Microsoft Surface Book 13.5" -cr Silver 2018

A stunning screen and premium detachable design make the Surface Book 2 a tempting refurbished buy, but its ancient processor and tragic tablet battery life mean it's only a good deal for very light, plugged-in work. Don't overpay for nostalgia.

What surprised us most is how well this old dual-core i5 holds up for basic tasks, and how badly it falls apart for anything else. In our database, the CPU and GPU both sit in the 26th percentile, which is frankly underwhelming. Boot times are snappy thanks to the SSD, and throwing a dozen browser tabs and Office docs at it feels fine. But that integrated Intel HD Graphics 620 is a real anchor. The gaming score of 5.6 out of 100 isn't a typo, it's a warning. This machine is for spreadsheets and streaming, period. The real shock from user feedback is the battery life in tablet mode, which multiple owners describe as abysmal, often dying in just a couple of hours.

The Surface Book 2's main rival in spirit is the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i, which also chases that dual-screen, ultra-flexible dream but with modern guts and a much higher price tag. If you need actual performance, the Apple MacBook Pro MWP72LL/A will run circles around this Surface, but you lose the tablet detachability and pay a premium. The HP OmniBook X Flip and ASUS Zenbook are also in the conversation as modern 2-in-1s that don't force you to compromise on speed. The Surface Book 2 wins on sheer character and that unique detaching mechanism, but it loses on every single performance benchmark against these newer machines.

With prices ranging from $230 to $499 across vendors, this is a deal you have to shop carefully. At the low end, you're getting a premium hybrid with a killer screen for Chromebook money, which is fantastic value for students or writers. At the high end, you're dangerously close to a new, far more powerful mid-range laptop. The sweet spot is finding a clean unit from a seller with a solid return policy. Don't just chase the lowest price, a defective charger or a scratched screen will ruin the savings.

The Microsoft Surface Book 2 is a weird, wonderful relic that still makes a lot of sense if you know exactly what you're getting into. The one thing to know is this: you're buying a stunning 13.5-inch tablet with a gorgeous 2560x1600 display that happens to dock into a solid laptop keyboard. For the refurbished price, the build quality and that screen are genuinely impressive. But you're also buying a 7th-gen dual-core Intel chip and integrated graphics that were mid-range when this thing was new. It's a premium note-taking and media consumption machine that can handle light productivity, not a performance powerhouse. If your expectations are set there, you'll probably love it. If you're hoping to edit video or play anything beyond Solitaire, keep scrolling.

If you need any real processing power, this isn't it. Go get a modern Ryzen or M1 MacBook Air instead. If you want a tablet that lasts all day, grab an iPad. This Surface Book is for people who prioritize a beautiful screen and a great keyboard in a unique form factor above all else, and are willing to forgive its aging, sluggish internals.

Buy the Microsoft Surface Book 2 if you're a student or a writer who will live in the laptop base 90% of the time and just wants a beautiful screen for occasional tablet use. The build quality and keyboard are top-notch for the refurbished price. But you have to go in with your eyes open: the performance is dated, the tablet battery is a joke, and the refurbished quality is inconsistent. If you can snag one for under $300 from a seller with easy returns, it's a charming, capable machine for light work. Pay a dollar more than $350, and you're making a mistake.