**The Eve V: A True Surface Pro Killer?**

Hey guys, this is Austin. Put the Eve V side-by-side with the Microsoft Surface Pro and you'll see that they look pretty similar. A quick glance at the Eve site makes the comparison obvious. But take a closer look and you'll see that this is a really interesting device.

The second you open the box you'll see the names of a thousand people who contributed to the design of the Eve V. The idea was that this was a crowd-designed device. Eve originally reached out to me over a year ago asking if I wanted to take a look at the Vand in the meantime, a lot of the specs have legitimately changed based on community feedback.

This is a really cool idea. Of course, there are downsides to buying from a small startup, but you can't fault them for trying a new approach. However, when you consider just how good the Surface Pro is, the V has to do some really cool stuff to justify its existence and it kind of does.

While at first glance it looks incredibly similar to the Surface, take a closer look and there are some thoughtful details. Instead of a single USB-A and the bizarre Mini DisplayPort on the Pro, you're getting two full-size USB ports in addition to a pair of USB-C ports, one of which is full Thunderbolt 3 and both can be used for charging.

Now, there is no facial recognition with Windows Hello but you do have a slightly hidden fingerprint sensor and a very similarly adjustable kickstand. Again, at first glance the detachable keyboard looks nearly identical to the Surface, but it has a surprisingly mechanical feel with a lot of key travel. It's not what you would typically expect to find on a laptop or a two-in-one.

And while it took me a few minutes to get used to, it kinda makes the Surface feel a little bit spongy in comparison. You've also got the slightly unnecessary RGB backlight but it does double as a Bluetooth keyboard. Detach it from the V and hold control and F12 to sync it wirelessly. I don't know how often I would end up using this, but it is a nice feature.

I will say the trackpad isn't amazing; it's totally fine and combined with touchscreen navigation is okay, but I do prefer the clicky-ness of the Surface Pro touch pad. Probably the best feature of the keyboard is that it's actually included in the box. This is almost a necessity on a two-in-one like this, and on the Surface it will cost you another $130 to get the keyboard.

Big props to Eve for including that basic necessity in the box. It goes beyond that too; they also include a pen. Another $100 addition on the Surface. To be fair, it's based on slightly older tech than the latest Surface pen but the slight difference in latency really isn't a big problem for me. And again, it's included in the box.

One minor issue I've noticed is that while both tablets have a microSD card slot, the Eve has a little notch on it which makes it really difficult to actually remove the SD card, which is just kind of dumb. The rest of the hardware feels decent; it's a bit heavier and larger than the Surface Pro.

The story of Eve is great; I mean who doesn't want to root for the underdog? And to be clear, the V is a good computer. Not only does it generally match or even exceed the Surface in a lot of areas but it's around the same price or cheaper, and it includes not only the keyboard and also the pen which Microsoft is going to charge you over $200 for.

The problem is that they're building these to order, so availability is a lot more complicated than you might hope for. However, if you're willing to take a chance on a new company, the Eve V is absolutely worth a look. So what do you guys think? Is this a true Surface Pro killer? Let me know in the comments below and I will catch you on the next one.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- Hey guys, this is Austin.Put the Eve V side-by-sidewith the Microsoft Surface Proand you'll see that theylook pretty similar.A quick glance at the Eve sitemakes the comparison obvious.But take a closer lookand you'll see that this isa really interesting device.The second you open thebox you'll see the namesof a thousand people whocontributed to the designof the Eve V.The idea was that this wasa crowd designed device.Eve originally reachedout to me over a year agoasking if I wanted to take a look at the Vand in the meantimea lot of the specs havelegitimately changedbased on community feedback.This is a really cool idea.Of course, there are downsides to buyingfrom a small startup,but you can't fault themfor trying a new approach.However when you consider justhow good the Surface Pro isthe V has to do some really cool stuffto justify it's existence.And it kind of does.While at first glance itlooks incredibly similarto the Surface.Take a closer look and thereare some thoughtful details.Instead of a single USB-A andthe bizarre Mini DisplayPorton the Pro, you're gettingtwo full-size USB portsin addition to a pair of USB-C ports,one of which is full Thunderbolt 3and both can be used for charging.Now there is no facialrecognition with Windows Hellobut you do have a slightlyhidden fingerprint sensorand a very similarly adjustable kickstand.Again, at first glancethe detachable keyboardlooks nearly identical to the Surfacebut it has a surprisingly mechanical feelwith a lot of key travel.It's not what you wouldtypically expect to findon a laptop or a two-in-one.And while it took me a fewminutes to get used to,it kinda makes the Surfacefeel a little bit spongyin comparison.You've also got the slightlyunnecessary RGB backlightbut it does double asa Bluetooth keyboard.Detach it from the Vand hold control and F12to sync it wirelessly.I don't know how often Iwould end up using thisbut it is a nice feature.I will say the trackpad isn't amazing.It's totally fineand combined with thetouchscreen navigation is okay,but I do prefer the clicky-nessof the Surface Pro touch pad.Probably the best feature of the keyboardis that it's actually included in the box.This is almost a necessityon a two-in-one like thisand on the Surface itwill cost you another $130to get the keyboard.Big props to Eve for, you know,including that basic necessity in the box.It goes beyond that too.They also include a pen.Another $100 addition on the Surface.To be fair, it's basedon slightly older techthan the latest Surface penbut the slight differencein latency really isn'ta big problem for me.And again, it's included in the box.One minor issue I've noticedis that while both tabletshave a microSD card slot, theEve has a little notch on itwhich makes it really difficultto actually remove the SD card,which is just kind of dumb.The rest of the hardware feels decent.It's a bit heavier andentire thing is more rounded,which feels a bit cheaperthan the incredibly tight tolerancesof the magnesium Surface.But importantly bothhave fan-less designs.Well mostly.The Eve uses lowerwattage Core Y processors,so on paper this is atrade-off between performanceand battery life.On one hand you are goingto be losing a little bitof performance, especiallyin heavier tasks,such as video editing and gaming.But on the flip side at least in theoryyou're going to be gettingbetter battery life.However when you stackit up to the Surface Pronot only does it offer ahigher wattage Core i5 model,which is still going to be fan-less,but it also has better battery lifeat 13 and a half hours comparedto 10 hours on the Eve V.The model I have here is almost top specwith a seventh generation Corei7 processor, 16 gigs of RAM,and a 512 gigabyte SSD,which comes in at $1,600.However if you want topick up the base modelwith the Core m3, eight gigsof RAM and 128 gigs of storage,that starts at $800.Put the speced out Valongside the $1,300 Core i5 Surface Pro,and you'll see that they'refairly comparable in Geekbenchand that holds up wellin real world usage.The Eve is snappy and fornormal stuff it's totally fine.Just don't expect to go and do anythingall that taxing on it.You do have that Thunderbolt 3 portwhich allows you to takeadvantage of an external GPUbut for most peoplethat's going to be a little bit too much.Screen-wise the Eve has a 12.3 inch panelwith a resolution of 2880x1920.It's a good screen.You're getting an individuallycalibrated displaystraight from the factory,that while on paper is slightlysharper than the Surface,but in reality both are top notch.I will say the rounded edges of the Vdoes make the bezelslook a little bit biggerbut there really isn'tmuch to complain aboutwhen it comes to the screen.However the speakers, while decent,fall quite a bit shortof the front firing ones on the Surface.This is what the webcam looksand sounds like on the Eve V.So as you can see it's a little bit grainybut for stuff like Skypeand Google Hangoutsit should be okay.On the flip side the Surfacelooks significantly better.Not only is it going to be 1080p,but as you can see it isno longer the soupy messof the Eve.The story of Eve is great.I mean who doesn't wantto root for the underdog?And to be clear, the V is a good computer.Not only does it generally matchor even exceed theSurface in a lot of areas,but it's around the same price or cheaperand it includes not only thekeyboard and also the pen,which Microsoft is going tocharge you over $200 for.The problem is that they'rebuilding these to orderso availability is a lot more complicatedthan you might hope for.However if you're willing totake a chance on a new companythe Eve V is absolutely worth a look.So what do you guys think?Is this a true Surface Pro killer?Let me know in the comments belowand I will catch you on the next one.