My laptop died, are Surface devices a worthy replacement?

[Lost Knight]

So my 6 years old Lenovo laptop died on me yesterday, motherboard damaged beyond repair, and I'm looking for a replacement. I've been looking into Microsoft's laptop and Surface device selection, are these worth the price? Mind you, I use my laptop for stuff like video editing, photoshop, writing and creative type of stuff, I won't use it for gaming. I already have an iPad Pro, but it's not really a replacement for a laptop.

And let's just say, money is not an issue.

 

[golem]

I like Surfaces. Great idea. But my Surface Pro 3 died in like three years on me which is pretty unacceptable and had a host of other random small issues during my time with it. So i'm never buying one again.

Not sure how they are now.

 

[acheron_xl]

I had a battery bulge and ruin my SP4, so I'm a big nope on them now.

 

[Deleted member 64047]

I'm the camp that the S Books series are better than the S Tablets. Overall, Surface is great but expensive hardware wise.

 

[GS_Dan]

Looking at a Surface Laptop 3 to replace my aging XPS 13 (first gen of the redesign).
The display aspect ratio looks ideal for productivity---I really struggle to use Visual Studio on my current laptop without an external display.

 

[Mulciber]

I love my Surface Pro 6. I want a 7, due to the USB-C, but I can't justify buying a new one when mine is perfectly good.

 

[Deleted member 18944]

Oui. But do not get a Surface Pro, you will have much better experience with the Surface Laptop line or the Surface Book line.

 

[El_TigroX]

I'm only a few weeks into Surface 3, which replaced an old and aged laptop... but I think it's a pretty solid machine and you can get a good deal right now - just a matter of what you need.

 

[finalflame]

Surfaces are ok. As you're already in Apple's ecosystem when the iPad (and likely iPhone?), I'd recommend a MacBook over a Surface. Both are equally pricey and I much prefer the experience of macOS for productivity and tight Apple ecosystem integration.

 

[Bradford]

It's a wonderful little travel laptop but if you use your laptop for Gaming or heavy workloads like video editing I would not opt for a surface.

 

[Draper]

Honestly, for your needs. A Macbook may be your best bet

 

[echoshifting]

I have a Surface Pro 6 and I love it. I do all my work on it, watch tv, read, etc. It was a game changer for me. I tried to use an iPad as a laptop replacement a few years ago and was disappointed in the limitations, Surface Pro has been a much better experience.

I don't use it for games though

 

[No_Style]

Fiancée has a Surface Pro 6 which has been solid. The power adapter stopped working but it was replaced by MS warranty. We employ Surface Pros for 3 generations at work without major issues.

 

[Navidson REC]

I've been using a Surface Pro 4 since early 2016 as my daily driver. It's an awesome device, especially for me as a grad student.

 

[TheLucasLite]

I use my SP4 for illustration and it's been good for that so far, I'm not sure how well it would work for video editing though, that can be pretty intensive. Also, I've only had it for just over a year. My brother had his for 2 and a half years but then it got a battery bulge, which has me worried about mine.

 

[turbobrick]

I would say just get another Lenovo, preferably a thinkpad.

 

[Lost Knight]

Surfaces are ok. As you're already in Apple's ecosystem when the iPad (and likely iPhone?), I'd recommend a MacBook over a Surface. Both are equally pricey and I much prefer the experience of macOS for productivity and tight Apple ecosystem integration.

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I used to have a MacBook from 2012 to 2016 and I kinda hated it, I'd rather be on Windows for now.

 

[Komo]

So my 6 years old Lenovo laptop died on me yesterday, motherboard damaged beyond repair, and I'm looking for a replacement. I've been looking into Microsoft's laptop and Surface device selection, are these worth the price? Mind you, I use my laptop for stuff like video editing, photoshop, writing and creative type of stuff, I won't use it for gaming. I already have an iPad Pro, but it's not really a replacement for a laptop.

And let's just say, money is not an issue.

Click to shrink...

Get a macbook. Maybe MBP 2014? Not a touchbar one as those are pretty shit if they die. Get the newest you can with removable storage.

 

[finalflame]

Get a macbook. Maybe MBP 2014? Not a touchbar one as those are pretty shit if they die. Get the newest you can with removable storage.

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I guess OP hates Macs, but yah, I basically love my personal 2014 rMBP to death. The 2015s are the holy grail for me, with the best keyboard and trackpad. I don't quite like my 2019 work MBP nearly as much.

 

[C.Mongler]

I love my Surface Pro 6, but keep in mind that the things are 100% irreparable by the user. If something breaks on it and you are out of warranty (or if it's just not covered), you're either shelling out a shitload for a repair or for a new Laptop/Surface. In the same vein, the battery is also not user-replaceable, so it has a finite life of being a portable laptop too; lithium ion batteries will eventually cease holding a charge, at which point it will need to be plugged in full time to use. Granted, that's going to be years after you purchase it, but worth noting.

I love the form-factor but it absolutely comes at a cost.

 

[Lost Knight]

Oui. But do not get a Surface Pro, you will have much better experience with the Surface Laptop line or the Surface Book line.

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Yeah, these Surface Laptops look amazing.

 

[kazinova]

I still maintain that the Surface Pro 3 I bought back when they came out continues to be the best piece of tech I've ever purchased and is still kicking. But I hardly recommend anything I like to other people because like one of the posters above said, some of them die and my experience may not necessarily be yours. I love mine, have no need for a laptop ever again, and I can edit photos in Lightroom in a pinch on vacation and do some minor gaming too. Love the pen as well.

 

[Blablurn]

i loved my Surface Pro 3 back in the days. Had no problem with it.

 

[Deleted member 18944]

Get a macbook. Maybe MBP 2014? Not a touchbar one as those are pretty shit if they die. Get the newest you can with removable storage.

Click to shrink...

I guess OP hates Macs, but yah, I basically love my personal 2014 rMBP to death. The 2015s are the holy grail for me, with the best keyboard and trackpad. I don't quite like my 2019 work MBP nearly as much.

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Or get 16 inch MBP! I have that and that's my daily driver (it replaced my Surface Laptop 2)

 

[Mauricio_Magus]

I love my Surface Pro 4, but just don't try to play games on it.

 

[Spoit]

The productivity gains from the surface is night and day compared to a Mac. Especially if they're doing art related stuff that would benefit from the stylus

 

[Tapiozona]

I still have my surface pro 3 and it's the best device i've ever owned. Little slow now a days but still works great as my backup for simple browsing, excel, light illustrator and photoshop work.

 

[Kill3r7]

We started using them at work last year and I liked them enough to get myself a Surface Pro 7. They aren't all that expensive, when on sale. I will say that it is an adjustment from standard laptops but you get over it pretty quick.

 

[Rapture]

Why not just get a gaming laptop? That would probably have all the specs you'd need for the work you're doing.

 

[djplaeskool]

As long as you go 5th Gen or newer, they're solid.
Pro 3 are alright if you're on a budget.
Pro 4s have a handful of issues you may want to steer clear of.

 

[ABK281]

Nothing but my issues with my SP4, I sent the original back and they replaced it 3 times with reconditioned units. The third one is the one I finally kept because I was stuck with the thing at that point and it was the best they gave me, but still had issues.

 

[Lost Knight]

The productivity gains from the surface is night and day compared to a Mac. Especially if they're doing art related stuff that would benefit from the stylus

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I'm not an artist, but I use photoshop a lot for my business and I honestly would benefit greatly for that.

 

[Yourfawthaaa]

Yes they are worth a look.

The surface book 2 & laptop 3 are great devices

 

[Infinity Times Two]

I have a Surface Pro 7

Haven't used it for video editing, but I have for Photoshop, prototyping (Adobe Xd), note taking, and Office 365.

It's really good at transforming into what you need it for. The alternative would've been a Macbook and an iPad, so personally this is two devices in one.

Just be aware that its weight distribution is unlike a laptop. Because of that, and my clumsiness, I dropped it and cracked the screen :(

 

[Deleted member 19844]

I had a battery bulge and ruin my SP4, so I'm a big nope on them now.

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I use my SP4 for illustration and it's been good for that so far, I'm not sure how well it would work for video editing though, that can be pretty intensive. Also, I've only had it for just over a year. My brother had his for 2 and a half years but then it got a battery bulge, which has me worried about mine.

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We had the same bulge issue. Also with an SP4. We have a newer SP now, though, and have had no issues yet. I still like the machines overall.

 

[MegaManTrigger]

Surface Pro 7 has been a great device for me. Haven't had any issues aside from my dumbass dropping it face first onto the floor. Get a screen protector.

 

[Jag]

I'm on my third work Surface (SP6) and I love it. I never thought a laptop would replace a desktop, but the Surface did it. I use it with a kb/m and 2 27" monitors. Take it solo when traveling. Do everything on it, Office, light gaming like WoW. It's just a fantastic device.

I had a battery bulge and ruin my SP4, so I'm a big nope on them now.

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Yeah that was definitely a black mark on the brand, but I don't think it's happened again since then.

 

[Nif]

I have a surface laptop and love it. It's been a few years and I haven't felt like getting a new laptop at all.

 

[captive]

I have a surface laptop 3 with 32gb of ram and photoshop and lightroom are very fast. I don't do any video editing though.

also lol @ recommending a 6 year old macbook to replace..... a 6 year old laptop.

I had a battery bulge and ruin my SP4, so I'm a big nope on them now.

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this happened on my Dell XPS, which is also a well regarded brand. These issues can happen with li-on batteries.

 

[Komo]

I guess OP hates Macs, but yah, I basically love my personal 2014 rMBP to death. The 2015s are the holy grail for me, with the best keyboard and trackpad. I don't quite like my 2019 work MBP nearly as much.

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Rip tho I only mention the 2014 because the new ones if they die your data does with it. the older ones are at least salvageable with their removable storage.

 

[amusix]

I have an SP4 that I've used as my travel computer and for DMing. Love it, never had a problem (though my SP2 had a small issue after I dropped it from the second floor onto tile and the screen cracked).

I would not use the SP for gaming, but it's been great for photoshop, and as a media player.

 

[bmdubya]

We have a mix of Surface devices at my work. My favorite is the Surface Laptop. Really lightweight and portable, and they are pretty fast. After that I'd say a Surface Pro, but I don't like the flimsy keyboard. It's near impossible to use while it's sitting on your lap. I do not like Surface Books. We've had a ton of issues with them, and if your keyboard goes out, you can't just order a replacement one, you have to send it into Microsoft. They've also had a bunch of stability issues and I've just been frustrated with them.

If you can afford a beefy Surface laptop, I'd say go for it.

 

[Ouroboros]

A lot of my students had issues with theirs. From what I've seen they are hit or miss.

 

[maxxpower]

I'm just hoping my 2011 MBP can go a few more years. Can't afford a new laptop.

 

[Deleted member 7148]

I own a Surface Laptop 2 and I love it. It's been an awesome laptop with a killer keyboard and battery life. Highly recommended.

 

[Karish]

My wife loves her Surface Laptop 2

 

[Replicant]

Nope they aren't. Don't buy a device you can't service.

 

[AndyD]

I have a surface from work and its decent. Battery overheats and doesn't last long, and it's too small to use all day long, but it is convenient and has full blown office apps. If I had to buy it, I'd say it's not really a good value for what you get. Honestly, I like my $200 Chromebook at home better for basic work. It feels like the Surface is caught between a real laptop and something dirt cheap like a Chromebook.

 

[hwalker84]

Been deploying them for quite some time at work without issues.

I've also been using them personally and professionally since the RT (yes I'm one of those crazies).

 

[Phamit]

I love my Surface Pro, but for your kind of work a Surface Laptop seems like a good idea. The Laptops are getting better receptions and I hear mostly only positive things about them.