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Add to SafariWhen comparing Microsoft Surface Book 2 (15-inch) vs Microsoft Surface Pro, the Slant community recommends Microsoft Surface Pro for most people. In the question“What are the best 2 in 1 convertible laptops for programming?” Microsoft Surface Pro is ranked 1st while Microsoft Surface Book 2 (15-inch) is ranked 3rd.
Specs
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Gaming performance on-par with gaming laptops
The 15-inch version of the Surface Book 2 comes with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 GPU. This is a powerful, VR-ready card that handles intensive gaming tasks.
As for real-world performance, Hitman (1920 x 1080, ultra) runs at 71.9 frames per second, Grand Theft Auto V runs at 45 fps.
It should also be mentioned that you need to be using the dock in order to do graphic-intensive tasks since that's where the GPU is located; using the laptop in tablet-mode will yield poor results in this regard.
Pro One of the best performances found on a 15-inch laptop
Equiped with an Intel Core i7-8650U CPU, 8GB (or 16GB) of RAM and an SSD that goes up to 1TB, the Surface Book 2 certainly packs a punch. It handles multitasking perfectly; you can open dozens of Chrome tags, stream video, and draw using the built-in software without experiencing any lag even once.
As far as benchmarks go, on the Geekbench 4 overall performance benchmark, the Surface Book 2 got a score of 12,505, better than the 15-inch laptop average (11,004) coming third after the Dell XPS 15 (13,911) and the MacBook Pro (15,170).
Pro The hinge is quite stable as far as 2-in-1 laptops go
The new fulcrum hinge that Microsoft used for the Surface Book 2 is much more stable than the one found on the previous Surface Book or even other 2-in-1 laptops for that matter.
Pro Great display for creative professionals
This laptop's display is bright and vivid, making it perfect for people who do a lot of drawing, design, or video editing work. The display offers an excellent coverage of 131% of the sRGB colour gamut (the average for this price range is 101%). The colour coverage and the bright display which measures an average of 417 nits really makes colours truly pop out and offers lifelike pictures.
Pro The battery easily lasts a full work day on a single charge
The Surface Book 2 lasts on average 12 hours on a single charge. This should be more than enough to get anyone to the end of their workday on a single charge.
Pro Great tying experience
Even though the keyboard is rather shallow (just 1.2mm of travel), the typing experience is excellent. Keys have a great amount of feedback when clicking and you rarely (if ever) bottom out when typing.
Pro Lightweight yet powerful
Pro Works as a tablet or a laptop
Surface Pro can be used both as a laptop and a tablet. Being that it can be used as either makes it extremely convenient to those that want power on the go.
Pro Reasonably priced
For the specs, the Surface Pros are a fantastic deal. Then factor in that you’re getting a tablet plus a laptop...it’s a no-brainer.
Pro Comes bundled with a great stylus
N-trig pen feels like a real pen and is natural to hold. There is a top button on the pen that allows for an eraser function as well as use for a wake up function.
Pro The last couple of i5 models are fanless
Pro Balanced screen colors
Pro 3:2 aspect ratio makes the device easier to hold and use
With a 3:2 aspect ratio the device is not as top heavy when holding in portrait and is easier to reach parts of the screens with the users thumbs when in landscape.
Pro New redesigned keyboard and touchpad attatchment
The keyboard attachment has been redesigned form earlier versions with a larger touchpad.
Cons
Con No Thunderbolt port
For a laptop aimed at creative professionals, the missing Thunderbolt 3 port is surprising considering the fact that Thunderbolt 3 is used to connect a laptop to peripherals such as external GPUs or power-dual 4K displays.
Con The pen must be bought separately
If you want to use the Surface Book for drawing then you will probably have to buy the Surface Pen which unfortunately does not come bundled with the laptop (it costs an additional $99).
Con Disappointing audio performance
The audio that comes out of the speakers is quite average. It's enough to fill a small room but that's it.
Con Heavy for a tablet
Con Keyboard doesn't come with the device
You have to pay an extra $130 for the type cover keyboard.
Con Not a lot of ports
1 USB 3.0, microSD Card reader, Headset jack, Mini DisplayPort
Con Requires tweaking to reach full potential
Kinda applies to most Windows computers, but in the case of the Surface Pro, many users will benefit from undervolting (among other tweaks) to help keep performance steady and temperatures down. Especially true for the models without a fan.
Con Can be difficult to use
Unless you have a flat surface available to deploy the kickstand, it's not very laptop-like.
