Terrible Build quality II: magnesium alloy body

[mrfroid]

-> Would you prefer a Surface device that has the same shape and form as now, but in aluminum but because of this is 33% heavier? (magnesium is around 33% lighter than aluminum) -

No, I would prefer to know that the paint on magnesium is so delicate that it's better to use some type of skin/protection when traveling. Call me naive, but i didn't expect this kind of device to be so easily damaged (once again, comparing it to my previous device which was macbook air) There's even an article explaining how to take care of your SP, but there's nothing about the body Clean and care for Surface | Clean touchscreen | Clean keyboard

p.s. magnesium body is only part of SP4 tablet, so it's not 33% we're talking about.

 

[MaxBuck]

No, I would prefer to know that the paint on magnesium is so delicate that it's better to use some type of skin/protection when traveling. Call me naive ...

There is no paint on the body of the SP4, with the possible exception of the Windows logo (haven't researched that).

I have an old MacBook Pro with an aluminum body that has gotten scratched up because I threw it into my briefcase with all kinds of other metal stuff. I have never complained about this; metals scratch when they rub against harder metals. Much like glass scratches when harder materials rub its surface. Perhaps you should confer with teachers you have had in your life to complain that they never informed you of this fundamental fact.

BTW: if you ever have to wear glasses, you might want to refer back to this thread. They actually make the lenses out of polycarbonate plastic that's a good bit less hard than the Gorilla Glass that is on our Surface tablets.

 

[mrfroid]

OK, MaxBuck, sorry, I was wrong. SP4 is perfect. By design, materials used, hardware, software, etc. Mea culpa. I'll start with my parents if you don't mind (complaining)? But still, because I have dual personality I might complain here or there about type cover, body, battery life. Sorry for that in advance.

p.s. from reddit: “It's not paint. It's a relatively new technique (and probably why they still can't get it quite right) called low temperature vapor deposition. Think of it like next-level anodization.

In vapor deposition, material (a ceramic material usually) is turned into a vapor by bombarding it with a high energy beam and then once vapor'd, persuaded to condense / stick to the target part in a uniform layer in a very sticky way, forming a crust harder than anodised aluminium.“

But idea is the same - it's covered with something, it's not hard enough (compared...) so you can easily scratch it.

 

[GoodBytes]

-> Would you prefer a Surface device that has the same shape and form as now, but in aluminum but because of this is 33% heavier? (magnesium is around 33% lighter than aluminum) -

No, I would prefer to know that the paint on magnesium is so delicate that it's better to use some type of skin/protection when traveling. Call me naive, but i didn't expect this kind of device to be so easily damaged (once again, comparing it to my previous device which was macbook air) There's even an article explaining how to take care of your SP, but there's nothing about the body Clean and care for Surface | Clean touchscreen | Clean keyboard

p.s. magnesium body is only part of SP4 tablet, so it's not 33% we're talking about.

I don't know, maybe I am used that my previous systems were all in magnesium, so I got used to it. I guess to me, it is like buying glossy plastic product and wonder that because you didn't get softest cloth possible, it got all scratch from removing dust from it.

All Surface models, the body is in magnesium.

 

[GoodBytes]

OK, MaxBuck, sorry, I was wrong. SP4 is perfect.

Pff, you wish. Personally, I expected more from the SP4, and even the Surface Book. I expected USB type-C connector. The excuse of no room for anything on the Pro 2/3 doesn't apply anymore on the Pro 4, nor Surface Book.

I also expected OLED display for both systems, considering the price.

I don't know if its Microsoft that wanted to give a chance to OEMs, because assuming you are happy with the Core M system, They are some really sweet systems from Samsung, HP, and Dell, which are also cheaper.

The GPU is in the Surface Book, is not acceptable. They could have put a more powerful one, and fit the bill for power requirement. For the price, I expected Microsoft "custom" Nvidia GPU, to actually be.. custom... I mean like a 960M with 2-4GB HBM1 memory. That would masacer the performance of any 960M by considerable amount due to massively fast memory speed, and higher end models, and because the memory chips are on the GPU itself, they'll save room. Room that can be used for more ports, better cooling, or more battery.

p.s. from reddit: “It's not paint. It's a relatively new technique (and probably why they still can't get it quite right) called low temperature vapor deposition. Think of it like next-level anodization.

anodization means that if you do a light scratch, you see the metal of the same color. Here a light scratch you see magnesium, like any other laptops with magnesium body.
All it does is require less paint to do the same job, and doesn't need multiple coats. So it is better for Microsoft pockets, not you.

 

[jnjroach]

Alright, let's watch the tone in this thread...everyone take a deep breath and relax.

Now, with that out of the way...

The Surface Devices since the release of the Surface 2 have no paint on them, they have a Magnesium Case, but they are mass produced and occasionally one will have some defects, if that is your case get exchanged under warranty.

 

[wynand32]

Everyone's experience is different, to varying degrees. My MacBook Air, used less overall than my SP3 and SP4, is more scuffed up and stained. Perhaps subconsciously I've handled them differently, I really don't know. But you did a poll of users, you'd likely find some who are very unhappy with the way their SP3/SP4 has handled the stresses of use, some happy, and most somewhere in between.

Most people probably wouldn't think to start a thread titled "My SP4 is unblemished!" and so we have this thread instead. Not trying to discount the OP's concerns, they're probably entirely legitimate for him/her. They're not likely to be universal, however, hence the contrary responses.

 

[Philtastic]

I found the magnesium coat on the Surface Pro 2 to be really easy to scratch, thus I have been pretty careful with the SP4. Since November, I've only gotten 2 light but noticeable scratches on the back. The biggest problem for me is when I'm drawing and want to rotate the tablet sitting on the table. That really did a number on my SP2 when it was on what seemed to be a mostly clean table.

 

[GreyFox7]

Fortunately MS didn't use the same material as used in iPads and iPhones because some people are allergic to the nickel in the alloy. I'll take the Magnesium any day, thank you Microsoft.
Oh, and MacBooks have nickel in them too...

 

[MaxBuck]

OK, MaxBuck, sorry, I was wrong. SP4 is perfect. By design, materials used, hardware, software, etc. Mea culpa. I'll start with my parents if you don't mind (complaining)? But still, because I have dual personality I might complain here or there about type cover, body, battery life. Sorry for that in advance.

1. The device is far from perfect.

2. If you don't want the surface of a product you purchase to be blemished, it's up to you to figure out how to protect it, instead of whining about "terrible build quality" when build quality has nothing to do with your complaint.

3. Sorry to hear about your personality issues. Unfortunately, I can't offer any useful guidance.

 

[bradl79]

i got this Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Skins - Antibacterial Matte Series

and it works great, it fees so sturdy and makes it feel like its tough

 

[dream3]

OP, ignore the probably sponsored posts. I feel your pain and you had no obligation to know a device that expensive and made to be handled as a tablet would end up with those kinds of blemishes. From now on just think of it as a trade-off, gotta baby it if you want all the good stuff that a surface brings and still have a device you can resell next year.