Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Microsoft Surface 2 Pro Review + Specs


Microsoft has announced the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2. Both the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 are primarily iterative hardware upgrades, bringing improved performance, battery life, and sharper displays. The tablets themselves, except for a beautiful 1080p display on the Surface 2, introduce almost no new features. Instead, new functionality is provided by a variety of new attachments, such as the Power Cover, which will increase battery life by around 50%, and a Docking Station, which makes it much easier to use your Surface Pro 2 as a desktop replacement.


Surface 2 / Surface 2 Pro - Video Review (Hands on):



Surface 2 Pro - Specification:

Surface Pro 2
Surface 2
Size274.5 x 173 x 13.5 (mm)   274 x 171 x 8.9 (mm)
Weight907g   680g
Screen10.6-inch ClearType HD   10.6-inch ClearType Full HD
Resolution1920×1080 pixels   1920×1080 pixels
OSWindows 8.1 Pro   Windows RT 8.1
Storage64, 128, 256, or 512GB   32 or 64GB
SD Card SlotYes   Yes 
Other PortsUSB 3.0, mini DisplayPort   USB 3.0, HD video out 
ProcessorIntel Core i5 (Haswell)    Quad-core Nvidia Tegra 4
RAM4 or 8GB   2GB
ConnectivityWi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n)   Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n)
CameraFront 1.2MP, Rear 1.2MP   Front 3.5MP, Rear 5MP
BluetoothYes, version 4.0   Yes, version 4.0
Battery7-8 hours of use   10 hours of use
ChargerMicro USB   Micro USB
MarketplaceWindows Store   Windows Store 
Price$900+   $450+


The Surface 2 is really the sweet spot in Microsoft’s tablet offerings. Since the company is keeping the Surface RT around at a cheaper price point, the Surface 2 should become the go-to for students or people who may do some work from home and want a tablet capable of providing a little computing power without a huge investment. With a $450 starting point, Surface 2 owners will get a device built with the impressive Quad-core Nvidia Tegra 4 processor and a full HD, 1080p display. They will also get added goodies like 200GB of SkyDrive storage for wo years, Office 2013 RT apps from the jump, and free Wi-Fi and international Skype calls for a year.

The Surface Pro 2 is all business. It’s a full blown computer shoved into the casing of a laptop. Its RAM offerings start at 4GB and go up to 8GB and its hard drive ranges from 64-512GB. Add the new Intel Core i5 Haswell processor to that and you’ve got a device with internals that can handle anything you decide to throw at it. This is one of the rare tablets that could absolutely become a laptop replacement. Of course it’s priced as one as well, starting at $900. The top-tier unit costs $1800. The Surface Pro 2 also has the distinction of running Windows 8.1 Pro rather than the 8.1 RT OS on the Surface 2. This means the Pro can run Windows desktop applications, while the standard Surface 2 cannot.

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