Microsoft Surface 2 review: Sink or swim

Controls

Above the display is where the front-facing camera, an ambient light sensor, and a microphone reside. Below the screen, there's nothing but the capacitive Windows home button.

The view above and below the display

On the left side of the tablet, you will find one of the stereo speakers, a volume rocker, a 3.5mm audio jack, as well as the latch for opening the kickstand.

The left side of the Microsoft Surface 2

The right side of the slate is just as busy. It hosts the other stereo speaker, as well as a mini HDMI port, full USB port, and the tablet's proprietary charging port.

The right side of the Surface 2 is quite busy

The power/lock key is the only thing you will find on the top of the tablet. The keyboard connector sits alone at the bottom.

A look at the top and bottom of the slate

The back of the tablet is home to the 5MP camera and an additional microphone.

The back of the tablet • the kickstand mechanism

The two-stage kickstand is there too, sporting a large Surface sign.

The two-stage kickstand

The microSD card slot is located underneath the kickstand.

The microSD card slot

Curiously, Microsoft is coy about the exact battery capacity of the Surface 2. The manufacturer promises up to 10 hours of video playback time and 7-15 days of standby.

We put the tablet's battery through its paces and here is what it had to offer.

Web browsing

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Video playback

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• Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX
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• Nokia Lumia 1020
  13:12
• Samsung Galaxy S4 mini
  13:12
• Samsung Galaxy S4 mini duos
  12:52
• Apple iPad mini
  12:51
• Samsung Galaxy Premier
  12:51
• Apple iPad Air
  12:49
• Samsung Galaxy S4 GPE
  12:32
• Samsung Galaxy S4 (S600)
  12:30
• BlackBerry Q5
  12:28
• Apple iPad mini 2
  12:22
• Huawei Ascend Mate
  12:18
• LG G2
  11:51
• Samsung Galaxy S4 (Octa)
  11:29
• Samsung Galaxy Note II N7100
  11:27
• BlackBerry Q10
  11:15
• Microsoft Surface 2
  11:14
• Apple iPhone 5s
  10:31
• Apple iPhone 5
  10:12
• ASUS Transformer Pad TF701T
  10:07
• HTC One
  10:02
• Moto X
  10:01
• Samsung Galaxy Express
  10:00
• Samsung I9105 Galaxy S II Plus
  10:00
• Nokia 808 PureView
  9:53
• Samsung I8530 Galaxy Beam
  9:42
• Samsung Rugby Smart I847
  9:34
• Samsung Galaxy S4 zoom
  9:30
• HTC One S
  9:28
• Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III (JB)
  9:27
• Apple iPhone 4S
  9:24
• HTC Evo 4G LTE
  9:07
• Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition
  9:02
• Sony Xperia Z Ultra
  8:45
• BlackBerry Z10
  8:44
• LG Optimus G Pro
  8:40
• Nokia N9
  8:40
• Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3
  8:34
• HTC Butterfly
  8:28
• Samsung Galaxy Note
  8:25
• LG Optimus GJ
  8:15
• HTC One X+
  8:11
• Motorola RAZR i
  8:11
• Samsung Galaxy S II
  8:00
• Samsung i937 Focus S
  7:55
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  7:52
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  7:50
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  7:46
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  7:45
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  7:41
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  7:38
• Huawei Ascend P1
  7:38
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  7:33
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  7:30
• Samsung I8262 Galaxy Core
  7:30
• Sony Xperia ZR
  7:30
• HTC Droid DNA
  7:30
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  7:30
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  7:30
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  7:27
• HTC One mini
  7:23
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  7:23
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  7:03
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  6:26
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  6:25
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  6:25
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  6:24
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  6:23
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  6:23
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  6:21
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  6:19
• Sony Xperia Z1
  6:12
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  6:12
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  6:06
• Samsung Captivate Glide
  6:04
• Sony Xperia ion LTE
  6:03
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  6:02
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  6:01
• Motorola Atrix HD
  6:01
• HTC Vivid
  6:00
• HTC Radar
  5:54
• Nokia Lumia 800
  5:52
• Nokia Lumia 520
  5:50
• HTC Titan II
  5:50
• BlackBerry Bold 9790
  5:47
• HTC One X
  5:45
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro
  5:44
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  5:39
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  5:38
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  5:38
• Pantech Burst
  5:38
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  5:28
• Meizu MX
  5:27
• HTC Rhyme
  5:23
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  5:20
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  5:18
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  5:18
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  5:18
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• LG Nitro HD
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• Nokia Lumia 710
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Handling

Thanks to its solid build quality and high-end finish, the Microsoft Surface 2 offers a pleasant tactile feel when handled. However, the slate is not the most comfortable to hold, particularly in portrait mode. This is due to its prominent edges - they look good, but are the main reason for the questionable ergonomics.

Handling the Surface 2

Overall, the Microsoft Surface 2 deserves nothing but high marks for its build quality and battery life. Its design could have certainly used a refresh though - the tablet doesn't feel new at first glance. The tablet-only ergonomics are also a little iffy.

Following next is a look at the Windows RT 8.1 experience which the Surface 2 delivers.