Surface Pro 2 vs (Heavily Discounted) Surface Pro

[Brad]

Forgive me if this has been discussed already, and if so please feel free to send me the link. I also wanted to post in this forum specifically to get Surface Pro 2 users to weigh in.

I know the Surface Pro 2 is certainly worth the upgrade if prices were similar especially for the longer battery life.

But in my specific situation I just picked up a Surface Pro 128GB for $599 (plus tax). I would love to have the 128GB Pro 2 but with a difference of $400 (and taxes on top of that) I'm wondering what the opinion is with that much difference in price?

I have zero intentions of gaming on it. I'm a .Net developer professionally have a Precision M4700 for work but basically wanted to have a portable option for Visual Studio and for watching training videos, reading training docs, doing some .Net web development, basic Office productivity stuff, etc.

I also have an iPad mini that I generally use for Netflix, basic web browsing, etc.

I REALLY like the idea of the extended battery but with the upcoming battery cover being compatible with the first gen Surface Pro (no idea on price yet) I'm wondering what Surface Pro 2 users would have to say in my situation, especially those going from the first gen to the second.

Thanks in advance!

 

[MickeyLittle]

I now have the Pro 2 and I had the original and to me the main differences are the battery and the kickstand. In actually it seems to me that the original Pro had fewer issues than the Pro 2 so if you're ok with the lower battery life and only 1 position on the kickstand then enjoy your $400.

 

[be77solo]

Hi Brad, I think you made a great decision picking the SP1 up on sale... I loved mine, and if I wasn't such a tech junky would still happily be rocking it, but the SP2 was announced the last day of my return policy. Since I paid full price, I figured I could wait a couple months for the new one. Having said that, at the time if I could have gotten my SP1 128GB for $599, I would have kept it without thinking twice. It's a great machine.

The SP2 is an improvement. The two biggest improvements to me are the battery life and the temperature of the device. The SP2 runs cooler to the touch and lasts quite a bit longer on battery... if these aren't deal breakers, and from your description I doubt they are, then happily enjoy your SP1 and the extra $500 in your pocket. These sale prices are ridiculous and it's a heck of a machine for that price. I was tempted to keep mine and I paid full retail if that tells you how much I enjoyed my SP1.

I'd definitely consider adding the battery cover when available as it will be a great addition to the SP1's that are used on battery.

 

[Brad]

Thanks for the reply. I've read about 10 different numbers on the battery life expectation. But web browsing and/or doing normal productivity Office tasks what kind of battery life could be expected on the original? Also, what about if you were watching a movie from iTunes (local) or Netflix?

Thanks again.

 

[dougpaw57]

I've had both versions and if you plan on using it unplugged very often, the Pro 2 is worth it's weight in gold. I sold my first Surface after six months, the only reason being poor battery life.

 

[Brad]

Thanks be77solo. I'm starting to lean that way and that certainly makes me feel a lot better about it.

 

[Brad]

I've had both versions and if you plan on using it unplugged very often, the Pro 2 is worth it's weight in gold. I sold my first Surface after six months, the only reason being poor battery life.

Thanks for the input.

Real world use, what kind of battery life did you experience with both?

 

[dougpaw57]

I only got 3.5-4 hours per charge. It seemed like every time I used it, I had to plug it in. With the Pro 2, it seems like I plug it in after 2-3 uses. I know it's not scientific, but the claims of 75% better battery life are probably accurate.

 

[MickeyLittle]

I agree on the Surface 1 as I would get between 3.5 to 5 hours just depending on what I was doing and probably 4.25 hours would really be my average. So far on my Surface Pro 2 the jury is still out as I bought my 1st one on 12/30 and returned it on 1/4 for my 2nd one. The 1st one was a solid 7 hours! My 2nd unit was the Same yesterday but for some reason today at work it zipped through the battery in around 5 hours and so I'm hoping that was just a fluke!

I noticed the fan running quite a bit but I have no idea why as I wasn't doing anything other than One Note and a little web browsing!

I recharged it and it is doing much better this time.

 

[CrippsCorner]

Don't forget you could add the Power Cover to give you lots more battery life and if the kickstand was really an issue you could get a different case.

I was annoyed they brought the Surface Pro 2 out so soon after my purchase, but I don't really think it's worth the upgrade, especially as my Surface is docked at home most of the time!

 

[bluegrass]

I thought they announced a couple months ago the keyboard cover with battery added was going to sell for $200. I'll add the $200 docking station for at home and then think about the battery keyboard later.