Comment by hypersoar | Hacker News Reader

Comment by hypersoar | Hacker News Reader

Caveat emptores: With a couple exceptions, Surface devices cannot be repaired, nor have the battery replaced. Not even by Microsoft. iFixit's repair scores on all the devices, except the Pro X, range from 0/10 to 1/10. If you have a problem that would require repair, you need to instead get it replaced with a refurbished machine. This means you have to back up your machine and set it all up again on a new one. If you're out of warranty, you also need to pay hundreds of dollars for this: $250 for a Go, $450 for a Pro or Laptop, and $600 for the Book or older Pro 4. It's unavailable altogether for anything older. They trumpeted improved repairability for the Pro X (edit: and Laptop 3), but I can't find anything suggesting a similar effort for the Book.

I like my Surface Pro 4 a lot. I initially got it for the pen when I was a math Ph.D. student. It was great for taking notes and giving lectures. I don't do that anymore, but the Surface machines still appeal to me as potential upgrades. But it's tough for me to justify spending north of $1,500 on a laptop when I can only expect a few years of life from it.

So, please, other laptop makers, make some 3:2 laptops. Dell, good job with that new 16:10 XPS. Microsoft, at least make the damn batteries replaceable.

This is only partially true now. The surface laptop line has made huge strides in repair-ability. https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/23/20929530/microsoft-surfa...

That being said, the surface pro, go, and book lines have yet to attain the same level of repair-ability.

Oh, you're right. I remember hearing that when it came out. I thought I'd looked through all the iFixit teardowns writing my post but missed the Laptop 3 one. They score it a 5. The battery is still glued down, though.

Maybe they've made changes for the Book 3, but I would think they'd say something if they had. According to The Verge, it's the same design.

I hope they continue to make those changes. To your first point, I find it ridiculous when companies make devices with very little ability to repair.

just a nitpick: the proper plural is "caveant emptores".

cave-ant They're everywhere~

Thanks! Part of me knew that I was gonna burn myself by going for the Latin.

I have an SP3, getting close to five years now. Battery life still decent, no bulge (knocks wood), and it still works well. I rarely use the pen, and only occasionally use tablet mode for reading. The lack of repairability in the Surface line, combined with my rare use of the tablet mode, have me looking more at light laptops when the time comes, possibly even the Surface Laptop (good to see that's improved repairability a bit). I get that getting a slim package requires tradeoffs, but complete lack of repairability is a step too much for my liking.

And it happened to me! model 1796 128gb. They kept repeating to install recovery images until I got tired for days. When I traveled back to Miami they didn't want to repair it -now I know that they couldn't!- They offer heavy discounts on newer models but I wasn't going to fall for that. Long story short, they gave me a brand new replacement unit.

I have a Pro 4 as well. It still has the best GPU of any of the tablet-Surface line, and is plenty quick for anything I need to do. Unfortunately, my battery life is now half an hour, which makes it more of a fixed workstation with built-in UPS than portable tablet, and it's a source of real frustration.

Huh the Surface Pro 7 i7 should have a vastly superior GPU. Where does it fall short compared to the SP4?

For several generations, the SP4 with the Iris 540 was as good as it got. I just looked at the SP7 i7 specs, and it looks like you're right, though. I stand corrected!

The new LG Gram laptops are also 16:10, and are a fraction of the weight of the XPS laptops.

I never really liked my LG Gram as it always seemed a bit flimsy. I never broke it, but it felt like I had to baby it.

I switched over to a Lenovo Carbon X1 7th gen. Don't feel that need anymore and the keyboard is amazing.

Not 16:10, though.

I have a broken Surface Pro 4. The power connector is kaput. For the next tablet, I am looking for alternatives in "good tablet and fixable after 3 years" category.

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