Surface Book 2 15-inch review: The ultimate Windows laptop

Microsoft did more than just make the 15-inch Surface Book 2 bigger. It also made it one of the most powerful laptops on the market that can do almost anything. Here is why this may be the best laptop ever. See at Microsoft: thrifter.com/sxt9
Written Review: www.windowscentral.com/surfac...
Surface Book 2 13-inch Review: • Surface Book 2 13-inch...
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[@sqsp]

This is perhaps the best laptop review I've ever watched. It's informative (covering both technical specifications and real-world use cases) yet flows from beginning to end. The force is strong with Daniel Rubino. In all seriousness, it was an excellent review, Daniel.

[@terrytigner9600]

"The 15" SB2 is the best laptop on the market." Period. Fully agreed.

[@Zecr]

Not anymore, SB3 is out

[@cj31016]

The quality of your reviews are getting better and better. Kudos for the great review, and I can't wait for mine. Cmon FedEx!

[@WindowsCentral]

Thanks! We're listening to comments. Good luck with yours!

[@jmautobot]

This is an excellent review. Not just because I like the device, but I believe it was quite fair and thorough without bias. Great job Daniel.

[@WindowsCentral]

Thanks! We pay attention to the audience, see their concerns, and try to address them in our reviews. Community-driven all the way ;)

[@computerfreak4989]

I really love the beautiful design of the Surface products! Can you also make a comparison to the MacBook Pro 2017? I think abour 80% of the community would like to see this video.

[@gyozakeynsianism]

Along with the 13.5 inch version, great review. The batter life in new Surface devices is no joke, the video loop test numbers notwithstanding. My Surface Pro 2017 can do 8-10 hours a day easily, too. I bought an external battery for nothing! And I'm on the road all day every day.

[@SchwertKruemel]

i just dont get why microsoft put that unrealistic numbers on it. I mean its never going to last 17h hours

[@slandshark]

1 year later and the surface book 2 is still the best of the best. I just bought one today for xmas gift for wife, for 4k video editing and hopefully light gaming (the 15" with GTX 1060). I have yet to find a youtube review of the SB2 that wasn't positive. Was really hoping for an SB3 release in late 2018, but not yet, so went ahead and bought the SB2 15". Thanks for the video!

[@dlorbieski]

Thanks for the comprehensive review. I preordered the 15" but only 512gb. Can't wait for it to get here. I am trading in my Surface Book w/performance base. Status today "Processing" :-( not Shipped lol...

[@RealBadCharlie]

I have the performance bese 512GB. I want the 15" SB 2 but I need to know what to do as to get the best value for a trade

[@RehanArshad007]

I read that there is a delay in shipment for many 15' models ..

[@weekenderwarriors1590]

How much you got for trade in? I'm trying do the same thing. I have a surface laptop.

[@SaadKidwai]

Always love your reviews Daniel!!!!!! Thank you so much for both the reviews. I'm pushing more towards the 13 inch model!

[@austin.eikermann]

Thank you! Looking for a laptop for architecture and love the design of this one

[@klen7642]

Your admiration for the SB2 is quite prevalent. Kudos!

[@realsushrey]

Finally found it. Went insane for a professionally usable laptop capable of gaming. I almsot spent two weeks looking for it.

[@JackiePrime]

Really love your reviews , down and dirty and a little bit sneaky

[@MadelnMachines]

It looks like Microsoft and Apple are having an inverted price war. I'm surprised Apple haven't increased their laptop prices yet to make them "feel more premium".

[@pharaohosam]

I just got a first gen Surface Book i7 at a discounted price and the thing absolutely zips along with nary a stutter. I use a ton of Photoshop and Premier on it. Laptop perfection. So I can't even imagine how epic this 15" Surface Book 2's performance is in real life. Great review from Dan as always.

[@stavrosharamis3002]

Thanks for the thorough review! It's nice when you see the Surface team push for awesomeness.👌👌👌

[@JoArtsDev]

Man I swear if it only had TB3 and fingerprint it would have been THE laptop to rule them all

[@electricmiragemedia]

Oh yeah... the windows hello feature lacking is glaring

[@eggyrepublic]

windows hello is amazing and works perfect for me. trust me, the infered scanner is more secure than fingerprint scanners.

[@CarsandChris]

Windows Hello Facial Recognition on my 2015 surface book is nearly perfect and works instantly 99% of the time. This laptop has more processing power and will recognize your face EVEN FASTER, so it's definitely not lacking. If you're so inclined to have a fingerprint scanner, buy an aftermarket one.

[@CarsandChris]

Internet Alpha that's an extremely targeted attack. One shouldn't leave their laptop where it can be accessed by others anyways.

[@eggyrepublic]

and a fingerprint scanner can be fooled by a blob of clay, now, which is easier to obtain, an IR photo or a blob of clay?

[@RehanArshad007]

Great review. Answered all my questions. I want to get my hands on this device but unfortunately so far it hasn't been released in Middle East.. :(

[@baanaanaa1981]

Great review, thanks. Just wondering what you think of the SB2 now as we roll into 2020. Is it still the ultimate laptop? Or has it aged badly and I should not jump on board 2 years late?

[@cityuenglish5722]

8:24 both showed as in use? Is the surface book 2 finally using both at the same time???

[@GabeSzabo]

Congratulations Daniel, this was a very great review of a very great device!

[@OzzySafa]

I’m pretty sure the next generation of mixed reality headsets will just require a single USB-C port as it makes sense that the port supports video and power. Maybe they did think about this long term but maybe they will release their own splitter for this for now. Great review I’m sold on this laptop!

[@arlogodfrey1508]

I hope so. They didn't this gen because not a lot of pcs have USB C

[@OzzySafa]

Chuck Fecht that’s exactly it

[@MyatHtoo]

thxx good review short and direct concise to the point!

[@nycameleon]

Nobody mentions that the tablet portion middle bottom port can be used for charging with surface charger so you can use the tablet part plugged in for couch mode

[@baymeosplit8537]

Thanks for the review and useful information.

[@ishyj398]

Thanks for the review Daniel! I will be ordering the 512gb version of it in the next few months. Thanks again! Edit: This will help me eliminate carrying 2 devices for me when I go to school lol. I have a gaming laptop for when I got a break and a Surface 3 when I'm in class.

[@WindowsCentral]

Welcome! Yes, it's like combining the XPS 15 + Razer Blade + Surface Pro. It's really the only PC/laptop you need now. Hope you enjoy it!

[@imho4990]

Now you have one device - crappy laptop and crappy tablet. ;)

[@SlowDIIV]

Nah, you're just being hyperbolic and pretentious.

[@ishyj398]

Muntom probably in your eyes lol but in a form factor to what I use it for (besides school) it will fit right into my daily routine.

[@bondr006]

Don't feed the troll

[@loseverette]

Great review! Would love to get this. A lightning port for fast charging would have been great, but if the battery life is good no problem.

[@JoeCogan]

It's in the base also with a bigger second battery.

[@kolapallibhargavram9231]

Outstanding review everything covered 👌

[@josemanuelgranados4921]

Hi, thanks for the video. I want to buy a Surface Book 2 but I doubt the screen size. I like the graphics of the 15 "but not if it is uncomfortable by the size. Please, you recommend. I use the PC to work, for multimedia and a little bit of play. Thank you

[@tedahwooga]

Keep up the great reviews Dan!!

[@james-5560]

Great review, mine's on the way (15 inch)

[@kj4derEchte]

The hd-500 display dock works fine as dockingstation at the surface book 2

[@TheMash84]

It would have been better if the comparison chart at 6:43 had included the Surface Book 1st gen with the dGPU, to understand the difference in GPU performance between every product in the Surface line.

[@johntimperio8085]

so. what was the score for destiny 2? it has a FPS option in its display settings.

[@simeontaye379]

You make really good balanced videos I will subscribe

[@VampiricHoshi]

Any chance we could get a Surface Book 2 15" review focusing primarily on using it in tablet mode, comparing it to actual dedicated tablets like the Surface Pro and iPad Pro? I appreciate half the point of it is to get that GTX 1060 in the keyboard chasis, but I surely can't be the only person wondering how practical it could actually be as a 15" tablet while out and about and then dock it back when I need more grunt (kind of like using a Razer Blade Stealth with a Razer Core I guess)

[@alerma7]

This laptop is nearly flawless. Don't understand why they didn't include TB3. Where do you get that theme/background?

[@xboxherogoose521]

This is a godsend.

[@kelvinotieno4381]

This guy was just born to do laptop reviews. Period

[@Hof79905]

Does the 15 inch surface book have synaptic drivers? That would be deal breaker for me.

[@paolomarrebrunenghi2246]

Thanks! Good review! I am disappointed that for that price it has no thunderbolt! Will you review the HP ZBOOK x2? Now it has come out with a quad core 8th gen intel processor and I am interested about your judgment on it. It seems very expensive as well and it has only 2 GB NVIDIA Quadro M620 Graphics but is a Quadro: how is it for 4k video editing and CAD? It is only 14" but could be helpful to carry around...The good thing is that it has RAM up to 32 GB and 2 TB Z Turbo Drive MLC and a whole lot of wonderful features including the use of the keyboard also when in tablet mode... How is the keyboard? What about the speakers? Will you review it any time soon? Thanks!

[@yervandpapazyan5438]

Is it powerful enough to run 4K professional monitor and Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom specifically for professional photo editing?

[@vartanpashayan297]

I am very much considering buying one of these but dont know which one, either a full loaded 15 in or 13 in. I love the form factor of the 13 inch for school but like the extra power of the 15 in and since I game too. I dont have another laptop or desktop that i use for gaming this will be my main device.

[@sully0854]

This laptop is amazing

[@b5ir67ityt4]

Where can I get that awesome wallpaper?

[@eurobratx]

Is this laptop reasonably portable for taking out and about each day or is it more a laptop for using around the house / office and occasional travel? Trying to work out whether I should go for the 13.5 which is lighter and smaller (but less powerful) or whether going for the 15 and its extra screen real estate will be practical.

[@MrMonkeyindrag]

The inclusion of the GTX 1050 and 1060 is great and the new quad core's are a big step up but they are still U processors. The lack of TB3 on a devise this expensive is a big omission, it seems to be getting closer to being the devise that can do it all but it still falls short. I also hope the pen input has improved cause compared to Wacom and the Apple pencil it was way behind in terms of refinement for drawing and painting. It still seems like one of the best Windows laptops out there despite it's flaws.

[@MegaLiverpool89]

Is there any parallax when using the pen? Also is it any better than the surface pro 2017?

[@SilverShinepony]

I was going for the dell xps 9560 15", but with all the features this thing has and its even at the same price, Im going to buy the surface insteat of the xps

[@SherriNDallasTX]

Great review! Youre getting better and better at this! Lol 😉

[@Menalix]

Damn if this had not-touch and a thinner screen I would be completely sold.

[@RichardRatner.1972]

Brilliant review !

[@tr7287]

When is the next generation, SurfaceBook 3 coming out? End of 2018?

[@DJustH]

8:59 what about that bugged start screen overlapping the taskbar?

[@TaccRaccoon]

It's been out for about a year now. How does it hold up with video rendering.

[@barmzr1]

hi the fan in the tablet work in light tasks like onenote? if so did it's loud? השב

[@noealvarado3886]

Ok, thanks for the review, but I need the wallpaper

[@TheKevphil]

What do you mean when you say it "inks"? I assume you are NOT talking about inking comic book art (though it could do that, too).

[@kevinozoria4485]

What mouse was that in the intro?

[@JohnSmith-wx6yp]

i got the performance based, im going to wait and see how Surface brand goes and snap up a Surface book 2, 3 or 4 in the future save a bit of money :) Laptop of the future.

[@LexTNeville]

Decided years ago that as soon as my Thinkpad P40 starts showing its age, I'd get one of these. It arrived today 🎉😂

[@denisnadeschdin8336]

which ssd has got the 512 gb model ? the same samsung ssd ?

[@SA64]

Where is the GPU chipset? On the screen side or keyboard side?

[@iZacq]

What are the Read / Write speeds of the SDD on 15" ❓

[@taggerung890]

My wish list for the surface book 3 I7 6core 8750H or similar for 4k video editing Gtx 1060 (maybe ti) 16-32gb ram 256-512 ssd 1 thunderbolt, 1 usbc, 2-3 USB 3.0, hdmi SD card reader Headphone jack Power&integrated fingerprint reader 10+ battery life normal use Is this just wishful thinking or is it actually possible now with current technology?

[@mrsantosjon]

I bought this only because I need it for editing gopro vids. My surface pro3 4g ram intel i5 lags a lot sometimes freezes and crashes, I hope this will help a lot. I purchase the 256gb 16g ram intel i7 15inch

[@lucamaistre2871]

What about the razer blade ? With the touchscreen??

[@Victor-dh6pt]

Any idea as to when a Surface book 3 is expected to launch?

[@tjjaucian7713]

Nice review

[@Lsiahaan]

Hi, can you access the internal hard drive or external hard disk plug in, when you using with the tablet mode? thank you before

[@im2late]

Only the internal hard drive since there are no ports on the display except for a headphone. However, if you reverse the display and rotate it all the way back to the base, you can put the entire device into "tablet' mode similar to the Hp Spectre x360 or Yoga 920. Of course, the problem with this would be the extra weight which kind of defeats the purpose of buying a machine with a detachable display.

[@Montpbm7]

Surface Book 2 hands down

[@by5392]

Awesome laptop and great review with 1440p ^^, the laptop is expensive tho

[@QuickBite117]

Hey! Loved the review. I'm looking to upgrade my gaming laptop, which has a 670 gpu, however I was saving money to upgrade next year, but I'm really enjoying the new Surface Book 2. Do you think, I should wait for, let's say, Surface Book 3, or it's a good investment to upgrade now? If I end up upgrading now, I can't wait to combine my Surface Pro 4 with it, I really think they are the perfect duo. Thank you for the awesome review.

[@WindowsCentral]

MS seems to not be in any update cycle e.g. every 12 or 18 months, or when new CPU is out. That makes predictions difficult. They only do updates when there are significant upgrades e.g. in this case 2 CPU gens, rebuild the hinge, redo the battery and thermals, new display tech, etc. Our guess is we won't see a new SB3 until 2019. But, this is MS and Surface, so no guarantees. They're not found of mid-cycle CPU updates though.

[@QuickBite117]

I see... Well, that makes my decision a wee bit harder. Anyways thank you for the quick feedback.

[@marcoffkx7389]

I wish Windows Mixed Reality was ready on that device =(

[@ripperx444]

I have a question? Doesn't running CAD or video editing/graphic design stress the GPU just as much as gaming? I heard people say this is not a gaming machine but I fail to see how working all day in CAD or Graphic design is ok but gaming is not?

[@zk9506]

Here is what I think! It does stress CPU but when you do the rendering work but not as strong as game rendering ,like...animating many cad files as the same time without rest. :p

[@Thisismydescent]

in terms of cad it might be ok but I would worry about using rendering softwares since it's just as intensive as gaming would be and with my experience in architecture school it seems to be where most of these thinner laptops crap out

[@bobbysmichael]

The video mentions there is 1 fan in the tablet and 1 fan in the base. I thought based on the deconstructed photos of the base, there were 2 fans for a total of 3 on the SB2 15. Please confirm.

[@WindowsCentral]

Maybe more accurate to say "fan systems".

[@chosenArchitec]

Pretty awesome laptop with design it definitely needs an award, now about the price you mentioned 100$ cheaper than the Mac but you'll still want to get that pen 😁 btw can I run Linux on this? 😅🐧

[@ryankelsey7]

As long as they never get rid of the surface connect port in favor of type-c charging, I think i can forgive no thunderbolt 3.

[@ralexand56]

Leave it to MS to screw the main reason I would spend the extra cash for this: mixed reality. Thanks for covering all those aspects and please keep us up to date for the best solution for getting those mixed reality headsets working on this.

[@flufflebut8781]

Eeh... wonder if it is more worth to buy the 13.5" just to skip over the draining while plugged in battery issues, *ahem* I mean "deliberate feature" the 15" has.

[@MyatHtoo]

There is no LAN Port correct? just 2 B sure is all

[@claudioK5449]

what is the max tdp of gpu? did you measured it? thankss

[@1GAMEDOG1]

How does this compare to the XPS 15 9560?

[@FlorianAlberge]

Hello, I have had my surface book 2 for less that a month. I am in marketing and truly think it is one of the best 2 in 1 laptop for creatives. Though, I edit a lot of videos and so far I have had no luck. With the surface charger connected: just trying to export a 30 min 1080p video, my battery is draining so much that the export fails every time. Anybody getting this issue? Do I have a bad unit? Looking for some advice. Thank you.

[@cyrilgarcia2485]

Intro music from AlphaM

[@thomasw.6066]

Not sure if I should get the 1TB 13.5“ Version or the 512GB 15“ version...

[@secrettowers815]

Thomas W. Let me put it this way portability vs power

[@houssamalucad753]

Which one did you get?

[@benadkins3270]

Bought it last week. However, i have been a Mac user so finding it a bit hard to digest. Seems like i gonna pass this to a friend and get Macbook Pro 17 instead .

[@TheseEyesSeeDarknessClearly]

Ben Adkins pass it to me 👀

[@JoelinLBK]

I’m going to get this one. Thank you for reviewing the 15 inch and not the 13.5....

[@secrettowers815]

UltimateDebate Reviews he did that also

[@tadeuszlufik]

Dan, help me decide between the 15 and 13 inch Surface Book 2.. I have 2 concerns: 1. Is the 15 inch tablet unwieldy to use compared to the 13 or is it not as noticeable, and 2. Which Book (13 or 15) feels more balanced/less 'top' heavy when used on the lap? Thanks!!!

[@WindowsCentral]

They're both fantastic and feel very similar. I would not say the 15" as a tablet is unwieldy, but it is more 2-handed. If I had to choose right now: 15" all the way. It's just awesome and not that much bigger than the 13.5. Plus, you get color profiles, Xbox wireless, signif. better GPU.

[@techhadziabdulahovic7443]

what is the batetry life of the tablet only? can you charge tablet without docking it? if tablet battery is discharged will the base charge it up without beeing connected to the power cord?

[@WindowsCentral]

~2.5 hrs streaming Netflix at 50% brightness and 20% volume. Yes. No.

[@jalkreviews6304]

The ultimate PC is there price doesn't matter anymore!!!. I'm so happy

[@aymanzidan6078]

What type you camera use ???

[@barrchan5358]

What about heavy working situation? Im a designer, usually the laptop running 16~20 hours per day , Im a bit worry the battery aging problem. My laptop m3800 run 2.5 years now just change a battery.

[@Krogdalo]

Barr Chan Original Surface Book i7 owner here, no change in battery life after a year, still going 12+ hours and months on standby with almost no battery loss. You're good to go :)

[@acsllinas]

The position of the headphone jack is weird on laptop mode

[@gonzalez4123]

MC512 would of been nice if it had a headphone jack in the keyboard portion Unless there is a headphone jack to usb connector

[@TheSunshineRequiem]

its for tablet mode, u dont really need it when u r using it a s laptop, cuz u got usb ports down there

[@aayushvivekraj]

one who can affoard a surface book 2 can also affoard wireless headphones

[@jlvt4]

Will this work with the standard Xbox 360 wireless controller? (NOT Xbox One)

[@groberti]

The 360 wireless controller needs an adapter

[@MerryBlind]

It's perfect. You did Microsoft.

[@jjveliz10]

I want one so bad. Is the 13 inch more recommended for students or 15 inch? I want portability but is the power difference that important?

[@secrettowers815]

The only real differences are the gpu power if you do tasks that are demanding e.g gaming or video editing often then the novidia gtx 1060 would be better but if you have to travel quite a bit go for the 13 inch

[@wisamalazzawe7349]

Here i am watching on my surface pro 1.

[@jamesc5269]

Good review.

[@pappi8338]

I think the gap is sexy