Microsoft Surface Pro 2 Review

Lisa Gade reviews the Microsoft Surface Pro 2, Microsoft's second generation Windows 8.1 tablet-convertible laptop. The Pro 2 has a 10.6" IPS full HD touch screen and an active digitizer with Wacom pen. It runs on the Intel Haswell 4th generation Core i5-4200U CPU with Intel HD 4400 graphics, and it's available with 4 or 8 gigs of DDR3 RAM. The base model has a 64 gig SSD for $899, and you can get it with 128, 256 and 512 gig SSDs. Though small, the Surface Pro 2 has the power of an Ultrabook and it runs full Windows with support for traditional exe apps. Other features include much improved battery life, dual band WiFi 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.0 and dual 720p webcams.
Read our full written review here: www.mobiletechreview.com/noteb...
*Also check out our in-depth review of the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 at: • Microsoft Surface Pro ...

[@Eli9A]

her way of reviewing, maybe the best I have seen

[@jonesnj07]

couldn't agree more.

[@salasvalor01]

and a hot pepper award.

[@xXxALIENxXx0]

The best.

[@GustavLonergan]

Lisa, I love your attention to detail and how clear you make it in such a small amount of time, love your reviews!

[@jennicadandy]

I bought my own Surface Pro 2, best purchase I've ever made! It's very useful for college. I know many professors find laptops distracting, which makes the tablet part come in handy. You get a more personal view of your Surface and it reduces distraction for classmates. I also love love the notebook style feature on this. I'd rather write than type, which is my most favorite part about this tablet/laptop.

[@Mcdonaldrod75]

Lisa I really enjoy these reviews. I like the fact you cover the capacity on the stylus. So many reviews overlook that and I am guessing art is your hobby. Well done.

[@rpfl8395]

Thanks, I've watched about 20 of your 'review' videos and you are the best. You cover all the topics and communicate very well.

[@derricklang4363]

That was just about one of the best tech reviews I've ever watched. Lisa you are fantastic! So natural in your presentation and so much in-depth knowledge of the product. Thank you!!

[@ivo09MUFC]

Hey Lisa just wanted to say that i love your channel and all of your reviews and i give you a thumbs up every video. thanks for making such great reviews! Cheers

[@eehpeehthreeh]

Lisa, thanks for the great, in-depth review. I really like your approach to coverage on these devices (found MobileTechReview first when I was researching the Duo 13). Keep up the great work!

[@socalpimp1974]

You have the best reviews on the net!! keep up the good work!

[@YaBoySavior]

Couldn't wait for this video you always come through Lisa

[@SageSam]

You make fantastic informative reviews. Thanks for being so reliable.

[@KwanHopkins]

I really love her videos. They are never biased at all and mostly show tje good stuff. Lisa is one of my favorite reviewers

[@robin2thek]

I like mobiletechreview reviews, keep it up! Thanks! :)

[@alexbarker9721]

You present your vids really well and you're very informative. Thanks for the great reviews :)

[@peace4myheart]

Lisa, your voice is so soothing that I usually watch your video whenever I cannot fall asleep. Awesome review as always BTW.

[@d1jal]

Now I really want one. Normally I hate purchasing new technology when the market of the item is oversaturated, it gets overwhelming and confusing for me. Purchasing a Microsoft item seems more easy and straight forward for me. I'm actually blown away from the gaming performance (seen people play Max Payne 3, Tomb Raider, Bioshock Infinite). Crazy what tablets are capable of now.

[@Jahspecs1]

Thanks Lisa! I always look forward to your reviews, very balanced and informative. You are simply the best! I still am using my Windows 7 Toshiba Protege Ultrabook, so maybe next year I will consider the Surface Pro 3... Thanks again.

[@keakisaenz]

Great review! Covered everything I needed to know about the Pro 2, thanks!

[@alex8669]

Hi Lisa, i've watched all your reviews of PCs with active digitizer. Im actually thinking about buying on for college, but i cant make up my mind. Do you have any recommendations on which one to take for taking notes on one note? It would be off great help. Thanks

[@KyleGuthrieGU3]

Would this be able to do video editing very well? Not super fx intensive, but just rendering home videos and other stuff

[@chrisboitz7487]

Really happy with the Surface Pro 2 (128gb version). It does a really nice job of melding both the laptop and tablet pieces together. I think the price is a little high for the product, but it certainly is an amazing piece of hardware that can out perform any tablet on the market and keep pace with nearly any laptop (with in its class). If you're looking for something that can really handle well and have the funds, I highly recommend it.

[@randydaugherty607]

We have two and both my wife and I love these, for her job, have something this small but with full office capabilities was great!!

[@arsalanuljamil6840]

Lisa, Thank you for your review. Do you plan on doing a review of Dell Venue 11 Pro? I'm trying to decide between the two and would like to know what's your opinion about them. Thanks

[@gama123wibawa]

As usual, you gave the most amazing review on youtube...

[@MrB1zzle]

great review; thank you for showing the adobe cloud usage and the pressure pen.....question: will it run adobe audition well?

[@Dooom480]

Great, thorough review- Subscribed!

[@MoonAtomic7]

Great review. I preordered mine a few days ago, I have even more confidence in it now. Can't wait for future videos.

[@joelh2063]

What do you suggest for both productivity and play time. I want the surface 2 because of office bu also like the pro because it is not the rt. Can you sync apps and settings and computer applications such as visual studio from you windows 8 computer to a surface 2 and still use the applications?

[@Mammmut91]

Yes best review out there about the Surface Pro 2 - Keep it up !!!

[@mostlymessingabout]

Hi Lisa I have the Surface Pro and the pen works fine but i tried using a Intuous 3 and Bamboo pen and it doesn't register at all. Which alternative pen do you recommend?

[@jeepguy2407]

I'm looking to get a 2 in 1. I'm debating between this n the sony flip. I want a laptop for school n a tablet for the fun stuff. What do you guys suggest?

[@colinmoran5888]

What is the difference between surface pro 2 RT and surface pro 2? Also what is the HDMI for?

[@paulandrewclarke4454]

i have a question but does the keyboard on the surface 2 work on the surface 1?

[@MrChiprocks1]

Anyone know what other Wacom Pens work with the Surface Pro 2? I have an old Intuos3 Tablet and Pen. Would this work with it? If not, I'd still like to know what other pens would in fact work because I tried SP2 at Staples and the pen that comes with it isn't all that great. Thanks in advance.

[@worthytroop6305]

I'm looking for a tablet that runs windows 8, has Microsoft office stock, can maybe have adobe, and I want to run auto desk( mostly CADD and inventer) is the surface 2 good for these options I want or is there another tablet that is better to run these programs?

[@cxAdam]

First i saw this lady about to give a pretty funky review and then realized damn, she knows her shit. Answered all of my questions literally.

[@MikeNewbon]

The previous generation also had a light on the charger, and can be placed in either direction on the tablet.

[@selfmadetool]

Very informative review! Thanks!!

[@nn_spin]

Hello. Can i install lightroom on this surface pro 2 ? Will it work fine ? Thank you.

[@DeaththeTroll]

Any reply is appreciated. I am going uni this year and need a laptop, was deciding on surface pro 2 or macbook pro 13''... but i wanna know which is the most suited as in performance, speed, applications (microsoft words, excel etc), and video quality for movies. Thanks in advance :D

[@vapcdoc]

i just bought a sueface pro 1 128gb. it has original kickstand and specs but it came with the charger that works both ways, did they give me the new charger with the old pro? I got it new at bestbuy. At least they said it was new

[@deny44yo]

"we gonna look at them now" i love the way she says that!!!

[@Arxiuz2]

Thanks Lisa for staying honest and not biased as other reviewers have become. Keep up the great work, and keep me informed! I'll need it!

[@argenisdelima]

Hello, nice review, i have a question, the surface 2 looks heavy, it's feel heavy en the hands, thanks, un saludo desde Venezuela..!

[@djbillsonsr]

I like the ms pro 2, but rather small. Is there one out there that has the same stuff, but with a bigger screen?

[@GamerGuide599]

Do the older type covers work on the surface 2 and pro 2?

[@GabZelle]

are common CAD programms running on it? (autocad for example?)

[@ylwaznboi]

Great video. Will you talk about the power cover in early 2014?

[@rangabharadwaj5730]

will the keyboard for microsoft surface work with surface pro 2 and yes for the first model there is no pro

[@MrSasparilla]

Thank you for the review! Is it possible to review this with the surface docking station I've heard about?

Great review, always enjoy them.

[@imeldamontes8757]

Would like to see a review comparing this tablet to the Asus Transformer prime tf701 or even the tf700. I can't decide between the two

[@tayjones8552]

Does this have the write to text feature like the galaxy notes?

[@mobiletechreview]

We'll have the Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro review unit here soon. As to the yellows, good question. A little power management tuning would bring them back when the charger is plugged in, gauging from the Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus that uses the same display panel.

[@leobardogallegos963]

Does anybody know if the surface pro 2 with the upgraded cpu is out in stores and if not has there been a release date ?

[@LuisMontoyaBotero]

can you make a tutorial on how to get the wacom pen to work with pressure sensitivity on photoshop and other apps?

[@xkikitaru]

You are the best reviewer I love all the videos I have watched by you, thank you

[@mobiletechreview]

Yes, you can use any brand mini DisplayPort to Display Port adapter, it doesn't have to be made by Microsoft.

[@User.665]

does the touch and type cover 2 work with the pro 1?

[@Tenbrink]

Hello! Do you still have the SP2? Can you do an update on how battery life is with the new firmware that shall improve power consumtion? Thanks for the best video reviews on the internet, your objectivity and ability to be unbiased is in a league of its own.

[@brianfeliciano8825]

I'm an engineering student and I am looking forward on purchasing this hybrid laptop will it work with CAD softwares ?

[@103leemy]

I juss purchased the surface 2 and i need to knoe immediately if tbe regular surface 2 has flash enabled on webpages..! Plz respond asap.!

[@harry4319]

No

[@beytullahhatipoglu4000]

Hi, I think I'm going to buy it but have still some questions. 12 months windows made 3 pro series, PRO-PRO2 and PRO3 is coming out in august.. What do you think, if I buy pro2 will pass the future for pro3 or maybe in 10 months for pro4? Can they have much differents? Another questions, has the touch keyboard wireless function? Or Is it by al pro 2s avaible with this pen to make the same drawings? And at last, whats the 'real' different between pro & pro2 ?

[@RosaParksShoe]

the new type cover doesn't have a clickable mouse pad, did you prefer the newer mice pad or would you recommend to wait until the power cover that has that clickable mouse pad.

[@mediavein]

Are there any other alternatives to this with the pen feature?

[@Silmarieni]

There is no mini-display port to display port adapter in the Microsoft store. Is it compatible with other adapters? I have a 2560x1440 27" display and I want to be sure I can use it with the Surface Pro 2.

[@syedsaroshsulaiman691]

Hi, I'm thinking to buy this product today at around 200 german euros, it is the one with 128 gb ssd, some weary signs, do you recommend it? Please reply.

[@ThePimpgrizzly]

Does the new keyboard work on the old pro?

[@rasdasa]

Excellent review, seriously. Really really through and as a concept artist in gaming, I really appreciate you testing the artist programs.

[@jaceeabarrientos4249]

Hiii Lisa, when will this be available in the Philippines? :D

[@archrei4726]

Have you tested this with any CAD programs?

[@hpzyqe9683]

Great review so would the Surface pro 2 be better than the ipad air?and is the surface pro 2 good with playing games?

[@mobiletechreview]

Yes you can ink in Word 2013.

[@mihaim3587]

So it's running full windows and you can run any app and program ?

[@marlennevergara8527]

What do you do when netflix freezes on the surface tablet? I can't shut it down or reset please help !!! I hope i didn't damaged it.

[@ghanus2009]

This is not tech support. if yo have an issue with it, take to a Microsoft store. They will help you

[@TheMe2cool]

Do you need a wireless ac router for laptop with wireless ac to get fast speeds?

[@yousefabughazaleh]

How is gaming performance on games other than civ V?

[@lclp]

Really good review. Keep up the good work :))

[@YankeeRose]

Can you use Adobe Illustrator CS5 or 6 with this????

[@proutprout4591]

Can we get iTunes on the Surface Pro 2 or 3?

[@nikkibilli]

Got a toshiba encore please suggest which pen can use

[@asgiov]

This was THE best review for this tablet I've seen. You answered all my questions. Thank you very much for showing photoshop with the stylus as well. The only question i would have is at what brush and canvas sizes the tablet would really start to lag at? Either way.. it still seems more than suitable for sketching. Thanks again for the stellar review. Subscribing now.

[@busanilucas94]

Best Surface Pro 2 review, just as with any other products you review, love your videos! Wish you would review some razer stuff as well =/

[@zebro13579]

Does the pen come with the tablet in the box?

[@deliamoranportillo]

Hi Lisa! This was the first review of yours that I have seen and I loved it! You do a great job! Does the surface pro 2 run siverlight 4 or higher? Some of my assignments are on a site that requires it and I would like to know if the surface would work for me. Thank you :)

[@TidusDX]

Thanks for a brilliant review, as always! Would you be able to possiblydo a review and comparison with a Wacom Cintiq Companion tablet? It would help make the choice for arty types which is the better purchase.

[@UntrainableWizard]

The way I heard it. I heard it's only £9.99. Took me a few seconds to correct myself... Is, either, the screen scratch resistant, or the pen a soft plastic? Just asking because my last tablet is covered in scratches from the stylus. Is it possible to disable the touchpad on the keyboard? Or is it always on, and can I use an USB mouse with the tablet, or a USB splitter (Spider HUB)? Like with the Kindle Fire HD or most other Tablets, can I connect it to a computer with a USB to transfer files? Or would I have to do it with E-Mail or a Memory Stick? Would you recommend getting this or waiting and getting a Pro 3? Or getting the Surface 2, then saving to get a Pro 3?

[@ipodnerd07]

Is the touch cover decent enough to play simple games on? I heard you say it was more sensitive, which is always good, but then doesnt that mean you wouldnt be able to rest your wrist on it, like you would when playing games? Or should I shell out the extra dollars for a Type Cover? Also, for both keyboards, and their much welcomed new backlighting, is it any good? By that I mean, does it get pretty bright?

[@johnthefisherman6212]

can the surface pro 2 install and run.exe files such as steam or photoshop unlike the surface 2? i didnt hear anything in the review for this

[@Norimbulus]

except from the fact that she mentioned it in the review, when playing civ 5 on steam which i guess are exe files, and where she mentions that it's windows 8 pro and the PRO mean you can run any windows program (just like in windows 7), you are totaly right, she never mentioned it..

[@cwbh10]

what do you think about for a student? I used to use a old Fujitstu tablet pc for taking notes and I am really considering the Surface Pro 256g version. Do you think it's worth it?

[@ghanus2009]

definitely. BTW Get it at the Microsoft store, get the $99 assure program. If you kill it on accident, they will replace it with a new one out of the box the same day.

[@ejjsss]

Hello, a great video. I am wondering what do you do with this surface after reviewed it, do you sell it? Best regards, Erik

[@MikVision]

Hey Lisa if you right-click the toolbar you can get to the settings and there you can tell Windows to immediately boot to the desktop as well as where the start button will send you (it can also send you to the all apps menu, with the desktop apps in the front)

[@mobiletechreview]

You can certainly transfer the backup partition's contents to a USB drive and delete the recovery partition if you wish.

[@MaramRohan]

I really wanted a power house machine and i found surface pro line up and i wanted to buy surface pro 2 and as i use very much like (gaming,video editing) all the stuff .....i am on low budget and which one do i buy coz the 8gb ram one is 300$ more than to 4gb one ......i am having real confusion in this please respond to me quickly

[@Zoteism]

could you send the link for the smackdown between the sony vaio tap 11 and the surface pro 2? I can't seem to find it.

[@wiggywiggy495]

cant you just install standard windows programs/games on the surface pro 2 ???

[@ThePhatIndian]

Which tablet would you recommend to use as a primary note-taking device in university? It's gotta have a digitizer and wacom pen support.

[@ylwaznboi]

@Hab B may I ask you a question? Does apple ipads run desktop programs?

[@CladioJulianoArt]

I love that you brought up the creative softwares like Manga Studio. First review i've seen that speaks on it being a device used for creative endeavors which is why a lot of people love this device.

[@Imbadinzz]

Hi Lisa , thanks for the Review , would you mind telling us the scores of windows experience index ? thanks