The Microsoft Surface line has been growing rapidly lately, with devices ranging from a desktop All-In-One to the compact and affordable Surface Go. Among my favorite devices is the Surface Laptop, which has always impressed me. Recently, I had the opportunity to review the brand new Surface Laptop 2.

At first glance, the overall hardware of the Surface Laptop 2 hasn't changed much since last year's model. However, this is not a bad thing, as it means that the laptop still maintains its high-quality construction and durability. The device is made entirely out of aluminum, which gives it a sleek and modern look reminiscent of Apple's MacBook line.

But what really sets the Surface Laptop 2 apart is its unique Alcantara-lined keyboard and deck lid. While most laptops feature standard materials like aluminum or plastic, the Surface Laptop 2 takes it up a notch with this luxurious fabric material often found in high-end cars such as BMWs and Porsches. Not only does it provide an exceptional typing experience due to its softness, but it also adds a touch of sophistication to the overall design.

Speaking of which, the display on the Surface Laptop 2 is truly noteworthy. Measuring 13.5 inches with a resolution of 2256 x 1504, it may seem unusual at first glance, especially considering that most laptops opt for more conventional 16:9 aspect ratios. However, what makes this panel stand out is its touchscreen capabilities and relatively low wobbling when you touch the screen – an issue often found in other ultrabooks.

Another aspect of the Surface Laptop 2's display that deserves attention is its unique 3:2 aspect ratio. This design choice not only enhances productivity by providing more vertical screen real estate but also makes it ideal for watching videos. Although you may notice a slight letterbox effect, the picture quality remains crisp and enjoyable.

The keyboard on the Surface Laptop 2 is another highlight of the device. Featuring improved keys that provide better tactile feedback and overall typing experience, it's clear that Microsoft has made significant strides in this area. Additionally, the laptop comes with all the standard Surface accessories including a Pen and Dial – making it an excellent choice for creative professionals.

Software-wise, the Surface Laptop 2 ships with Windows 10 Home out of the box, which might seem unexciting to some but is actually a welcome change from last year's version. Thankfully, Microsoft has pushed Windows 10 S to the side, allowing users to install all desired apps and enjoy a clean, user-friendly operating system.

Moving on to performance, the Surface Laptop 2 boasts improved specs over its predecessor, thanks in part to the upgrade from 7th Gen dual-core processors to quad-core Core i5 and Core i7 options. Although it may not be an ideal gaming laptop due to the lack of dedicated graphics, this enhanced processing does make a significant difference for video editing tasks.

Furthermore, having access to Surface accessories such as the Pen and Dial adds a level of functionality that other laptops cannot match. With Windows Precision Drivers and an IR camera for Windows Hello security, users can expect top-notch performance from their laptop.

Battery life is also solid, with Microsoft claiming 14.5 hours on a charge – although it might be slightly ambitious. Nonetheless, you should easily last through the day without needing to recharge, making it suitable for work or school use.

However, there's one glaring omission in the Surface Laptop 2 that prevents it from being considered a truly great device: the absence of USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 ports. Considering its premium price tag, which starts at $1000 with only 128GB storage, this is an omission that cannot be overlooked.

In conclusion, while the Surface Laptop 2 boasts impressive hardware, killer design, and essential accessories, it falls short due to its missing ports and hefty price point. Despite these drawbacks, it remains a solid choice for those looking for a high-performance laptop with excellent software and features – just be sure to factor in the cost of additional storage if needed.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- Hey guys, this is Austin.The Microsoft Surface linehas been growing a lot lately.With everything from a desktop All-In-Onewith the Surface Studio all the waydown to the cheap and tiny Surface Go,there's a lot to like.But one of my favorite deviceshas always been the Surface Laptop.So when Microsoft sentover their brand newSurface Laptop 2 to take alook at, I got very exciteduntil I took a littlebit of a closer look.The overall hardware hasn'tchanged too much this yearwhich is certainly not a bad thing.It's all made out of aluminum,and it does sort of give alittle bit of a MacBook vibe.At least until you open up the lid.The keyboard and deck lidare lined in Alcantara.Now this is pretty unique in the PC space.As opposed to seeing aluminum here,it is much more of a fabric material,and it kind of gives you alittle bit of a unique look.It's typically found in thingslike high-end BMWs and Porsches and Audisbut having it here on a laptop is nice.Now, sure it will wear and geta little bit dirty over time,but as far as I'mconcerned, that's totallyworth the trade-off of anice, soft, typing experience.You're also getting a terrific display.So just like last year, it is a little bitof a weird panel with a 13.5-inch sizeand a 2256 by 1504?Yes, I got the resolution right!It's really unusual but oneof the nice things they havehere is that it, not onlyis a touchscreen, of course,like a Surface should be, but importantly,the screen doesn't reallywobble when you touch it.I mean, it wobbles a little bit,but it's much better than mostother Ultrabooks out there.The actual panel itself is high quality,but what I really appreciateis the aspect ratio.Unlike most laptops which are 16:9,this is 3:2 which meansthat you get a lot morevertical screen real estatewhich is helpful forthings like web browsingand you know, productivity.Everyone loves productivityin their really expensive laptop, right?Something else you can do, ofcourse though, is watch video.And even though you doget a bit of a letter box,you have a super-crispy videolike Jake's new Can You Survivethe Movies? over on Vsauce3.You'll find that there's alot of crispiness to watch.That aspect ratio also pays offfor the keyboard and trackpad.So specifically the keyboard is terrific.It's backlit; it's got areally nice sort of feel.And on top of that the trackpadis actually fairly large.Most of that is becausethat the screen is tallerwhich means that there's justa little bit more space here.One of the big new features this yearis not a feature at all!It's the brand new matte black color!Can I just stop for a second,and say, that yes, I lovea good silver laptop.It's classic, it's great.But this?Matte black?I mean I can feel Marques'sheart just fluttering.It's so, so cool.I mean, I did not expectout of all people,Microsoft to make amurdered-out Surface Book.It is so, so cool.Or Surface Laptop, whatever it's called.You know what isn't new this year?The ports which if you take a lookconsists of a single USB-A,a single Mini DisplayPort,a headphone jack, and themagnetic Surface connector.You know what we don't see?A USB-C, or I don't know,a Thunderbolt 3 port?(metal music)Can you feel my frustration?I kinda get that last yearthe Surface Laptop 2 did,or the Surface Laptop 1,didn't have a Thunderbolt portor at least didn't have a USB-C.But I mean, you see what this is?This is a $400 Surface Go.Guess what that port is?Do you see that little round, not round,the little circular, what,what, what shape is that?- Oblong.- Oblong, thank you.Do you see that little oblong port?That's USB-C.It supports power.It supports data.And oh look?It supports full DisplayPort just like thisuseless Mini DisplayPort here.So even the USB port apparentlyis USB 3 and not USB 3.1.I'll give them a little bit of creditbecause there is the Surface connectorwhich can give you some ofthe functionality of USB-C.But I mean, it's 2018.It's going to be 2019 soon.This laptop is going tobe around for a while,and USB-C is absolutely the future.It just, it's crazy to me thatthey didn't just include USB-C here.I mean, it's on the $400 Surface!Why couldn't they put it onthe $1300 Surface Laptop 2?One of the major upgradesfor the Surface Laptop 2this year are in specs.So last year, it was good, but it only hadthe 7th Gen dual core processors.This year however, we have the fullquad core Core i5 and Core i7 options.Now, no, you won't be able to gameparticularly well on the Surface Laptop 2mostly because it doesn't have any kindof dedicated graphics as an option.And you can't connectany external graphics,but having the quad core designdoes make a big difference for thingslike being able to do alittle bit more video editing.And you do have allthe Surface accessoriesincluding the Pen as well as the Dial.So this might actually be apretty solid Photoshop machine.Software wise this year it shipswith Windows 10 Home out of the boxwhich would sound totally normaland not exciting at all until you rememberthat the last year's versionof the Surface Laptopshipped with Windows 10 S which thankfullyhas kind of been pushedalong to the wayside.You've got a very niceclean build of Windows,and of course, you can installall the apps you might want.There are some nice featuresincluding Windows Precision Driversfor the touchpad as well as an IR camerathat does support Windows Hello.Speaking of that camera,it is a 720p webcam.It sounds pretty decent,but most importantly,it actually is a prettyhigh quality device.Unlike some otherlaptops that have webcamson the bottom of the display where thisis the angle you get all the time.Battery life is solid.Now Microsoft claims14.5 hours on a chargewhich is definitely alittle bit ambitious.But you should easily be ableto last through a normal dayof light use, for example,at work or school.Something that's not going tobe taxing it all that heavily.The Surface Laptop 2 is expensive.It starts at $1000, but that'sonly for 128 gigs of storage.If you want bump up to a 256 gig SSD,that's gonna cost you 300 more dollars.The drive is decently fast,but it's nowhere near as fastas the custom SSD inside the MacBook Prowhich is actually aless expensive upgrade.Apple charges you $200 on the MacBook Prowhere it is they chargeyou $300 on the Surface.So you know, when you'recharging more than Applefor an upgrade, you might wannareevaluate your decisions.I really wanted to likethe Surface Laptop 2.It's got killer hardware.I love the black look.I really appreciate that itis much more powerful now.But the issue is that it doesn'teven have USB-C much less Thunderbolt 3.Especially considering this kind of price,the Surface Laptop 2 is a good laptop,but it is not a great one.