Tag / Mobility

by Karsten Samaschke

Kauflust (III): Microsoft Surface Book 15 inch

I have to admit: I made a mistake!

Situation: I wanted to buy a Surface Book 2, since I was able to find a buyer for my Surface Book with Performance Base and I was offered a really good price for the SB2. So, I went and ordered the replacement unit. I was terribly tired and did not check the order receipt.

Next day, I went to the shop to collect my shiny new Surface Book 2.

But I was confronted with a larger box than expected and it read „Surface Book 15-inch, 256 GB storage“.

v1_1_LP_Surface-Book-2-13_15-Zoll

I immediately checked the receipt and figured: Yes, I actually ordered the 15-inch variant. I did not notice since the 15-inch and the 13.5-inch variants differed not by price but by SSD-size (and I did not check this one). They were presented side-by-side online, and obviously, I was too tired to realize.

So, I had two options: Don’t accept the device or go with the bigger one having the smaller SSD. Very surprisingly(?), I went with the latter option and now I own a Surface Book 15-inch.

Well, no.

I don’t own it. I love it.

MSSurface_Book2_15_TopDown_CMYK_FY18-960x640

It immediately replaced my 2017 MacBook Pro 15.4-inch, which is on sale right now. And it replaced the 13.5-inch Surface Book with Performance Base, since the differences in size and weight are acceptable. It is – for now – accompanied by the 12.5-inch ThinkPad X260 and – for another two months – by an Apple iPad Pro 10.5 (which will be replaced by a Surface Go later this year).

If you wonder, why I love this device so much, here are some reasons:

  • Gorgeous keyboard. I mean, really gorgeous. On the older-MacBooks- and older-ThinkPads-Level. That gorgeous.
  • Fantastic display. 15 inch, 3×2-ratio. Nice colors. Nice viewing angles. Touch. Close enough to a MacBooks-display.
  • Battery time. 5 hrs of watching videos – around 50% of battery left. Several hours of writing and surfing, again with a modest battery drain. Compare this to a MacBook Pro 15.4 inch, whose battery is empty after 4 hours, regardless of what you do.
  • USB-A-ports. Not only USB-C/Thunderbold-ports.
  • Lightweight device, less than 2kg for a 15-inch device.
  • Versatility: You can use it as Laptop, as Tablet, as anything in between.
  • The Pen. Just nice.
  • That Graphics Adapter. 6 GB RAM, GeForce GTX 1060. Play highly demanding games in natural resolution!

So, in summary, there is a lot to love here.

And I am glad I made such a mistake.

I will keep this device as my daily driver.

by Karsten Samaschke

Driver

2.51mm F/2.0 1/100s ISO94, HTC U12+, filtered using Adobe Lightroom CC

Some minutes ago, I drove my children back home to their mom. After releasing them at home, I played a little bit with my HTC U12+ and enjoyed its front camera’s ability to add fake bokeh to selfies.

I like this picture!

by Karsten Samaschke

#Tipp: How to bring wireless charging to any mobile device

Many, if not the most, mobile devices do not provide wireless charging capabilities. This is annoying, since it is so convenient to charge without plugging in any cable.

The solution is very simple: Just plug in a wireless charging receiver into the charging port of your device. Yes, it looks a little odd and you’ll need a case to properly ensure the receiver’s position, but you’ll have the comfort of wireless charging immediately and without extensive cost, since receivers start at around 10,– Euro.

You can find the receiver here: Amazon (Affiliate Link)