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Buy SP4 now or wait for SP5

Cuchulainn

Member
Too bad that version is like $2500. I can invest into a new computer, but that's too much for me.

Maybe I should just get a laptop? haha.

If you don't really need the mobility or versatility of a 2-1, a laptop is generally going to be a better bang for the buck performance-wise. With the Surface Pro, you are paying more for a lightweight versatile laptop that can be used as a tablet than you are for the specs, for sure.
 
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FlatSurface

Member
I do need the mobility, I work all over the place and in different forms. I'm already looking forward to ditching my paper notepad I *always* bring a long.

I really do want a 2-1. But I also want it to be fast enough to last 5 years. The MacBook Pro did that, so should this baby.

HP Spectre x2 has better stats than the SP at the same price level, just worse battery life. I'm heavily leaning that way now, going through this discussion.
 

convergent

Active Member
I don't think the i5 is going to "grind to a halt" in 3 years. I've been using an i5 Mac Mini for over 5 years and it hasn't ground to a halt. Unless you are planning on doing something dramatically different in 3 years that will require a lot more CPU power, it should be fine. I bought the i5 and it performs very well. I would not be hesitant to get the i5 SP.
 
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FlatSurface

Member
Well, that didn't last very long.

For some reason, my Surface Pro was slow. Even typing on a forum like this was slow - and right now I'm typing this from my wife's crappy 3-year old Acer, and it's a lot quicker!

So I reported it and I'm returning it tonight. With the news coming out about the limited durability of the Surface line (very important to me) I've decided to give the new Elite x2 a run for its money next.
 

convergent

Active Member
Well, that didn't last very long.

For some reason, my Surface Pro was slow. Even typing on a forum like this was slow - and right now I'm typing this from my wife's crappy 3-year old Acer, and it's a lot quicker!

So I reported it and I'm returning it tonight. With the news coming out about the limited durability of the Surface line (very important to me) I've decided to give the new Elite x2 a run for its money next.

No attempt to diagnose the problem? It certainly doesn't sound like hardware.

The news you are referring to I assume is from Consumer Reports. You know that is talking about older models that have been around for years. So nothing about the news is new.
 

hughlle

Super Moderator
Staff member
Well, that didn't last very long.

For some reason, my Surface Pro was slow. Even typing on a forum like this was slow - and right now I'm typing this from my wife's crappy 3-year old Acer, and it's a lot quicker!

So I reported it and I'm returning it tonight. With the news coming out about the limited durability of the Surface line (very important to me) I've decided to give the new Elite x2 a run for its money next.

the report about durability was largely speculation, and the "science" behind their report was non-existant. About as reliable as looking on a forum, seeing more "help me" posts than "this is great", and assuming that it is therefore a bad product (people don't tend to go out of their way to create a thread saying "this rocks" but will readily do so for a problem.

I imagine it was an issue which could have been remedied in no time.

The news you are referring to I assume is from Consumer Reports. You know that is talking about older models that have been around for years. So nothing about the news is new.

It also related to the surface laptop. Read the report, they are purely speculating based on feedback from their members, not actual scientific data. If we were to tot up the "issue" threads etc on this forum, one would probably think surfaes are terrible.
 

ironwoods

New Member
It would be helpful to have more information from users of the 2017 version of the Surface Pro. Most of the info on this and other forums is about earlier versions.
 
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FlatSurface

Member
I absolutely agree the company that provided me the machine could and should have put more effort into fixing my problem. The truth is that they wanted to simply trade me for another, new machine, but they didn't have any more in stock. Apparently keeping stock levels up here in the Netherlands is a problem - I couldn't even get a Surface Pen with this machine.

My own experience, though only comprising six days, tells me that the Surface Pro body at least is vulnerable. I handled it with care, but I placed it with the metal side down once and immediately noticed several scratches on the bodywork. Just crazy.

In any case, the new Elite x2 looks promising, with a more rugged design, less flexible keyboard (I didn't like the type cover as much as I expected to, even though it looked amazing) and on-par specs. The only thing that has me slightly worried is the fan - the i5 SP I had didn't have one and I really liked that it was silent.

Maybe I'll even give the SP another try. Probably not, though.
 

bangsters

Active Member
I am curious with this as well. I have sold both my surface books and currently using a surface pro 4. Is the new surface pro a worth it upgrade from pro 4? Or better to hold on to my pro 4 i5?

Sent from my HTC 10. Images hosted by www.PixelsBin.com
 

convergent

Active Member
I am curious with this as well. I have sold both my surface books and currently using a surface pro 4. Is the new surface pro a worth it upgrade from pro 4? Or better to hold on to my pro 4 i5?

Sent from my HTC 10. Images hosted by www.PixelsBin.com

nSP beats SP4 in 3 things fit me. The nSP has 50% more battery life; much better inking with the new pen ( I'm a consultant, not an artist), and easier on the hand when holding as a tablet. The silent and cool i5 is also a benefit.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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