Microsoft Surface 2 review - Microsoft's second generation Windows RT tablet.
The Microsoft Surface 2 is the company's second iteration of its Windows RT tablet computer, which improves on its predecessor in almost every way.
It is a 10.6in tablet with a sharp high-definition screen packed with Microsoft's Windows 8-style modern user interface and comes equipped with a full Microsoft Office suite when work calls.
Design
The Microsoft Surface 2 continues the very strong and solid, almost industrial build quality that defined the original Surface tablet. There is no flex in the body, and the strong frame feels like you could use it as an offensive weapon, if a mugger came a knocking.
That solid, reassuring build means it is relatively heavy for a tablet; slightly heavier than the 652g iPad 4 at 676g. The 16:9 formfactor, however, makes it easier to hold in portrait one-handed due to the Surface having a smaller moment pulling the tablet out of your hand.
Unlike the original Surface, and the Surface Pro line of full Windows 8 tablets, the Surface 2 is only available in silver, which is apparently the naked colour of the magnesium used to construct the tablet's frame.
The Surface 2 is pretty thin for a 10in tablet, and is 0.5mm thinner than the iPad 4 at 8.9mm thick, meaning the Surface 2 will easily slip into most briefcases, messenger bags or backpacks.
Microsoft Surface 2 review - kickstand with two angles
The back of the Surface 2 sports a kickstand, which supports two angles making using it on a desk or your lap a lot easier than the original Surface.
Stereo speakers are fitted in the left and right-hand sides of the tablet, which are loud and clear for a tablet, making watching TV or movies satisfying, even if they aren't truly room filling.
The 10.6in screen is the biggest visible change from the first generation Surface. It is bright, clear and crisp thanks to its higher, 1920 x 1200 resolution.
While on paper the screen is beaten by the iPad 4's 9.7in 2048 x 1536 resolution 'retina' display, photos look colourful and detailed while text appears pin sharp and easily legible on websites and ebooks - a trademark of Microsoft's 'ClearType' technology, which produces clear text even on relatively low-resolution screens and makes the text on the Surface 2 really shine.
The screen also has good viewing angles making sharing video with others easy, while decent blacks and colour range make said video look great.
Specifications Screen: 10.6in full HD 1080p LCD Processor: 1.7GHz quad-coreNvidia Tegra 4 RAM: 2GB Storage: 32/64GB SSD plus microSDXC slot Operating system: Windows RT 8.1 Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Compass, USB 3.0, micro HDMI Cameras: 3.5MP front-facing and 5MP rear-facing camera Dimensions: 274.6 x 172.5 x 8.9mm Weight: 675.9g Power/Hardware Experience
Microsoft's given the Surface 2 the latest 1.7GHz Nvidia Tegra 4 quad-core processor, which provides plenty of multi-tasking and general processing power to make sure Windows RT 8.1 runs smoothly.
Web browsing, Office duties, listening to music, watching video and browsing pictures are all fluid and lag-free, even with multiple tabs and apps open simultaneously. The only slight bit of lag I experienced in my testing was during app installs, which is a common issue with tablets, phones and computers based around the relatively low-power ARM processors like the Tegra 4.
Like any other ARM-based tablet such as the iPad or Google's Nexus 10 Android tablet, the Surface 2 instantly wakes from sleep, and boots from completely turned off in seconds.
The touchscreen is responsive and accurate, although it will only recognise five-points of contact at any one time - more than enough for almost all uses.
Unlike most other tablets like the iPad or Google's Nexus line, the Surface 2 comes with a full-sized USB 3.0 port, which makes connecting to external devices and storage as easy as it is on a desktop or laptop computer.
The Surface 2 can connect to your TV or monitor to display movies or make it second screen for work, but you'll need an uncommon micro HDMI to HDMI cable to do it.
Battery life is rated at around 10 hours of video playback, which by my testing seems accurate. Microsoft also reckons that the Surface 2 will manage between seven and 15 days standby - a 25% improvement over the Surface 2.
Software Experience
The Surface 2 runs Microsoft's latest version of Windows RT 8.1, a small feature update on the previous iteration of Windows RT, which shipped on the original Surface tablet.
Windows RT 8.1 includes all the features and additions that Microsoft recently shipped in Windows 8.1, and looks and behaves exactly the same as Microsoft's full desktop operating system.
For a rundown of the modifications and enhancements Microsoft's made to Windows 8.1, read our full Windows 8.1 review
The only thing that Windows RT does not do, which is certainly large limiting factor, is run full Windows applications. That means RT is not capable of running applications like Adobe Photoshop, any web browser other than Internet Explorer, music software like iTunes, as well as syncing cloud-storage services such as Dropbox.
Windows RT relies on applications downloaded from the Windows Store. Some of these, like Dropbox, have feature-limited versions available from the Windows Store, but they often pale in comparison to their full Windows desktop experiences.
Microsoft has included a full Windows RT conversion of its Office suite, which looks and behaves exactly like the latest version of Office on desktop Windows. Windows RT 8.1 even includes a full version of Outlook for accessing your work email, address book, calendar and contacts.
For the most part Windows RT works very well. Its touch-driven interface suits a 10in tablet screen, with big, bold icons to on which to tap.
Microsoft Surface 2 review - high-resolution 1080p 10.6in screen
Most tasks are completed by swiping gestures, with hidden bars for things like browser tabs and the address bar accessible with a swipe up from the bottom. Likewise the options menus with settings and search are accessible with a swipe from the right-hand side of the screen.
Once you understand that menus and actions are hidden off the edges of the screen, the interface becomes fairly intuitive, and makes good use of the screen real estate available on a 10in screen.
Since Windows RT 8, Microsoft's added better window management, which makes multi-tasking on the Surface 2 a really great experience.
Up to three Windows can be open and on-screen at any one time, arranged in resizable panes arranged side-by-side when the tablet is held in landscape. It means, for instance, that you can be browsing the internet while still having your Twitter feed accessible at a glance on one side of the screen.
Likewise, if you're reading email, you can launch attached photos directly into the photo browser in another pane and still see your email while you flick through them.
It's a very solid, and effortless experience. Some windows come pre-defined with an optimum width when launched, but they're all resizable by just dragging the vertical bars separating each app on the screen.
Camera
Microsoft has improved the cameras on the Surface 2 dramatically. The rear 5-megapixel camera shoots decent, if not spectacular photos.
The front-facing 3.5-megapixel camera has vastly improved low-light performance. The result is that Skype video chats look great in the kind of poor lighting conditions you get in homes.
Keyboard
The Surface 2 has a range of accessories of which the black, backlit Touch Cover 2 is the most notable.
Unfortunately it doesn't come in the box with the Surface 2, but extends the usability of the tablet by providing a full sized touch keyboard and attaches to the bottom of the Surface 2 by a strong magnetic clasp.
The keys are touch-sensitive, and while they don't actually move when hit by your fingers, provide enough tactile feedback to allow for touch-typing.
Microsoft Surface 2 review - Type Cover 2 ultra-thin keyboard
Below the keyboard is a trackpad, for when touching the screen isn't accurate enough or you need a traditional mousing setup for productivity like selecting text.
When not in use the Touch Cover 2 provides a hard cover for the screen, and will automatically put the Surface 2 to sleep. It's only 2.75mm thin, so won't add bulk to the tablet.
Microsoft will also offer the Type Cover 2, which acts like the Touch Cover 2, but has slim-profile traditional Chiclet keyboard keys with a very small amount of travel, and the Power Cover, which adds a battery to the Type Cover 2 to extend the battery life of the Surface 2.
Price
The Surface 2 comes in two storage variants: 32GB of built-in storage for £359 or 64GB of storage for £439. The tablet also has a microSD card slot that will accept cards up to 64GB for additional storage.
Verdict
The Microsoft Surface 2 is a marked improvement over the original Surface. Its faster processor, increased battery life and dramatically improved screen make the Surface 2 a compelling option.
The biggest problem with the Surface 2 is its operating system. Windows RT looks and operates like Windows but without access to the large legacy software library. The Windows Store has over 100,000 apps available, but many of those apps are poor imitations of their full desktop Windows counterparts.
Microsoft has, however, developed Windows RT versions of its Office productivity suite including Outlook, which look and operate identically to the full Windows variants of Office and come included free with the Surface 2.
Overall, the Surface 2 is a solid tablet and is a good option for those that spend most of their time interacting with Office or a web browser.
Star rating: 4/5
Pros: Microsoft Office as standard, solid build, great screen, decent battery life.Cons: Windows RT, lack of apps, heavy, Touch Cover 2 doesn't come as standard.
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