inch.
About 350 euros more than the Surface Pro for the most similar model, but with a keyboard
Given that the 2 Surface Book sold from $1750 For the simplest configuration of the 13-inch model, the starting price difference with the Surface Pro is very remarkable, since it begins in $950. Keep in mind, however, that it is not a fair comparison, because the hardware of the most economical model of the tablet is much inferior. If we compare it with the one that arrives with i5, 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage as well, the difference is reduced to about $350, which stays in about $180 when we discount what the keyboard costs us. The difference is greater when comparing the higher configurations: 2 Surface Book more expensive it costs $3800 (but, again, with keyboard).
Surface Laptop
Right now (and waiting to see what the year brings us, because between the called to be the best tablets of 2018 we hope there are some of Microsoft), the catalog is completed with the Surface Laptop released last year. What differentiates you from the Surface Pro and the 2 Surface Book?
Touch screen, but not tablet mode
Of all devices Surface, the name already says it, this is the most similar of all to a laptop, and we say it as something rather negative, since it supposes that it is the one with the most limitations: it must be said that it does have touch screen, but there is no hinge that allows us to rotate 360 degrees and we cannot undock the keyboard either.
Larger and heavier than Surface Pro, but less than Surface Book 2
Regarding the dimensions, here we have a screen of 13.5 inches and it should be said in its favor that to be the same size as that of the Surface Book 2 it is somewhat more compact (30,8 x 22,3 cm), light (1250 grams) and even thin, although it is true that not because of long (14,47 mm). We count it as an advantage only half, because thinking about mobility really the advantage of being able to undock the keyboard seems much more important, although this, of course, will already depend a little on our uses and customs.
Less resolution and worse cameras
Another point against Surface Laptop is that it is also much more limited in the multimedia section, with a screen of X and a single 720p front camera. It is not a question of giving it a bad grade either in this sense, because they are level characteristics and in a laptop it would make little sense to include a rear camera, but it must be borne in mind that with the Surface Pro or the Surface Book 2 we are going to go a lot further on this terrain. The only thing it is up to is the audio, which here is also Dolby Premium
There is no cheaper configuration
Regarding the available configurations, we find that it is halfway between the Surface Pro and 2 Surface BookIn the sense that we will not be able to enjoy eighth-generation Intel processors or Nvidia graphics, but there is no more affordable option with an m3 processor. Except for those limitations in the extremes, in any case, we have a very wide range available to choose from, from i5 to i7, from 4 to 16 GB of RAM and from 128 GB to 1 TB. Keep in mind that it arrives with Windows 10 S, although you can go to a higher one.
The same price as the Surface Pro, but without having to buy a keyboard
All those drawbacks that we have put, however, have an important compensation that comes when it comes to comparing prices. It must be said that if we look for the most affordable option it is still the Surface Pro with Intel Core m3 processor, even paying for the keyboard separately (especially considering how easy it is to find it on sale), but if we go on to models with i5, cost the same in one case and another and with the Surface Laptop there is no need to think about accessories.