FEBRUARY 2019 PCWorld 51Weight: 2.8 pounds (with
Type Cover); 3.62 pounds
(including AC adapter)
Colors: Platinum, black,
burgundy, cobalt blue
Optional accessories:
Surface Pen ($99 at Microsoft
Store; go.pcworld.com/sp99)
Price: $1,299 as tested
(go.pcworld.com/s129)
While it feels a little...
Apple-y...to go ga-ga over a
new color, there’s no ignoring
that the new jet black adds a note of
distinction to the smooth anodized aluminum
unibody construction as well as the slightly
fuzzy Alcantara fabric coating the Surface
Laptop 2’s palm rest and interior. Yet it’s odd
and somewhat disappointing that Microsoft is
essentially charging an additional $200 for it.
HANDS ON WITH THE
SURFACE LAPTOP 2
The Surface Laptop 2 is sturdy without feeling
especially weighty. There’s just a bit of back-
and-forth flex in the display hinge when the
Laptop 2’s base is wiggled. Inside, the
Surface Laptop 2’s display reclines to an
ergonomically comfortable 45 degrees or so
away from the horizontal. I never noticed the
base becoming especially warm or
overheated, except during an intensive round
of updates, when the bottom warmed to a
level that was still comfortable.
A sheet of Gorilla Glass 3 houses the
display in a 3:2 format —again, identical to
the original Surface Laptop. (The Microsoft
Surface Pro 6 [go.pcworld.com/mps6] has a
higher-res 2736x1824, 12.3-inch display.)
Our light meter recorded a maximum
luminance of 337 nits, a slight 8 percent drop
from our 1st Gen machine. (We consider
anything over 260 nits of luminance to be of
sufficient brightness.) There are no additional
color space options like the Surface Book 2
beyond RGB, and the display uses a standard
dynamic range.
Beyond the numbers, the PixelSense
displays used in Microsoft’s Surface products
offer stunning color fidelity and they’re simply
pleasing to use. Microsoft smartly picks
default backgrounds that show off its displays
to its best advantage. Note, however, that
while a higher resolution can be easier on the
eyes, it impacts battery life and performance.The Surface Laptop 2 doesn’t appear to be fanless, though it blows
heat very quietly out of these downward-facing vents.