The tablet-laptop that keeps almost working as both. The hardware is admired; the long-run record on batteries, repairability and reliability is the reason the regret score sits where it does.
This entry is written from the 4 sources listed at the bottom of the page. The numbers are our editorial estimates drawn from that material, not measurements, and no statistical sample sits behind them.
It depends on how you will use it. 64% would buy it again, which means roughly 36% would not. Battery degradation with limited replacement options is the recurring theme.
The novelty of the form factor settles and the accessory cost stops stinging — but this is also where battery and update problems start showing up in owner threads.
Battery degradation with limited replacement options is the recurring theme. Firmware and driver updates have caused problems on older units. Reliability over a multi-year period has been questioned in consumer testing.
Worth it for: People who genuinely draw or annotate; Anyone wanting one device for tablet and laptop use; Users who work in short sessions on the move. Think twice if: You want a laptop to use on your lap; You keep devices five years or more; You resent buying the keyboard separately.
Our reading of how sentiment moves across an ownership period, drawn from the sources below. It is an editorial estimate, not tracked longitudinal data.
| At purchase | 7.7 / 10 |
|---|---|
| First week | 8.4 / 10 |
| One month | 7.8 / 10 |
| Six months | 7.2 / 10 |
| One year | 7.0 / 10 |
| Two years or more | 7.0 / 10 |
Owner reviews move this score. The researched figure stays visible next to it, so you can always see what the sources said before anyone voted.
Leave a review on the live pageEvery complaint and every piece of praise above traces back to these. The summaries are ours; nothing is quoted, and no link, quote or username anywhere on this site is invented.
Reporting on recurring battery, driver and update problems across the Surface line.
Covers the low repairability scores and what that means for ownership.
Owner thread on Microsoft's own support forum weighing reliability experiences.
Coverage of consumer-testing findings on multi-year reliability.