I finally had a chance to take a look at the Surface Book.
Display:
I loved the display. It feels very light and thin in comparison to the SP4 - but that's subjective I didn't really compare them side-by-side. I realize it's technically not much bigger than the SP4, but it felt much bigger!
I was worried the hinge wouldn't allow me to tilt the screen far back enough since Panos didn't seem to push it very far back. It can actually tilt much further back than I expected - maybe a bit less than my rMBP. So no issues there.
With the display mounted backwards, the hinge felt easily strong enough to hold it at a nice angle for watching movies (if I didn't want the keyboard in the way for whatever reason, but wanted the dGPU). At a 30-40 degree angle or so (I didn't bring a protractor
...), the hinge couldn't hold the weight and the tablet slowly lowered into the full collapsed position (drawing position). That's expected of course... there's no kickstand to support it.
I showed the MS store employee how to charge the display while it's detached
Keyboard/Touchpad:
Not much to say here. It feels fantastic - similar or better than my 15" rMBP. While I loved the SP4 type cover (especially in comparison to the SP3 version), there's no comparison to the Surface Book keyboard.
Wobble:
I tested the wobble on the table and on my lap. I didn't notice any wobble on the table. On my lap it was perfectly fine for me (I think much better than the Surface Pro - but I've only used the SP3/SP4 in stores so keep that in mind). When I'm typing on my lap I'm never really doing any serious work - usually just casual surfing... so for my use case - NO ISSUE. If you're primarily typing on your lap most of the time and you're ultra sensitive it can't hurt to try before you buy.
Minor Issues:
Undocking the display was simple - but I noticed it didn't show the green on-screen notification until I restarted the device. It makes a satisfying sound and moves slightly so you know you can release it. I found docking the display was actually a bit more difficult. If you left the hinge at a weird angle when you undocked it, you have to reinsert it at that angle. But in practice I don't think this will be an issue - I was undocking and redocking like crazy When docking it kind of just slides in. There was no confirmation that it was locked in place (maybe the notification I mentioned earlier was messed up). For instance, the MS store employee was trying to dock it and I noticed it was still not fully seated (maybe 1-2mm out). Good thing he did not try lifting it upside down like Panos did I don't believe clicking the release button will "lock" it as another forum member mentioned (though I did not actually try this).
Finally, the only other issue is the SP4 pen can be clipped to the type cover of the SP4 nicely for traveling, but with the SB you will probably put it in your laptop bag separately.
Oddly the Surface Book in the store was an i5 with 512GB of storage (it showed ~450GB of free space). I was digging through the settings/device manager and I couldn't see any reference to the nvidia video card. It's possible their demo unit doesn't have one - but it's been some time since I've used Windows.
I was initially leaning towards the SP4 because that product just seems so polished. I love the type cover and how the pen clips to it. It would be perfect if I traveled frequently. I suppose you can travel with the SB display and charger only, but it would be annoying to type.
But I definitely prefer the larger and lighter screen on the Surface Book along with the better keyboard/touchpad. So I preordered the Surface Book My only fear is the additional complexity/lifespan of the hinge with the muscle wire... etc.
Display:
I loved the display. It feels very light and thin in comparison to the SP4 - but that's subjective I didn't really compare them side-by-side. I realize it's technically not much bigger than the SP4, but it felt much bigger!
I was worried the hinge wouldn't allow me to tilt the screen far back enough since Panos didn't seem to push it very far back. It can actually tilt much further back than I expected - maybe a bit less than my rMBP. So no issues there.
With the display mounted backwards, the hinge felt easily strong enough to hold it at a nice angle for watching movies (if I didn't want the keyboard in the way for whatever reason, but wanted the dGPU). At a 30-40 degree angle or so (I didn't bring a protractor
...), the hinge couldn't hold the weight and the tablet slowly lowered into the full collapsed position (drawing position). That's expected of course... there's no kickstand to support it.I showed the MS store employee how to charge the display while it's detached
Keyboard/Touchpad:
Not much to say here. It feels fantastic - similar or better than my 15" rMBP. While I loved the SP4 type cover (especially in comparison to the SP3 version), there's no comparison to the Surface Book keyboard.
Wobble:
I tested the wobble on the table and on my lap. I didn't notice any wobble on the table. On my lap it was perfectly fine for me (I think much better than the Surface Pro - but I've only used the SP3/SP4 in stores so keep that in mind). When I'm typing on my lap I'm never really doing any serious work - usually just casual surfing... so for my use case - NO ISSUE. If you're primarily typing on your lap most of the time and you're ultra sensitive it can't hurt to try before you buy.
Minor Issues:
Undocking the display was simple - but I noticed it didn't show the green on-screen notification until I restarted the device. It makes a satisfying sound and moves slightly so you know you can release it. I found docking the display was actually a bit more difficult. If you left the hinge at a weird angle when you undocked it, you have to reinsert it at that angle. But in practice I don't think this will be an issue - I was undocking and redocking like crazy
When docking it kind of just slides in. There was no confirmation that it was locked in place (maybe the notification I mentioned earlier was messed up). For instance, the MS store employee was trying to dock it and I noticed it was still not fully seated (maybe 1-2mm out). Good thing he did not try lifting it upside down like Panos did I don't believe clicking the release button will "lock" it as another forum member mentioned (though I did not actually try this).Finally, the only other issue is the SP4 pen can be clipped to the type cover of the SP4 nicely for traveling, but with the SB you will probably put it in your laptop bag separately.
Oddly the Surface Book in the store was an i5 with 512GB of storage (it showed ~450GB of free space). I was digging through the settings/device manager and I couldn't see any reference to the nvidia video card. It's possible their demo unit doesn't have one - but it's been some time since I've used Windows.
I was initially leaning towards the SP4 because that product just seems so polished. I love the type cover and how the pen clips to it. It would be perfect if I traveled frequently. I suppose you can travel with the SB display and charger only, but it would be annoying to type.
But I definitely prefer the larger and lighter screen on the Surface Book along with the better keyboard/touchpad. So I preordered the Surface Book
My only fear is the additional complexity/lifespan of the hinge with the muscle wire... etc.
