yes, for about double the price and looks like you have do that within 45 days from date of purchase
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Surface Laptop 2 questions
- Thread starter drinkingtea
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You may wish to experiment with Smooth Scrolling (settings-->web pages) and see if you find it find it less laggy with it on or off. It may not make a difference. I don't really notice any lag on my Surface Pro with it one way or the other. I do also have "use hardware acceleration" enabled
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No guarantee it will make a difference. I think we all perceive visuals like "lag" a little different and what might not bother me, may drive you crazy
Understood.No guarantee it will make a difference. I think we all perceive visuals like "lag" a little different and what might not bother me, may drive you crazy
If nothing happens no big deal. It may be fine once I use the laptop some place that has space for the mouse too.
To be fair, when ProMotion iPP enhances screens stutter that drives me nuts. Slightly different than lag.
anybody experienced this kind of issue with Surface device? Looks like some kind of burn in, but I'm not sure what this issue should be properly named, there is some topics on-line about this issue experienced on SB, SP3 and SP4
photo is not mine, but I have similar problem and device was sent to warranty, but I'm little bit worry when repaired device will get same issue after some time of usage
photo is not mine, but I have similar problem and device was sent to warranty, but I'm little bit worry when repaired device will get same issue after some time of usage
I tried Vivaldi over the last 24 hours, but the inability to do a two finger swipe to navigate back is a deal breaker for me and the UI is a bit of a dog's dinner, with some looking modern and some looking like the Windows of old. Shame, because there is plenty to like about it.
In other Surface Laptop 2 news, I was rather unhappy with my battery life and read a TechNet response suggesting "calibrating the battery" by letting it run down until it switches off, then fully charging it, and repeating that three times.
Didn't buy for one moment that it would make a difference but I did it once and, whaddaya know, it's completely transformed. I've been on battery for about 8 hours with almost full brightness and still have 37%!
In other Surface Laptop 2 news, I was rather unhappy with my battery life and read a TechNet response suggesting "calibrating the battery" by letting it run down until it switches off, then fully charging it, and repeating that three times.
Didn't buy for one moment that it would make a difference but I did it once and, whaddaya know, it's completely transformed. I've been on battery for about 8 hours with almost full brightness and still have 37%!
Not seen with 1st Gen Surface Book, my daughter uses it now and still good, coming up for 2-1/2 years old.
Q-6
Q-6
my SL has only few months, used only indoor, the issue only occurred on the edges so it's different than MBP and it's also more visible by unaided eye, some guy on reddit said it's a problem with bonding between touch digitiser and LCD
Isn't that supposedly also the cause of the blue blotches on the MacBook Pro? I thought I had read that it was an adhesive issue with layers or something along those lines. Dunno.
Also this issue with the MacBook Pro, the bottom photo looks very similar to yours...
https://gregsamborski.com/macbook-pro-led-screen-discoloration-spots-15-2017-touch-bar/
Seems like a similar issue with both?
That does appear to be the consensus from what I have been able to find. Seems to be a cross-platform issue as well. Could it be a particular display vendor?
Edit: His discoloration seemed to shift with gravity though, depending on how he stored his computer, right side up, left side up, top up, bottom up, etc. Does yours do the same?
Is it possible that it is a result of moisture? Even condensation getting between panels?
SL1 and SL2 have LCD from Panasonic, Surface Pro 4/5/6: Samsung or LG, MBP: Samsung or LG, SB1: Panasonic, SB2: LG, so probably there is no brand, free from any problems. On my SL yellow patches are always in same place. I'm not sure about moisture, but some MBP were killed by small moisture corrosion on one capacitor or resistor
How's everyone doing with their SL2s?
I have mixed feelings at the moment. I still really like the machine but now the novelty has worn off I'm having to admit to myself that workflow-wise it's slowing me down a bit. My (currently broken) MBP is top-spec i7/16gb and the Surface is only i5/8gb (just couldn't afford to tie any more money up in laptops for now!) I'm uncertain to what extent that is what's making the difference, and how much is just Windows in general. It's not like I edit video or anything taxing.
Example: One thing I do is reply to emails - lots of them in a short space of time. I have many people ask me the same questions so I have automatic text set up so that short strings expand into blocks of text. I use TypeItForMe for this on the Mac and a thing called TextExpander to do the same on Windows.
Today I had about 50 emails to get through, which typically takes an hour or two, and the whole process just felt so much more frustrating: Text not expanding as reliably, occasional freezes, just general performance. Admittedly it's not as wall-punchingly frustrating as the e key not working properly on my MBP, but it really did feel like a step down in terms of efficiency. Surely replying speedily to a bunch of emails shouldn't tax an 8gb i5?!
In many respects I'm perfectly happy with the SL2 - I'm already WAY more accurate with the keyboard than the MBP one, screen is fine, and I'm almost adapted to the different key combinations and shortcuts but...I don't know, it just ain't the same.
Things I'm not so sure about include:
Trackpad: Way better than expected but for some reason clicking and selecting a block of text seems hit and miss. I also miss the lack of gestures within apps.
Battery: Life seems rather inconsistent from charge to charge.
Stablitily: Outlook crashes at least once per day, and my other mail client (MailSpring) needs to be told to recache my IMAP accounts regularly.
SO torn right now. Not completely happy with the SL2, and not at all happy with the thought of going back to the MBP once it's replaced and risking starting all over again as and when the keyboard next acts up.
Just want something that works!
Grrr.
I have mixed feelings at the moment. I still really like the machine but now the novelty has worn off I'm having to admit to myself that workflow-wise it's slowing me down a bit. My (currently broken) MBP is top-spec i7/16gb and the Surface is only i5/8gb (just couldn't afford to tie any more money up in laptops for now!) I'm uncertain to what extent that is what's making the difference, and how much is just Windows in general. It's not like I edit video or anything taxing.
Example: One thing I do is reply to emails - lots of them in a short space of time. I have many people ask me the same questions so I have automatic text set up so that short strings expand into blocks of text. I use TypeItForMe for this on the Mac and a thing called TextExpander to do the same on Windows.
Today I had about 50 emails to get through, which typically takes an hour or two, and the whole process just felt so much more frustrating: Text not expanding as reliably, occasional freezes, just general performance. Admittedly it's not as wall-punchingly frustrating as the e key not working properly on my MBP, but it really did feel like a step down in terms of efficiency. Surely replying speedily to a bunch of emails shouldn't tax an 8gb i5?!
In many respects I'm perfectly happy with the SL2 - I'm already WAY more accurate with the keyboard than the MBP one, screen is fine, and I'm almost adapted to the different key combinations and shortcuts but...I don't know, it just ain't the same.
Things I'm not so sure about include:
Trackpad: Way better than expected but for some reason clicking and selecting a block of text seems hit and miss. I also miss the lack of gestures within apps.
Battery: Life seems rather inconsistent from charge to charge.
Stablitily: Outlook crashes at least once per day, and my other mail client (MailSpring) needs to be told to recache my IMAP accounts regularly.
SO torn right now. Not completely happy with the SL2, and not at all happy with the thought of going back to the MBP once it's replaced and risking starting all over again as and when the keyboard next acts up.
Just want something that works!
Grrr.
Sorry you’re going through that.
I had those highlighting text issues when I tried to use the touchpad, which I’ve turned off due to it being an arthritis trigger (that’s true of every track/touch pad for me though, so I cannot blame the SL2 for the flair up).
I haven’t had a chance to do anything beyond surfing, writing posts because of my particular physical situation (I suspect this lovely laptop is too small for me and I cannot return it), so I’ll keep trying to use it within reason and pain thresholds of course.
If there are other issues like those you mention, I will post, but it looks like I’ll have to go back to a desktop / tablet set up.
Sorry to hear that too! These SL2s have a lot to offer and I know we were both very enthusiastic initially so I hope it turns out to be a good buy for at least one of us!
[doublepost=1549917414][/doublepost]PS. Also have a thing a few times a day when something seems to click itself in the browser or a random chunk of text selects itself, usually just below left of center - hands nowhere near trackpad or touchscreen at a time...
[doublepost=1549917414][/doublepost]PS. Also have a thing a few times a day when something seems to click itself in the browser or a random chunk of text selects itself, usually just below left of center - hands nowhere near trackpad or touchscreen at a time...
While not nearly as "sexy" as the Surface Laptop 2, have you considered the Lenovo X1 Carbon? I realize it is more money, but you could pick one up from Costco with a 90 day return period and 2-year warranty.
Alternatives to Text Expander maybe look at PhraseExpress (Freemium)
I have the 2017 Surface Pro, not the SL2, but I have never had any issues with Outlook 365 crashing on me. Which version of Outlook are you using?
I am not familiar with MailSpring and have no experience with that.
Battery life I find works best with the power slider in the middle, but since I can also charge the SP in the car via 12v charger, I never really worry about it too much.
I always have to turn off the tap to click with one finger on both my SP and Mac, otherwise, large chunks of text seem to randomly disappear. I don't know what I do, but it is annoying AF
I hope you find something that suits your needs and makes you happy. I am in the same boat with the mac. "E" key on what is now unit #5 became unresponsive after 2 months. Managed to smash it several times and get it to work again, but I have no faith that the issue won't return.
Alternatives to Text Expander maybe look at PhraseExpress (Freemium)
I have the 2017 Surface Pro, not the SL2, but I have never had any issues with Outlook 365 crashing on me. Which version of Outlook are you using?
I am not familiar with MailSpring and have no experience with that.
Battery life I find works best with the power slider in the middle, but since I can also charge the SP in the car via 12v charger, I never really worry about it too much.
I always have to turn off the tap to click with one finger on both my SP and Mac, otherwise, large chunks of text seem to randomly disappear. I don't know what I do, but it is annoying AF
I hope you find something that suits your needs and makes you happy. I am in the same boat with the mac. "E" key on what is now unit #5 became unresponsive after 2 months. Managed to smash it several times and get it to work again, but I have no faith that the issue won't return.
I've got too much money tied up in laptops for now until I get my MBP back, so I'll have to decide then, unfortunately. No Costco here (in UK).
A lot of the decision is going to be around whether I go back to the MBP or buy SOME kind of Windows laptop which matches the i7/16GB spec. I'll look at the X1, thanks. XPS13 is on my radar too and the Razer Blade Stealth. There was also a Lenovo Yoga at CES which comes out later in the year that looked rather tasty.
Thanks, I'll have a look. I tried a few such tools before settling on TextExpander, which I paid for, but it's proving a little less reliable than it seemed at first.
It's the latest version that comes with 365 for business. Not even pushing it hard, just linked to one Exchange account. Just hangs every now and then and needs a force quit.
Lovely mail client with some very cool features (tracking on email opens and link clicks, info panel with intelligence on the domain and person such as LinkedIn data - a bit "stalky" but good for doing basic due dilligence on people who contact you without Googling). Great software and the only thing I liked after trying Windows Mail, Thunderbird and a couple of others), but it doesn't seem too stable.
Yeah, I'm not as disciplined as you
I like my brightness and I feel like I can notice a perceptible difference in responsiveness betwen the "better" and "best" setting. It's more the inconsistency - sometimes it seems to drain incredibly quick, other times it works really well.I always have to turn off the tap to click with one finger on both my SP and Mac, otherwise, large chunks of text seem to randomly disappear. I don't know what I do, but it is annoying AF
Grrr, yes indeed! I turned it off to begin with but the hard click is LOUD after getting used to haptic! I've gone back to being able to tap but it's easy to do it by mistake. Hopefully this may just be a case of adjusting.
Thank you
Reading this back I feel like it's a list of fussy first world problems, but if anything it's because I've been spoiled by the Macs of old. I work fast and had my work flow completely down. Between the gradual failure of my keyboard and this unanticipated voyage into Windows I just want to work at my normal pace again. I feel like I've been working at less than 100% capacity for weeks now and have coughed up so much money in the process!I almost wish I'd just replaced the knackered battery on my 2015 MBP that I recently eBayed, put up with something dated and bulky, and saved myself approx £3500!
Thanks for all your advice
I believe only Batter Saver reduces Display Brightness. At least that is the case on my Surface Pro 5. Recommended, Better and Best settings do not impact my display brightness. I am not sure if that behavior differs on the SL2.
The other modes, Recommended and Better, will I believe still achieve the maximum CPU/GPU speeds as Best, when pushed hard, but will clock down to varying degrees when not pushed, so there is likely a loss of responsiveness until it clocks up. At least that is my understanding, but perhaps I have misunderstood this.
Best, I believe just run full speed and never clocks down.
I can appreciate the frustration. I picked up my first Windows machine in about 12 years when I grabbed the Surface Pro as a companion device after failing to find enough utility in the iPad Pro. Now on 2018 #5, I regret sticking with it. But I have had to rethink how I do some things between the Mac and SP.
I am not sure what to make of the Outlook issue. I run it on the Surface Pro, Macbook Pro and iMac, but have yet to have it crash. Perhaps something has become corrupted? I have Outlook linked to Personal and Business Exchange accounts, 2 Xfinity accounts, iCloud account, and a few accounts tied to our website. None of those have become an issue so far.
The other modes, Recommended and Better, will I believe still achieve the maximum CPU/GPU speeds as Best, when pushed hard, but will clock down to varying degrees when not pushed, so there is likely a loss of responsiveness until it clocks up. At least that is my understanding, but perhaps I have misunderstood this.
Best, I believe just run full speed and never clocks down.
I can appreciate the frustration. I picked up my first Windows machine in about 12 years when I grabbed the Surface Pro as a companion device after failing to find enough utility in the iPad Pro. Now on 2018 #5, I regret sticking with it. But I have had to rethink how I do some things between the Mac and SP.
I am not sure what to make of the Outlook issue. I run it on the Surface Pro, Macbook Pro and iMac, but have yet to have it crash. Perhaps something has become corrupted? I have Outlook linked to Personal and Business Exchange accounts, 2 Xfinity accounts, iCloud account, and a few accounts tied to our website. None of those have become an issue so far.
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I'm still very happy with mine.
I've had exactly 4 glitches since purchasing around Thanksgiving (Nov 24 ish);
Twice, the 2 finger trackpad scroll stopped working in Edge or Chrome (I can't recall which, or if it was once each). Restarting the browser fixed the problem.
And twice, Windows Hello fails and asks me to enter a PIN. This continues until a reboot. Rebooting fixes it, for a month or so.
I am curious if the recent firmware updates will stop those issues. So far, I haven't experienced either again since the updates installed a week or so back.
If I had to gripe about the SL2, it would only be the trackpad I could complain about. Single finger clicks sometimes accept a light tap, and other times I have to push down for the loud physical click. That inconsistency is annoying, and a good reason to pick a different laptop if one depends on the trackpad seriously. I happen to only use it for leisure, and use a mouse when I need to quit playing around and get something done. So it's just an inconvenience that I can live with, in my case.
I do miss some small things about MacOS, but not nearly as much as many others do. I keep reading how much easier everything is on a Mac, but I've never experienced that myself. A few things? Sure. But certainly not everything. Far from it IMHO. In any case, I like both platforms fine. I just don't think much of Apples hardware lately. (And as far as ecosystems go, can't say I miss Apples much. Our new windows computers and android phones do all the same things. To think I was actually nervous about leaving iPhone two months ago... I have to laugh at myself a little. There's barely a difference in any of it)
With regards to the Surface line, and the pen functionality, I haven't used it as much as I would like to yet. However, there have been some times when I'm damn glad to have it. For example, a few nights ago my son was visiting. He's got my old Surface Pro, and is a college student who needed windows for some specific software they use in his field (Forestry). He also works part time for a surveying company. We had him and the place he works for do a project for us earlier this winter, and that night we were going over some of the work they did. We also needed to share what we were going over with some other family members. (sorry for the long story) Anyhow, after an hour or so, both of us had our Surface pens flying around the screens on our Surface devices marking up satellite images and emailing them off. I haven't learned the pen like he has, but it was like being in the future doing all that with software built right in to the OS and hardware that didn't cost much at all. Both systems were under a grand USD, and we were doing something constructive that a Mac won't do anytime soon.
Anyhow, I'm not sure any of that is very interesting to others, but I am pretty sure I bought the right laptop to replace my MBP, my iMac, and my iPP.
I've had exactly 4 glitches since purchasing around Thanksgiving (Nov 24 ish);
Twice, the 2 finger trackpad scroll stopped working in Edge or Chrome (I can't recall which, or if it was once each). Restarting the browser fixed the problem.
And twice, Windows Hello fails and asks me to enter a PIN. This continues until a reboot. Rebooting fixes it, for a month or so.
I am curious if the recent firmware updates will stop those issues. So far, I haven't experienced either again since the updates installed a week or so back.
If I had to gripe about the SL2, it would only be the trackpad I could complain about. Single finger clicks sometimes accept a light tap, and other times I have to push down for the loud physical click. That inconsistency is annoying, and a good reason to pick a different laptop if one depends on the trackpad seriously. I happen to only use it for leisure, and use a mouse when I need to quit playing around and get something done. So it's just an inconvenience that I can live with, in my case.
I do miss some small things about MacOS, but not nearly as much as many others do. I keep reading how much easier everything is on a Mac, but I've never experienced that myself. A few things? Sure. But certainly not everything. Far from it IMHO. In any case, I like both platforms fine. I just don't think much of Apples hardware lately. (And as far as ecosystems go, can't say I miss Apples much. Our new windows computers and android phones do all the same things. To think I was actually nervous about leaving iPhone two months ago... I have to laugh at myself a little. There's barely a difference in any of it)
With regards to the Surface line, and the pen functionality, I haven't used it as much as I would like to yet. However, there have been some times when I'm damn glad to have it. For example, a few nights ago my son was visiting. He's got my old Surface Pro, and is a college student who needed windows for some specific software they use in his field (Forestry). He also works part time for a surveying company. We had him and the place he works for do a project for us earlier this winter, and that night we were going over some of the work they did. We also needed to share what we were going over with some other family members. (sorry for the long story) Anyhow, after an hour or so, both of us had our Surface pens flying around the screens on our Surface devices marking up satellite images and emailing them off. I haven't learned the pen like he has, but it was like being in the future doing all that with software built right in to the OS and hardware that didn't cost much at all. Both systems were under a grand USD, and we were doing something constructive that a Mac won't do anytime soon.
Anyhow, I'm not sure any of that is very interesting to others, but I am pretty sure I bought the right laptop to replace my MBP, my iMac, and my iPP.
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It was interesting to me!
I get that on occasion too - doesn't bother me that much, it seems to happen less often than with FaceID on my iPhone which seems to think I'm a different person when I'm tired or hungover!
I get that on occasion too - doesn't bother me that much, it seems to happen less often than with FaceID on my iPhone which seems to think I'm a different person when I'm tired or hungover!
welcome to the surface world. Had been using Macs since 1999 and iPhones since they came out. Then I used a Surface RT with Windows 8 and left apple behind. I even started buying windows phones until they gave up and now am on a android. It took a little bit of time to get reacquainted with Windows. This is how I look at it a company should give people what they want, With steve jobs, that happened. No he didn't listen to us and change things because he gave us what we wanted before we knew we wanted it. Tim Cook gives things the way he wants it and does it because he things if I love it, everyone will love it. All Apple had to do was make a tablet running OS X, even if it isn't optimized for touch screens which is ironic since they made touchscreens mainstream in the first place, and everyone would buy it. Just make an apple surface and who cares if it looks almost the same as a surface. People would buy it. Heck if it weighed five pounds people would buy it. I just don't understand and really wish Tim Cook would just go.
I have gotten that from time to time as well, but no more often than with my phone. Generally, when it happens on my Surface Pro, it is when I am outside with it and there is a bright sun behind me shining on the camera. This can also happen indoors at the right time of day. Also if I get distracted by the television or the dogs in the evening and FaceID decides to try to ID right as I look away for a moment. It likes you to look at it, rather than give it a quarter or half profile
. I haven't had to reboot though, except in cases where for some reason I have failed to properly enter my password repeatedly. That has only happened a couple of times.I haven't had the trackpad two-finger scroll issue on my Surface Pro.
Actually, going on 19 months of owning it, the FaceID thing has been the only "glitch" and that has been mostly mother nature and my own distraction. I can't complain
Had that problem as well. What I did to fix it is everytime it couldn't see me and wanted to enter a pin and logged on I went to settings and did the improve facial recognition. When I set it up I do facial recognition straight at the camera, tilt it and have it catch me looking from above, and then do a looking right and looking left scan. I do one in ptch black and go outside and do one when its bright and to top it off I do one with a hat. With that it now gets me every single time no matter what. Might take a few mins but well worth it.I have gotten that from time to time as well, but no more often than with my phone. Generally, when it happens on my Surface Pro, it is when I am outside with it and there is a bright sun behind me shining on the camera. This can also happen indoors at the right time of day. Also if I get distracted by the television or the dogs in the evening and FaceID decides to try to ID right as I look away for a moment. It likes you to look at it, rather than give it a quarter or half profile
I haven't had the trackpad two-finger scroll issue on my Surface Pro.
Actually, going on 19 months of owning it, the FaceID thing has been the only "glitch" and that has been mostly mother nature and my own distraction. I can't complain