Surface SE - My honest review

[ConceroEdu_Brad]

As someone who's spent the last 15 years working in the education industry, I've seen firsthand the struggles that schools and universities face when it comes to technology, especially laptops.

 

When the Surface line first came out back in 2012, Microsoft's goal was to create elegant, portable computer platforms that were more affordable than those from Apple. And while it took some time, I think they've finally hit their stride with the Surface Laptop SE. This device is specifically aimed at primary schools, and I think it's a great option for them.

 

First, the specs. The Laptop SE comes in two versions. The entry-level version has an Intel Celeron N4020 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage, which is more than enough for primary school students. Plus, the fact that Microsoft was able to offer this level of performance at a lower price point is pretty impressive.

 

The design of the Laptop SE also borrows from previous Surface projects, which I think is a good thing. The keyboard, for example, is the same one used on the Surface Laptop Go. And unlike most other Surface devices, the Laptop SE is made of plastic, which makes it more durable and resistant to damage, perfect for a primary school setting.

 

One of the things that Microsoft is boasting about with the Laptop SE is that it's the most repairable Surface laptop yet. This is a big plus for primary schools that have limited IT resources. Microsoft will provide screens, batteries, and keyboards as replacement parts, making it easy for educators to fix any issues that may arise.

 

When it comes to ports, the Laptop SE has the essentials: a Kensington security slot, power jack inlet, a USB-C port, a USB-A port, and a 3.5mm audio jack. It may not have every single port you could want, but it has the essentials that most primary school students will need.

 

Finally, there's the power connector. Microsoft has chosen to use a pin-barrel power connector, which isn't the most modern type, but I suppose it's reliable. The only downside is that the USB-C port on the Laptop SE can't be used for charging.

 

All in all, I think the Surface Laptop SE is a great option for primary schools. It's affordable, durable, and easy to repair, which are all important factors for schools. I think it's definitely worth checking out.

[Ex-MGSTech]

One of the things that Microsoft is boasting about with the Laptop SE is that it's the most repairable Surface laptop yet. This is a big plus for primary schools that have limited IT resources. Microsoft will provide screens, batteries, and keyboards as replacement parts, making it easy for educators to fix any issues that may arise.

 

By Educators, I hope they don't mean Teachers?, I'm not sure most could find the power button!

[Ironside]

This reads more like an ad than a review honestly.

[Norphy]

When the Surface line first came out back in 2012, Microsoft's goal was to create elegant, portable computer platforms that were more affordable than those from Apple.

 

Riiiiiight.

 

Yeah, no. The majority of Surface devices have been a premium laptops or tablets and have always been priced at Apple levels. Especially when you factor in the cost of the keyboard and stylus. Generally speaking, they’re designed around the latest version of Windows and are meant to show off the latest version of Windows’ latest features. They’re also supposed to be an example to other OEMs as to what’s possible.

 

The only possible exception to that would be the Surface RT (which was next to useless), the Surface Go and the SE you’re looking at here, but even those are pretty expensive for what you’re getting.

[Steve21]

The silly thing is, we're currently building a new primary school in the Trust that these kind of devices would be ideal for, cheap/small/long batt etc basically a Windows Chromebook for all purposes (or the closest you'll get), and yet with the rep the surfaces have had (as others mentioned) I really can't see these catching on unless MS do some major discounting/freebies to get people testing them.

 

Steve

[CyBeRkId2002]

The silly thing is, we're currently building a new primary school in the Trust that these kind of devices would be ideal for, cheap/small/long batt etc basically a Windows Chromebook for all purposes (or the closest you'll get), and yet with the rep the surfaces have had (as others mentioned) I really can't see these catching on unless MS do some major discounting/freebies to get people testing them.

 

Steve

 

We have just purchased some Stream devices (Pro G5 I think) which are a cheaper alternative. Too early to judge yet (we only unboxed the first one today!) but with a nice slimmed down Windows 11 image and some profile management I think they should be alright.

 

Our pastoral team are using Surface Go 3's to be more mobile and not chained to a desk and they seem to be working well (although, again - it's early days!)

[Chclark]

Have two for testing at the moment have the 120gb model which wasn't bad £240ish each. Just need to keep remember it might look like windows but not to treat it like it is. It's a windows Chromebook should do well even in secondary environment as long as the school can understand the use case of these.

[Roberto]

When the Surface line first came out back in 2012, Microsoft's goal was to create elegant, portable computer platforms that were more affordable than those from Apple.

 

Pretty sure from what I heard at the time, this was more about wanting to set a quality bar for their platform that the OEMs were failing to do in their then race to the bottom for price & quality.

 

This article is written by a well known Apple fanboy so it’s slanted a particular way but also contains some very interesting observations in hindsight.