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Surface Devices

Do you own a Surface device

  • Yes I own a Surface Pro or Surfacebook - it’s great

    Votes: 165 51.2%

  • Yes I own a Surface laptop - it’s great

    Votes: 36 11.2%

  • No - i’m not a fan

    Votes: 69 21.4%

  • Not anymore I had a bad experience

    Votes: 52 16.1%
  • Total voters
    322
I tell ya what is bundled free with the GO/SB :)

Often understated but the multi angle kickstand :D

Given so many of these devices at this size are for casual couch type browsing it's usefulness should not be ignored as other devices force inferior KB /Cover purchases just for this simple yet somewhat essential feature for many
 
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SteveJUAE said:
I tell ya what is bundled free with the GO/SB :)

Often understated but the multi angle kickstand :D

Given so many of these devices at this size are for casual couch type browsing it's usefulness should not be ignored as other devices force inferior KB /Cover purchases just for this simple yet somewhat essential feature for many
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Agreed. The kickstand is amazing.
 
SteveJUAE said:
Whilst true, we could apply your same formula to almost every device vs some 2nd hand or refurb unit :)
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of course, but with the go, you need to consider what you get for the money vs. what you can get from other tablets. The switch and X1 are larger and while they may be heavier they're more powerful due to the larger display and better processor.

SteveJUAE said:
In your scenario if you can't justify a GO then the Apple IPM or IPA is a non starter :D
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Apple's iPads are mostly content creation products, so I'm not considering them.

derekamoss said:
You also have to assume not everyone is going to be buying all three at the same time.
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I think most people buy the keyboard, though maybe not the stylus
 
DarthVader! said:
of course, but with the go, you need to consider what you get for the money vs. what you can get from other tablets. The switch and X1 are larger and while they may be heavier they're more powerful due to the larger display and better processor.
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Your presumption on what you get for your money seems based on a single metric :rolleyes:

There are many things others may consider that make alternatives better value for them :)

Footprint, size, weight, build quality, existing accessories, bundled extend warranties, software, support etc etc can easily diminish your considerations if favor of others offered, for some

Especially when considering a 2 in 1 tablet as a companion device over typical android or apple tablets

As your single device not many here would recommend the GO or Acer Switch 5 unless you have modest requirement

Once your in the $7-800 range it opens up a host of choices including some MS SP's among others and some posters have picked up bargains

However you have dragged me off my original posting :) on GO bezels and Apples new IPad offerings where many criticized the GO previously :rolleyes:
 
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SteveJUAE said:
based on a single metric
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Here's my take - I did this sort of matrix when I looked at laptops

From my analysis, the Go represents the worst value, because you get a dual core pentium cpu and 128GB of storage and have to buy the keyboard and stylus, yet when you factor in the keyboard and stylus, its not that much less money. The price certainly can go down without either but I think overall for the type of work, I'm looking the keyboard is a must have.

The X1 and SP represent a class machine that may be over kill (for me) and they are both a bit pricey. That leaves the switch 5, slightly smaller then the SP/X1 but a bit larger then the Go and it running an i5 as opposed to a pentium, so performance will be a bit better and the storage is a healthier 256GB

The switch's bezels look a tad thinner on the top and bottom, but its hard to see how the sides compare. The images I've seen on the internet are almost always the Go with dark mode, or back screen, presumably to hide the bezels. I understand the bezel size is helpful to hold, and even on the iPad I was a bit critical of losing bezel space for that very reason. I believe there can be a happy balance, though I don't think the Go has achieved that.

I really like the mil-spec'd X1 tablet - it looks incredibly durable and will last a long time, but its way more money that I'm willing to spend. The switch looks like a nice balance of size, performance and price, especially if I keep an eye out for deals. I've seen prices as low as 699, though that sale must have ended since amazon is showing 730 as of today.

upload_2019-4-1_11-35-41.png
 
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maflynn said:
Here's my take - I did this sort of matrix when I looked at laptops

From my analysis, the Go represents the worst value, because you get a dual core pentium cpu and 128GB of storage and have to buy the keyboard and stylus, yet when you factor in the keyboard and stylus, its not that much less money. The price certainly can go down without either but I think overall for the type of work, I'm looking the keyboard is a must have.

The X1 and SP represent a class machine that may be over kill (for me) and they are both a bit pricey. That leaves the switch 5, slightly smaller then the SP/X1 but a bit larger then the Go and it running an i5 as opposed to a pentium, so performance will be a bit better and the storage is a healthier 256GB

The switch's bezels look a tad thinner on the top and bottom, but its hard to see how the sides compare. The images I've seen on the internet are almost always the Go with dark mode, or back screen, presumably to hide the bezels. I understand the bezel size is helpful to hold, and even on the iPad I was a bit critical of losing bezel space for that very reason. I believe there can be a happy balance, though I don't think the Go has achieved that.

I really like the mil-spec'd X1 tablet - it looks incredibly durable and will last a long time, but its way more money that I'm willing to spend. The switch looks like a nice balance of size, performance and price, especially if I keep an eye out for deals. I've seen prices as low as 699, though that sale must have ended since amazon is showing 730 as of today.

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Nice write up :) BTW GO does take a Micro SD

Yep Switch is good value all round the GO was an easy choice for me as it simply matched my SB2 and I already had the pen and like the KB from having a SP4 previously

The GO is really only my travel/companion device so it can sit idle for a week or 2 sometimes but when I use it it's not let me down with work tasks and emails etc that mobile OS just cant handle

I also like the slightly smaller GO footprint which means when travelling for work I can still take my personal small GO laptop and my large Company laptop
 
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SteveJUAE said:
Nice write up :) BTW GO does take a Micro SD
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I can be a tad obsessive once I sink my teeth into a topic :eek:

I've not completely ruled out the Go, since it's features/size fills a niche and a need, but I'm not willing to pay 7xx dollars. I'm leaning heavily towards the Switch, but I'm waiting for the right deal to come by.
 
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Switch 5 has a microSD card reader built into the rear of the top bezel. $730 is a decent price for the i5, I paid $650 for the i3, admittedly it's not entirely compatible being differing geographic regions. Real world battery life is in the 7 hour region for me and can be charged via both the barrel connector and USB C.

The Switch 5 rear panel is removable (with care) so it's possible to upgrade the SSD, although for my needs with this one the base 128 is good enough with a 256 microSD card for media.

A fair review by Notebook Check IMO It's not worth splashing out on the i7 as it will just throttle back, and pricing moves it closer to Surface Pro 6 territory. I was very surprised with the Switch 5 as the i3 outperforms the 2017 i5 Surface Pro 5 in sustained tasks. At a guess Acer employs the same liquid cooling solution across all Switch 5 models (i3, i6 & i7) The i3 never gets past 65C, never rolls back CPU frequency, holding a solid 2.7GHz indefinitely.

I Ran CineBench R15 for over 30 minutes, the Switch 5 scores a consistent 278CB +/- 2, 2017 i5 Surface Pro 5 can drop as low as 219CB, averages around 225CB with CPU throttling down to 2.3GHZ. I was pretty much expecting the Switch 5 to have some throttling tendency as it only passively cooled, clearly not.

Switch 5's i3 CPU is in the region of over 70% faster than the GO's Pentium 4415Y which mitigates the limitation of 4Gb of RAM to some extents. For my needs the i3's lack of Turbo works as it can be used in fairly hot conditions (30C+) and for other reasons passive cooling is desirable.

I used Notebook Checks icc file for the calibration as again all Switch 5's appear to utilise the same panel which does make a difference. It's a decent panel, just not as good as the SP6. Auto dimming and Acer's own colour correction can all be turned on or off within the GUI.

In short the Switch 5 is good enough for the intended light on the go usage and offers tremendous value for the asking price. I've also come to like it's rather industrial design, especially as it's presented no issues.

Q-6
 
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For me what matters most when I`m looking for a device is the usage scenario.
In my case, the center piece of my IT world is a big nasty desktop built around an intel 8700k (soon to be upgraded to i9900k) nVidia Quadro graphics and a 34" monitor. So computing or graphic intensive workload (photo editing or rarely video) is done on that desktop.
For other tasks I have 2 laptops: a 13.5" maxed out SB 2 and 2017 13" nTB MacBook Pro.
When I`m traveling locally with air plane (which happens a lot and I like to carry as little luggage as possible) for a day or two max I`ll invariably take the MBP with me because it is easier to carry than the SB and the battery life is much more predictable.
When I`m having a longer trip and am carrying some photo gear I will take the SB2.
In this context I needed something very portable for daily use when I`m visiting some clients in my town or I`m in the Court (I`m a lawyer).
For this purpose I didn't needed a 12" slate like the Switch 5 or SP6 with core processors but the smaller size of the Surface GO made it a real winner.
Depending on someone needs the GO may be the best solution even if it is overpriced.
 
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Just a quick update, the to plan was to move back to the Mac, more specifically I was all ready to buy the new MacBook Air. The keyboard issues I have seen more of just lately and then Apple issued that statement/apology. I’m now going to wait until they fix it.

I continue to use the Surface Pro 6. I haven’t been able to sell it, it seems people aren’t interested in the Surface Pro all that much. The one thing I do like about the device is the kickstand, being able to adjust to any angle is useful, but alas it seems I’m an Apple guy and while they do have issues, I much prefer MacOS and a full laptop alongside my iPad Pro.
 
Although I`m more like a mac laptop guy, I do prefer windows when it works as advertised. The sad part is that at least on laptops it usually does not.
For this reason I got really upset when Apple messed up its laptop line with that horrible keyboard. I was able to adapt to the feeling of the butterfly switches but not to their profoundly unreliable character. As I wrote some other time, both me and one of my colleagues had troubles with the keyboards.
For someone who uses professionally his/her laptop these issues are simply unacceptable.
 
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Dave245 said:
I’m now going to wait until they fix it.
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I really don't think they will, the design is inherently flawed imo. I rolled the dice on the 2018 model, and then we got reports of failure. Unless they go back to the scissor switches, I don't think

Dave245 said:
I continue to use the Surface Pro 6. I haven’t been able to sell it, it seems people aren’t interested in the Surface Pro all that much
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I have no idea what the market is for selling Sp6 are. What were you hoping to get for it? I did a quick look on swappa and price is in the 700 and up depending on the configuration.
upload_2019-4-7_8-51-49.png
 
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maflynn said:
I really don't think they will, the design is inherently flawed imo. I rolled the dice on the 2018 model, and then we got reports of failure. Unless they go back to the scissor switches, I don't think


I have no idea what the market is for selling Sp6 are. What were you hoping to get for it? I did a quick look on swappa and price is in the 700 and up depending on the configuration.
View attachment 830779
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Could that be the reason why Ming Chi Kuo has said there will be a 16” to 16.5” MacBook Pro with all new design this year? Obviously that doesn’t solve the issue with the MacBook Air and 12” MacBook keyboard.

I’m not sure either, it’s all new to me as well. I was looking around £700 with the Pen thrown in and the 2 year extra warranty I paid for with John Lewis. The configuration is the base model Surface pro 6 with i5, 8GB Ram and 256GB SSD.
 
Dave245 said:
Could that be the reason why Ming Chi Kuo has said there will be a 16” to 16.5” MacBook Pro with all new design this year? Obviously that doesn’t solve the issue with the MacBook Air and 12” MacBook keyboard.

I’m not sure either, it’s all new to me as well. I was looking around £700 with the Pen thrown in and the 2 year extra warranty I paid for with John Lewis. The configuration is the base model Surface pro 6 with i5, 8GB Ram and 256GB SSD.
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I’d be interested in that deal!
 
It`s a very nice package.
[doublepost=1555749716][/doublepost]My gadgets right now.
[doublepost=1555749758][/doublepost]Bye, bye, Imac :(
[doublepost=1555750051][/doublepost].
 

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