Just got the Surface Laptop2

[joeblow7777]

Hi...just wanted to know what was/ is your battery life experience with the SL2? Today, was/ is my first day in the wild and 2nd day of ownership. Right now it is just past 3.30PM at my end and the battery stands at 34%. I started working from 8.30AM. I have been using 3 Word documents constantly backing up to OneDrive, 3-5 tabs open in Edge (with 2 tabs in Chrome open for about 30 mins), Telegram desktop (about 20 mins of cumulative use), checking LinkedIn app (approx. 15 mins).

In this timeframe, I have had a 60 mins break where I completely shut down the machine but I did restart it twice in that break.

I am connected to the Wifi network at my place of work, which was/ is, for the most part, stable and strong.

At this rate, I am guessing I would end up with about 8-8.5 hours of battery life. I should also mention that for about 1.5 hours, the screen brightness was over 80% (could also have been 100%) as I was working sitting outside. Inside the screen brightness is at 65%.

Since I am comparing this to my SP4, I am quite happy since with that machine I used to get about 2.5-3.5 hours max (similar work conditions). I expect the battery life to marginally improve as the SL2 finishes its indexing though I am not sure it is doing so. At least I see no signs that it is doing so.

Thats about it! Just sharing my battery life experience. It would be good to know yours.

Cheers!

I've found the battery life to be very good. It's hard to give exact numbers at this point but even though I primarily use my laptop plugged in at work and at home, I made a point of using it on battery along for a full day (work and home). I did a fair amount of web surfing, editing documents, emails, and a bit of YouTube, and I still had about 40% by late evening. I typically keep my display fairly dim and manage my power settings while on battery power. I would say given my usage habits getting over 10 hours isn't out of the question, but again, this is based on early estimates.

 

[joeblow7777]

ok...now I am having second thoughts about this laptop. Why? Because of the keyboard. While the typing experience is excellent, the place where my wrists sit while typing will likely wear out. I am saying this based on my experience with the SP keyboards. I have had 3 SP KBs. One was the original silver/ platinum alcantara KB with my SP3. That ended up with brownish stains - body oils - which I tried to remove with soapy water, which helped but marginally. Then I had the black non Alcantara KB with the SP4. I have attached the pics and you can see for yourself. I replaced it recently with a blue Alcantara KB, which I set aside when I got this laptop.

The thing is having worked today for over 8 hours with laptop, I have fallen in love with not only the form factor and the typing experience, but also with the screen. Yeah sure less resolution/ ppi and all, but the size and dimensions are just super.

That said, I just wonder - isn't it better to chuck away a $200 KB even if once a year than to risk carrying a $1.7K (approx.) laptop with a shabby KB for 3-4 years?

What do you folks think? I can still return this within the next 12 days and can pick up the SP6. I wont need the KB as I have a virtually brand new one.

Alcantara wear is something that I considered very seriously while researching this laptop. As I mentioned, it's my first Surface product, so I don't even have experience with Surface Typecovers to use as a reference.

It so happens that the way I happen to hold my hands when I type is such that they actually don't rest on the palm rests very much. I guess never really learning to type properly has an advantage! LOL.

But in any case, I suppose all you can do is hope for the best. If you like the laptop, giving that up because the palm rests might wear out might not be a good call. MS actually suggests that occasional cleaning with a little warm water and mild soap should be sufficient to maintain it. Also, part of the reason I chose black is that in addition to just looking amazing, it should theoretically show less staining. I've considered the Surface Pro many times in the past, but the bottom line is that I want a laptop, not a tablet, and while the SP with its keyboard can perform the same tasks, I think that an actual laptop still makes a better laptop.

 

[CrippsCorner]

ok...now I am having second thoughts about this laptop. Why? Because of the keyboard. While the typing experience is excellent, the place where my wrists sit while typing will likely wear out. I am saying this based on my experience with the SP keyboards. I have had 3 SP KBs. One was the original silver/ platinum alcantara KB with my SP3. That ended up with brownish stains - body oils - which I tried to remove with soapy water, which helped but marginally. Then I had the black non Alcantara KB with the SP4. I have attached the pics and you can see for yourself. I replaced it recently with a blue Alcantara KB, which I set aside when I got this laptop.

The thing is having worked today for over 8 hours with laptop, I have fallen in love with not only the form factor and the typing experience, but also with the screen. Yeah sure less resolution/ ppi and all, but the size and dimensions are just super.

That said, I just wonder - isn't it better to chuck away a $200 KB even if once a year than to risk carrying a $1.7K (approx.) laptop with a shabby KB for 3-4 years?

What do you folks think? I can still return this within the next 12 days and can pick up the SP6. I wont need the KB as I have a virtually brand new one.

Wow that's taken a beating! I've been using my alcantara keyboard for coming up to 2 years now and it hardly looks worn at all... mind you that's on probably 7-8 hours usage per week.

How are you finding the screen ratio on a laptop? I much prefer the 3:2 on my Pro to my partners 18:10 laptop.

 

[kristalsoldier]

Wow that's taken a beating! I've been using my alcantara keyboard for coming up to 2 years now and it hardly looks worn at all... mind you that's on probably 7-8 hours usage per week.

How are you finding the screen ratio on a laptop? I much prefer the 3:2 on my Pro to my partners 18:10 laptop.

Well, I use the SP4 (with the KB) - on an average - for about 7-8 hours a day...everyday. I also personally prefer the 3:2 AR. The SL2 also had a nice AR but I have since returned it. I have opted to go with the ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 6) - yet to receive it though. Fingers crossed though I have high expectations of the machine having used ThinkPads earlier.

 

[kristalsoldier]

Just got my ThinkPad (X1C6). I would have posted a few pics, but this is a Surface forum!!
My SP4 is now doing duty as a back-up machine - usually plugged into the wall given the state of the battery.

 

[Turbo4AWD]

ok...now I am having second thoughts about this laptop. Why? Because of the keyboard. While the typing experience is excellent, the place where my wrists sit while typing will likely wear out. I am saying this based on my experience with the SP keyboards. I have had 3 SP KBs. One was the original silver/ platinum alcantara KB with my SP3. That ended up with brownish stains - body oils - which I tried to remove with soapy water, which helped but marginally. Then I had the black non Alcantara KB with the SP4. I have attached the pics and you can see for yourself. I replaced it recently with a blue Alcantara KB, which I set aside when I got this laptop.

The thing is having worked today for over 8 hours with laptop, I have fallen in love with not only the form factor and the typing experience, but also with the screen. Yeah sure less resolution/ ppi and all, but the size and dimensions are just super.

That said, I just wonder - isn't it better to chuck away a $200 KB even if once a year than to risk carrying a $1.7K (approx.) laptop with a shabby KB for 3-4 years?

What do you folks think? I can still return this within the next 12 days and can pick up the SP6. I wont need the KB as I have a virtually brand new one.

Especially if the stains issue occurs frequently, I feel it's much better to have the ability to replace the keyboard instead of keeping the dirty one around for so long. I am biased though. I have not used a Surface Laptop and have mostly used just Surface 3 and Surface Pro 6. I noticed an associate had the same issue with the keyboard turning a dark brown due to the same issue, but immediately thought "...at least he can just buy another keyboard and it's like new again..."

That or wear gloves while typing? Lol, just messing. Definitely something that would be a deal breaker for me if I had to decide between the two. Good luck!

 

[Turbo4AWD]

Just noticed your post about the X1 Carbon after posting my reply, lol! Enjoy! Hopefully it all works out for you.