To purchase a Surface product such as the Surface Go, you must be willing to spend at least $500 with the highest which is Surface Studio 2 going for $3500. Therefore, if the price is not something you are a fan of, it will be best to seek for Surface alternatives.
When seeking for Microsoft Surface Alternatives, the best thing to look out for are the features. The Surface offers flexible 2-in-1 use, portability, fast processing and extended battery life.
With several Microsoft Surface products on the market bearing different monikers, it becomes hard to tell whether Microsoft intends for it to be used as a laptop or a tablet. Let’s take a look at which category fits Surface products.
Recommendation for September 2023
- Apple iPad Pro 12 – High Display Refresh Rate
- HP Envy x360 15 – Similar Hardware At Lower Price
- Lenovo Chromebook Duet 3 – Upgradeable Option
- Panasonic Toughbook 54 – Durable Tablet
- Lenovo Tab P12 Pro – AMOLED Display
- Dell Inspiron 7415 – For AMD Lovers
- Acer Spin 3 – Best Budget Option
- Asus ROG Flow Z13 – Enormous Storage
- Lenovo Yoga C940-14 – FingerPrint Reader For Fast Login
- Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra – For Power User
Best Microsoft Surface Alternatives In 2023
Picking The Best Microsoft Surface Alternatives In 2023
Apple iPad Pro 12.9 – High Display Refresh Rate
Many people have gone as far as calling the iPad Pro one of the best products from the brand ever. While we won’t be weighing in on that argument in this post, the fact remains that the specifications and performance of the Apple iPad Pro make it a more than worth Surface Pro challenger.
Setting aside the astounding refresh rate on this workhorse of a device, there’s also the fact that it boasts exceptional speakers and is one of the most efficient devices you can get at the moment. It also comes with a nice new pencil to make operating on its 12.9-inch screen easier and more streamlined.
That being said, you should go in knowing that you may be getting somewhat limited HDR options with the screen of this device. In addition to this, the specs of this device make it better suited for professionals who need a tool that’s high on efficiency and accuracy. This means it might be a bit of an overkill for people who won’t really be pushing the limits of the tab.
CPU: Octa-core | Graphics: Apple GPU | RAM: 8GB RAM | Screen: 12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED LCD| Storage: 128GB SSD| Operating System: iOS | Battery Life: up to 9 hours | Weight: 1.5 lbs
HP Envy x360 15 – Similar Hardware at Lower Price
Let’s say you have your heart set on the Surface Go and nothing less will do (we know you do as you wouldn’t have made it this far otherwise!). However, at this time, you can’t cough up north of $3, 000. Well, we’ve got some good news for you!
You can get every single thing that the Microsoft Surface Go has to offer (and a lot more) without having to break the bank with the HP Envy x360 15!
At less than one-quarter the price of the Surface Go, this HP device offers you a wide array of useful ports, a powerful processing system, and a wireless mouse that will rush your inner creative to the surface.
To those who think that anything less than the Surface Go is a step downward, this amazing device is here to prove that you don’t always have to spend overboard to get the best!
CPU: Core i7 | Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 930M | RAM: 8GB RAM | Screen: 15.6-inch 1920×1080 HD display| Storage: 512GB| Operating System: Windows 10 Home| Battery Life: up to 5 hours | Weight: 2.19 lbs
Lenovo Chromebook Duet 3 – Upgradable Option
While Microsoft Surface products might have created and extensively defined the 2-in-1 laptop market space, they don’t have autonomy over the best products that come out of that area. One shining proof of this is the Duet 3.
Slim, detachable, beautiful, elegant, and (most of all) incredibly affordable, devices like the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 3 are very likely to be the face and the future of the 2-in-1 world very soon.
Putting it simply, enough good things cannot be said about this 10.9-inch screen device. Not only does it give you a nice and bright interface to perform your business, it further complements that with a host of amazing features and functionalities that make it a steal for the price that it’s coming at.
When considering this gadget, however, one thing you should know is that it doesn’t come with the conventional Windows Home OS. Rather, it features ChromeOS. True, you might be tempted to knock the device for this. But, you’re sure to enjoy the services of the gadget, regardless.
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon SC7180 | Graphics: Qualcomm Adreno| RAM: 4GB RAM | Screen: 10.9 inch| Storage: 64GB SSD| Operating System: ChromeOS | Battery Life: up to 8 hours | Weight: 1.14 lbs
Panasonic Toughbook 54 – Durable Tablet
Okay, sure, the Panasonic Toughbook 54 doesn’t technically qualify as a tablet. However, for those who’re willing to look beyond that, you’re certain to find a device that’s hardy, rugged, high-spec, and more than certain to serve you well through thick and thin.
Devices like the Microsoft Surface Pro are built specifically with the intent of enhancing durability. So, understandably, the higher quality of materials involved in such endeavors will command a higher price for the product.
But what if you didn’t have to pay as much for something equally durable?
This is where the Panasonic Toughbook 54 comes in. With a sturdy yet lightweight build, it’ll take a lot more than an accidental ding to damage this gadget.
However, not only does this device give you the best in terms of durability, you’ll get an excellent battery life out of this gadget as well. In addition to this, it also offers a very decent performance level as well.
Going in though, you should know that this device isn’t all perfect. Some things to consider are that it has undersized keys and doesn’t come with a built-in webcam.
CPU: Intel Core i5-7300U| Graphics: Intel HD graphics| RAM: 8GB RAM | Screen: 14-inch HD display| Storage: 512GB HDD| Operating System: Windows 10 Pro| Battery Life: up to 12 hours | Weight: 4.40 lbs
Lenovo Tab P12 Pro – AMOLED Display
Let’s face facts; one major thing that makes devices like the Microsoft Surface Go the stuff that sweet dreams are made of for most users is the freshness and clarity of their visual display. And, why does the display usually have such a high quality?
You guessed it!
Because it runs on an AMOLED screen display.
This type of OLED diode adds life and sharpness to image quality that’s tough to find with most other types of screens. Now, those who can’t get a Surface product won’t miss much in the visuals department if they opt for the Lenovo Tab P12 Pro instead.
Of course, this powerful android tablet isn’t all visuals either. It comes with a more than decent battery life, a high-quality and responsive stylus as well as a solid build.
On the flipside please remember that, while it doesn’t cost as much as the Surface Go, the Tab P12 Pro is quite pricey as well. Additionally, this device doesn’t come with a headphone jack.
CPU: Octa-core| Graphics: Adreno 650| RAM: 8GB RAM | Screen: 12.6-inch display| Storage: 256GB| Operating System: Android 11| Battery Life: up to 8 hours | Weight: 1.25 lbs
Dell Inspiron 7415 – For AMD Lovers
If you won’t be getting any Microsoft Surface device but you still want to get an AMD gadget no matter what, we totally get how you feel. With its offerings of increased power efficiency, advanced security, and cutting-edge technology, it’s perfectly understandable that any user would want to stick with AMD Ryzen. We might even go as far as saying that, depending on what you plan to use the device for, this is something you absolutely shouldn’t compromise on.
All of this is why the Dell Inspiron 7415 is worth giving a shot.
Not only does this device bring you the very best of this technology but it also ramps things up a notch by affording users an enhanced window layout, superior monitor functionality, and more advanced performance features.
Of course, the truth remains that the Surface Pro still has some notable edges of this device. However, when you weigh what you’ll still be getting plus the price slash, we’re pretty confident you’ll come to the same conclusion we did; the Dell Inspiron 7415 is a good deal on any day!
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 | Graphics: Radeon RX Vega 7 | RAM: 8GB RAM | Screen: 14-inch display| Storage: 256GB SSD| Operating System: Windows 10 Home | Battery Life: up to 9 hours | Weight: 1.5 lbs
Acer Spin 3 – Best Budget Option
Most users looking for an alternative to Microsoft Surface devices are doing so primarily because of the price factor. And while it’s certainly true that the price tag of a product usually increases with the quality of the device, there are still a couple of gadgets out there that give you the best on a budget.
One such product is the Acer Spin 3.
This device has a more than satisfactory audio experience and, (considering the price it’s coming at), a very impressive visual display as well. One issue that’s very common to products in this price range is that their touchscreen tends to not be as responsive as it should be.
Our team took the Acer Spin 3 for a test drive and we had zero complaints about its feel and responsiveness. We did find that it tended to bug down a little when used to run heavier tasks but on the whole, there wasn’t any notable problem with its performance.
Those who don’t like to move about with a charger will also like the fact that you can get 6 hours of use out of this beauty before you get a low-battery notification. It also runs cool as ice so you can comfortably use it for longer periods at a stretch as well.
CPU: 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8565U | Graphics: Intel Iris Plus Graphics | RAM: 8GB RAM | Screen: 14-inch display| Storage: 256GB SSD| Operating System: Windows 10 | Battery Life: up to 6 hours | Weight: 3.70 lbs
Asus ROG Flow Z13 – Enormous Storage
You could try, but, we guarantee you’re going to find it surprisingly hard (if not outrightly impossible) to find a 2-in-1 laptop fitted with better hardware and specifications for gaming than the Asus ROG Flow Z13.
One of its major strengths in this area is the way that space was artfully allocated to the device. To start with, users don’t only get 1TB of SSD space on this device but they also have a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 GPU and 16GB LPDDR5 random access memory to play with as well.
What all of this translates to is that you’d be hard-pressed to find any modern heavy-duty game that wouldn’t run like clockwork on this device.
Of course, every gamer knows just how important a high refresh rate is to their overall gaming experience. With a 120Hz refresh rate, gaming just got a lot, lot better with this amazing 2-in-1 laptop!
CPU: Intel Core i7-12700H | Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 | RAM: 16GB RAM | Screen: 13.4-inch display| Storage: 1TB SSD| Operating System: Windows 11 Pro | Battery Life: up to 5 hours | Weight: 2.60 lbs
Lenovo Yoga C940-14 – FingerPrint Reader For Fast Login
The Lenovo brand has a reputation for making truly amazing devices and they further enforced our faith in their capabilities here with the Yoga C90-14. As a matter of fact, this particular model would make a more than worthwhile alternative for your Surface Go based on the level of versatility that it brings to the table alone.
From the incredible efficiency it boasts to its solid and well-rounded build, this gadget gives you a lot to love. When you add all that to the fact that it comes with a long-lasting battery and a breathtaking display (it offers users the 4K option), you’ll easily find that you may have just landed the tab of your dreams with this beauty.
Those who aren’t big fans of inputting a password every time they want to access their device but who still want to keep their gadget safe will find the fingerprint reader on this tool more than handy as well. To further enhance user comfort, it comes with a stylus garage, too.
CPU: 1.3 GHz Intel Core i7 | Graphics: Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 | RAM: 12GB RAM | Screen: 14-inch display| Storage: 512GB SSD| Operating System: Windows 11 Home | Battery Life: up to 10 hours | Weight: 3 lbs
Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra – For Power User
For certain users, the most important thing is to have a device that can do everything. These people want to be able to throw anything at their device and be rest assured that it’ll take it without breaking.
For these individuals, there’s no better device at the moment than the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra. Arguably the latest release in our lineup, this beauty will put even the Microsoft Surface Pro to shame.
With a wide screen and remarkably vivid display, excellent audio as well as a heavy-duty CPU and GPU specs, this device is reserved for professionals who want to get the best results possible from everything they do on their gadget.
But, be warned that this will take a sizable bite out of your wallet. Additionally, you should also know that you’ll feel it when you move around with this device as it’s quite heavy.
CPU: Intel Core i9-13900H| Graphics: RTX 4070 laptop GPU| RAM: 32GB RAM | Screen: 16-inch AMOLED 2X| Storage: 1TB SSD| Operating System: Windows 11 | Battery Life: up to 5 hours | Weight: 3.90 lbs
Battery Life
In order to be a Surface alternative, any device that we should choose must have a long battery life in order to have that Surface experience. Most of the devices on the list have at least 8 hours of battery life and 13 hours for the longest battery life.
Surface models have decent battery life too so we opt to choose the alternative to have similar or better battery life than Surface models.
Battery life is crucial for any device, you wouldn’t want to pay for something that dies off instantly as you are using it so choosing a device specially as an alternative to Surface models, battery life must be considered.
Flexibility
Surface models are known for their flexibility, so choosing an alternative must come with a flexibility feature as well. You can stick with the tablet-turned laptop or the detachable ones, whatever you choose, just make sure it qualifies your needs.
Flexibility is one feature that most people want in terms of second devices for such a sticky situation where you need to head out but still got something to do, these devices above are pretty flexible so you can use it as a tablet or laptop.
In terms of flexibility, the Surface models have detachable keyboard and stylus Pen to boost productivity, so we gather some alternatives that has the same feature as well. The devices above do meet the required flexibility to be an Surface alternative, it’s up for you to choose what you prefer.
Portability
Portability is a very important factor in choosing an alternative to Surface models, everything that is under 3 pounds is considered lightweight so we choose those alternatives to be at least 3 pounds less, these models are for on the go use so you need it to be thin and light.
People buy Surface tablets or laptops because they use it for on the go projects or sticky situations where you need to go out and still go on with your work, and having a portable device you can carry anytime and anywhere is convenient. That is where these recommendations on the top go in, all of them are portable enough for you to carry anywhere and some even have powerful specs that could beat full pledged laptops in the market.
Processing Power
Surface models vary in processing power but every model there is, is capable of doing from everyday tasks to most heavy usage. In this list we gathered ten devices that can be used for light usage to heavy tasks and ofcourse they vary in price too.
Powerful ones are expensive while the entry-levels are cheaper, depending on your use-case you must choose something that is capable of what you want it to use for and of course must adhere to your budget to avoid spending too much for unnecessary features or power.
If you need something for just light usage like web browsing or data entry tasks then you won’t really need a powerful processor and you can stick with entry level machines while if you need a powerful processor then go for Core i5 and up or AMD Ryzen 3 and up for better performance. But don’t forget that the RAM is important for multitasking so choose a device that has at least 6GB of RAM so you can do more.
Display
Last but not the least, Surface models have excellent display, so consider a device that is at least 12-inches large with a minimum of 1080p resolution. All the recommendations on this list have at least 1080p and others are higher if you want your Surface alternative to be more realistic in terms of display.
4K resolutions are quite an overkill but still if you prefer 4k resolution then we have something for you on this list, you can choose between AMOLED or IPS it is up for your preference. AMOLED displays provide better viewing angles than IPS but cost higher since it is difficult to produce than IPS but IPS provides sharper images.
Every machine on the list varies in display quality but we made sure it can match if not surpass the quality display Surface model is offering.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does The Surface Pro 6 Have A Fan?
Can I Connect HDMI Cables To My Surface Pro 6?
Is The Microsoft Surface A Laptop Or A Tablet?
The bulk often associated with laptop is steadily being chipped away to create slimmer designs such as the Surface Go and Book 2. The keyboards are also detachable leaving you with a body that seems more like a tablet.
If you were to now consider the first slogan used by Microsoft to market the first Surface products “the tablet that can replace your laptop”, then it is easy to conclude that originally, the Surface was a tablet. But, then, Microsoft moved to marketing the next set of products as “the most versatile laptop.”
The release of the new Surface Pro 6 saw a change in marketing as the manufacturer simply focuses on pushing the product as an “ultralight and versatile” bearing the capabilities of both a tablet and a laptop. Therefore, it is a hybrid product.
Conclusion
Looking for a suitable option for a Surface Device is quite easy if you know what you want. Whether you are looking for an affordable option or sharper display for artists, the market is filled with several alternatives as seen above.
Apple iPad Pro 2020 – does not run macOS, it runs iPadOS, this information is wrong.