Which surface should i buy

For most Surfaces, now is a good time to buy. If you're short on cash but still want to pick up a Surface, check out the Surface All Access program. Surface Pro and Go owners also get a Type Cover out of the deal. You'll need to submit an application. If you're rough on your gadgets, get the Microsoft Complete extended warranty. Given how much a Surface costs, it's worth the peace of mind to add this protection to your new device. Best for Most People. Surface Laptop 4. Best 2-in-1 Laptop.

Surface Pro 8. Best for Students. Surface Go 3. Best for Power Users. Surface Laptop Studio. A Good Smaller Laptop. Surface Laptop Go. What About Older Models?

Should You Wait to Buy? He studied at the University of Georgia. The same applies to the stylus. This is the biggest problem with the Surface Pro lineup.

The Microsoft Surface Book blew people away when the company revealed the first version. It was a full notebook, but you could detach the large screen from its keyboard no Type Cover here and use it as a massive tablet. The Surface Book 3 is the latest version of this high-end laptop that was launched in May You can get one with a If you choose the The i5 version of the notebook weighs 3.

Read next: Want an Apple laptop? Here are the best and cheapest you can buy. It weighs 4. Both the You also get an 8MP rear camera, an 8MP front-facing camera, dual microphones, and front-facing stereo speakers.

As you might expect, all of this high-end hardware and features come at a high cost — check out pricing via the button below. The Surface Pro X is probably the most divisive product on this list.

It is the lightest and thinnest Surface ever, but it comes with a number of compromises that might put some potential buyers off.

The Pro X is a inch touchscreen 2-in-1 laptop with a detachable type cover and a 2, x 1, display. It allows you to recline the screen through degrees of range, from standing at attention to nearly flat. It's also a showcase for the new Windows 11 operating system , and works with a new, larger stylus, the Slim Pen 2.

So Microsoft also offers the Surface Go family, which brings most of the Surface Pro features to a smaller, less-expensive form factor. Now in its third generation, the Surface Go 3 is one of the best budget Windows tablets available. While the Surface Pro 8 can potentially do everything a laptop can, not everyone needs a laptop replacement.

So a few years ago, Microsoft decided to add conventional laptops with clamshell-style hinges to the Surface family. Now in its fourth generation, the Surface Laptop 4 combines elements of the Windows tablet experience especially the excellent touch-enabled display and the laptop experience expertly designed key switches that make for snappy, comfortable typing, and a wide range of processors from Intel and AMD that offer serious computing power.

The Surface Laptop 4 is available in either inch or inch screen sizes, and like many of the Surface tablets, it comes in multiple color options. So as with the Surface Go tablet, Microsoft also takes some of the best parts of the Surface Laptop experience and distills them into a smaller, cheaper package: the Surface Laptop Go. At the other end of the price spectrum, Microsoft offers the Surface Laptop Studio, a flagship Windows native device aimed at creative professionals not to be confused with the Surface Studio, which we'll get to below.

It advances the state of the art of mobile computing for creative pros in a big way, with a haptic touchpad and a Hz screen that pulls forward so you can lay it completely flat on top of the keyboard. A unique member of the Surface family, the Surface Book combines serious computing power with a detachable design that defies categorization as either a laptop or a tablet. Like the Surface Laptop Studio, the Surface Book 3 is aimed at professional multimedia content creators and on-the-side gamers, with an optional powerful Nvidia graphics processor not available in any other portable Surface.

It's not running Windows and it's not even a "real desktop OS. Although it doesn't pull apart like the Surface Book, the XPS is the smallest, thinnest convertible two-in-one available at the moment.

To be honest, there is no good alternative at the moment for the Studio. The closest is the XPS 27, which is also old though not as old as the Studio. Its display is excellent, but not as good as the Studio's, and although it is a touchscreen and can be adjusted all the way down to your desk, it's not pen-enabled. It is a fraction of the price, however. Originally published at July 22, Update on Aug. ET with review details and availability for Surface Go.

Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic. We delete comments that violate our policy , which we encourage you to read. Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion. CNET editors pick the products and services we write about. When you buy through our links, we may get a commission.