Microsoft Surface with Windows 8 Pro user reviews (128GB)

Pros A pleasure to hold. Beautiful display (and scratch proof). Surprisingly functional pen input. Zippy, fluid performance.

Cons Battery life could be better. Occasional device glitches. Easy to lose the pen, particularly when charging the device.

Summary I've been anxiously awaiting a PC that is both completely portable and powerful, and I couldn't be happier with the Surface Pro. Before its release, I purchased a Samsung ATIV Smart PC with a bundled keyboard dock, but ended up returning it after a week.

Now that I've had the Surface for a bit, I can offer these comparisons:

1. FORM -- The Surface is the perfect size if portability is your goal. It's a little smaller than an iPad in an Otterbox case. I can easily hold it like a book for reading emails on the couch or surfing the Web. It's big enough for Word docs and spreadsheets but small enough to carry with me anywhere, which I love. The Samsung has an 11.6 inch screen (versus the Surface's 10.6 inches), making it more viable as an all-purpose computer, but less pleasant to hold or travel with.

2. INPUT -- I purchased the Type Cover and agree with all the praise its been getting. It feels great and folds easily behind the device when you're using it as a tablet. but Also, perhaps because I am long-time iPad user, I find the Surface Pro's onscreen keyboard to be a reasonable alternative to a hard keyboard for limited applications. There's no real-time auto-correct like on an iPad, so it forces you to be more accurate, but the Surface's virtual keyboard is more responsive than the iPad's, so this is doable. I've also been completely surprised at how usable the pen is. In fact, the pen has become one of my favorite features. I can hold the Surface in tablet mode and use the pen to make hand-written comments on Word or PDF documents, and this is a pleasure.

Many others have complained with good reason that you can't easily use the Surface as a true "laptop" in your lap. The rear kickstand needs a more solid surface than legs can offer, and the keyboard covers provide no support. This is a bit of a bummer, but, again, I have found the pen and virtual keyboard good enough alternatives that I am satisfied with the trade-off for portability and tablet functionality.

The Samsung ATIV Smart PC, on the other hand, has an available docking keyboard that is heavy enough to counterbalance the computer, allowing you to use it as a traditional laptop. This is nice in theory, but I had problems (as have others) with the keyboard connecting and disconnecting constantly when on my lap versus a solid surface. So, in the end, the added weight and bulk of the Samsung were of no value to me. Moreover, the Samsung is larger than the Surface and its pen isn't quite as responsive, so I found using it in tablet mode less pleasant than I have found the Surface.

3. DISPLAY -- The Surface has an absolutely gorgeous 10.6-inch display. It's vivid and beautiful. The Samsung's display is larger, making it marginally better for reviewing wide spreadsheets, perhaps, but it's also noticeably less vivid than the Surface's. After using the Surface, the Samsung display looks drab.

CONCLUSION -- I use both Microsoft and Apple products, and I genuinely like both for different reasons. I've always liked MS for heavy business functionality (I live on Excel and Outlook), and I like Apple products for their shear awesomeness. That said, the Surface is the first non-Apple device I've used that I love the way I love Apple products -- and it's a fast, powerful business computer to boot. It's absolutely my favorite device to come along in years.