I'm a longtime Surface user; you don't really need 17.04 though - all you need on older Ubuntu version is to install a more recent mainline kernel, and install the artful version of the `linux-firmware` package (in such conditions, the installation process will require an external keyboard and the pre-downloaded package).

Arguably, a Surface device can work well as double device:

  - windows as tablet
  - linux for work, with minimalist hardware usage (no hw button, no pen, the SP4/SB have no camera support)

The Linux Surface community is mostly made of script kiddies, so it's very unreliable (there are a variety of reasons for this judgment).

My personal favourite options for this mixed use are:

  - Surface Pro 3: better compatibility, and cheaper
  - Surface Book i5: fantastic tablet

SB laptops above the i5 are expensive, and it's a waste of money for a laptop that is not completely supported (if I have to spend 2000$ on something, I expect sleep to work).