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Microsoft Surface Book 2 review – laptop meets tablet in a sexy, bold package

Beautifully designed, Microsoft’s second try at a tablet/laptop conversion is a success, ticking nearly all the boxes for either iteration. The only downsides are its average camera and high price

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The Microsoft Surface Book 2 laptop converts into a tablet at the push of a button.

The Microsoft Surface Book 2 is a laptop-tablet convertible that’s as sexy as any computer I’ve ever used.

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Out of the box, it’s a Windows 10 laptop with a full-size keyboard and touch pad, but with the press of one button on the keyboard, the Surface Book 2’s screen detaches to give you a beautiful 13.5-inch touch screen Windows 10 tablet.

That is the sexy part – Microsoft put a battery and the computer’s guts behind the screen, while the keyboard has the ports, touch pad and a second battery.

The Surface Book 2’s hinge makes all the difference.
The Surface Book 2’s hinge makes all the difference.
Of course, the entire package hinges on its hinge.

You can pop off the screen to use it as a tablet, or you can flip it around and dock it back on the keyboard and use it as a touch screen easel, which I really liked. I sit in a chair with a wide and flat arm that’s perfect for using the Surface Book 2 in easel mode.

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The hinge is rock solid, and if you didn’t know how the release mechanism worked, you’d never know the screen was detachable.

The Surface Book 2 – Microsoft’s second-generation stab at a convertible – comes in two screen sizes, 13.5 inches and 15 inches, though only the former is officially available in Hong Kong retail stores. The design is the same for each, with only slight differences in the hardware choices.
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