Ethernet connections provide reliable internet in buildings and areas where Wi-Fi signals can be weak. While the Surface Book 2 and Surface Book 3 don't have an Ethernet port, you can easily add one using a dock or dongle.

Products used in this guide

• Microsoft: New Surface Dock ($260)
• Microsoft: Original Surface Dock ($210)
• Startech: StarTech USB-C to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter ($37)
• Startech: Startech USB 3.0-A to Ethernet Adapter ($25)
• Amazon: Amazon Basics Cat-6 Ethernet cable ($7)

How to add Ethernet to the Surface Book 2 or Surface Book 3

1. Plug in dongle or dock into the appropriate port on the Surface Book 2 or Surface Book 3.
2. Connect an Ethernet cable to your router.
3. Plug the Ethernet cable into your dock or dongle.

Windows 10 handles any network setup when you physically connect your router to your Surface Book 2 or Surface Book 3 using an Ethernet cable and adapter. Unless your network has extra security features, it is plug-and-play.

Our top equipment picks

Because the Surface Book 2 and Surface Book 3 don't have an Ethernet port, you have to use a dock or dongle that allows you to connect an Ethernet cable to the device using the Surface connect port, USB-A port, or USB-C port.

This new and improved Surface Dock has new ports, faster speeds, and provides more power to your supported Surface devices. You'll have to wait a bit to order this new dock, though, since it was just announced and isn't available quite yet.

The older Surface Dock is outdone by its successor in just about every way, but if you have an older Surface device and want to use a Surface Dock, you have to go with the original.

You can use this dongle with your Surface Book 2 or 3's USB-C ports. It supports USB 3.1 and can transfer files with 10/100/1,000 Mbps network speeds.

While this dongle doesn't have as many ports as the Surface Docks, it has a dedicated Ethernet port that handles 10/100/1000mbps networks and is smaller and less expensive than either Surface Dock.

Additional Equipment

You can't have Ethernet without a cable, and a Cat-6 cable will handle just about any internet speed you throw at it.

Amazon Basics Cat-6 Ethernet cable ($7 at Amazon)

This cable can transfer up to 1Gbps more than most internet connections.

The choice between Surface Book 2 and Surface Book 3 primarily comes down to your available budget. The bump in specs is nice for those seeking a new, powerful PC with the latest from Intel and NVIDIA, but if you simply need a decently powered 2-in-1 Windows PC from Microsoft, the Surface Book 2 is still worth considering.

The display remains the same, so do the ports and webcams. In fact, there are more things the same than different with the Surface Book 3. But where there are improvements, they're considerable, making it one compelling portable PC.

Surface Book 2 vs. Surface Book 3 specs

New internals for the same excellent Surface Book

Externally, nothing changed with the move from Surface Book 2 to Surface Book 3. If you put one of each side by side, you'd be hard-pressed to tell any visual difference. It's all about what's under the hood, which is where the considerable price difference comes into play.

The newer Surface Book 3 is updated for 2020, though there are some omissions like Thunderbolt 3. For CPUs, we've got the choice of up to a 10th Gen Intel Core i7-1065G7, a very capable mobile processor used in many modern Ultrabooks.

GPUs were also given a bump with the 15-inch able to take on a GTX 1660 Ti with 6GB GDDR6 RAM. It's powerful, clocking in a 40% performance boost over the Surface Book's GTX 1060. There's even an NVIDIA Quadro RTX 3000 GPU option for creatives and professionals.

Next up is Wi-Fi, which is now Wi-Fi 6, and thanks to Microsoft switching to Intel for wireless connectivity, we also have Bluetooth 5.0. And, of course, Microsoft included Xbox Wireless. Finally, we have RAM and SSD improvements. Surface Book 3 swaps out the slower DDR3 RAM for LPDDR4x. SSD performance has also been bumped.

Overall, the Surface Book 3 is essentially a Surface Book 2 with everything turned up to 11. If you dig the Surface Book design and don't want it to change, this new generation will please you. But if you're holding out for a design refresh, you're going to have to wait a little longer.

Surface Book 2 is better for tighter budgets

If you simply do not have enough funds to splash out on the Surface Book 3, but still desire a Surface Book of your own, the Surface Book 2 is still a good buy. It can be configured with an 8th Gen Intel Core-i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, 1TB SSD, and an NVIDIA GTX 1050 GPU.

Surface Book 3 is the star pick with better internal hardware

If you want the absolute best Surface Book, there's only one choice. Surface Book 3 has better internal components, is newer, and has support for Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0. It's just a shame that Microsoft couldn't evolve the external design a little.

I've been a Surface Book 2 user — and fan — since it was released in 2017. I bit the bullet and preordered the 13-inch model shortly after it was announced, and I never looked back. However, when my Surface Book 2 met an untimely demise due to an unfortunate incident involving a glass of water a few weeks ago (it got very wet), I started re-thinking what I wanted out of a portable PC.

Enter the Surface Pro X. I wound up going with Microsoft's latest iteration on the long-running Surface Pro line, and it's been the perfect fit. Still, it's a relatively big step down in terms of capabilities. Here's why I ultimately decided that it doesn't matter, and why I'm loving the Surface Pro X.

Surface Pro X is the perfect fit

When I picked up my Surface Pro X, several people on Twitter rightly pointed out the sudden "lane change". Making the jump from an Intel processor with a discrete graphics chip to Microsoft's custom ARM SQ1 chip (a riff on the Snapdragon 8cx) does have its downsides. But, for me, the positives outweigh the negatives.

The key here is that my laptop is no longer my main PC. I bought the Surface Book 2 when I didn't have a desktop PC to fall back on, so I went for power and maximum app compatibility. Now, I spend more time at a pretty powerful desktop rig than not, so my priorities have shifted drastically.

The three biggest draws for me with the Surface Pro X were LTE connectivity, portability, and battery life. There are several LTE laptops on the market nowadays, but none of them check all three of those boxes quite like the Surface Pro X.

My Surface Book 2 felt great to use, but it wasn't exactly the most portable PC in the world, and I started to feel that over the last year or so. The Surface Pro X, by contrast, is a device I can fold up, toss in my backpack, and barely notice it's there the rest of the day. With LTE added in, the portability argument gets even better because I can set up shop nearly anywhere to knock out some work on the go.

The Microsoft SQ1 ARM chip that powers the Surface Pro X is no slouch when it comes to battery life, either. Like some, I initially worried when I saw Microsoft's quoted battery life of "up to 13 hours" when compared to the figures quoted in the 20-hour range on some other ARM laptops. Thankfully, my fears have been unfounded thus far: I can easily go beyond a typical workday on a single charge, and topping back up is fairly fast.

Beyond my three must-haves, there have been some other pleasant surprises as well. Windows Hello is, for some reason, significantly faster on the Surface Pro X than it was with my Surface Book 2. Combined with instant-on, I can open the Pro X up and get to work in just a second or two. That's something I've gotten used to with phones, but it's incredible to see on a PC.

Surface Pro X definitely has its limitations

Despite my love for the Surface Pro X, its not all sunshine and rainbows. There are definitely limitations to consider when looking at an ARM-based laptop, and the Surface Pro X won't be for everyone.

The biggest concern for many will be app compatibility. Native ARM apps feel great to use, but emulating Win32 apps can prove to be quite frustrating. And if you need to use a 64-bit "classic" desktop app, you're out of luck (at least for now).

The good news for me is that I live mostly in my browser, and the new Microsoft Edge works flawlessly with ARM chips. For the few apps I need when working on the go, there are either ARM64 versions available, or I can install them as Progressive Web Apps (PWA) via Edge. I was initially skeptical of this approach, but PWAs have proven to be quite responsive and don't feel out of place alongside true desktop apps.

The biggest stumbling block I've encountered is in my photo editing workflow. I occasionally have to take and edit photos for work, and I previously relied on my Surface Book 2's SD card slot and Affinity Photo to get the job done. With the Surface Pro X, there is no SD card port, and Affinity Photo simply isn't compatible with ARM devices yet.

I've since picked up a USB-C dongle that includes an SD card slot, but it's not the most elegant solution in the world. Without Affinity Photo, I've also had to learn some different apps as well. Polarr has proven a pretty good alternative, but it's not as capable as I'd like. Pixlr is also great for a web editor, but it isn't quite as smooth as a native app.

All of this is to say that you'll have to take inventory of everything that is an absolute must-have app before you take the leap and pick up a Surface Pro X or any other ARM-based laptop.

Happy with Surface Pro X despite the drawbacks

I won't lie: I had a bit of hesitation in choosing the Surface Pro X when looking for a replacement for my Surface Book 2. I fully expected to use it for a week, call it a "neat piece of hardware," and return it for something else. But the weeks keep coming, and I've only come to enjoy using it more and more.

For someone like me, who mainly does a lot of writing and working in a browser, the Surface Pro X is a near-perfect device. Anyone who has legacy apps to worry about, or has to take on some particularly heavy workloads, will still want to look elsewhere. But for my money, the Surface Pro X has been a great fit.

Microsoft's Surface Book 2 is a powerful laptop with a modular design, a touch display available in two sizes, and a high price. One way to save a bit of money at checkout is to dial back the size of your solid-state drive (SSD). 

To add more storage after purchase, you can use a standard SD card, but it will stick out and run the risk of being damaged during everyday use. However, a special adapter allows you to tidily fit a microSD card into the Surface Book 2 without any risk of damage.

How to add storage to your Surface Book on the cheap

The BaseQi microSD adapter sits flush along the edge of your Surface Book 2, and there are sizes to fit either 13.5- or 15-inch configurations. Here's how to get everything set up.

1. Slide the microSD card into the BaseQi adapter.

2. Slide the card and adapter into the SD slot on the side of your Surface Book 2. It should sit flush against the edge of your laptop.

Before you remove the microSD card and adapter from the Surface Book 2, ensure you eject it properly to avoid corruption or data loss.

1. Click the Show hidden icons button on your Surface Book 2.
2. Click the Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media button.
3. Click Eject SDXC.

You now know how to add and remove additional storage from your Surface Book 2.

Our top equipment picks

Unfortunately, the BaseQi adapter can't take advantage of the UHS-II bus in the Surface Book 2, so it's recommended to stick with a UHS-I microSD card. Here's the gear we recommend for these steps.

There are several size options to choose from when checking out — up to 512GB for about $150 — but the best value seems to be from the 256GB card, which costs about $45. You're not needlessly paying for UHS-II speeds, and the 100MB/s transfer rate here is good enough for everyday usage without running the risk of snapping off a full-sized SD card.

Without this $25 accessory, you'll be stuck with added storage that sticks out the side of your Surface Book 2. This adapter offers a flush fit along the edge of your laptop, reducing the risk of damage, plus it simply looks way better if you plan on keeping the additional storage in your Surface Book 2 at all times.

Owners of the new Surface Pro 7, or Surface Laptop 3 13.5 or 15 (Intel) may find one feature disruptive to their workflow. Adaptive contrast is a feature of Intel systems (AMD calls it Vari-Bright) that differs from auto-brightness, and while it can enhance the user experience for many, it can be annoying too.

I wrote a few guides on this topic over the years. Back then, it required going into the Windows Registry, which is tricky and cumbersome. Luckily, Intel has a full app in the Microsoft Store that allows you to disable it with a switch.

Yes, this can work on older Surface PCs too, including Surface Book, Surface Go, and older Surface Pro models (though we have not tried it on all them). The only system requirements are Windows 10 version 1709 or higher and 6th Gen Intel Core Platforms or newer. Here is how it works.

Not auto-brightness, not HDR

What is adaptive contrast?

Adaptive contrast is quite different than auto-brightness (or adaptive brightness), found under Settings > System > Display, and which ramps up and down the display backlight on ambient lighting conditions.

Adaptive contrast differs because it adjusts based on the current images on your display rather than the ambient light in your room. It's like "edge-lit local dimming of specific zones" due to what is on the screen. This is also different than High Dynamic Range (HDR), which is much more sophisticated and precise with more color depth.

The feature is standard on modern TVs and high-end gaming monitors, but it can also be a source of frustration. The effect is most noticeable at night when you tend to have a lower display brightness because you are in a dark room.

To simulate the effect, go into a dark room and open Microsoft Word (or anything with a white background) then switch to an app that is all black like Settings (if dark mode is enabled). You should see the screen slowly and smoothly dim and shift in contrast.

Unfortunately, while you can easily disable adaptive brightness under Settings > System > Display > "Change brightness automatically when lighting changes," there is no easy way to disable adaptive contrast. Also, many users conflate the two, but disabling auto-brightness won't solve this behavior if it bothers you.

This is easy

How to disable adaptive contrast with Intel's Store app

Compared to diving into the registry, this newer method (mentioned on Reddit) is much safer and requires no advanced skills.

Intel's Graphics Command Center is a Universal Windows Platform (UWP) app that was released in Spring 2019. It is like Intel's Graphic Control Panel but is newer, easier to find, and easier to manage.

1. Download Intel Graphics Command Center and open it.

2. Go to the System tab.

3. Go to the Power sub-tab.

4. Turn Display Power Savings off.

That's it! Some users have remarked that after some cumulative updates to Windows 10, the setting may revert. If that happens, simply re-follow these steps.

Likewise, the Intel Graphics Command Center has many options to help tune your display to your liking. You can adjust contrast, sharpness, colors, battery savings, and more. There is no real risk as you can always "revert to default" if your display looks worse, or battery life decreases.

And for AMD users, the AMD Radeon software is also now in the Microsoft Store so you can disable Vari-Bright too.

Do you have the ideal settings for your Surface using this utility? Share them in the comments, including which model Surface you are using and why you chose those settings.

The summer has been particularly toasty in Europe this year, particularly living in a country that seemingly hasn't discovered domestic air conditioning yet. The ambient heat was particularly harsh on my Surface Book 2, which, with its slim form factor, simply hasn't been up to the task at dispensing the summer heat. I'm used to the Surface Book 2 not being a decent gaming option for anything current, but the throttling was beginning to spill over to regular productivity tasks, like Adobe Premiere, and even just browsing on Microsoft Edge. As such, I decided it was time for a change.

I've flipped between Razer and Surface a few times over the past few years for my daily-driver. This year's Razer Blade 15 is arguably the company's best effort thus far, both from a gaming and productivity standpoint. These are my early experiences with switching to the Blade from the Surface.

Related: Is it time for a gaming Surface?

Gorgeousness

The Blade 15 for 2019 is a big step up from the previous Razer laptop I used, most notably when it comes to the display. I picked up the 144hz RTX 2060 model, which has the smoothest display panel I've ever used. The bezels have been shrunk by a large amount, which looks far more modern than Razer's previous efforts.

Besides the display, the 2019 Blade doesn't revolutionize the brand's design direction. It's still super slim, although the rubber feet on the underside give the laptop greater floor clearance, creating better airflow. Razer also managed to ensconce a handy Windows Hello camera into the upper bezel, which makes for convenient log-ins.

Alongside the black variant I have, Razer offers a white option for some of its configurations. While I do like the black, if for no reason other that it matches my TV and Xbox One X, it attracts dust and smudges like a magnet. It looks sleek while closed, though, with harder corners than previous laptops, which makes it look a bit more mature.

Speaking of maturity, you can finally disable the green Razer logo lighting on the reverse of the display, even if I find the neon-green styling to still be a bit loud. You can also customize the chroma lighting on the keyboard in extreme ways, adding all sorts of ripples and rainbows if that's your thing. I tend to just leave it on a static red, matching my Windows 10 accent color.

Another area where the Razer Blades excel is sound. The Book 2 isn't exactly awful in the sound department, but the larger, upward-firing speakers on the Blade offer a far better sound profile. You'd probably hope so too, given that this is marketed as a gaming laptop first and foremost.

Gaming, power, and cooling

On paper, the Surface Book 2 with its GTX 1060 should be a far more capable gaming device than it is, but due to throttling and power draw, it struggles even with older, relatively mid-range games. The RTX 2060-powered Razer Blade 15 is far more potent, pushing modest games like Overwatch and World of Warcraft on ultra graphics well over 100 FPS. More demanding games like Metro Exodus also run flawlessly on the Blade 15 at 1080p, on ultra settings, with RTX ray-tracing and advanced PhysX physics enabled too, although you'll sacrifice some FPS for the privilege.

Even on the hottest days where ambient temperatures hit 38C (around 100F), the Blade 15 didn't buckle, with large internal fans that drive far more cooling onto the components than the Surface Book 2 is capable of achieving. Admittedly, the keyboard and surface area around the rear vent got worryingly hot, almost too warm to touch. You can manually jack up the fan speed in the Razer Synapse software to offset this heat generation, however.

Perhaps the most noteworthy boost for this Blade over my previous one is noise. Playing games on my old GTX 1060 Blade was infuriatingly loud, which isn't exactly unheard of in a gaming laptop. However, unless you're manually pushing the fans, the Blade 15 is curiously quiet, even while running all but the most intensive tasks.

This is all while plugged in, by the way. Gaming without wall power, you're looking at around 3-5 hours at most in real-world gaming time, depending on what you do to limit power use. You can lower graphical intensity, either manually or via NVIDIA's "whisper mode" automated settings in the GeForce Experience app.

Surface sacrifices

It's no wonder that a gaming laptop performs better at gaming tasks than a Surface Book 2. But given the internals in both devices, there is a convergence of gaming capability and productivity prowess between both devices. I have conceded some nice Surface Book features for the raw power of Razer, though.

I'm already missing the SD card slot on the Book 2. It's a minor thing, but having to use a USB-C dongle for basic productivity features like that is an annoyance. The Windows Hello camera is also nowhere near as rapid or sensitive as the Book 2's either, and the resolution is awful. In a world where game streaming has become the norm, it seems odd that Razer doesn't improve its webcam game a bit.

Of course, I've also sacrificed a touch screen, which at least for me, isn't that big of a deal. I do like inking, and dabbling in digital art, but I didn't do it often enough to justify sacrificing raw power for that digitizer. Some Blade variants do come with a touch screen. For light digital sketching, I'm deferring to my Surface Go for now, which is much easier to work with as a tablet even if the screen is nowhere near as good.

Perhaps the biggest sacrifice is in the keyboard itself. The Razer Blade keyboard is just nowhere near as pleasant to type on versus Surface, which accentuates Microsoft's attention to engineering detail. Additionally, for some reason Razer decided it would be a good idea to put the up arrow right next to the right shift key, which leads to all sorts of typing mishaps if you're a touch typist. I've started to get used to it after a couple of weeks, but at least twice per article I'll hit up by mistake, shifting my cursor halfway up the document by mistake.

Sticking with Razer... for now

As much fun as the Surface lineup is, I'm starting to feel like they don't represent good value for money unless you're absolutely going to use every single aspect of the form factor. I never detached the display, except to reverse it into canvas mode, and I rarely used inking or touch. Additionally, it was the second time a Windows Update had caused issues with the detachable d-GPU in the Book 2, following from the May 2019 Update, causing me Blue Screens of Death. This lack of attention to software quality is unforgivable in a $3000 laptop in my opinion but stems from the Surface Book 2's outlying detachable configuration more than anything.

The Razer Blade 15 has proven itself to be a powerhouse for video editing, gaming, and general use already, with the thermals and sleek design to match. The Surface line seems generally skewed towards fun "what if" form factor scenarios, rather than more pragmatic solutions. The hardware is stunning, but as I get older, I feel like I want something a little more serious than fun from my laptops. Ironically, Razer — a gaming brand — seems to represent that better than Surface right now.

Cheap PC accessories we love

Take a gander at these awesome PC accessories, all of which will enhance your Windows experience.

Anker 4 port USB 3.0 hub ($10 at Amazon)

Whether on a desktop or laptop PC, you always need more ports to connect things to. This hub gives you an additional four USB 3.0 Type A ports.

Ikea Fixa Cable Management System ($11 at Amazon)

This IKEA cable management kit is your ticket to a clean setup. It's simple and functional.

NZXT Puck ($20 at Amazon)

This clever little accessory has powerful magnets on the rear to make it stick to any of the metal panels on your PC case or anything else. It's great for hanging accessories like headsets.

What you need to know

• Microsoft has placed a new upgrade block on the Windows 10 May 2019 Update.
• The block prevents the update from being automatically installed on Surface Book 2 devices with an NVIDIA discrete GPU.
• A compatibility issue prompted the block, but there is a workaround for those who have already installed the update.

Microsoft put a new upgrade block in place for the Windows 10 May 2019 Update this week, affecting Surface Book 2 laptops with discrete GPUs (dGPU). The issue was added to Microsoft's support document for the May 2019 Update on July 12 (via Michael West), and was prompted by a newly discovered compatibility issue between the update and the NVIDIA GPUs used in some Surface Book 2 models.

According to the issue's description, the discrete GPU "may occasionally disappear from device manager" if you're using a Surface Book 2 with a dGPU. From the issue tracker:

The upgrade block simply means that the update will be prevented from automatically installing on affected Surface Book 2 models until the issue is resolved. However, the May 2019 Update has been available for some time now and the update can be manually triggered through the "Update now" button or installed through the media creation tool.

If you've already installed the update on a Surface Book 2 with a dGPU, Microsoft suggests restarting your device or using the "Scan for hardware changes" in the "Action" section of Device Manager.

Currently, the Windows 10 May 2019 Update has four open issues and several that have either already been mitigated or resolved.

Our favorite computer speakers for less $100

Team Windows Central wholeheartedly recommends each of these computer speaker setups, because they all bring the NOISE and will not wound your wallet.

Bose Companion 2 Series III speakers ($99 at Dell)

If you want great sound quality and value, then you want Bose. You too can have room-filling, immersive sound, so Bose says in every advertisement.

Logitech Z313 speaker system with subwoofer ($49 at Dell)

The Z313 comes with a powered subwoofer and two satellite speakers to deliver 25 watts of total power. That's enough to fill your room and then some.

GOgroove BassPULSE ($50 at Dell)

These are clearly the coolest-looking speakers recommended here, but they're not all flash and guile – these speakers can produce amazing highs and lows, for just $50.

What you need to know

• A new Core i5 configuration of the Surface Book 2 is available.
• It lowers the entry price of the 15-inch Surface Book 2 by $500.
• It uses Intel's integrated graphics rather than discrete graphics.

The Surface Book 2 is a unique convertible laptop thanks to its ability to have the screen detach from the laptop base and function as a tablet. Now, a new configuration of the convertible laptop is available from Best Buy (via Neowin).

The new configuration uses an Intel Core i5-8350U processor rather than the Core i7 chip that was already available on other models. It comes with 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. The Core i5 variant of the Surface Book 2 is $500 cheaper than the previous cheapest version of the 15-inch Surface Book 2.

A notable difference between this version and its more expensive siblings is that it comes with Intel's integrated graphics rather than discrete graphics. This helps the price stay lower but comes at the cost of having less power.

The option to have a 15-inch version at a lower price point means that consumers have the option to get the form factor of a larger Surface Book without having to pay for discrete graphics and a core i7 processor.

Our favorite Surface accessories from Microsoft

Every one of these valuable Surface accessories is Windows Central Approved and guaranteed to please.

Surface Precision Mouse ($77 at Amazon)

The Surface Precision Mouse is not only one of favorite Surface accessories, it's one of our favorite mice for any PC. It's packed with valuable features and customizable buttons. Its scrolling and tracking are seamless and spot-on. And it's rechargeable so you never have to buy new batteries for it.

Surface Pen (From $72 at Amazon)

Every Surface owner needs this Pen. Period. It supports 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, tilt support for shading density, and enjoys supremely low latency. When paired with a Surface PC, the potential is endless. And it comes in a bunch of cool colors.

Surface Dock ($136 at Amazon)

With two Mini DisplayPorts, four USB-A 3.0 ports, an Ethernet port, and a 3.5mm audio jack, this dock gives you the ports you need to stay connected to all your favorite devices. Plus, it easily turns your Surface into a desktop power hub. We highly recommend it.

If you have yet to snag a Surface Book 2, Microsoft is currently offering a solid deal at its online store.

The discount applies to the base 13.5-inch model with a 7th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, 256GB of storage, and 8GB of RAM. The discount drops the price from $1,499 to $1,099, saving $400 (via MSPU). It's certainly not the most powerful configuration you can get your hands on, but this model offers a decent amount of oomph for your money.

Since the Surface Book 2's launch, Microsoft has started allowing the laptop to be configured with a newer, 8th Gen Intel Core i5 processor. There are also plenty of other options in the mix, ranging from Intel's 8th Gen Core i7 processor to upwards of 1TB of storage and 16GB of RAM. Of course, you can also step up to the larger, 15-inch model if you've got the extra cash.

This deal is set to run through May 4.

Our favorite Surface accessories from Microsoft

Every one of these valuable Surface accessories is Windows Central Approved and guaranteed to please.

Surface Precision Mouse ($77 at Amazon)

The Surface Precision Mouse is not only one of favorite Surface accessories, it's one of our favorite mice for any PC. It's packed with valuable features and customizable buttons. Its scrolling and tracking are seamless and spot-on. And it's rechargeable so you never have to buy new batteries for it.

Surface Pen (From $72 at Amazon)

Every Surface owner needs this Pen. Period. It supports 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, tilt support for shading density, and enjoys supremely low latency. When paired with a Surface PC, the potential is endless. And it comes in a bunch of cool colors.

Surface Dock ($136 at Amazon)

With two Mini DisplayPorts, four USB-A 3.0 ports, an Ethernet port, and a 3.5mm audio jack, this dock gives you the ports you need to stay connected to all your favorite devices. Plus, it easily turns your Surface into a desktop power hub. We highly recommend it.

While the chances of a Surface Book 3 announcement this spring seems unlikely, Microsoft does have a tiny update launching today.

The Surface Book 2 13-inch with the new quad-core Intel Core i5 processor is now available for purchase. The configuration has 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM for a price of $1,499. The older version, which only had a dual-core 7th Gen Intel Core i5 is still available but it is now discounted by $200 for $1,299 for the same configuration.

Evidence of a quad-core Intel Core i5 variant came forward at the beginning of March through Microsoft's own retail listings.

For reasons unknown, Microsoft launched the Surface Book 2 with only a dual-core Intel Core i5-7300U back in November 2017. The higher-end SKU with the Intel Core i7 did have the quad-core option making the distinction a bit odd.

This new Surface Book 2 ships with a Core i5-8350U, which has a 1.70 GHz base frequency, 3.60GHz Max Turbo, 6MB of cache, and up to a 25-watt TDP, which Microsoft usually leverages for maximum performance. The quad-core boost from the added cores significantly increases performance for heavier tasks making this a significant upgrade. Unlike the Core i7 model, however, this version does not include an NVIDIA GTX GPU and instead relies on Intel HD Graphics 620.

The Microsoft Store is now shipping the new Core i5 Surface Book 2 13-inch today and a quick store check shows that many physical stores have them in stock as well.

Thanks, Ved S., for the tip!

If you're in the market for a Surface Book 2, you may have a new baseline to choose from in the coming weeks. According to retail listings first discovered by WinFuture, Microsoft looks set to give its cheapest 13-inch Surface Book 2 a spec bump in the coming weeks, switching its current Intel Core i5-7300U processor out for a speedier Core i5-8350U.

The move would bump the entry-level Surface Book 2 from a dual-core chip to a quad-core one, offering around 50 percent greater performance in multi-core tasks. The newer chip also offers a slightly higher boost clock speed, coming in at 3.6 GHz.

Other than the processor bump, the improved entry-level model appears to carry the same general specs as the original. You'll still find 8GB of RAM, 13.5-inch PixelSense display with a 3000x2000 resolution, 17 hours of battery life, and a port selection that includes two USB 3.1 ports, a USB-C port, and an SD card reader.

Pricing is set to start at $1,500, which is the same price as the current configuratio nwith 256GB of storage, but there's currently no solid date for release. But the refreshed model will likely arrive sometime in the coming weeks.

Toast is one of those exciting niche companies based in the United States that has found its calling: making wood-based covers for smartphones, tablets, and laptops. But a few months ago, the company expanded its natural wood offerings to genuine leather to the Surface Book line.

The idea of leather on a PC intrigued me partially due to HP's usage of it with the Spectre Folio. Between plastic, Alcantara, and metal surely leather had a place.

However, while I love the overall idea and feel of the Toast Leather Cover, some early generation-one issues keep me from enjoying it.

Updated February 20, 2019: This review has been updated with new photos and color variation from Toast, who sent us a second sample to consider. Our updated score reflects this re-evaluation.

Toast Leather for Surface Book - What you get

The Toast Leather Cover is like the rest of Toast's wood covers. You pick your device, which includes all the Surface Book models, and then choose which parts you want, colors, designs, and more.

With ten colors to choose from for at least two components (giving one hundred different combinations), the options are a tad overwhelming.

With Microsoft's new fondness for black, I figured "stout" would be a relevant choice accented by "syrah" – a reddish brown. In hindsight, I may have opted for something bolder like "bluetini" with "Moscow Mule" – be brash, right?

Additional options besides the top, bottom, and hinge covers include trackpad surround, which adds leather to the keyboard palm rest, custom design in the leather, custom text, and an option for a cutout for the Surface logo.

All those features can add up letting you jump from a base $99 for top and hinge to $249 for every option. It's not a cheap investment, but if your Surface Book 2 costs over $2,000 then an extra $200 to protect it in style is within reason.

Toast Leather Cover quality and that smell

From my experience, Toast always makes excellent stuff. Even when something is wrong, their customer service is accommodating. I once worked with them to get the Surface Pro with LTE wood cover right by doing some measurements and sending them photos. Within a few days, they had sent replacement parts that fit the off-center headphone jack.

The Leather Cover fits in that mold. Everything was precisely cut to fit my 13-inch Surface Book 2.

Installation is also easy. Each piece has 3M tape on the back, which is then peeled off. It was easy to line up and even fix if it was slightly off during placement.

However, I did notice the leather smell right away - this isn't your typical or even subtle smell (like the HP Spectre Folio) where you need to put your nose up to it – this was full on aromatic, just in a bad way.

Being brand new, I was willing to forgive that for a day or two while it aired out, but weeks on there is still a chemical/burning/glue smell that is not at all pleasant (especially if in your bag for a few hours). It was even worse when in direct sunlight that black leather absorbed all the heat and made the smell even more intense.

That scent has lessened, but for people who are sensitive to such odors, you will be immediately turned off from this cover.

In theory, that's a solvable problem for Toast by changing either the glue or how the leather is processed, but for now, it's a negative.

The other issue I had with the leather was susceptibility to wear. Leather breaking in with some worn look is expected with such a cover, but at least in my color choice, the black just looked imperfect as the weeks progressed. There's a wrinkle here, a crease there, some dimples in the center – it doesn't look like worn jeans or a saddle, but a bit cheap and, well, damaged.

Toast Leather Cover for Surface Book – A mixed bag

Here's what I can say about the Toast Cover. The theory behind it is spot on. The leather "feel" for my Surface Book 2 is excellent. Gone is the cold metal chassis and instead, I have a warm, book-like experience.

My Surface Book 2 is more comfortable to grip, and I even like the leather pads near the trackpad, which was convenient for typing. There's also this neat trick with how the leather binder props up the Surface Book 2 by about two degrees due to how it rolls. I liked this a lot.

The choices are also excellent although I can see how you want to spend hours pondering which color combination looks the best. From my experience, I would steer away from black "stout" if I could do it over again and instead go for "scotch" or something crazy like "mojito" – I think the lighter colors would hide some of the superficial changes in the leather that I noticed with black.

There's also the protection aspect. While this leather cover won't protect against big drops, I feel very confident in sliding it around a table, bag, or anywhere where scratching may occur. As a cover, it works.

My main complaints come down to the smell – which is just way too strong for me, and would be terrible for those with sensitivities to odors – and how the leather has worn in time, which doesn't look so great.

Updated February, 20, 2019: Since this review Toast has sent a new version of the leather cover for Surface Book 2 this time in "bluetini" for the color (images below). The wear on this version is much better than the Stout from the original review, and the smell, while still evident, is not nearly as intense. As a result, our review score is being bumped from 3.5 to 4.0 with a "recommended" buy.

Those issues aren't deal breakers though, and I'd love to see Toast make some modifications to its Leather Cover offering – it's a great idea that needs some refinement.

Related Reading

If you're interested in the Toast wood covers for various Microsoft Surface products, you can check out my previous reviews:

• Toast Wood Cover for Surface Pro review
• Toast Wood Cover For Surface Laptop review
• Toast Wood Cover for Surface Go review
• Toast Wood Cover for Surface Book review

The Surface Book 2 is by no means a cheap PC. With the 15-inch model hitting over $3000 for its maxed-out configuration, a big question of value hangs over it, particularly when so many other PC manufacturers are offering some truly great alternatives.

I currently have the 15-inch 512GB SSD model, which incorporates 16GB of RAM, quad-core Core i7 processing, and a discrete GTX 1060 GPU. I moved from the original Surface Book to a Razer Blade 15 because I found the limitations on the internals of the OG Book to be too restrictive. However, I found myself really missing the Surface Book's from factor, with a 3:2 aspect ratio, and a digitizer touch screen for inking.

I've already written about what I'd like to see in a Surface Book 3, but I thought I'd answer some questions about how the Book 2 is holding up after a year of daily abuse from yours truly, across gaming, general work, and other use cases.

See at Microsoft Store

Still going strong, (mostly) problem-free

There's a stereotype that PCs degrade over time, and that's certainly true in some cases (and perhaps all cases if the amount of time is long enough), but the Surface Book 2 has proven to be effectively like-new, after a full year of near-constant use.

It's easy to clean, with metallic surfaces, simple occasional wipe down with an anti-static cloth is usually enough to keep it feeling like new. The keys too have survived literally millions of keystrokes, with no pesky space bar issues or key-travel degradation (hi Apple). I'm more than confident my Book 2 will survive many millions more, too.

I make some bad habits of eating at the PC as well, and while some other laptops can trap crumbs and other sorts of debris underneath the keys, I simply haven't found that to be the case with the Book 2. The gaps between the keys are so miniscule that it's simply hard to get anything lost underneath the keys, and if you do have a bit of a snack-binge, it remains super easy to clean.

Some of the other "unique" aspects of the Book 2 design pertain to the hinge, whose vaguely controversial design has been the subject of scrutiny. After a year of opening and closing, it's still as stable as it ever was, (almost) openable with one hand, despite the magnetic clasp. Where it fails however, sometimes, is that it seems overly sensitive to detecting detachment from the base, when you're simply just trying to close it.

I'm not sure if that's a problem with my unit specifically, but it started happening around last summer. I'd close it or angle the display downwards a bit, and that familiar Windows "device disconnected" sound effect would chime, informing me that the d-GPU was no longer being detected. A simple de-attach, re-attach generally fixed the problem, but it's still rather annoying to have to deal with. Which leads me to our next section.

Unmatched versatility, with some redundancy

The Book 2's signature feature is the fact it can detach, separating the base unit from the display to take on a more tablet-like form factor. The d-GPU and main battery is housed in the base, along with the keyboard and trackpad. While the tablet portion houses the CPU, and its own dedicated, albeit much smaller battery. While I can see that some users may get a lot of use out of the tablet "clipboard," as Microsoft calls it, I can't help but feel that a 15-inch tablet is virtually useless. It's huge, it's unwieldy, it's heavy. It's not comfortable to hold, and it also presents a bunch of extraneous issues, such as the phantom detachments I mentioned earlier.

The main reason I use the tablet mode is to... simply reverse the display, and set it down into canvas mode for inking. A 360 degree hinge would make far more sense, though, for this sort of functionality, as seen with Lenovo's Yoga books or some Dell XPS models.

As annoying and inconvenient as it is to detach the display to set it down into inking mode, drawing on the Book 2 is utterly sublime. The large display is great for getting a wide view of your canvas, and if, like me, you're fairly new to the digital art medium, transitioning from paper to digitizer is far more easy when you can see your inking right underneath the tip of your pen. The latency is virtually imperceptible, and the palm muting and tilt shading all work flawlessly as if I'd purchased it day one.

Another issue stemming from the Book 2's unique design pertains to its power draw, which we've written about fairly extensively before. This thing is powerful enough to run high-end graphics applications and intensive video games, with a Core i7 quad-core CPU and a GTX 1060 graphics processor, but maddeningly, it doesn't draw enough electricity from the wall to power the device to its full potential. When running a game on high settings, which the Book 2 is more than capable enough to do, the battery can drain out even when it's plugged in.

Eventually, you'll end up in a deadzone where the Book 2 automatically throttles itself to save power, cratering OS performance across the board. Effectively, you end up paying for hardware you can't use to its full potential in a lot of scenarios, which feels like either a gross oversight at an engineering level, or some kind of hard limitation on the form factor proposition. I'm not an engineer at all, but it feels odd for them to have included an option for such powerful internals while not giving the Book 2 enough power to run them properly.

That said, it's still kind of awesome that a device this small, this light, and this thin, can run games competently at all (as long as you're willing to knock down the resolution to stop the battery draining out). The Book 2 feels almost like a super-thin portable Xbox One S for gaming in that sense, performing admirably at 1080p complete with Xbox wireless connectivity on the 15-inch model, for direct controller connections. All the PC games I play regularly, like Heroes of the Storm, Stellaris, World of Warcraft, and Overwatch, never give me a shred of trouble, at least when the OS is working properly, that is.

The problem is … Windows?

While my Surface Book 2 is stable as of writing, throughout the year that hasn't been the case. Microsoft has pushed at least a couple of updates that have caused me plenty of issues, from the dreaded phantom d-GPU bug all the way up to intermittent Blue Screens of Death, something the company acknowledged (and fixed) last summer. Still, I think I've had to fully refresh/reinstall Windows a few times on the Surface Book 2 to solve driver problems, especially pertaining to d-GPU detection, and also to roll back updates that caused other types of instability. Sometimes it has been a case of reinstalling a driver or booting via the BIOS menu (which, for some reason, seems to fix a lot of problems), but sometimes it simply hasn't been enough.

Additionally, it feels like Windows 10 is still a little bit behind the Surface team when it comes to the "marriage of software and hardware," so to speak, in the sense that the touch-oriented tablet mode on Windows 10 is still, simply rather bad. Some of the problems are trivial, like the non-centered full screen start menu, while others are a little more pervasive.

Navigating via touch is slower and clunkier than it was on Windows 8 in general, and the Windows 10 app store is arguably worse than ever for touch, supporting primarily apps optimized for full desktop, mouse and keyboard-style use. That's not a problem if you plan to use the Book 2 mostly on your desk, as I do, but you're also paying a premium for the 2-in-1 versatility. The hardware might work pretty well for this, but the software support simply isn't where it needs to be over all.

The Surface Book 2 is still the best PC I've ever used

I have a bunch of gripes with the Book 2 after a year, but I still find it to be the best, most-polished PC experience you can get today. The hardware is as gorgeous as it is hard-wearing, Microsoft service support is rapid, and I just can't get enough of that pen. While I have problems with the detachable display, the overall form factor is sort of infectious. I love how slim and light this thing is, while rocking serious power. Also, there's just a ton of small details that coalesce into a greater whole. The oddly satisfying magnetic connector for the power supply, the flat edge on the Surface Pen for magnetic storage on the side of the display, SD card slot support, and instant sign-on via Windows Hello (which still feels crazy futuristic).

I hope Microsoft can iron out some of the shortcomings across the OS and finer hardware details in any prospective Surface Book 3, but the fundamentals are nailed so thoroughly that it's just hard to look at other PC manufacturers right now. The future of Surface is bright and exciting, and the Book 2 slammed that home for me harder than any previous Surface devices so far.

See at Microsoft Store

The Surface Book 2 is the best device I've ever owned. For me, the 15-inch model represents the best of what Microsoft's leading industrial design team has to offer — with uncompromising power in a stunning, svelte package.

I'm not here to talk about what's great about the Surface Book 2, you can take a look at our Executive Editor Daniel Rubino's review for that. Instead, I'm here to talk about the things that … well, bug me about this PC. Things that I hope get rectified, or at least addressed, in the inevitable Surface Book 3.

Powerful, but not enough power

The Surface Book 2 packs a quad-core CPU complete with a GTX 1060, powering a 4K (horizontal) 3:2 display. In order to fully utilize the components in the Book 2 without turning your device into a makeshift BBQ grill, you need some pretty powerful cooling techniques. The Book 2, as such, can get pretty noisy under load. But that isn't the real problem.

The Surface Book 2 simply doesn't draw enough power for its components when maxed out. As a result, gaming or 3D editing tasks while on max settings, which the Book 2 is completely capable of, drains the battery even when it's plugged in. It's widely believed that this issue is why the Surface Book 2 can only connect a single 4K display at 60 Hz, and straight up refuses to allow for two, despite having the capability to do so.

There are ways around some of these problems, like dropping the quality of your games, lowering the display resolution of your screen, or running your Book 2 in battery saver mode, but you shouldn't have to. Hopefully, any prospective Surface Book 3 will provide enough power to actually utilize the components you're paying for inside the device.

Detachment issues

Another problem that I perceive with the Book 2 pertains to its unique detachment feature. The CPU and GPU are split between the display and base. The Book 2's "unique" feature is the fact that the display can be removed and act as a gigantic clipboard. The problem is, really, I'm not sure what use a gigantic 15-inch tablet really is, for anyone. The 13-inch model could maybe almost make sense in some limited boardroom scenarios, but I suspect the vast majority of users only detach the display to flip it into canvas or tent mode for media consumption or digital inking.

Additionally, the fact the display detaches creates a range of design and construction issues that are largely needless. At least on my Book 2, angling the display down can cause it to become disconnected for a brief moment, which can disable the dedicated GPU and USB devices in the base. Sometimes, it requires a reboot to fix. Other times, it requires a BIOS refresh to fix, both of which are inconvenient.

I think the Book 3 should catch up to how people actually want to use laptops. I suspect Microsoft has data to suggest virtually nobody detaches the display for an elongated period of time, and it doesn't help that Windows 10's tablet mode is, well, bad.

The obvious solution is to go with a 360-degree hinge. The Lenovo Yoga lineup is a great example of devices that can still enjoy tent, tablet, and canvas modes, without the needlessly complex, virtually redundant detachment scenario.

Paint it black

The latest Surface Laptop and Pro both come with black variants. It's subjective, but I never really liked the metallic finish on the modern Surface devices, as it's something I tend to associate with Apple devices.

Naturally, adding a black finish to the Surface line has typically come with a range of its own problems. There are reports that, like the old black Surface Pro 1 and 2, the paint can become scuffed quite easily, revealing the magnesium alloy underneath. That's obviously not something I want, but if Microsoft could figure a way of solving that issue, I'd take a black Book 3 over a metallic Book 3 in a heartbeat.

Inking ... on the trackpad

I'm sure there are technical reasons why this may or may not be possible, but I've always found it to be odd that if I want to do any form of inking, I either need to poke awkwardly at the screen set to a 90-degree angle, go through the motions of detaching, flipping, and resetting, or simply flop the Book 2 on its back. The Laptop 2 also shares this problem, and to a lesser degree so do the Pro and Go Surface devices, when all you want to do is make a quick signature or ink out a Sticky Note. (By the way, the new Sticky Notes app for Windows 10 is awesome.)

Surely it makes sense for some sort of low-fidelity inking capability on the trackpad itself. My Book 2 won't even recognize a stylus as a touch event, presumably because it's looking for fingers rather than something smaller, but it'd be far more intuitive for a quick inking piece to just grab the pen and drop some ink on the trackpad via the cursor, rather than angle the screen around.

Thunderbolt 3

I suppose one way Microsoft could solve its power draw woes from its dedicated GPU would be to enlist full Thunderbolt 3 in the next Surface Book model.

Thunderbolt 3 is four times faster than the standard USB 3.1 ports included on the Surface Book 2, and it also comes with four lanes of PCIe Generation 3, allowing you to utilize external GPU docks. Theoretically, you could grab a lower-end Surface Book 3 and grab an external, independently-powered dedicated GPU that wouldn't drain the Book's battery while maxed out, and you could slap in a desktop-class GPU for some serious gaming.

Almost perfect

The Surface Book 2 has been a dream device for me for the most part. I tend to prefer Microsoft products for the peace of mind that comes with stellar customer service (at least in my experience) and the knowledge that generally driver updates are tested thoroughly for compatibility before hitting the Surface line.

Still, it's maddening that despite paying top-of-the-line prices, you can't get the full capability out of the components you paid for due to the power drain issue. Also, as someone who does digital art on occasion, it's a bit of a hassle to go through the ritualistic detachment process every time I want to lay the display out flat.

The Book 3, hopefully, will incorporate a bigger design revision than the Book 2 did, to address some of the most pressing usability issues. Either way, the quality has already ensured that I'll typically consider Surface before any other laptop. I'd just like to see Microsoft push it to the next level.

What changes do you want to see?