Microsoft Surface Pro 2 Review

The new Microsoft Surface Pro 2, sold at amazon for $1060: Microsoft - Surface Pro 2 with 128GB - Dark Titanium, is a big upgrade over it's previous generation Surface Pro.

 The new Pro is almost identical to the first-generation Surface Pro. I’ve had the original model for many months, and have to look every time to see which I’ve grabbed. On the Surface Pro 2, the Windows logo on the back has been replaced with the word “Surface”, but that is all that has changed.

 The new Pro weighs in at 2 pounds. It would have been nice if it were thinner and lighter, but it is an acceptable size and weight, just not as slender as the competition.

 There is the same mini-DisplayPort connection, the same microSD card slot, the same amount of USB ports, and volume controls in the same spots as last generation.. The connector for power is the same too. The A/C adapter has the same USB charging port in it so you can charge your phone while you charge your tablet. This is a very nice feature and it makes the Surface Pro 2 feel just like its predecessor whilst holding it.
Now lets get into the specs.

 Let’s begin with its processor. The new Pro  uses the a fourth generation Core i5 processor, codenamed Haswell. What that means in real world performance is much-improved battery life (Microsoft claims up to 75% higher battery life). This showed to be true even while playing videos the whole time; we had 6 hours of battery life while playing videos.

While websurfing and playing games though, the battery last a few 1.5 hours longer, for 7.5 hours. The 10.6-inch screen is the same as the screen on the Surface Pro – full HD (1920 by 1080 pixels), and bright. The front and rear cameras are 5 megapixels each and record at 720p.

 For connectivity, we have 802.11 a/b/g/n wifi and Bluetooth 4.0. That is the same as in the original model. There’s still no way to connect to a cellular network. If you buy the $200 docking station , you do get a wired Ethernet connection. Microsoft Docking Station for Surface Pro and Surface Pro 2

 There are four models of the Surface Pro 2. The models have four GB memory and either a 64 or 128 GB SSD, or eight GB memory and a 256 or 512 GB SSD. They vary in price from $899 to $1799. Each comes with 200 GB of SkyDrive storage and one year of unlimited Skype voice calling to land lines in 60 countries. 

To get best use out of the new Pro, you do need a keyboard. You can plug in a USB keyboard, or you can use a Bluetooth keyboard; for maximum convenience pick up one of the two Surface keyboards that connects magnetically to the Surface Pro and also acts as a cover for the screen. Microsoft - Type Cover 2 - Black

 Overall, the Surface Pro 2 is a great upgrade over its predecessor.