Surface Book Alternatives: The ultimate 2-in-1 laptop challengers

Samuel J Tan Laptops, Personal Technology, Popular, Tablets, Technology 0

Ultra-thin, meticulously crafted and full of Microsoft’s hardware, a hallmark that we have come to love with generations of Surface Pros and Surface, the Surface Book is the latest addition to Microsoft’s tablet and now laptop portfolio. A first for Microsoft, the Surface Book is a convertible 2-in-1, with a detachable keyboard. So just how is this different from Surface or Surface Pro and more importantly are there any worthy alternatives?

The Surface Book is being marketed as a laptop, ‘The Ultimate Laptop’ is how Microsoft have chosen to describe their latest offering. Microsoft is very careful in not to blur the lines between Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book, where both are equally powerful machines capable of handling professional grade desktop applications such as Adobe Creative Cloud, Citrix, AutoCAD or Visual Studio.

The Surface Book has three different modes, as a laptop, or flip the screen 360 degrees back and it becomes a portfolio or detach the screen from its keyboard and it becomes a more portable clipboard (code for tablet but let’s play along). The keyboard is more than a docking base with ports, it comes with full hardware accelerated graphics onboard.

As ultimate laptop that it is, Microsoft has pulled out all the stops in making the Surface Book desirable and on equal footing to the MacBook Pro with Retina display. The casing of Surface Book is made out of a magnesium alloy which is lighter and more durable than aluminum. It is powered by the 6th Generation Intel Core i5 or i7 processor and has a battery life of up to 12 hours.

There are a couple of things that the MacBook does not do, touch and stylus. The Surface Book with its key board detached, is called the Clipboard, but is simply a tablet, much like the Surface Pro 4 and for that, they have included the Surface Pen stylus. The same Surface Pen also works on other Surface devices. With Palm Block technology and 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity, Surface Pen offers a natural way to mark-up documents and take notes in your own handwriting.

The 13.5-inch PixelSense has incredible resolution (3000 x 2000). It’s calibrated for true-to-life color, with high contrast and low glare. It seems too good to be true, a two-for-one device, a big tablet, slightly bigger than the iPad Pro and a super laptop. Why pay for each of these individually when you can have both? The Surface Book is enough to make CEO of the opposite camp sit up and pay attention.

But before we start our hunt for any of its equal or worthy alternatives, let’s first take a look at what we are up against.

Table of Contents

Surface Book Technical Specifications

Display

Screen: 13.5” PixelSense™ display
Resolution: 3000 x 2000 (267 PPI)
Aspect ratio: 3:2
Touch: 10 point multi-touch

Processor

6th Gen Intel® Core™ i5 or i7

Graphics

i5: Intel® HD graphics 520
i5/i7: NVIDIA GeForce GPU with 1GB GDDR5 memory

Memory

8GB or 16GB RAM

Storage

Solid state drive (SSD) options: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB.

Cameras, video, and audio

5.0MP front-facing camera
8.0MP rear-facing camera with autofocus, with 1080p HD video recording
Dual microphones, front and rear-facing
Front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby Audio™ Premium

Battery life

Up to 12 hours of video playback

Security

TPM chip for enterprise security

Wireless

802.11ac Wi-Fi wireless networking; IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology

Ports

Two full-size USB 3.0
Full-size SD™ card reader
SurfaceConnect^TM
Headset jack
Mini DisplayPort

Sensors

Ambient light sensor
Accelerometer
Gyroscope
Magnetometer

Exterior

Casing: Magnesium
Color: Silver
Physical buttons: Volume, Power

Dimensions

Laptop: 12.30” x 9.14” x 0.51 – 0.90” (312.3mm x 232.1mm x 13.0 – 22.8mm)
Clipboard: 8.67 x 12.30 x 0.30 in (220.2 x 312.3 x 7.7 mm)

Weight

Starting at 3.34 pounds (1,516 grams) including keyboard

Gallery

To sum it up, the selection criteria for a worth competitor must have:

Relatively powerful with Intel Core M or Intel Core i5 or i7 processor
13-inch screen with full high definition or higher resolution
8GB RAM or more memory
128GB ROM (Solid State Drive) or bigger storage
2-in-1 convertible laptop with touch screen and tablet mode
Relatively robust, slim and lightweight design

Best Surface Book Alternatives

Here is what we found able to measure up to the Surface Book. While most of these are 2-in-1 with stuck on keyboard instead of detachable, they do have a flip screen with 360 degree hinge that converts it to a tablet. Here is the quick list:

Lenovo Yoga 900-13ISK 2 in 1 Laptop
ASUS ZenBook UX303UB-UH74T Laptop – LARGEST MEMORY
HP ENVY Notebook 13-d099nr Laptop
Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro-1370 2 in 1 Laptop – SLIMMEST, LIGHTEST
Dell XPS 13 9343 Core i5 or i7 256GB Laptop – INFINITY SCREEN, SMALL FOOTPRINT, BEST BATTERY LIFE

And now for a closer look.

5 Best Surface Book Alternatives with QHD+ Display

These are powerful 2-in-1 laptops with sixth generation Intel Core i5, i7 just like the Surface Book and Intel Core M at the heart with at least 8GB of RAM and 256GB of super fast Solid State Drive storage. The displays measures 13.3-inch and is packed with 3200 x 1800 pixels, Quad HD+ resolution enough to make everything super crisp and sharp. Even with all that power, these laptops are ultra light, with some lighter than the Surface Book.

Lenovo Yoga 900-13ISK 2 in 1 Laptop

Powered by sixth-generation Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB of memory, 256GB SSD, and still weighs just 2.8 pounds (1.30 kg) while being a half-inch (15.49 mm) thin, giving it excellent portability. And with its 360-degree watchband hinge, the Yoga 900’s brilliant QHD+ display flips wherever you want for versatile use as a laptop, tablet, tent, or stand.

13.3-inch QHD+ LED touchscreen (3200 x 1800), 10-finger multi-touch support – TOUCH
Intel Core i7-6500U 2.50 GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 3.10 GHz – POWERFUL CPU
8GB memory/256GB SSD
Up to 9 hours battery life
11.80 x 8.20 x 0.61 in (299.72 x 208.28 x 15.49 mm), 2.80 lbs (1.30 kg) – LIGHTER

ASUS ZenBook UX303UB-UH74T Laptop – BIGGEST MEMORY

The all-aluminum body, and is powered for productivity with a sixth-generation Intel Core i7 processor, 12GB of memory, and 512GB solid state drive. Plus, it’s impressively slim and light at just 0.7 inches thin and 3.4 pounds for excellent portability.

13.3-inch QHD+ LED touchscreen (3200 x 1800), 10-finger multi-touch support – TOUCH
Intel Core i7-6500U 2.50 GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 3.10 GHz – POWERFUL CPU
12GB memory/512GB SSD – MORE MEMORY, BIGGER STORAGE
Up to 7 hours battery life
12.70 x 8.80 x 0.75 in (322.58 x 223.52 x 19.20 mm), 3.40 lbs (1.54 kg)

HP ENVY Notebook 13-d099nr Laptop

Slim and lightweight, the stylish HP ENVY Notebook 13 delivers heavy-duty computing power with a sixth-generation Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB of memory, and 256GB SSD. Its 13.3-inch QHD+ with IPS technology delivers sharp and lifelike views, and with Windows 10, you get easy ways to snap apps in place, create new desktops, and work and play across all your devices. Finally, the PC speakers are supplied by the audio pioneers Bang & Olufsen to deliver immersive surround sound with heightened clarity and deep bass.

13.3-inch QHD+ display IPS BrightView WLED-backlit (3200 x 1800)
Intel Core i7-6500U 2.50 GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 3.10 GHz – POWERFUL CPU
8GB memory/256GB SSD
12.59 x 8.46 x 0.80 in (319.78 x 214.88 x 20.32 mm), 2.72 lbs (1.23 kg) – LIGHTER

ALSO: HP ENVY Notebook 13-d010nr Laptop

13.3-inch QHD+ display IPS BrightView WLED-backlit (3200 x 1800)
Intel Core i5-6200U 2.30 GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 2.80 GHz
8GB memory/128GB SSD
12.59 x 8.46 x 0.80 in (319.78 x 214.88 x 20.32 mm), 2.72 lbs (1.23 kg) – LIGHTER

Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro-1370 2 in 1 Laptop – SLIMMEST, LIGHTEST

Yoga 3 Pro is the thinnest and lightest 2 in 1 laptop on the market right now. Thinner than a pencil at just 12.7 millimetres and weighing just 1.18 kilograms with up to 7.2 hours of battery life it is the the ultimate in ultra-portable. It is also the most flexible and sturdy laptop with watch strap inspired hinge meticulously hand-crafted from 813 individual pieces of aluminium and steel.

13.3 inches QHD+ (3200 x 1800) resolution, 10-finger multi-touch support
Intel Core M-5Y71 1.2 GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 2.96 GHz – COOLER CPU
8GB memory/512GB SSD – BIGGER STORAGE
Up to 7.2 hours battery life
330.2 x 228.6 x 12.7 mm, 1.18kg – THINNEST & LIGHTEST

Dell XPS 13 9343 Core i5 or i7 256GB Laptop – INFINITY SCREEN, SMALL FOOTPRINT, BEST BATTERY LIFE

The stunning Quad HD+ display is made better with what Dell claims to be the world’s first infinity display, a virtually borderless 13-inch screen placed into the body of an 11-inch laptop. Compared to the Apple MacBook Air 13, the XPS 13 is 23% smaller with the same size screen. And with Windows 10, you get easy ways to snap apps in place, create new desktops, and work and play across all your devices.

It does not stop there, with premium craftsmanship and design the all-aluminum body is not only made to look good but strong, durable, and stylish, while its carbon-fiber base is tough and thin like aluminum but cooler to the touch. And with a Corning Gorilla Glass NBT display, you get enhanced scratch resistance, reduced scratch visibility.

The laptop is powered by fifth generation Core i5. Also available based on faster fifth generation Intel Core i7 and option of a standard non-touch screen.

13.3-inch UltraSharp QHD+ IPS (3200 x 1800) infinity touch display with Corning Gorilla Glass NBT, 10-finger multi-touch support – INFINITY DISPLAY
Intel Core i5-5200U 2.20 GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology up to 2.70 GHz or Intel Core i7-5500U 2.40 GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology up to 3.00 GHz
8GB memory/256GB SSD
Up to 11 hours battery life – BEST BATTERY LIFE
11.98 x 7.88 x 0.33-0.60 in (304.29 x 200.15 x 8.38-15.24 mm), 2.80 lbs (1.27 kg) – LIGHTER, SMALLEST FOOTPRINT

Surface Book Alternatives with Full HD Display

These may not have the 2.5 times HD resolution as the QHD+ screens above, they are Full HD displays nonethelesss and at 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution on a 13.3-inch panel, there is enough pixels per inch to make things looks crisp and sharp. See below for a quick list:

And now for a closer look.

Dell XPS 13 9350-1340SLV Core i5 128GB Laptop

13.3-inch Full HD display
Intel Core i5-6200U
8GB memory/128GB SSD
Up to 11 hours battery life

Also: Dell XPS 13 9343-2727SLV Core i5 128GB Laptop

13.3-inch Full HD infinity display
Intel Core i5-5200U
4GB memory/128GB SSD
15 hours battery life

ASUS ZenBook UX305FA-USM1 Laptop

13.3-inch Full HD display
Intel Core M-5Y10
8GB memory/256GB SSD

ALSO: ASUS ZenBook UX305CA-UHM1 Laptop

13.3-inch Full HD display
Intel Core m3-6Y30
8GB memory/256GB SSD
Up to 10 hours battery life

LG gram 13Z950 Laptop

13.3-inch Full HD display
Intel Core i5-5200U
8GB memory/128GB SSD
7.5 hours battery life

HP Spectre x360 13-4193nr 2 in 1 Laptop

13.3-inch Full HD touchscreen
Intel Core i7-6500U
8GB memory/256GB SSD or 512GB SSD
Up to 12.5 hours battery life

ALSO: HP Spectre x360 13-4003dx 2 in 1 Laptop

13.3-inch Full HD touchscreen
Intel Core i7-5500U
8GB memory/256GB SSD or 512GB SSD
Up to 12 hours battery life

HP Pavilion x360 13-s192nr Convertible 2 in 1 Laptop

HP Pavilion x360 Convertible 13-s192nr b

13.3-inch HD touchscreen
Intel Core i5-6200U
8GB memory/1TB HDD

HP Pavilion x360 Convertible 13-s192nr back

Others

Here are other 13-inch convertibles and laptops with Full HD display and spindle hard drives. These would be cheaper compared to the above but still strong in terms of performance with sixth generation Intel Core i5 and Intel Core i7. Apart from the first Dell Inspiron 13 with 500GB Solid State Hybrid Drive (SSHD), the other Dell Inspiron 13 and HP Pavilion x360 13 runs on slower HDD. But, if you do not mind getting your hands dirty and as long as it does not void the warranty, you could play technician and have the hard drive swapped for 256GB or 512GB SSD, now that they have come down in price. The performance gain will make it worthwhile.