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Is the Surface 3 (or something else) good as a laptop replacement?
Posted on 3/18/16 at 5:13 pm
Posted on 3/18/16 at 5:13 pm
I want to get my daughter a laptop for her graduation and thought about a tablet with attachable keyboard as an option. She will be starting college in the fall and doing the standard email, office, web browsing stuff. I would like to stay under $800 if possible, but can stretch the budget for a great deal. I'm fairly well versed in laptops/desktops, but don't do much with tablets. My little ones have the Amazon Fire kids tablets and the wife has an Amazon Fire tablet, so that is the extent of my experience. Not sure I want to spend the money for an Ipad, but am not ruling out anything yet.
6
Posted on 3/18/16 at 5:50 pm to LSUSUPERSTAR
At this point, a small laptop is still superior to a surface (or equivalent) for the price.
Posted on 3/18/16 at 5:59 pm to LSUSUPERSTAR
Yep, a Surface Pro is a laptop that can masquerade as a tablet not the other way around like an iPad Pro. It runs full windows 10 and is powerful enough for just about anything. I got my daughter a Pro 3 last year to start college and it's a perfect fit for her. The entry level version is close to your budget and is great for most students, but there are i5 and i7 versions if your kid is a power user. Of course the upgraded versions will make you extend your budget more.
Posted on 3/18/16 at 6:11 pm to Guess
Keep in mind he's asking about the Surface 3 (I think, unless he wasn't aware of the distinction). They're a bit underpowered compared to a traditional laptop, but not out of the question for light productivity. I wouldn't get the version with only 2GB of RAM though.
Posted on 3/18/16 at 6:19 pm to ILikeLSUToo
Is there a big difference between the regular and PRO? Are there any other ones I should be looking at besides the Surface?
Posted on 3/18/16 at 6:47 pm to LSUSUPERSTAR
There is a performance difference, yes, but the difference between the lowest model surface pro and 4GB surface is not that big.
The biggest issue is whether or not she's big on tablets or prefers traditional laptops (or if she even has a preference), and whether you're planning to get the keyboard with it (it is sold separately). If you're looking for alternatives in the tablet/laptop hybrid category, ASUS and Lenovo make some, but they aren't necessarily any better than a Surface or Surface Pro.
If you're considering more traditional laptops, I'd still focus on portability. The Dell XPS 13, for example, advertises up to 18-hour battery life, twice as much as a Surface I believe. The base model is at the top of your budget, though. There's also the ASUS Zenbook, Lenovo Flex 3, and others that escape me at the moment.
The biggest issue is whether or not she's big on tablets or prefers traditional laptops (or if she even has a preference), and whether you're planning to get the keyboard with it (it is sold separately). If you're looking for alternatives in the tablet/laptop hybrid category, ASUS and Lenovo make some, but they aren't necessarily any better than a Surface or Surface Pro.
If you're considering more traditional laptops, I'd still focus on portability. The Dell XPS 13, for example, advertises up to 18-hour battery life, twice as much as a Surface I believe. The base model is at the top of your budget, though. There's also the ASUS Zenbook, Lenovo Flex 3, and others that escape me at the moment.
Posted on 3/18/16 at 7:55 pm to ILikeLSUToo
I have a 2-in-1 detachable tablet. The hardware isn't fantastic because it was too cheap to pass up, but I'm really happy I got it as opposed to a regular laptop. Mine is a cheap Asus. Got my ex a top of the line ThinkPad Yoga last year, and it was awesome.
Posted on 9/12/16 at 7:50 pm to LSUSUPERSTAR
I'm considering converting from a laptop to a tablet and wanted to see how this worked out for your daughter?
I'm looking at the Surface Pro 4 or Samsung Galaxy Tabpro S - does anyone have experience with these machines?
I've never used my laptops much. Some work in Word (resume updating, etc), web browsing, tax preparation, etc. I don't save many files so no need for massive storage. The most complex thing I ever do is some modeling in Excel.
Last point, I have a Samsung phone and wifi-enabled TV - would this make buying the Samsung tablet advantageous?
Thanks!
I'm looking at the Surface Pro 4 or Samsung Galaxy Tabpro S - does anyone have experience with these machines?
I've never used my laptops much. Some work in Word (resume updating, etc), web browsing, tax preparation, etc. I don't save many files so no need for massive storage. The most complex thing I ever do is some modeling in Excel.
Last point, I have a Samsung phone and wifi-enabled TV - would this make buying the Samsung tablet advantageous?
Thanks!
Posted on 9/13/16 at 2:44 am to LSUSUPERSTAR
My SP3 is my laptop. It was a great investment
Posted on 9/13/16 at 8:31 am to LSUSUPERSTAR
I have a 3. It's all I use at home. Honestly, the only issues I have with it is Tigerdroppings. Lots of "...not responding". The other thing is, I have to keep the keyboard handy due to all the drop downs on websites that are not touch friendly.
Posted on 9/13/16 at 10:06 am to LSUSUPERSTAR
I couldn't even use an SP3 as a laptop. Sold it recently.
It's a fine machine but just too many disadvantages from a similar priced true laptop.
I know some, SCH for example, do use them successfully as a primary laptop.
If you just want something easily portable for your daughter, I suspect you can get 2015 MacBook 12s for about 800 these days. The true value in the SP3 for me was the ability to use it as a note taking device for office meetings and such. But I eventually gave up on that.
It's a fine machine but just too many disadvantages from a similar priced true laptop.
I know some, SCH for example, do use them successfully as a primary laptop.
If you just want something easily portable for your daughter, I suspect you can get 2015 MacBook 12s for about 800 these days. The true value in the SP3 for me was the ability to use it as a note taking device for office meetings and such. But I eventually gave up on that.
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