I got to try Surface2/Pro2 and touch/type cover 2

[souldier]

Got to try the upcoming products at my local Microsoft store. Here are a few impressions:

Surface2
-Colour reproduction is definitely better. I found a picture online and put my surface pro side by side the surface2 and could definitely see a difference. This point alone wouldn't convince me to upgrade though but it is rather nice.
-Display on the Surface2 is stunning in terms of resolution, colour reproduction, crispness
-Kickstand feels solid in both modes. It doesn't feel like the hinge will get weak or anything over time
-Noticeably thinner/lighter

Touch cover
-Back light works well
-Significantly more accurate. Did typing tests online and got 1 or 2 errors. It misses a lot less key strokes than on my original touch cover
-They slightly modified the design to resolve the issue where the seam begins to open near the metal connectors as a result of folding the cover behind the tablet
-Noticeably thinner
-When scrolling through web pages, you can immediately move the mouse after scrolling rather than having that 1-2 second delay. Though I am not sure if this is software/hardware related

I am not planning to upgrade, but I thought I'd share my findings with all of you. I am actually planning to sell my SP this month and get a hybrid laptop. I must say though that that the new surface products are looking very nice

-soul

 

[joga]

Got to try the upcoming products at my local Microsoft store. Here are a few impressions:

Surface2
-Colour reproduction is definitely better. I found a picture online and put my surface pro side by side the surface2 and could definitely see a difference. This point alone wouldn't convince me to upgrade though but it is rather nice.
-Display on the Surface2 is stunning in terms of resolution, colour reproduction, crispness
-Kickstand feels solid in both modes. It doesn't feel like the hinge will get weak or anything over time
-Noticeably thinner/lighter

Touch cover
-Back light works well
-Significantly more accurate. Did typing tests online and got 1 or 2 errors. It misses a lot less key strokes than on my original touch cover
-They slightly modified the design to resolve the issue where the seam begins to open near the metal connectors as a result of folding the cover behind the tablet
-Noticeably thinner
-When scrolling through web pages, you can immediately move the mouse after scrolling rather than having that 1-2 second delay. Though I am not sure if this is software/hardware related

I am not planning to upgrade, but I thought I'd share my findings with all of you. I am actually planning to sell my SP this month and get a hybrid laptop. I must say though that that the new surface products are looking very nice

-soul

Gret, thx for sharing your impressions. Can you tell us something about the performance?

Sent from the SurfaceForums.net app for Windows 8

 

[kristalsoldier]

Got to try the upcoming products at my local Microsoft store. Here are a few impressions:

Surface2
-Colour reproduction is definitely better. I found a picture online and put my surface pro side by side the surface2 and could definitely see a difference. This point alone wouldn't convince me to upgrade though but it is rather nice.
-Display on the Surface2 is stunning in terms of resolution, colour reproduction, crispness
-Kickstand feels solid in both modes. It doesn't feel like the hinge will get weak or anything over time
-Noticeably thinner/lighter

Touch cover
-Back light works well
-Significantly more accurate. Did typing tests online and got 1 or 2 errors. It misses a lot less key strokes than on my original touch cover
-They slightly modified the design to resolve the issue where the seam begins to open near the metal connectors as a result of folding the cover behind the tablet
-Noticeably thinner
-When scrolling through web pages, you can immediately move the mouse after scrolling rather than having that 1-2 second delay. Though I am not sure if this is software/hardware related

I am not planning to upgrade, but I thought I'd share my findings with all of you. I am actually planning to sell my SP this month and get a hybrid laptop. I must say though that that the new surface products are looking very nice

-soul

Thanks. What about the responsiveness of the tab on the whole? Does it feel faster, smoother etc.?

 

[FFX]

Been waiting for days, for someone to post a video, testing the Surface 2 in one of the stores. How come no one has done that already.

 

[krypticide]

It's not available in stores yet. A few of us were able to go to some preview events, but at least for my experience there were too many people looking at the devices to get some video in.

 

[oion]

Doing a 5-minute "testing" of a device in-store is pretty useless, IMO. There are already several of those "these are the specs and how things swipe!" 3-minute shorts from the launch event. Those are only good for seeing how the devices and accessories look, nothing else. Nor do these things give a good idea about "hand feel" either, since stuff like keyboards are highly personal.

You need several days AT LEAST with a device, for hours on end doing all sorts of normal daily routine use case testing, for a half-decent and remotely fair review, not to mention running scripted tests like hours on video and various performance gauges. That's the demand I made of jnjroach anyway since he's getting both devices from the launch event.

 

[jnjroach]

Still waiting for delivery :|

 

[mitchellvii]

They do have the Surface Pro 2 and the Surface 2 in my local Microsoft Store. The difference in the Surface 2 is obviously more marked than the Surface Pro 2. The Surface Pro 2 looks like the Surface Pro. The kickstand is nice but it is still only 2 angles. In my few minutes with the Surface 2 it felt a little laggy to me, but then again I am spoiled by the Surface Pro. Apps on the Surface 2 opened significantly slower than the Surface Pro.

The star of the show IMHO was the new type keyboard. Nice. Flatter, quieter, back-lit and with a more quality feel. If the original type cover was a Ford Mustang, the new one is a Porsche Cayman.

One thing I did notice that no one has mentioned. The magnetic power connector is a MUCH stronger bond than before. You actually have to pull with some force to disconnect it - good. Now why didn't they just put in a second one to hold the pen?

** I asked the salesman why MS didn't go for an 11.6" screen on the SP2. He said a lot of people ask about that (I'm sure). He said the reason was that Microsoft is trying to create a "consistent experience" for their customers. What he really meant was, yeah, MS had a ton of these Surface Pro cases left over and they weren't sure enough this will sell to re-engineer a larger tablet.

The Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 are both very nice tablets and would have sold very well if these had been the first iterations; however, now they are up against much stiffer competition. We'll see. They have nice curb appeal in the store.

 

[Dim-Ize]

The star of the show IMHO was the new type keyboard. Nice. Flatter, quieter, back-lit and with a more quality feel. If the original type cover was a Ford Mustang, the new one is a Porsche Cayman.

One thing I did notice that no one has mentioned. The magnetic power connector is a MUCH stronger bond than before. You actually have to pull with some force to disconnect it - good. Now why didn't they just put in a second one to hold the pen?
[/I]

Great thread. Good info from those of you with hands on. Thanks for the tidbits. I haven't read those specifics in the launch reviews.