Hands on with Microsoft’s Surface Pro 6, Surface Laptop 2

Let me save you some time: Microsoft’s new Surface Pro 6, Surface Laptop 2, and Surface Studio 2 don’t mess with a good thing. They’re all the same as before, more or less.

Microsoft clearly was reluctant to tinker with the line, design-wise, instead updating some key specs, putting in current silicon (Intel’s 8th Gen Core CPUs), and adding a new color to the Pro and Laptop: matte black, which Panos Panay, the company’s chief product officer, told me was more difficult to create than you’d think.

But the matte black finish for the main Surface PCs is probably the change this iteration of the line will be most known for. And it is gorgeous. Even under the intense studio lighting in the hands-on area after the unveiling event (which tends to bring out flaws), the machines looked great, and this was after being handled by one person after another. The shiny Microsoft logo in back attracted a few fingerprints, but that’s about it.

At this point, with the Surface Pro 6 starting at $899 (with no keyboard cover) and the Surface Laptop 2 starting at $999, it seems the main thing separating them is personal preference for the form factor. Those who prioritize portability will naturally gravitate to the Pro, while anyone who can’t compromise at all on the keyboard will make a beeline for the laptop.

Speaking of that keyboard, Microsoft said the keys on the Surface Laptop 2 have just 1.5mm of travel. This isn’t a big re-invention, like the MacBooks’ butterfly keyboard — the Surface keys look and feel much the same as before — although typing did feel a hair smoother than on the gen-1 Laptop.

If using your PC as an actual laptop most of the time is important to you, the Pro still isn’t your ideal choice.

It’s certainly night and day when going from the Surface Pro’s Type Cover, which, although still the best possible approximation of a laptop keyboard, it remains just that: an approximation. If using your PC as an actual laptop most of the time is important to you, the Pro still isn’t your ideal choice.

Not that it’s a slouch. Websites loaded fast, and apps launched in seconds. While inking on a note with the Surface Pen, I didn’t detect any latency, and the pen was incredibly good at pressure sensitivity, thickening the lines appropriately as I wrote. I look forward to seeing if the performance and battery life improvements are really as good as Microsoft says.

On the Surface Laptop, the matte black finish is arguably even better looking since there’s no crease where the hinge folds out. The gray fabric on the inside complements it nicely. Again, otherwise there’s not much to say other than it performed well with the basic web surfing and inking I did (though it’s impossible to say if it’s truly 85 percent better than the previous version, as Microsoft said).

I would definitely consider the Surface Laptop 2 as an alternative to the MacBook Air.

All the same ports (USB, MiniDisplay, headphone jack) are there, and if you’re not married to Apple, I would definitely consider the Surface Laptop 2 as an alternative to the MacBook Air.

Lest we forget the Surface Studio 2. The upgrade to the screen supposedly made it more contrasty and brighter, although it’s not like the screen was lacking before. As I did some brushstrokes and created a couple of 3D images in Microsoft Paint 3D, the colors looked fantastic, with textures that really made the objects look real. Again, latency on the inking was virtually nonexistent — it really did feel like marking up paper.

Microsoft says it made all three of the Surfaces better with this iteration, improving things like battery life, performance, and even the camera on the Surface Pro. However, there are no redesigns, radical or otherwise, with any of these products — not even to add the long-demanded USB-C connector.

That sends a message: Not that Microsoft has perfected PC design, but that Surface is more about iterating on how people actually use computers today, not what anyone wishes they might be tomorrow. With this round of Surface products, Microsoft has fully integrated at least one feature: playing it safe.