Sections
- Page 1 Microsoft Surface 2 Review
- Page 2 Screen, Sound, Software & Apps Review
- Page 3 Performance and Battery Life Review
- Page 4 Keyboards and Verdict Review
Surface 2: Performance
The original Surface RT was Microsoft’s first ARM-powered Windows product, and it showed. There was some lag in places, such as when typing in Word, and some apps didn’t open as snappily as we’d like. Software updates dealt with some of the issues, but clearly work was required.
The Surface 2 steps up to Nvidia’s latest Tegra 4 processor, a quad-core 1.7GHz CPU with an Nvidia designed GPU. It’s not quite as fast as Snapdragon 800 powered phones and tablets in benchmark tests, but it’s not too far off. This, combined with a modest but sufficient 2GB of RAM, ensures the Surface 2 banishes any lagginess suffered on the Surface RT.
In the 3D Mark benchmark it scored 13,557, which is just a little behind the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (14,276) and Asus Transformer Pad TF701. In reality, however, it’s more than fast enough to run any game currently available on the Windows Store.
The cover folds back to make a useful platform
Surface 2: Battery Life
Of course, the reason the Surface 2 uses Tegra 4 and not, say, an Intel processor, is to improve battery life — though as the new Atom in the Asus Transformer Book T100 proved, the latest Atoms are very frugal, too.
Here the Surface 2 doesn’t disappoint. Microsoft claims 10 hours on a full charge, and we can’t fault its estimate. We spent a whole day using the Surface 2 on and off, using it to write, browse the internet and stream videos, and still had a comfortable 20-30% spare by the end of the day.
Our only real complaint here is that the auto-brightness system typically sets the screen a little dimmer than is comfortable, which means you’re constantly fiddling with it manually.
How we test tablets
We test every tablet we review thoroughly. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly and we use the tablet as our main device over the review period. We’ll always tell you what we find and we never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
