Surface 2
| Developer | Microsoft |
|---|---|
| Type | Hybrid tablet |
| Release date | October 22, 2013 |
| Discontinued | January 27, 2015[1] |
| Operating system | Windows RT 8.1 |
| System on a chip | Nvidia Tegra 4 |
| CPU | 1.7 GHz ARM Cortex-A15 quad core with power saving 5th core |
| Memory | 2 GB |
| Storage | 32 GB (18 GB available) or 64 GB (47 GB available) internal storage[2] and a microSD card reader (Cards up to 64GB) |
| Display | 10.6 inches (27 cm) 1920×1080 px(208 ppi) ClearType HD screen with 16:9 aspect ratio |
| Graphics | 72 GeForce graphics cores (24 vertex shaders + 48 pixel shaders)[3] |
| Sound | Dolby Digital Plus stereo speakers[4] |
| Input | 5-point multi-touch screen, dual microphones for noise cancellation, 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope, compass, ambient light sensor, GPS (with cellular model) |
| Camera | Front: 3.5 MP, 1080p HD Rear: 5 MP, 1080p HD |
| Connectivity | 2×2 MIMO Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0, full-size USB 3.0, HD Video Out (micro HDMI), 4G LTE (with cellular model) |
| Online services | Windows Store, OneDrive, Xbox Music, Xbox Games, Xbox Video |
| Dimensions | 10.81 inches (27.5 cm) (width) 6.81 inches (17.3 cm) (height) 0.35 inches (8.9 mm) (depth) |
| Weight | 1.49 pounds (680 g) |
| Predecessor | Surface |
| Successor | Surface 3 |
| This article is part of a series on |
| Microsoft Surface |
|---|
Surface 2 is a Surface-series Windows RT hybrid tablet computer created by Microsoft. It was unveiled on September 23, 2013, and released on October 22, 2013 and is the successor to the original Surface. As of January 2015, Microsoft no longer manufactures Surface 2, and provided security updates for the device until January 2023.[5] Microsoft's next attempt at a Windows-on-ARM tablet would be the Surface Pro X, released in 2019, six years after the Surface 2.
History
[edit | edit source]Pre-orders for the Surface 2 were opened on September 24, 2013, and the device was released on October 22, 2013. As value-added services, the Surface 2 includes 200 GB of additional OneDrive storage for 2 years, 1 year of free Skype calls to landlines, and access to Skype WiFi hotspots.[6]
In January 2015, after its stock sold out on Microsoft Store online, Microsoft confirmed that it had discontinued further production of Surface 2.[1] After Surface 2, the Nokia Lumia 2520 was the only remaining Windows RT device on the market, before that being discontinued as well just a week later.
Features
[edit | edit source]Hardware
[edit | edit source]Made of magnesium alloy and toughened glass, the outer shell of Surface 2 maintains a similar design to its predecessor, but in a "bare metal" silver color scheme with a black bezel. Surface 2 is also slightly thinner and lighter than the previous model. Surface 2 uses a 1.7 GHz quad-core Nvidia Tegra 4 chipset with 2 GB of RAM; Microsoft claimed that the new chipset and other improvements to its internal hardware made the Surface 2 three to four times faster than the original Surface, and that it had 10 hours of battery life playing videos. Unlike the original Surface (which used a 1366 x 768 display), the Surface 2 uses a 1080p display, the same as in Surface Pro 2. This display is claimed to have almost 50% better color than the previous version, as well as the lowest reflectivity among competing tablets. The device also includes a full-size USB 3.0 port, 32 or 64 GB of internal storage, and a MicroSD slot. The Surface 2 ships with Windows RT 8.1.[7][8][9][10]
The 4G LTE model of Surface 2 was launched on March 18, 2014, and comes as a 64 GB model only.[11] AT&T is the Microsoft cellular partner and Surface 2 4G LTE comes with AT&T "All Access" app pre-installed but the device actually ships unlocked. The 4G models also come with GPS, Assisted GPS, and GLONASS. The Surface 2 includes what Microsoft calls a silver-magnesium color that is more scratch resistant compared to the original Surface.
| Technical Specifications[12][13][14] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Surface 2 | Surface 2 with LTE | ||
| Processor | Nvidia Tegra 4 T40 | ||
| Graphics | Geforce ULP | ||
| RAM | 2 GB | ||
| Internal storage | 32/64 GB | 64 GB | |
| Display | Size | 10.6in ClearType Full HD Display | |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:9 | ||
| Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | ||
| Touch | 5-point Multi-touch | ||
| Exterior | Height | 6.79in | |
| Width | 10.81in | ||
| Depth | 0.35in | ||
| Weight | 1.49lbs | ||
| Casing | VaporMg | ||
| Color | Magnesium | ||
| Cameras | Front | 3.5 MP | |
| Rear | 5.0 MP | ||
| Audio | Speaker | Stereo with Dolby Sound | |
| Microphone | 2 | ||
| Sensors | Ambient light Accelerometer Gyroscope Magnetometer Proximity Digital Compass | ||
| Ports | USB-A 3.0 microSD card slot 3.5mm audio socket MicroHDMI Cover port | ||
| - | MicroSIM card slot | ||
| Wireless | Wi-fi | 802.11a/b/g/n | |
| Bluetooth | 4.0 | ||
| Battery | 31.5Wh | ||
| Location | - | GPS Assisted GPS GLONASS | |
| Network | - | 2G GSM 3G UMTS 4G LTE | |
Software
[edit | edit source]The Surface 2 ships with Windows RT 8.1 and Office 2013 RT, unlike the original Surface which launched with Office 2013 RT Beta (but which later received the final release version). Other bundled apps include Mail, Calendar, People (contacts), Bing apps including Food and Drink, Health and Fitness, Weather, Travel, Stocks, and Sports. These apps were later renamed to be MSN apps. Just like its predecessor, desktop apps other than those already bundled with the OS are forbidden to run on the Surface 2, so the device, unlike its successor, Surface 3, cannot be classified as a 2-in-1 PC.
A notable change from the Surface to the Surface 2 is the hiding of the desktop tile from the Start Screen.[15]
Accessories
[edit | edit source]Updated versions of the Surface's cover accessories are available for the Surface 2; the Touch Cover 2 and Type Cover 2 are slightly thinner than the previous versions and now include a "dynamic" backlight system. The Touch Cover 2 has over 1,092 sensors on it compared to just 80 on the original Touch Cover.[16] The keyswitch length of the Type Cover 2 have been reduced from 2.5 mm to 1.5 mm. A new Power Cover accessory was also available to add 30 Wh additional battery capacity to the device. Accompanying the Touch Cover 2 and Type Cover 2 was a wireless adapter that allows them to be connected up to 30 feet away via Bluetooth. An updated kickstand can now be tilted at a 55-degree angle alongside the original 22-degree angle. During its unveiling, Microsoft also showcased the Music Cover; a variation of the Touch Cover that serves as a DJ mixer with playback controls, a 16-button sampler, and three sliders. While mainstream public release has been announced, it will be distributed to musicians through the Surface Remix Project campaign.[10][17]
Configurations
[edit | edit source]| Surface 2 Configurations[14] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price Tier (USD) | CPU | Integrated GPU | RAM | Internal storage | LTE |
| $449 | Nvidia Tegra 4 | Geforce ULP | 2 GB | 32 GB | No |
| $549 | 64 GB | ||||
| $679 | Yes | ||||
Reception
[edit | edit source]Initial reviews of the Surface 2 have been mixed. Reviewers have generally been positive about the device's hardware and improvements when compared to the original Surface. However, the Surface 2 was often criticized for a lack of support for traditional Windows desktop programs and the low number of high quality apps available from the Windows Store.[18][19]
In a financial report from Microsoft in second quarter 2014, revenue more than doubled from $400 million in the first quarter, to $893 million. However, Microsoft still lost $39 million since the development costs had equaled to around $932 million. But skeptics acknowledged that the growth was there despite still losing money on the Surface brand.[20]
Overheating issue
[edit | edit source]The Surface 2 has been reported to have some overheating issues. Microsoft delivered an update to try to fix the issue.[21]
Timeline
[edit | edit source]| Timeline of Surface devices |
|---|
| <timeline>
DateFormat=mm/dd/yyyy Define $start = 10/01/2012 Define $now = 06/20/2026 Define $later = 07/20/2027 Period = from:$start till:$later Define $skip = at:end # Force a blank line Define $dayunknown = 15 # what day to use if it's actually not known ImageSize= width:800 height:auto barincrement:36 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:5 left:20 bottom:95 top:5 Colors = id:rtodd value:rgb(0.65,0.95,0.99) Legend:Surface_RT
id:rteven value:rgb(0.81,0.98,1)
id:goodd value:rgb(0.78,0.82,1) Legend:Surface_Go
id:goeven value:rgb(0.88,0.91,1)
id:goplus value:rgb(0.93,0.95,1)
id:proodd value:rgb(0.75,0.86,1) Legend:Surface_Pro
id:proeven value:rgb(0.86,0.92,1)
id:proplus value:rgb(0.81,0.89,0.99)
id:xodd value:rgb(0.87,0.84,1) Legend:Surface_Pro_X
id:xeven value:rgb(0.93,0.91,1)
id:bookodd value:rgb(1,0.79,0.79) Legend:Surface_Book
id:bookeven value:rgb(1,0.89,0.89)
id:laptopodd value:rgb(1,0.84,0.67) Legend:Surface_Laptop_1
id:laptopeven value:rgb(1,0.93,0.84)
id:laptopgoodd value:rgb(0.99,0.90,0.54) Legend:Surface_Laptop_Go
id:laptopgoeven value:rgb(1,0.95,0.78)
id:laptopstudioodd value:rgb(0.85,0.98,0.62) Legend:Surface_Laptop_Studio
id:laptopstudioeven value:rgb(0.93,0.99,0.80)
id:laptopseodd value:rgb(0.73,0.97,0.82) Legend:Surface_Laptop_SE
id:laptopseeven value:rgb(1,0.95,0.78)
id:hubodd value:rgb(0.8,0.84,0.88) Legend:Surface_Hub
id:hubeven value:rgb(0.89,0.91,0.94)
id:studioodd value:rgb(0.98,0.81,0.91) Legend:Surface_Studio
id:studioeven value:rgb(0.99,0.91,0.95)
id:studioplus value:rgb(0.99,0.95,0.97)
id:duoodd value:rgb(0.85,0.85,0.85) Legend:Surface_Duo
id:duoeven value:rgb(0.92,0.92,0.92)
id:bg value:gray(1)
id:lightline value:gray(0.9)
id:lighttext value:gray(0.7)
id:current value:gray(0.95) Legend:Still_produced
BackgroundColors = canvas:bg ScaleMajor = gridcolor:lighttext unit:year increment:1 start:01/01/2013 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightline unit:month increment:3 start:10/01/2012 Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:1 BarData = barset:rt barset:go barset:pro barset:prox barset:pro12 barset:bookstudio barset:laptop barset:laptoparm barset:laptop13 barset:laptopgo barset:laptopse barset:hub barset:studio barset:duo PlotData = width:18 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s barset:rt color:rtodd from:10/26/2012 till:07/18/2013 text:"RT" barset:break color:rteven from:10/22/2013 till:01/27/2015 text:"2" barset:break color:rtodd from:05/05/2015 till:12/31/2016 text:"3" barset:go color:goodd from:07/10/2018 till:05/21/2020 text:"Go" barset:break color:goeven from:05/21/2020 till:09/22/2021 text:"Go 2" barset:break color:goodd from:09/22/2021 till:09/21/2023 text:"Go 3" barset:break color:goeven from:09/21/2023 till:$now text:"Go 4" barset:break color:current from:$now till:end
barset:pro color:proodd from:02/09/2013 till:10/18/2013 text:"Pro" barset:break color:proeven from:10/22/2013 till:06/16/2014 text:"Pro 2" barset:break color:proodd from:06/20/2014 till:01/01/2017 text:"Pro 3" barset:break color:proeven from:10/26/2015 till:01/01/2018 text:"Pro 4" barset:break color:proodd from:06/15/2017 till:10/16/2018 text:"Pro (2017)" barset:break color:proeven from:10/16/2018 till:10/22/2019 text:"Pro 6" barset:break color:proodd from:10/22/2019 till:01/12/2021 text:"Pro 7" barset:break color:proplus from:01/12/2021 till:09/22/2021 text:"Pro 7+" barset:break color:proeven from:09/22/2021 till:10/12/2022 text:"Pro 8" barset:break color:proodd from:10/12/2022 till:03/21/2024 text:"Pro 9" barset:break color:proeven from:03/21/2024 till:02/18/2025 text:"Pro 10" barset:break color:proodd from:02/18/2025 till:$now text:"Pro (11th) (x64)" barset:break color:current from:$now till:end barset:prox color:xodd from:11/05/2019 till:10/13/2020 text:"Pro X" barset:break color:xeven from:10/13/2020 till:10/12/2022 text:"Pro X SQ2" barset:break color:proodd from:10/12/2022 till:06/18/2024 text:"Pro 9 (ARM)" barset:break color:proeven from:06/18/2024 till:$now text:"Pro (11th) (ARM)" barset:break color:current from:$now till:end barset:pro12 color:proodd from:05/25/2025 till:$now text:"Pro 12" (ARM)" barset:break color:current from:$now till:end
barset:bookstudio color:bookodd from:10/26/2015 till:10/17/2017 text:"Book" barset:break color:bookeven from:10/17/2017 till:05/21/2020 text:"Book 2" barset:break color:bookodd from:05/21/2020 till:09/22/2021 text:"Book 3" $skip barset:break color:laptopstudioodd from:09/22/2021 till:09/21/2023 text:"Laptop Studio" barset:break color:laptopstudioeven from:09/21/2023 till:09/20/2025 text:"Laptop Studio 2" barset:laptop color:laptopodd from:06/15/2017 till:10/16/2018 text:"Laptop" barset:break color:laptopeven from:10/16/2018 till:10/22/2019 text:"Laptop 2" barset:break color:laptopodd from:10/22/2019 till:04/13/2021 text:"Laptop 3" barset:break color:laptopeven from:04/13/2021 till:10/12/2022 text:"Laptop 4" barset:break color:laptopodd from:10/12/2022 till:03/21/2024 text:"Laptop 5 barset:break color:laptopeven from:03/21/2024 till:01/30/2025 text:"Laptop 6 barset:break color:laptopodd from:01/30/2025 till:$now text:"Laptop 7 (x64) barset:break color:current from:$now till:end barset:laptoparm color:laptopodd from:06/18/2024 till:$now text:"Laptop 7 (ARM) barset:break color:current from:$now till:end barset:laptop13 color:laptopodd from:05/20/2025 till:$now text:"Laptop 13" (ARM) barset:break color:current from:$now till:end barset:laptopgo color:laptopgoodd from:10/01/2020 till:06/01/2022 text:"Laptop Go" barset:break color:laptopgoeven from:06/01/2022 till:09/21/2023 text:"Laptop Go 2" barset:break color:laptopgoodd from:09/21/2023 till:$now text:"Laptop Go 3" barset:break color:current from:$now till:end
barset:laptopse color:laptopseodd from:11/09/2021 till:$now text:"Laptop SE" barset:break color:current from:$now till:end $skip barset:studio color:studioodd from:12/15/2016 till:10/16/2018 text:"Studio" barset:break color:studioeven from:10/16/2018 till:10/12/2022 text:"Studio 2" barset:break color:studioodd from:10/12/2022 till:12/31/2024 text:"Studio 2+ barset:hub color:hubodd from:07/01/2015 till:06/18/2019 text:"Hub" barset:break color:hubeven from:06/18/2019 till:09/21/2023 text:"Hub 2S" barset:break color:hubodd from:09/21/2023 till:$now text:"Hub 3" barset:break color:current from:$now till:end barset:duo color:duoodd from:09/10/2020 till:09/22/2021 text:"Duo" barset:break color:duoeven from:09/22/2021 till:09/22/2023 text:"Duo 2" $skip </timeline> |
References
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External links
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