Microsoft Surface Book

it’s the next chapter in computing, but is Microsoft’s hybrid too ambitious?

Design

The Surface Book’s flexible hinge (which keeps its removable display steadfast) looks like it’s from the future, but it leaves a distracting gap.

Elsewhere, the gorgeous aluminium body and glass trackpad are distinctly Mac-like.

Features

Click a button and you can detach the Surface Book’s 13.5-inch, 3,000 x 2,000-pixel touchscreen to watch movies, play games or doodle with a Surface Pen. Go large with a 512GB

SSD model (£2,249) to banish storage woes.

Performance

Intel’s sixth-generation processor and up to 16GB of RAM mean this hybrid can rip through

tasks, and its Nvidia GTX 940M GPU can even handle modern games. Microsoft claims 12 hours

of battery life, but we found it to be a bit less.

Usability

Windows 10 makes it easy to switch from clamshell to tablet mode in a snap. The desktop is massively improved since Windows 8, making

productivity a breeze, but tablet mode is still clunky and the Windows Store still lacks apps.

Rates You could replace both your laptop and tablet with the Surface Book; it’s great for work and play.

Slates It’s very expensive but it’s also future-proof, so you won’t need to buy another laptop for a while.