Tech Advisor – October 2019

86 TECH ADVISOR • OCTOBER 2019

BUYING GUIDE

Software

One criticism of the original Surface Laptop was that

it came with Windows 10 S, which namely meant only

being able to install applications from the official store.

That’s not what Windows users want or expect, and

although an upgrade to Pro was available for free, it

wasn’t an ideal situation.

For the Surface Laptop 2, the firm has opted for

Windows 10 Home, which is a much better solution.

Getting the operating system we all expect on a

Microsoft own-brand laptop is the way it should be.

There’s no bloatware and you can make use of things

such as Windows Hello to log in and Cortana.

Verdict

Microsoft might not have given the Surface Laptop an

overhaul with this new model, but not much needed

changing. The main upgrades are the new Intel

processors and getting at least 8GB of RAM, both

of which combine for a nice boost in performance.

The black colour is the other major change and looks

stunning. We’d like more ports and the battery life

hastakena dip,butthespecsboostmakesthisworth

it.Ifyousticktooneofthecheapermodels,which

shouldbe fine for most consumers, then this is still one

of the best laptops around. The slight spanner in the

works is that you can now get the original for just £649,

which is very tempting if you’re trying to save money

and don’t need the newer specs. Chris Martin

Specifications

• 13.5in (2,256x1,504; 201ppi) PixelSense Display,