Microsoft Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 benchmarks and hands-on
Surface 2 Pro: Can you play games? Yes
Inside the Surface 2 Pro is a self-reported Intel Core i5-4200 “Haswell” CPU running at 1.6GHz, versus the Core i5-3317u “Ivy Bridge” chip at 1.7GHz that powered the original Surface.The original Surface Pro conked out under heavy load in just 2.5 hours or so, though lighter Web browsing and battery management could push it out a couple more. One Microsoft employee we talked to felt that the new Surface Pro 2 could pull 5 hours under heavy gaming. (With the new Power Cover, battery life will be extended to 10-plus hours.) A more formal review will settle the difference.
What is clear, however, is that the Surface Pro 2 is definitely a gaming machine of some sort. Microsoft showed off World of Warcraft and Portal 2 running smoothly—yes, these games are several years old, but they do run, and well.
Since our tests are confined to x86 processors, we didn’t benchmark the ARM processor-based Surface 2. It felt speedy enough, but that’s a very basic impression.
The new Type Cover: hmmm....
Let’s be clear: Typing is a personal activity, and most users have their own set of subjective preferences regarding their own keyboards, mice, and monitors. I’ve never liked using the Touch Cover, for example, if only because the relative lack of tactile feedback slows me down and forces me to hunt and peck more than usual. But I’ve always felt that the Type Cover nearly provided a full keyboard experience, with satisfactory tactile feedback and a travel distance that made me feel like I was using a desktop keyboard.
I brought my old Surface Pro along, both for the plane ride to New York as well as to the event itself for a direct comparison. Personally, the Type Cover feels like a small step back—not huge, but noticeable.
And while I still don’t like the Touch Cover, well, it felt slightly more usable than I remember it. (And no, I don’t know if the older Touch Covers can be used with the new model.)
Striding boldly forward
I suspect—well, hope—that Microsoft’s on to something here, though. If Microsoft plays its cards right, the Docking Station could transform the Surface into the engine powering something like a desktop, while the Power Cover could add the stability to make the Surface a true convertible tablet or two-in-one. (In a nice touch, Microsoft employees told me that the Power Cover charges the Surface’s internal battery, so that you can grab it and go if need be.)
Quite frankly, Panos Panay, the Microsoft executive in charge of the Surface launch, oversold it a bit. Seriously: “lapability”? What does that mean, exactly? If it means the ability to work with the Surface in a lap — maaaayybee. Neither the Touch nor Type Cover nor the dual kickstand gives me the feeling of working with a notebook in my lap. I’m hoping a more rigid Battery Cover changes that impression.
The bottom line: the additional performance and battery life are unquestionably significant strides forward for the Surface tablet. The new covers? Not so much. Microsoft’s message appears to be that the Surface is an engine of productivity; at this point, I’d go so far as to say that my fingers will want the old Type Covers back, backlit keyboard or no backlit keyboard.
Microsoft didn’t supply Surface tablets for review, so our analysis was based on limited time with demo units at the company’s launch event.
