Surface alternatives

[Raduque]

Well, my HP Spectre x2 got broke today (and it was increasingly flaky now, but OOW) and my Surface 3 has been broken for about a year.

What are the Surface alternatives/competition now? The Spectre x2 is 2015's model, and the Surface 3 isn't made anymore (and the eMMC storage and the Atom CPU are both too slow).

What sort of competition is there out there for the Surface around $500 with a real SSD and a Core m (or better) CPU, 10-12" FHD display and preferably included keyboard?

 

[desura]

I've been looking at the Samsung Tabpro S lately. It seems pretty cheap on eBay, and it is amoled.

 

[MarkizSchnitzel]

I've been looking at the Samsung Tabpro S lately. It seems pretty cheap on eBay, and it is amoled.

Surprisingly, OLED seems to still be a negative point when it comes to laptops. Battery life when browsing suppers greatly (~40% according to AT review of Yoga X1, I think), and burn in might still be a problem.

 

[v-600]

You might be able to get a second hand Surface Pro 3 or 4 for near that money. My SP3 is still kicking along nicely as my daily tablet/laptop.

 

[desura]

Surprisingly, OLED seems to still be a negative point when it comes to laptops. Battery life when browsing suppers greatly (~40% according to AT review of Yoga X1, I think), and burn in might still be a problem.

Yeah, but the experience must be killer. I would love to PC game on an oled screen.

 

[Oyeve]

Last year I purchased a Dell Venue Pro 11 for just under 500 bucks. Has an i5 processor, 8gb ram and a 256gb SSD. Been pretty sweet for me. Bought the KB/Battery and stylus for anothe 200 bucks. Screen is gorgeous at FHD and I can even play some lowkey games like skyrim ans such.

 

[Raduque]

Well, just found out I can have my Surface 3 repaired for about $200. I might end up doing that instead. It's a little sluggish due to the Atom and eMMC, but ehh...

BTW, my shortlist was, in no particular order:
Another HP Spectre x2
Acer Switch Alpha 12
Asus t300 Chi

 

[Roland00Address]

Lenovo Miix 700 series is a competitor to surface

Dell has multiple models that are competitor to the surface, the Dell Latitude 13" 7000 series is a computer with a 13" screen, digitizer so you can get a stylus, and a dock that gives you a full size keyboard and makes it into a traditional laptop. The Dell Latitude 12" 7000 series is more like a surface pro clone.

Dell Venue Pros are the older ones that are like a surface clone with the smaller screen size of 10.8". The Dell Venue Pros are being replaced by the Dell Latitude 11" 5000 series.

Here is a great guide someone has made of the various devices with an active digitizer

http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/thr...0-tablets-and-convertibles-with-stylus.67533/

My advice is look for these models over at slick deals over the next few weeks.

 

[Raduque]

The Dells are Surface money - for that price, I'd just get a Pro 4.

The Miix 700 tablet part seems decent and is around-budget, but the reviews say the keyboard, especially the touchpad is terribad, so I've ruled that one out.

I think I've settled on the Acer Switch Alpha 12 because it's fanless with a Core i3.

 

[cronos]

I have the Miix 700. m5/8GB RAM/128 SSD.

My requirement was 12" or less screen, fanless latest core m, 8GB RAM, penable, under $750 or so (including keyboard). The Miix is the only one at the time that I could find that fulfill these requirement (I got it for around ~$600. It's much cheaper now).

I am very happy with the purchase. However, despite the amazingness of everything else, what people have mentioned above is correct, the keyboard has this terrible connection problem that it often cuts out and caused the cursor to jump around. If you want the device to primarily type, you're going to get extremely frustrated. But if you want it for primarily other purposes and type on it only from time to time, it's a really great poor man Surface, and I really love the look of it with the dual tone of pseudo-metal body and pseudo-leather keyboard cover.

Edit: a better device is the Huawei Matebook. It will be more expensive than the Miix 700, and if you *need* 8GB RAM you will end up comparing it with the SP4 Pro if/when they are on sale + additional discount/coupon going around (usually at BestBuy), at which point you'd say screw it let's just get the SP 4. But if you want an option, this is a really nice device.

Somebody else also mentioned the Samsung TabPro S above, which is also on my final list before I decided on my purchase, but I believe it doesn't have a 8GB RAM option, which eliminated it for me.

 

[Roland00Address]

Really good price on HP Spectre x2 a008nr 2016 model

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...cdd8a711b0INT&ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&th=1

It is an amazon 1 day sale with limited stock and I found it on a deal site so do not expect it to still be in stock come evening time

 

[Raduque]

Cronos, thank you. I do type a lot on my detachables, so the keyboard needs to be good. The Miix uses Bluetooth, which is a bad choice - it should've been a physical connection. The Matebook is very expensive (though I can live with 4gb ram) and the keyboard is separate.

Roland00Address, good price. But, if I was going to get another Spectre, it would be an LTE model - it's one of the very few that does LTE (there's maybe 3). I can live without LTE going with a different model though (I had a Pro 2 that I absolutely loved, and of course my Surface 3 that replaced it when the SP2 was stolen).

Thanks all.

 

[cronos]

Cronos, thank you. I do type a lot on my detachables, so the keyboard needs to be good. The Miix uses Bluetooth, which is a bad choice - it should've been a physical connection. The Matebook is very expensive (though I can live with 4gb ram) and the keyboard is separate.

Just to clarify, the Miix 700 keyboard cover doesn't use Bluetooth, it's a magnetic attachment that physically snaps at the bottom of the tablet, very similar to the Surface Pro.

 

[MarkizSchnitzel]

Just to clarify, the Miix 700 keyboard cover doesn't use Bluetooth, it's a magnetic attachment that physically snaps at the bottom of the tablet, very similar to the Surface Pro.

But it's also bluetooth, I think. it can be used when it's separated as well. Best of both, for example useful when drawing or just using pen.

 

[Raduque]

But it's also bluetooth, I think. it can be used when it's separated as well. Best of both, for example useful when drawing or just using pen.

Yeah, I think it's BT and the physical connector is just for physically connecting them - it doesn't run the keyboard over the connector. It's like the Pixel, in that respect.

 

[cronos]

But it's also bluetooth, I think. it can be used when it's separated as well. Best of both, for example useful when drawing or just using pen.

Yeah, I think it's BT and the physical connector is just for physically connecting them - it doesn't run the keyboard over the connector. It's like the Pixel, in that respect.

I think there are some confusing information out there about the Miix 700. The pre-release info (test models) doesn't seem to be accurate when the actual product was released. There are also many different versions of the Miix 700 being sold out there, some of which aren't even currently listed on Lenovo website. Some different colors are never listed anywhere but are (at one point) available. Some units come with the stylus, mine didn't. Lenovo listed that the Miix 700 come with Windows 10 Home, mine came with Windows 10 Pro, etc. So in summary, documentation about this model are all over the place.

Either way, my BT is always turned off and I just tried detaching the keyboard and search for it through bluetooth and it couldn't find it. I won't be surprised if there are some models of Miix 700 out there with keyboard that does work with bluetooth, but mine definitely doesn't.

 

[alcoholbob]

The one I ended up going with that checked all the boxes for me was the Acer Aspire Switch Alpha 12.

1) It has liquid cooling like the SP4, but no fans, so completely silent, wheras most > i3 tablets will get noisy above 50C.

2) A backlit keyboard

3) A decent kickstand design (unlike say the Huawei Matebook or Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro S)

4) Fully sealed design. Like a decent android tablet like the Samsung Galaxy Tab A. Even the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 is quiet noisy, even with the fans off. The Acer is completely sealed design, whereas the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 has vents across the entire length of the sides.

The vents allow all kinds of noise to escape, like coil whine! The inductors in the Surface Pro 4 display aren't dampened enough especially given it has an acoustically open/vented design, meaning in a quiet room the Surface Pro 4's constant buzzing noise rises above ambient unless you throw on a pair of headphones or IEMs. (Note: this is not a defect of my SP4. All 6 of the display models at my local Best Buy exhibited this noise including the one I took home, and the Microsoft forums indicates this is a problem that extends to all models)

The noise drove me crazy, and the fact that the Acer's were half the price of the SP4 and completely silent sold me on them. SP4s are going back and Acer's are staying.