It's been two years since I purchased the Microsoft Surface Book, since then they've released a follow-up and various other iterations of the Surface line, but most of my thoughts on the device still remain valid. I agree with the good reviews the device has received, but having used it for this long, I still have feelings that Microsoft haven't quite hit the perfect form factor just yet.
By most standards it's an exceptionally well made device, with a great keyboard, touch-pad and screen. My only criticism is that the bezels are rather large compared to other laptops, another 1/2 inch of screen in the same form would go a long way. Battery life isn't the best, but notably this was improved on the newer model. Despite this being the first generation I find the performance excellent and the clean build of Windows runs smoothly.
I love being able to pop off the screen and use the laptop in different modes - the tablet (fully detached) is great for reading E-Books, presentation is perfect for movies, and studio works well for drawing with the Pen. While I use laptop mode 90% of the time, having these options is a major advantage compared to regular laptops.
The device's killer feature that sets it apart from other hybrid laptops is the detachable GPU, but in my experience this is also the device's biggest flaw. It's because of this that the detachment requires a software release, so you can't detach or replace it without turning the laptop on. Some apps won't let you detach without quitting them, which often affects the versatility of switching modes. It's also due to this that the laptop has it's controversial snake hinge design - while I don't mind the unique look, it makes the laptop bulky and less stable than a normal hinge.
Although it would be technically challenging to build, for me the perfect surface would ditch the GPU base and include a powerful integrated GPU in the tablet. The additional space in the base could cater for additional battery capacity, using clever software based tricks to enable a high-performance mode when attached, then reverting to a more battery-efficient mode when being used as a tablet.
Such a device might sound a lot like a regular Surface Pro with a keyboard cover, but for me that wouldn't meet the need of being a no-compromise laptop which doesn't limit screen size, battery life or port selection. I'd love to see a Surface Book 3 that addresses the flaws I've experienced, or perhaps a new class of device would be the answer.
