Joanne Posted March 30, 2017 Posted March 30, 2017 Right... thinking it's time for a change! I'm thinking of possibly getting a Surface 4. Just looked and for a brand new one (i5, 8GB, 256GB) it's looking like £1000. I'd be willing to buy used. I'd probably sell all of my laptops to get this, so a Samsung i5, 8GB, 256SSD, Macbook pro 2011 i5, 8GB, 256SSD and an Acer 15" Chromebook. I don't really use these laptops for what I originally bought them for. Surface will be used for drawing methinks. What is everyones experience with the Surface?
RichCowell Posted March 30, 2017 Posted March 30, 2017 I've never heard anything bad about the Surface, but I'd definitely recommend the Fujitsu Stylistic R726 instead - pretty much identical, but significantly cheaper... I've had the i7 / 8GB / 500GB SSD for about a year now and love it... Comes with the keyboard and pen as standard too.
DalekSec Posted March 30, 2017 Posted March 30, 2017 Only downsides i've heard are; Don't use outside in sunlight they get way to hot Microsoft arnt the best at customer service That's about it!
Joanne Posted March 30, 2017 Author Posted March 30, 2017 Does it come with a pen? I definitely need a pen for drawing! Just having a quick look, the prices look the same. - - - Updated - - - Only downsides i've heard are; Don't use outside in sunlight they get way to hot Microsoft arnt the best at customer service That's about it! If I'm buying used I won't have to worry about the customer service
sted Posted March 30, 2017 Posted March 30, 2017 ive got a surface pro 1. I barely use it now i actually much prefer my chromebook. If your at a table etc its fine but its a bit of a pain to use in some ways as you cant easily use the stand to prop it up on anything but a table etc so its awkward at best to use on your knee sat on the sofa say. iirc the wifi card in them is still a junky one that sometimes requires a reboot to do anything (and normally i just sent it to sleep) its also daft from what i remember to get a decent sized ssd you have to spec a more powerful cpu you cant say have an i3 and a 256/512 ssd iirc. I know its old now but my pro1 stared to become unreliable it gets very hot i think its just sucked up dust and theres no sensible way of cleaning it. I also think it worked better on windows 8.1 (not an issue on a machine designed for 10)
Arreks Posted March 30, 2017 Posted March 30, 2017 I got a Surface 4 recently - comes with a pen, you'd have to buy the little detachable keyboard separately for like £80(!!). They're great for drawing and design though I'm not a huge fan of the sensitivity on the pen, sometimes it's really sensitive and other times I have to actually 'press' quite hard so it's hit and miss (rare, though). In honesty I'd prefer my PC and a decent drawpad but for the mobility - working on the train and taking notes in meetings I love it
RichCowell Posted March 30, 2017 Posted March 30, 2017 I've never heard anything bad about the Surface, but I'd definitely recommend the Fujitsu Stylistic R726 instead - pretty much identical, but significantly cheaper... I've had the i7 / 8GB / 500GB SSD for about a year now and love it... Comes with the keyboard and pen as standard too. Also - the Fujitsu's are field-serviceable so you can do repairs etc. or have engineers come out depending on your warranty, rather the Surfaces which have to be sent away if repairs are needed...
Joanne Posted March 30, 2017 Author Posted March 30, 2017 How old is the Fujitsu @RichCowell ? There are no used ones on eBay!
RichCowell Posted March 30, 2017 Posted March 30, 2017 How old is the Fujitsu @RichCowell ? There are no used ones on eBay! Mine was the first in the country last May (hand delivered by Fujitsu at an event I was at lol), so pretty new still...
flyinghaggis Posted March 30, 2017 Posted March 30, 2017 I've always thought the Microsoft Surface would be the ideal device for me as, in theory at least, it should have been able to replace both a laptop and a tablet. However in practice every version of it I've spend time playing with in a shop has always felt really clunky to use whenever I've removed the keyboard cover to use it as a tablet device. Based on my previous experiences I'd rather just have a regular laptop and an ipad/etc to use alongside it rather than the surface.They're rather pricey as well so you could literally buy both a tablet and laptop for the price of one which is personally what I'd do. I never use my devices for artwork/drawing so it might be more beneficial for yourself depending on how much you value that aspect. I know some people love them but I've always found the Surface a bit awkward to use in practice because of the form factor and Windows never really being intended for a touchscreen interface.
Joanne Posted March 30, 2017 Author Posted March 30, 2017 (edited) I've messed about with surfaces before and always liked them. I know that one of them had wifi issues (earlier models) and was curious to see if there were any issues with the 4. Say someone who has deployed them at work being able to tell me if they have encountered any issues. I don't have a use for a tablet (iOS / Android) I just find it easier to use my phone. Actually I've got a nexus lying about I could sell too!! Hahahah! I like the idea of the pen. I have an old OLD RM tablet which works with a pen. I could never get it working reliably with Windows 7 though, so it got cast aside. Edited March 30, 2017 by Joanne
Chuckster Posted March 30, 2017 Posted March 30, 2017 I recently used the Surface Pro 4 (Intel i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) and I was pretty impressed by it. The touchscreen was fluid much like the iPad is. It was responsive, quick and did what you would expect of a computer/laptop/tablet. However, I only used it as a laptop kind of way but did scroll through pages in Word and Internet Explorer by use of touch. Keyboard was good, too, but the trackpad I thought was a little small. I've no idea if it can do gestures and whatnot, e.g. pinch, swipe etc.
foofighterjim Posted March 30, 2017 Posted March 30, 2017 I have a Pro 4 as my main device at home, it does come in handy having the full OS on a very mobile product. Battery life can be hit and miss, although there was a firmware update just before Christmas and it has been better since. I normally can't do writing on screen like this but with the Surface I can, you can get different tips for the pen to increase / decrease the resistance of the screen giving it a more natural feel. I think it was the Surface 3 that had Wi-Fi issues, I certainly haven't had any. 1
Danp Posted March 30, 2017 Posted March 30, 2017 We have Surface 2s and 3s around school for SMT and my wife has a 4 from work. They are all lovely pieces of kit, only minor issue i've seen with them is with the docking stations they sometimes take a couple of re-boots to correctly dock and occasionally the odd machine gets stuck on boot and it needs a volume button + power button restart. 1
pcstru Posted March 30, 2017 Posted March 30, 2017 I've had a surface pro 2 since 2014. My first one had to be replaced which was relatively quick and painless and since then no issues. I don't use the pen (much improved since then I believe) but the overall build quality, battery life etc is IMO first rate. It is the device I throw into my bag when I travel and given that it rattles around in a rucksack, it is holding up well. Another surface will be top of the list when I need to replace it - assuming they still make them by that time. 1
Joanne Posted March 31, 2017 Author Posted March 31, 2017 I might be putting up my laptops for sale this weekend then! Thing is, ebay take a huge cut.... gah. Decisions decisions!
HBPS Posted March 31, 2017 Posted March 31, 2017 Don't forget if you have a valid education email address if you buy direct from Microsoft i think its 20% off that's how i got my pro 3
Joanne Posted March 31, 2017 Author Posted March 31, 2017 Interesting.... I was gonna buy second hand, but that could be a game changer.
Joanne Posted March 31, 2017 Author Posted March 31, 2017 TOTES DEVO! I'll see what deals are about when I've got the cash together. Gotta sell all of my other devices first!
truebluesteve Posted March 31, 2017 Posted March 31, 2017 We've got a number of SP4's here and I have acquired one of them - for testing purposes obviously! The screen is very good and the pen works quite well although I haven't done any precision work with it. We also have the docks which have Ethernet and USB ports on them and 2 x mini display ports for additional displays. Its a bit annoying that they omitted an HDMI port but you can buy adaptors so its not the end of the world. The other staff that have them have on the whole been very positive although we've had a couple returned because the people trialling them preferred the larger screen and keyboard of their laptops. One thing that has cropped up is that you can't seem to log into the Windows App Store with your school O365 credentials.
Andycat Posted March 31, 2017 Posted March 31, 2017 @Joanne I've got one. It's very nice. But as someone mentioned, useless for on the sofa/in bed etc as the keyboard cover and flipstand don't really work for anything other than a flat solid surface. 1
Joanne Posted March 31, 2017 Author Posted March 31, 2017 I probably wont even use the keyboard. I'll mostly be sitting on the settee drawing on it. Fun times! Must... Not.... Buy.... before selling other stuff!!
woodham Posted March 31, 2017 Posted March 31, 2017 i have oth the pro 3 and the pro 4 i love my pro 4 , there is not much wrong wit hthe 3 it s just im a sucker for gadgets and the 4 has face recognition the ability to run full programs and have a propper os on a good weight portalbe device is what swayed it for me Ive owned my 4 since release day 1
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