Reviews for the Surface Book, Microsoft's first laptop, started emerging on Wednesday.
For those who don't know, the Surface Book is an important piece of hardware, as it's the first laptop that was fully made by Microsoft, which normally makes the software and operating system for computers to run.
Microsoft will be pleased that its first ever laptop is receiving very good reviews.
Pros
The Surface Book has a unique display with a 3:2 aspect ratio that makes it appear taller than screens you'll usually find on laptops, which tend to have a 16:9 aspect ratio. The Verge's Tom Warren found it odd at first, but learned to love it because the tall screen is great for browsing the web. It makes sense since most of us browse the web vertically.
Wired's David Pierce says the Surface Book's screen is "gorgeous" with "absurd viewing angles," meaning you can see what's on the screen at pretty much any angle you're looking at it.
You can also detach the Surface Book's screen from the keyboard to use it like a tablet, much like you would with the Surface tablets. That means it has a touch screen, which Apple's equivalent MacBook Air or MacBook Pros can't do. Reviews are generally positive, with Ars Technica's Peter Bright remarking that it "seems to be very secure" compared to other hybrid computers.
Performance-wise, the Surface Book seems to have impressed. PCMag's Joel Santo Domingo remarked that its performance "rivals that of our top ultraportable laptop, the Apple MacBook Pro," and that Windows rivals "like the Lenovo ThinkPad Helix 2nd Gen and the Toshiba Portege Z20t-B2112 cost one or two hundred dollars more, but lack the versatility of the Surface Book and don't match it on performance or battery life."
The trackpad and keyboard seem to be the most ubiquitously praised aspects is the Surface Book's keyboard and trackpad. Almost every review praises the keyboard and trackpad, with many saying that its the best trackpad you can find on a Windows laptop. The Verge's Tom Warren compares it to the MacBook Pro's trackpad, which is good news for the Surface Book, as it's excellent.
Cons
The only negative remarks about the trackpad came from Gizmodo's Mario Aguilar, who claims the Surface Book's trackpad is "jumpy, and often too sensitive or not sensitive enough."
Most reviews aren't appreciative of the gap between the keyboard and display around the Surface Book's hinge. PCMag's Joel Santo-Domingo said the "hinge doesn't lie flat when closed, so you may have trouble stuffing the system into a crowded laptop bag." Ars Technica's Peter Bright shared a similar concern that, since the hinge is a pressure point, "it may make the Surface Book more susceptible to damage by being crushed."
The ubiquitous negative remark is the Surface Book's price. Every reviewer said it was pricey starting at $1499.
However, the general tone of each review was that the Surface Book is pricey because it's good. "You'll pay dearly for such a machine, of course, but that will be true of any halo product," said Engadget's Dana Wollman.
