Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 15" - i7/16GB/512GB - BLACK - ANZ
Microsoft Ebay has this surface laptop for $2,336.65 with the 20% coupon it comes to AU $1,869.32
Best price around by far I think.
$2748 @ JB https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/microsoft-surface-laptop-…
$2448 (AMD Ryzen 7 not i7) @ HN https://www.harveynorman.com.au/microsoft-surface-laptop-4-5…
Previous deal: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/706357 $166 more.
Yup but I have been using the one from HP works well
I didn't even know you could use other docks with this. Do you have a link to it?
In theory any USB-C dock should work, we use Surface Pro 7+ devices with Dell WD15, WD19TB, and the "hubs" built in to U3421WE monitors
You can use any USB-C dock. Definitely works :)
@SimAus007: Wait a minute.
I'm not talking about USB docks. I'm talking about an all-in-one dock that will allow ethernet, displayport, plus additional USB ports, which also charges the laptop in the same cable.
Like the Surface Dock.
Is that what you're talking about? Because it doesn't sound like it.
@corvus85: Yes, any USB-C dock will work on the Surface. I am currently using a Dell D6000. It has HDMI, DP, Ethernet, and power passthrough to charge the Surface Laptop through USB-C
@maaaaatthew: Interesting, I didn't know it had the ability to charge via USB-C.
Although turns out the D6000 isn't that much cheaper than the Surface Dock lol.
@maaaaatthew: same, dell dock from work , have one at home and hot desks at work have same dock …..we are all usb-c docks at work.
Got the same one, any USB-C dock will do. Make sure it is USB-C not thunderbolt dock then you will be right.
I use the Dell USB-C dock, normally on sale in their website.
I use a dock that's under $50 I bought from ebay and it works flawlessly.
There are plenty of options if you want a dock :)
Mind if I ask for a link?
I managed to get this one for under $50, I am sure if you look around you will also :)
PS: you can get this with the power supply unit (PSU) or without it.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/192798231221?epid=15034417071&ha…
I highly suggest to look for third party dock e.g. lenovo, HP , Dell. I bought (for work) three of these laptops and three docks with the idea that it can do 4k@60HZ dual screen but nope it cant with Surface dock . After multiple cases with MS support all three docks sent back and still waiting for the outcome. They even made me buy MS usb c to HDMI adpators saying that my USB c to HDMI cable is not an active cable. for MS standpoint it has to be all MS products setup to do dual 4K 60HZ monitors.
Now I use Lenovo (second hadn from ebay) with dual 144hz Philips monitors and no issues at all.
I would recommend Dell D6000. Been using with Surface, Asus with no issues.
its because they upgraded the dock 1 to dock 2… so the prices were kept at rrp.
fwiw, the internals of those docks are pretty great (emphasise : imo) , as it can drive my 3 external monitors + 1 surface display without issues.
they keep state also, so the monitor states don't get 'forgotten' when you shutdown,etc… so that's something i realised i took for granted until i had to use another different laptop brand.
edit: you are not going to find a USB-c dock that does the same as the surface dock. just to save your time looking.
I'm confused. What am I missing if I get another brand of dock? Everyone here has been convincing me that I won't lose any functionality.
the people convincing you to get another brand of dock might be on to something,
or they might never hit a use case of requiring 3 external monitors, plus gigabit ethernet plus a bunch of usb devices and audio.
compare the usb dock to this below and see if it meets your requirements, because I can't tell you what you need.
surface dock 2 specs: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/identify-your-su…
what i can tell you what was a deal breaker for me was:
1) surface laptops/pros have limited ports and because i moved them around so much, i prefer to plug/unplug just 1 magnetic plug
2) None of the usb-c docks I have came across is able to support 3 external screens via displayport/usb-c in a daisy chain.
3) None of the usb-c docks I have came across is able to do #2 AND have gigabit connectivity.
4) #2 , #3 AND support 4 more USB-A devices, 2 of which is the logitech G mouse and keyboard (they take up 2 slots) and 1 external webcam and 1 external microphone
so a surface dock absolutely makes sense for me, it reduced the amount of adapters i need to plug in to get all cases 1-4. and when they 'almost' fit the use case, it's going to cost just as much (or not more because i might have to get another USB adapter for the dock) than the surface dock.
not sure if its the case for you, like someone previously pointed out, i am in the minority.
Next thing you'll want is a USB C monitor so you can avoid the dock completely
First gen Surface laptop has the best laptop keyboard I've ever used and this latest Surface laptop 4 has the worst keyboard. I would recommend people who dont use external keyboard to try before buy!
I went to JB and tried it out as much as I could, but hard to test using it on your lap.
How does it compare to your standard Lenovo Thinkpad keyboards that are always a good time?
I actually prefer the new keyboard over the 1st gen.
MS keyboards are way better than Lenovos. They are up there with Apple in terms of keyboard and trackpad.
doesnt have that nipple thing thinkpad has. i still miss that feature, it's so useful when using the laptop on the go w/o any other accessories.
I use the keyboard on the Surface Laptop 4 all day long and I can't fault it. Absolutely beautiful to type on.
Why do you find it bad? Serious question as you didn't tell us why.
It's as flat as macbook which is very hard for me. I am using external keyboard now
I agree first gen with alcantra was the best, so fluid. 4th gen keys are too hard and plasticky.
I found the flex on 1st gen keyboard annoying.
I’ve had a couple Surface laptops (1 and a 3) through work and both have ended up with the bouncy keyboard. Hard to tell if it was like this to start with but it definitely flexes in the middle now now. Both have been the fabric versions. Unsure if the metal tops have the same issue.
Keep in mind Microsoft eBay store won't issue you a proper tax invoice.
They will tell you to use a printer-friendly page from eBay.
Is it ok for TRS at the airport?
Would that be a problem to try Microsoft trade in device
AMD 7000s are coming and will eat these intels for breakfast.
the early adopter prices are going to eat your wallet for breakfast too lol
the surface laptop 4 is 1+ year old (apr 2021 released) already
so surface laptop 5 with amd ryzen 6000 is coming?
Based on this statement in the warranty terms, Surface products are ones to avoid:
Microsoft Devices all come with a limited 1 year warranty (2 years under Australian Consumer Law).
From the ACL guide:
A good purchased is expected to be durable enough to perform its intended function(s) for a reasonable amount of time.
The combination of these statements means MS sell these products with an expectation they will last about 2 years.
MS in my experience are difficult to deal with. Online support told me I had to go to the experience store. The experience store were unable to help and offered the second generation of their product with a slight discount.
I had Surface Headphones headband start coming apart well before the two year mark with minimal use due to the pandemic. Unfortunately I waited until after the 2 year period and was refused a warranty claim.
my experience with their surface warranty with yours is in deep contrast. i just want to say that their accessories warranty and surface computer device warranty have different T&Cs (and also depending on which year you bought it as well)
i've used their warranty quite a few times over the years for different surface laptops/tablets.
edit: in before you say they break often, my usage patterns is atypical. (I average 18 hours a day) one instance is due to a factory recall, where i ended up with a replacement upgrade for free.
Happy to hear other warranty experiences. I'm admittedly past the end of the standard warranty and outside of ACL according to warranty terms and MS.
I think the wording is interesting in their warranty statement and for me, it's a reason to avoid regardless of products.
i have not used their other surface accessories warranty outside of their laptops/tablets, so i can't comment. Yes, the wording is pretty common for US companies where their 'standard' is 1 year, its because of ACL it's 2 years.
you would find similiar wording in dell or lenovo or acer or ibm (these 4 brands i have used before, i'm sure it's consistent with others) where 1 year is the norm and because of ACL it's 2 years.
i think it was intentionally worded that way too.
i get your opinion about lifespan of products expiring just past warranty period, its unfortunately a profitable model for businesses to plan in obselence. the beauty of acl is that you still can get them to fix things if it's just a reasonable period just 'out of warranty'. but of course, the business is going to treat you like you are pulling their teeth.
pre covid lockdowns, i had my tablets replaced pretty much on the spot at the MS experience centre. that's my only gripe, they don't have enough of these as compared to apple stores. i had to replace one recently , and the courier came to my house to pick up and drop off without any cost to me. so there's that.
i'm not saying they are 'great', i'm saying i don't think it's that bad.
here's the "bad" not quite warranty related but it is when you want things fixed/sorted.
their generic tech support is offshored, and typical big org fashion, it's so siloed that you might get bounced around teams/dept for a bit before landing to what you want.
the upside is, eventually i got my stuff resolved.
Work provided me the Surface Laptop 3 business 15inch with i7 1065/GB/1TB in black and I think its the best laptop i've owned over the years, i've had several HP elitebooks prior and this is next level good. Battery could be a tad better, if I don't smash VMs and chrome I can get around 6-7 hours.
Surface or XPS?
you probably need to elaborate on your own requirements and what you are looking for. they provide very different things in terms of ports, support, specs, costs, etc
I currently use an MSI i7, 2060, 16GB DDR4, 1TB M.2.
I intend to pick up an ultrabook as a secondary laptop rather than a replacement. I would like to split simpler tasks (e.g. emails, documents, browsing) to a more portable and convenient lappy which, most importantly, has a much longer battery charge. I might only get 90mins or maybe 2 hours on my MSI and then I'm plugging into the wall. It'd be a lot better experience if I had an ultrabook that might last >8-9hrs, and can be charged via USB-C with a powerbank. My other consideration would be trying to get a long lifespan (maybe >5yrs) from the purchase, in which I thought I'd like to get something with a durable build and top-tire components which won't lag in processing power as much as it ages.
The heavier tasks I'll continue to use the MSI which is 3.5yrs old at this point. I thought my next upgrade might be when I can snatch a discounted Ryzen 7, 3080, DDR5 in a higher quality build.
Whadya reckon?
a XPS would kind of replace your current MSI, I think XPS vs Surface isn't a like for like comparison if that makes sense.
if you want an ultrabook then there's quite a few options, you can look at lenovo, their carbon series would be what I would be looking at outside of a surface laptop/book. I get a fair bit of runtime with surface laptop. So with the laptop 4, there are ryzen options, which I think have slightly longer runtimes compared to the intel variants. If it's just emails, doc,browsing, then maybe a surface laptop would suffice. i have a laptop 2 i7 which I use to run 2 linux VMs at the same time, so it's grunty when I need it.
But with surface laptops, you just have to be mindful that the battery is not replaceable (well, none of the parts are), I'm not sure if that's same for the thinkpad X1 carbon.
another thing you might want to consider is whether you can re-use your MSI charging plugs? I see the MSI prestige 14evo a12m i5 is around this same price on umart. not sure if it use the same plugs, but i often prefer to reuse the same charging plugs because i like not having to lug the same charger around the house (or outside)
Surface
Great laptop. Bought it for my mum the last time it was on special.
The only shame is that the Surface Dock to suit this is cripplingly expensive, and I've NEVER seen it discounted.