{ updated 2/23/2019 – see personal notes }
When thinking about buying a ‘corporate’ tablet/slate device, it’s important to factor in repairability. While one may be inclined to purchase a palette of beautiful looking devices, but you really have to think about what happens when the units break down or need some basic repair. Who is going to repair them? How easy will it be? What costs will be associated with the repair?
When reviewing just the HP X2 and Surface Pro 4 batteries, I wanted to see just how difficult it would be to do a battery swap (a common task in the corporate world). So, I did a little research.
Well, what I found out was that the Surface Pro basically isn’t repairable, not in the sense you would just have all your site technicians do a battery swap. I also noticed that the MS price for batteries range from $400-$500, and were very hard to find. Wow! That’s expensive.
In contrast, the HP X2 was easier to swap the battery (using a repair kit) and, best of all, the battery only costs $40 bucks, which was available anywhere. This may not seem like a big deal, but in a business, even a dollar or two can make all the difference in the world. While the Surface Pro 4 is a pretty solid device (hardware speaking), thinking about maintenance and costs sound like a nightmare.
Check out the battery replacement videos:
SP4
HP X2 general disassembly or…check out this web site: LINK
HP Split X2 13 or HP ENVY X2
Personal Notes
The Surface Deployment Accelerator Image.wim includes trash
—The image.wim from MS still includes things like XBox, XBox live, 3D Builder, etc.
—RECOMMENDED: There is pretty much no scenario where a business needs these extra apps—please remove, or add GP options.
Chrome kept crashing (no issues with Firefox or Edge)
—I could not get Chrome working; it kept crashing.
Edge browser
—Google Hangout plugin would not install (no issues in Firefox).
—I tried restarting and reinstalling the latest hangout plugin. Does not work.
Pen is awkward in landscape mode
—RECOMMENDED: There needs to be a magnet at the the top of the SP4 in landscape mode.
—Taking the pen off and laying it to the side is unacceptable.
Battery lasts just under 4 hours, with heavy use. In comparison, the Samsung Note lasts 8 hours
—RECOMMENDED: The keyboard needs to have extended battery capability,
—RECOMMENDED: Or, there needs to be a way to add on an extended battery.
The kickstand doesn’t work great for a laptop; it’s awkward and needs to be readjusted often
—RECOMMENDED: The keyboard (with an extended battery), ‘should’ be attached to the screen…keeping the kickstand only for those who want to use it.
The battery replacement is a nightmare
—RECOMMENDED: Battery needs to become easily accessible from outside the SP4.
An untethered pen is just asking to be lost
—RECOMMENDED: The pen needs to snap into the SP4 or have some kind of proximity alarm.
—At $50 per replacement, the current pen placement is unacceptable.
When using the SP4 for reading, in portrait orientation, the keyboard doesn’t stick to the back of the SP4. It is constantly falling away.
—RECOMMENDED: A simple magnet strip under the space bar area will take care of the keyboard flopping back and forth.
Screen gets really hot
—Screen gets so hot, it is uncomfortable to hold. The heat is eventually going to fry the unit or kill the batteries.
Freshly imaged machine, using the Surface Pro Accelerator image, was locking up
—Locked up after apparently receiving updates that I don’t remember checking.
—Locked up after logging in.
—Lockup up just sitting on desk.
* This may have been the Chrome browser causing this, so I uninstalled it.
When using the device as an eReader, or just browsing social media sites, I noticed the pinch and zoom content will not stay centered
—RECOMMENDED: There needs to be a way to disable the X axis on the the X Y axis to prevent strafing to the left and right, when all you want to do is navigate up and down.
Doesn’t function all that well as an eReader
—RECOMMENDED: I would like to see a sensor on the side/edge of the SP4 just for scrolling…flipping pages, rather than touching the screen.
The portable docking station needs to be re-engineered
—A horrible black block is unacceptable.
—RECOMMENDED: A wireless docking station would also be nice.
Keyboard
—RECOMMENDED: While the keyboard works fine, it would be nice if it could be used in a detached state, as in through bluetooth or IR.
—RECOMMENDED: A little thicker, sturdier keyboard would be nice.
Final assessment of the SP4, do not buy. Wait for the next model, or look to HP.
References
http://ifixit.org/blog/8135/hats-off-to-hps-repairable-tablet/
tags: Surface Pro, SP4