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Sell Surface Book for SP4??

I have been a member here long enough to see that most members are trustworthy and honest. So I want you guys to give me your opinion.
I like my Surface Book. It's great, it works great and it really stands out. But I found myself not really using it as a tablet. Sometimes this is because it has a poor battery life as a tablet, or because it is a bit of a hurdle to get it out remove the keyboard, store the keyboard while holding it in a small train seat, opening it, then having to plug it back to the keyboard because sleep mode can drain the clipboard battery etc. Moreover, I find myself reaching for the keyboard most of the times and while it is great and the trackpad is the best, I miss the fact that I really got myself a laptop that I intended to use as a tablet as well but find myself that the form factor restricts me from really using it as a tablet.
My major concern about SP4 is battery life. I have read a lot regarding battery life of the SP4 in this forum but I still can't get an accurate picture of how much battery life I can get with use of office, edge and drawboard, cause these are pretty much what I use most times, except during the evening that I use it to watch movies.
I would also like to know how the keyboard cover compares to the Surface Book keyboard as I use it a lot for writing.
 

leeshor

Well-Known Member
Your description makes me thing the SP4 would probably be a better fit as when using it as a tablet you would get better battery. The problem with asking about battery life is that so many people get so many different times. An unmodoifi3ed Edge won't help with battery in either device.
 
It's not that I use a tablet for most of the time. But since I have bought a laptop that can be used as a tablet I would expect it to work like that. However, I feel like I still don't get to use it as a tablet if I need to attach and reattach it all the time because I can't get more than 2 hours at best from the clipboard. the only way you might get more is by using it for movies, but then again without a kickstand you still need to reattach it, so it's like having a lenovo yoga or something like that instead of a tablet...
 

Philtastic

Active Member
It really sounds like you want something that's easier to use as a tablet, especially on the go. The Surface Book is really more of a laptop that can be occasionally used as a tablet while the Surface Pro is more of a balance between laptop and tablet. The Type Cover is also a lot smaller and easier to put away compared to the Book's keyboard.

If you want some battery information on the Surface Pro 4, I've been tracking my battery life and posting it here:
Tracking Battery Life
 
I don't tend to overly use a tablet.. But the Surface Book clipboard is too heavy and without the kickstand it really is uncomfortable. Plus I tried taking handwritten notes in a lecture and it simply was too big to handle.
Btw the screen wobbles so much that if I try using the pen on it it ends in a nightmare drawing/writing!

Edit: I know that turning it around makes the keyboard a kickstand but it is so big that it takes too much space.. And it still wobbles that much.
On one hand I need a good keyboard and on the other I want a tablet as well. Surface Book so far only delivered the first.
 

colvill

New Member
I have both and use them for different things. I much prefer the Surface Book for working at home due to the keyboard and screen size. I prefer the Surface Book for reading magazines in tablet mode and the battery lasts long enough for what I need. I don't take it out of the house much. I use the Surface Pro 4 at work and carry it around with me. It's lighter to carry, easier to pull out and use when out of the office and does to job at work when plugged in the Surface dock with 2 x 27" monitors. Dropbox and Onedrive make it easy to use two computers these days.

The SP4 keyboard really is very good but I just find the screen a wee bit small for real work. It is great as a tablet and easy to handle.

There is no right answer to this. They are both great devices that excel in slightly different ways. You just need to pinpoint which use is most important to you. You might be better off keeping the Surface Book and just buy an iPad for the train trips.
 

Plantje

Active Member
What you describe was one of the reasons for me to switch from an Asus Vivotab RT to an Asus T100TA: the dock had an additional battery and it never really seemed to fit my needs.
The other thing you describe was one of the main reasons for going from an Asus T100TA to the Surface 3 that I currently have: the hassle with the keyboard! I found myself using the device as laptop rather than as tablet in most cases just because I didn't know what to do with the keyboard once removed. And removing it also required opening the laptop. There I was on the platform of the train station: removing the keyboard, opening my bag, putting the keyboard in the bag...and for what? For those few minutes that it was useful...

Now I am working in the train and if I get to my destination I just pick up the Surface 3 and if I still need to perform some tasks I put the type cover over it. If I am on the platform I just flip back the type cover and while walking to the office I can perform those last tasks (or check where that meeting is that is starting in a few minutes :) )
 
Yeah for me is not so much about travelling everyday, but when I need a tablet at night or when travelling I don't really have it with the Surface Book.
I will probably sell it and go for the same configuration on the Pro 4 as it has been a blast to use the 8Gb Ram 256Gb SSD :D
 
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