Trying Surface Book - returned sp4 m3 and sp4 i5

[maybethistime]

That's exactly where I am at in my decision process. One note on ipad stinks but Notability is great. Excel on Ipad is great until you start doing more complex formulas then you start reaching for a mouse. Sitting around on the couch I prefer SB in laptop mode but the Ipad smart cover folded to stand is pretty good. Apple pencil is more precise but not by much. I just received the surface pen variety tip kit today so I will try those tonight. Both screens are great, speakers on ipad have more bass but there is more stereo separation (imaging)on SB. Yes the apps on Ipad are great and easy but when moving files around and attaching to and from email it can be frustrating. The only weird problem I am having on SB is a black screen occasionally from wake up. I am sure this is do to the connected standby bug. I have not switched to hibernate yet. I am typing this on the SB and I can fly on this keyboard. I will eventually end up with ipad pro and yoga 3 pro as a set or SB as a single device solution. Thank goodness for Best Buy 45 day returns and my elite status level. I am leaning the SB direction for now. I can't justify keeping both, ipad pro 128gb open box 852.00, smart cover open box 45.00, silicone case 80.00, Apple pencil 100.00 = 1077.00 and Surface Book Student discount 1350.00 = 2427.00 without tax. Otherwise my combo of Yoga 3 pro open box 525.00 and ipad pro open box with acc. 1077.00 equals 1602.00 vs SB at 1350.00. That's a 252 difference in favor of SB. If I did not need windows for work I would already be in ipad pro and MacBook pro 15 mode. I am enjoying win 10 for now and when you pop the screen off and start writing on the screen around other people they freak and look at you with two heads....

 

[surfacebookinuk]

I am very curious to know how much is actually the "short battery life" mentioned in the first post to be honest.

 

[maybethistime]

I was getting on average 4 hrs from the m3 sp4 and 4.5 from the i5 sp4. I was running ie usually 6 to 7 tabs open and one note.

 

[maybethistime]

Latest observations from the SB IPad pro battle. I mentioned in an earlier post that I would be returning the ipad pro, well I didn't and I still continue working with both. Apple pencil is more precise for drawing but alters my handwriting by being very slick on the glass. The pencil is also more noisy when the hard tip makes contact with the glass. I purchased the pen tip kit for the surface pen and tried them all, but I like the standard tip best. The standard tip with its rubber surface provides the right amount of friction for writing and also makes writing absolutely quiet. The surface pen also slightly alters my handwriting in a different way. The curves and loops of my handwriting are a little more flat looking. I prefer using the SB in laptop mode when just sitting on the couch and surfing with the trackpad. The ipad pro gets tiring with all the reaching. The SB's trackpad is the closest I've used to a Mac. My retina mackbook pro is 4.5 and not fun on the lap for extended periods. More to come...

 

[surfacebookinuk]

Wow that is surely problematic.. I have the SB i5 256 without d/gpu. I recently decided to use it in battery saver mode as I would like to avoid cycling the battery as much as possible to prolong it. Being a law student I only use onenote, edge(without mods), movies and tv app, mail and word. That's pretty much my working day's usage. Yesterday I switched my SB on at 11 and I turned it off (with 19% left) at 22:50. No charging in between, battery save mode almost all the time, and I still use sleep when closing the lid instead if hibernate so I get that bit of drain from that as well.. Battery save mode can do wonders, and bear in mind I was using a 'brighter' screen in some occassions.

P.S. Tune in was draining 40% of my battery because it was running by itself without evem opening it. If you guys use it I suggest you uninstall it, or at least watch how it behaves through Task Manager

I was getting on average 4 hrs from the m3 sp4 and 4.5 from the i5 sp4. I was running ie usually 6 to 7 tabs open and one note.

 

[kevroc]

Well fwiw I ended up with the IPP. A few glitches with the SB just left it unreliable to quickly open up and take notes in a meeting or on the fly. The IPP has the advantages of better writing (I use a matte screen protector to avoid the "on glass" feel), better battery life, built in LTE and more flexible apps for sketching and note taking. I'm missing the SB a bit, but I'm sure in due time they'll work out all the kinks and I'll have another go with it.

 

[maybethistime]

Well fwiw I ended up with the IPP. A few glitches with the SB just left it unreliable to quickly open up and take notes in a meeting or on the fly. The IPP has the advantages of better writing (I use a matte screen protector to avoid the "on glass" feel), better battery life, built in LTE and more flexible apps for sketching and note taking. I'm missing the SB a bit, but I'm sure in due time they'll work out all the kinks and I'll have another go with it.

Yes I might try it again but for now the iPad pro is a great machine. The finger print sensor fires up the iPad and its ready to work. Also being able on receive and answer texts is huge plus.