Microsoft Surface Pro 2 Comparison to Surface Pro
I got the Surface Pro as soon as it was available in February 2013. It seemed almost premature to get the Surface Pro 2 when it came out in October 2013 but I got it anyway. The main reason: For many of my presentations I like to have two screens up as I’m speaking. Until now I had been using the Surface RT as my second screen, but my must-have applications (Mouse Without Borders, Sketchbook Pro, MindManager) do not run on that machine. When the Surface Pro 2 came out – I was ready to make the jump. The intent was not to replace the original Surface Pro, but to get another full-function tablet to use with it. In short – it’s exactly what I needed. I want to add that if you have a Surface Pro, I wouldn’t be looking to replace it with a Surface Pro 2. There are advantages to the new unit but the original Surface Pro is still a wonderful machine and by no means obsolete.
The biggest advantages of the Surface Pro 2 over the original Surface Pro:
- Battery life. For my typical applications: Surface Pro runs 3.5 hours. The Surface Pro 2 runs 5.5 hours. This difference matters when I need to spend extended time away from AC power but when I’m teaching the Surface Pro lasts long enough.
- Kick Stand angle It’s a small thing but the Surface Pro 2 has a two step kick stand that allows it to sit tilted both at the original angle of the Surface Pro, and also a second position – tilted a little farther back. If I have the Surface Pro 2 on a desktop, lectern, or hand-held, this does not matter at all. The only time I use the new second position is when I have the Surface Pro 2 on a flat surface that is low, but not low enough to lay it flat.
- Processor Speed In all the reviews that I’ve read much has been made of the faster processor in the Surface Pro 2. For what I do when I’m presenting and day to day computing, I don’t notice the difference when I have the machines side-by-side.
Enjoy your Surface Pro if you have one, but if you don’t take a really good look at the Surface Pro 2. It’s a wonderful machine.
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