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- First reviewDecember 7, 2015
- Last reviewMay 1, 2017
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- Average rating4.5
- Review comment count2
- Helpfulness votes0
- First review commentMay 31, 2016
- Last review commentJune 1, 2016
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- First answerDecember 7, 2015
- Last answerMay 1, 2017
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Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Tablet: With this versatile tablet's Intel® Core™ i5 processor and 12.3" Sensitive touch screen, you can stay productive all day. Type notes using the keyboard (sold separately), or navigate with the included Surface Pen, which allows you to write directly on Web pages with the Microsoft Edge browser.Learn more.
Customer Rating
4
Fast and powerful device that still leads the way
on December 7, 2015
Posted by: omegafiler
I originally purchased the Surface Pro 3 when it came out, but ended up returning it due to thermal throttling and other issues. It simply didn't live up to my expectations for a premium device. So how does this one fare? Let's find out.
PROS:
+ Excellent display
+ Fast i5 Skylake CPU
+ Runs cooler & no more throttling
+ Loud & great sounding speakers
+ Thinner & lighter than before
+ Excellent kick-stand
+ Great touchpad & keyboard
+ Much improved pen support
+ Solid build quality
+ Fast i5 Skylake CPU
+ Runs cooler & no more throttling
+ Loud & great sounding speakers
+ Thinner & lighter than before
+ Excellent kick-stand
+ Great touchpad & keyboard
+ Much improved pen support
+ Solid build quality
CONS:
- Noisy CPU Fan
- Mediocre battery life
- Expensive, especially at higher trim levels
- Many bugs at launch
- No USB 3.1 or USB-C Ports
- Minor light bleed
- Mediocre battery life
- Expensive, especially at higher trim levels
- Many bugs at launch
- No USB 3.1 or USB-C Ports
- Minor light bleed
DISPLAY
Whether you are comparing this to the previous SP3 or any other notebook/tablet, the first thing you’ll notice is the excellent display. Everything is super crisp, sharp, good contrast ratio, and nice color accuracy. Viewing angles are also expectedly solid. They’ve gone with a decidedly cooler color temperature. Not my personal preference, but it works.
There is however some minor light bleed at the bottom in one spot. On a black screen with brightness turned up, you’ll also see more IPS glow that you’d like. The good news is that for most use, you’ll never notice. However, with its 3:2 aspect ratio, watching movies and such all but guarantee you’ll have black bars on the top and bottom. Which does nothing to help hide minor defects such as light bleed.
Although I will say it is very minor and far improved from the previous SP3. Microsoft went with the IGZO display made by Samsung. They licensed the tech from Sharp. Dell uses the Sharp IGZO displays on most high-end models and they do a slightly better job at it. Their colors are a bit more vibrant, no light bleed, and warmer color temp.
That’s something you probably wouldn’t even notice unless side-by-side with a Sharp IGZO panel. Where on the SP4 during video playback at reduced brightness (50% or less), video can almost look dull or washed out. Upping brightness to 75% or higher virtually eliminates much of that. And not an issue on the desktop.
In either case, IGZO tech was good choice. And the vast majority of users will have zero complaints. It’s a great screen and one I enjoy using.
PERFORMANCE & NOISE
I opted for the i5, 256GB, 8GB RAM model. For my use, I could have gotten away with the Core M. And that was actually my first choice. However, in the age of memory hungry apps and chrome tabs, 8GB of RAM simply won’t do. Which I suppose is Microsoft’s plan by offering the M3 with only 4GB of RAM. Up-sell all the way, it seems.
With that said, the latest i5 Skylake CPU performs like a champ. Combined with a new improved liquid/fan cooled heatsink and CPU efficiencies, there has been no thermal throttling that I’ve seen. The chassis rarely gets much above 100 degrees when pushed. Although when you do use that power, the CPU fan will make itself known. Copying files, installing apps, or any other CPU/GPU intensive tasks will heat things up quickly.
And as such, you’ve got a noisy little fan, which at high RPM. is hard to ignore. Fortunately, for most of my “normal” use, the fan usually stays off. Which works just fine for me.
BATTERY LIFE
The Skylake CPU offers around 5-10% battery life improvement over broadwell. Which is great news, until you learn that Microsoft shaved around 9% battery capacity in the name of weight loss and going thin. They also needed a bit of room for the new heatsink. While I did list that as a pro, I also listed battery life as somewhat of a con. Personally, I’d take battery life and live with weight/thickness.
We’re not talking about much. But it was their choice and we get to live with it.
But how much battery life are we talking about? For my test I ran a LOTR 4K trailer in a loop. I kept brightness at 75% and speakers at about 50%. As noted above, video playback does look best at 75% or higher. Based on that test, I was looking at just over 6 ½ hours run time.
For my “normal” desktop use, which includes less brightness (25-50%) lots of browsing, e-mail, and you-tube, resulted in closer to 5-6 hours of actual usage. CPU tends to run higher with actual use than video playback. Not great, but not horrible.
It’s all about your use cases and ultimately, expectations.
KEYBOARD & TOUCHPAD
After seeing how thin the keyboard is, you probably wouldn’t expect a whole lot from it. But after quite a bit of time with it, I’ve come to appreciate how well this thin backlit keyboard actually works. Key travel is on the shallow side, but there is descent physical, and audible feedback. Naturally typing this review on said keyboard, I’m finding no issues with regard to speed and accuracy.
And that’s even in “lap mode” where the keyboard is propped up via magnets on the screen, for added support. There is a bit of a hollow sound/feel as you type. That mostly goes away when lying flat on a desk. In either case, it’s a pretty good tablet keyboard. In other words, yes, there are always better keyboards. They just won’t be this thin and light.
The touchpad is much improved from the previous SP3. It’s much larger, more precise, and accurate. To my fingers I’m finding it to work as well as the best out there. With its glass surface, it’s a pleasure to use. I even find I sometimes skip using the surface mouse just because it’s so nice to use.
SOUND
The speakers usually get neglected in notebook and tablet designs. They stick them on the back or bottom and hope you’ll use headphones. Not so with the SP4. They’re at the top and are forward facing. The way they should be. And they sound surprisingly good. They are very loud, have good depth, range, and are pleasing to listen to.
Or if you’d like, headphones are still an option. But if a small group of people need to hear something on your tablet, no problem there.
PEN INPUT
My handwriting sucks and I don’t like to draw. Now that that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk about the pen. Yes, I’m one of those folks who bought a surface with no intention of using the pen, save for the occasional document signing. But I’ll still provide my input. I completed some testing with the pen and really did find it to work very well.
It has better traction, response, and accuracy than with the old one. There is just enough friction to help you feel like you’re writing on a more traditional surface. Feedback is important. It’s still nothing like paper, despite some claims. To me, it’s more of a whiteboard. You’re still writing on a glass surface, and that isn’t changing.
DAILY 2-IN-1 USAGE
My day-to-day activities can include a wide range of tasks. But usually revolves around more traditional things, such as several chrome tabs, YouTube, e-mail, webex, office apps, and other related items. For these fun tasks, I really have no complaints at all.
But if you have to push it, such as hoping on a long VOIP call, transfer data, or do some light gaming, that CPU fan can get rather annoying.
Otherwise, I do find it rather nice being able to flip back or remove the keyboard, hop on the couch, and just surf via finger input in tablet-only mode. Keep in mind you aren’t going to get the same Android/IOS experience with Windows 10. This is still full Windows, which has very few tablet-optimized apps. But the screen is closer to you with the keyboard out of the way; making for a more involving experience. Something that these new 2-in-1 devices can’t always get right. And the SP4 has all but mastered this multi-function approach.
Yes, you do make some minor sacrifices. You pretty much have to fold things up when you want to move elsewhere. Can’t just grab the keyboard and walk away. The super handy kick-stand does always need to be opened/closed/adjusted, in addition to opening the keyboard cover, anywhere you go. So there are extra “steps.” And while the keyboard is great, it’s still can’t beat the best notebook keyboards out there.
And no, I haven’t had any real issues in lap mode. It’s different than a normal notebook, but you’ll quickly adjust to it. It just doesn’t balance well on one leg, for example; so once again, minor adjustments in use are called for.
CONCLUSION
The Surface Pro 4 is an expensive device. To have any issues, some may say, is unacceptable. Unfortunately, that’s just the way things are. If you can live with a few minor bugs and want/need the 2-in-1 tablet & laptop capabilities of the SP4, I consider it highly recommended. Especially if you actually want to use the pen.
But for everybody else, you may want to reconsider what you really want out of your premium portable computing device. As you may simply be better served by a traditional Ultrabook, which don’t require any tablet-like compromises, no matter how minor they are. And probably cheaper too.
My Best Buy number: 0961528896
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+33points
36of 39voted this as helpful.
omegafiler's Review Comments
Get fantastic image quality and great sound with this 43-inch VIZIO SmartCast E-Series UHD home theater display. It has 10 active LED zones so that it delivers dark blacks and bright whites for incredible contrast. This VIZIO SmartCast E-Series UHD home theater display also includes Chromecast built-in, the easiest way to stream apps you know and love from your phone or tablet.
Overall
5 out of 5
5 out of 5Excellent Monitor for PC, Movies, and Gaming
By omegafiler
from TX
I purchased this monitor at Best Buy for use as an inexpensive 4K PC display. But also wanted to play the occasional game and watch some movies. Let's see how the brand new Vizio 42.5" E43u-D2 fares.
PROS:
+ Excellent picture quality
+ Deep black levels
+ Good viewing angles
+ No noticeable input lag
+ Relatively inexpensive for what you get
+ Great image uniformity
+ Native Casting Support
+ Phone app for TV controls/adjustments
+ Good port selection
+ Supports HDMI 2.0 for 2160p, 4:4:4 color format, 8-bit color depth*
+ Excellent picture quality
+ Deep black levels
+ Good viewing angles
+ No noticeable input lag
+ Relatively inexpensive for what you get
+ Great image uniformity
+ Native Casting Support
+ Phone app for TV controls/adjustments
+ Good port selection
+ Supports HDMI 2.0 for 2160p, 4:4:4 color format, 8-bit color depth*
CONS:
- 2160p only supports 4:4:4 at 30Hz
- No built-in on-screen menu for config
- No DisplayPort Input
- 2160p only supports 4:4:4 at 30Hz
- No built-in on-screen menu for config
- No DisplayPort Input
OUT OF THE BOX & SETUP
Since this is going on my desk, basic assembly was required for the feet. But that's about it. Then it's off to the phone app to actually configure the TV itself. You can connect to WiFi or use the built-in LAN port. The phone app is the only way you can adjust the display controls, settings, etc. If you're using the remote, you can change inputs, volume, channel, enter app pairing mode, etc. Not a whole lot else.
Once you get used to it, I found it to be fairly intuitive. All of the usual settings are there, preset modes for Computer use, Movies, vivid, etc. Plus more in-depth color options and such.
Do note that there is no traditional coax TV tuner. Which as noted above, works perfectly for me. For anybody else, do make sure you have some kind of set-top-box, streaming media device, or phone/tablet to use the app which can stream lots of stuff. I haven't played with the streaming too much, but the app seems to cover the basics, such as Hulu, ChromeCast, etc.
DESKTOP
It's important to ensure your PC supports HDMI 2.0. And use HDMI 1 (ARC) on the TV. This is the latest standard. If it's an older version, you'll likely be limited to 4K @ 30Hz. While it's technically usable, it's not going to be a great experience. There will be lag and maybe even ghosting as you move the mouse, drag windows, etc. I've used this display with a GTX 980 Ti and a Dell XPS 15 (9550) with a USB-C to HDMI 2.0 converter. The built-in port on the notebook does not support HDMI 2.0.
The experience on both was about the same. I had to go into the advanced display settings to force the monitor to go to 60Hz instead of 30Hz. However, the Vizio website and spec site is somewhat misleading. It says HDMI port 1 supports "2160p@60fps, 4:4:4, 8-bit." In reality, it does, but not all together. In other words, if you want 4:4:4/RGB, you can only go up to 2160p@30Hz. Once you bump up to 60Hz, you still get 8-bit, but only 4:2:0.
One interesting note is that the included cable isn't even HDMI 2.0. It didn't work well at all. Fortunately I wasn't even expecting a cable, so already purchased a HDMI 2.0 spec cable.
Now I thought 4:2:0 would be unacceptable in desktop mode, but that's simply not the case. If I used the included cable, yes. Small text was blurry. But with a good cable, I'm running Win10 at 125% scaling and small text is nice, crisp, and clear. If I drop down to 100% is still clear, but a bit too small for my use. I also ran through Windows "ClearType" wizard to fine tune things a bit. I then did some test workflows with Outlook, IE, Chrome, Firefox, and several other Office 2013 apps. At my normal sitting distance, about 3-4 feet away, they all look and function great. I can basically have 4 1080p sized windows on one display. Awesome.
I should note I did view a chroma subsampling 4:4:4 text image; and yes, the last 2 lines aren't super crisp at 4:2:0. But honestly it's still readable and haven't found an issue in any of my personal use case scenarios. But felt I should note that because you could run into a situation where that is a problem in your use-case where certain text may not look clear or a bit "odd" due to the fact that pixels are sharing colors. Google it. :)
MOVIES & VIDEOS
I started by playing several 4K sample videos and trailers on YouTube. I simply couldn't find anything to complain about. Tried different viewing angles, looking for pixelation, stuttering, stuck pixels, flickering, etc. Nothing. One thing to keep in mind is that 4:2:0 is basically where virtually all movies and videos run at. So given I'm stuck at that color depth anyways, this type of playback is right at home.
I've been watching Transformers: Age of Extinction (Amazon Prime) at 4K for awhile now and it's quite impressive. Black levels are some of the best I've ever seen on a mainstream television. Black is black. No light bleed. No obvious dark/white splotches. It's nice.
GAMING
I do like to play the occasional Starcraft 2, GTA V, Civ5, and other similar titles. It's like I'm playing them all for the first time on this display. Completely changes the experience with the immersion and new details you never noticed before. Only complaints I have is more game developer related. Civilization doesn't scale well at higher resolutions. In that menus and text are super tiny. Fortunately, most games I've played don't have that issue.
On the phone app there is setting to change that reduces input lag. And so far, I've yet to notice any. However, it's very important to double-check in both Windows AND in your game display settings that you're at 60Hz. Sometimes they'll default to 30Hz and you will absolutely perceive that as lag.
More important, you may just be seeing lag since you're killing your GPU by trying to run at 2160p. Even the GTX 980 Ti FTW can't run everything at native without lowering details down to at least medium in most cases. Just depends on the game, and was expected. Some more particular FPS gamers might find some lag that I'm missing out on; but for me, it's just fine.
CONCLUSION
So is this a perfect monitor? Nope. Few things are. If your work/play requires something this budget oriented monitor can't deliver on, such as 2160p with 4:4:4 @ 60Hz, you'll need to keep looking elsewhere. And likely spend a bit more.
With a good HDMI 2.0 cable, quick calibration of display settings, as well as OS/App/Game graphic setting adjustments, I'm quite happy with it. If you're looking for an inexpensive large all-in-one monitor for desktop use, watching video content, or even playing games, I consider it highly recommended.
omegafiler
TX
No judder
May 31, 2016
Hi, I haven't noticed any judder with any video content. So far so good.
0points
0of 0voted this comment as helpful.
Get fantastic image quality and great sound with this 43-inch VIZIO SmartCast E-Series UHD home theater display. It has 10 active LED zones so that it delivers dark blacks and bright whites for incredible contrast. This VIZIO SmartCast E-Series UHD home theater display also includes Chromecast built-in, the easiest way to stream apps you know and love from your phone or tablet.
Overall5 out of 5
5 out of 5Excellent Monitor for PC, Movies, and Gaming
By omegafiler
from TX
I purchased this monitor at Best Buy for use as an inexpensive 4K PC display. But also wanted to play the occasional game and watch some movies. Let's see how the brand new Vizio 42.5" E43u-D2 fares.
PROS:
+ Excellent picture quality
+ Deep black levels
+ Good viewing angles
+ No noticeable input lag
+ Relatively inexpensive for what you get
+ Great image uniformity
+ Native Casting Support
+ Phone app for TV controls/adjustments
+ Good port selection
+ Supports HDMI 2.0 for 2160p, 4:4:4 color format, 8-bit color depth*
+ Excellent picture quality
+ Deep black levels
+ Good viewing angles
+ No noticeable input lag
+ Relatively inexpensive for what you get
+ Great image uniformity
+ Native Casting Support
+ Phone app for TV controls/adjustments
+ Good port selection
+ Supports HDMI 2.0 for 2160p, 4:4:4 color format, 8-bit color depth*
CONS:
- 2160p only supports 4:4:4 at 30Hz
- No built-in on-screen menu for config
- No DisplayPort Input
- 2160p only supports 4:4:4 at 30Hz
- No built-in on-screen menu for config
- No DisplayPort Input
OUT OF THE BOX & SETUP
Since this is going on my desk, basic assembly was required for the feet. But that's about it. Then it's off to the phone app to actually configure the TV itself. You can connect to WiFi or use the built-in LAN port. The phone app is the only way you can adjust the display controls, settings, etc. If you're using the remote, you can change inputs, volume, channel, enter app pairing mode, etc. Not a whole lot else.
Once you get used to it, I found it to be fairly intuitive. All of the usual settings are there, preset modes for Computer use, Movies, vivid, etc. Plus more in-depth color options and such.
Do note that there is no traditional coax TV tuner. Which as noted above, works perfectly for me. For anybody else, do make sure you have some kind of set-top-box, streaming media device, or phone/tablet to use the app which can stream lots of stuff. I haven't played with the streaming too much, but the app seems to cover the basics, such as Hulu, ChromeCast, etc.
DESKTOP
It's important to ensure your PC supports HDMI 2.0. And use HDMI 1 (ARC) on the TV. This is the latest standard. If it's an older version, you'll likely be limited to 4K @ 30Hz. While it's technically usable, it's not going to be a great experience. There will be lag and maybe even ghosting as you move the mouse, drag windows, etc. I've used this display with a GTX 980 Ti and a Dell XPS 15 (9550) with a USB-C to HDMI 2.0 converter. The built-in port on the notebook does not support HDMI 2.0.
The experience on both was about the same. I had to go into the advanced display settings to force the monitor to go to 60Hz instead of 30Hz. However, the Vizio website and spec site is somewhat misleading. It says HDMI port 1 supports "2160p@60fps, 4:4:4, 8-bit." In reality, it does, but not all together. In other words, if you want 4:4:4/RGB, you can only go up to 2160p@30Hz. Once you bump up to 60Hz, you still get 8-bit, but only 4:2:0.
One interesting note is that the included cable isn't even HDMI 2.0. It didn't work well at all. Fortunately I wasn't even expecting a cable, so already purchased a HDMI 2.0 spec cable.
Now I thought 4:2:0 would be unacceptable in desktop mode, but that's simply not the case. If I used the included cable, yes. Small text was blurry. But with a good cable, I'm running Win10 at 125% scaling and small text is nice, crisp, and clear. If I drop down to 100% is still clear, but a bit too small for my use. I also ran through Windows "ClearType" wizard to fine tune things a bit. I then did some test workflows with Outlook, IE, Chrome, Firefox, and several other Office 2013 apps. At my normal sitting distance, about 3-4 feet away, they all look and function great. I can basically have 4 1080p sized windows on one display. Awesome.
I should note I did view a chroma subsampling 4:4:4 text image; and yes, the last 2 lines aren't super crisp at 4:2:0. But honestly it's still readable and haven't found an issue in any of my personal use case scenarios. But felt I should note that because you could run into a situation where that is a problem in your use-case where certain text may not look clear or a bit "odd" due to the fact that pixels are sharing colors. Google it. :)
MOVIES & VIDEOS
I started by playing several 4K sample videos and trailers on YouTube. I simply couldn't find anything to complain about. Tried different viewing angles, looking for pixelation, stuttering, stuck pixels, flickering, etc. Nothing. One thing to keep in mind is that 4:2:0 is basically where virtually all movies and videos run at. So given I'm stuck at that color depth anyways, this type of playback is right at home.
I've been watching Transformers: Age of Extinction (Amazon Prime) at 4K for awhile now and it's quite impressive. Black levels are some of the best I've ever seen on a mainstream television. Black is black. No light bleed. No obvious dark/white splotches. It's nice.
GAMING
I do like to play the occasional Starcraft 2, GTA V, Civ5, and other similar titles. It's like I'm playing them all for the first time on this display. Completely changes the experience with the immersion and new details you never noticed before. Only complaints I have is more game developer related. Civilization doesn't scale well at higher resolutions. In that menus and text are super tiny. Fortunately, most games I've played don't have that issue.
On the phone app there is setting to change that reduces input lag. And so far, I've yet to notice any. However, it's very important to double-check in both Windows AND in your game display settings that you're at 60Hz. Sometimes they'll default to 30Hz and you will absolutely perceive that as lag.
More important, you may just be seeing lag since you're killing your GPU by trying to run at 2160p. Even the GTX 980 Ti FTW can't run everything at native without lowering details down to at least medium in most cases. Just depends on the game, and was expected. Some more particular FPS gamers might find some lag that I'm missing out on; but for me, it's just fine.
CONCLUSION
So is this a perfect monitor? Nope. Few things are. If your work/play requires something this budget oriented monitor can't deliver on, such as 2160p with 4:4:4 @ 60Hz, you'll need to keep looking elsewhere. And likely spend a bit more.
With a good HDMI 2.0 cable, quick calibration of display settings, as well as OS/App/Game graphic setting adjustments, I'm quite happy with it. If you're looking for an inexpensive large all-in-one monitor for desktop use, watching video content, or even playing games, I consider it highly recommended.
omegafiler
TX
Re: 4:4:4 @ 60Hz
June 1, 2016
Hi Ogger,
That is one hidden setting; however, enabling it had no effect. At least not on my Dell XPS 15 (9550) that I'm using. I'll try it later on my desktop. Otherwise the chroma subsampling pattern looks the same. I'd same my thoughts are the same as what had been noted on forums for the other Vizio P series display. The last 2 lines of text aren't very crisp, but are legible.
So it's better than typical 4:2:0, but not quite as good as a true 4:4:4 output. It's surprisingly good for my use though. Outside of the test pattern, no complaints.
Should also note that per Vizio support, this is all working as designed. They say it doesn't support 4:4:4 @ 60Hz without lowering settings.
0points
0of 0voted this comment as helpful.
omegafiler's Questions
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omegafiler's Answers
Monitor your physical activity with this Huawei Watch 2. Its lightweight ceramic bezel resists abrasion, and it provides workout data reports with heart rate monitoring and GPS mapping, helping you meet fitness goals. This Huawei smart watch is resistant to water and dust, protecting it from accidental splashes.
What are the pros and cons of a China version VS US version? Why doesn't the US version have a sim card 4g option like China version?
As far as I can tell, the only difference is the lack of cell functionality on the US variant. I suspect if anybody offered this, it would be through a carrier. Which is unfortunate.
6 years, 11 months ago
by
omegafiler
Monitor your physical activity with this Huawei Watch 2. Its lightweight ceramic bezel resists abrasion, and it provides workout data reports with heart rate monitoring and GPS mapping, helping you meet fitness goals. This Huawei smart watch is resistant to water and dust, protecting it from accidental splashes.
does the us model have a sim card slot
The US variant does not have a SIM slot and no 3G/4G functionality.
It does have every other band, however. Such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and NFC.
It does have every other band, however. Such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and NFC.
6 years, 11 months ago
by
omegafiler
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Tablet: With this versatile tablet's Intel® Core™ i5 processor and 12.3" Sensitive touch screen, you can stay productive all day. Type notes using the keyboard (sold separately), or navigate with the included Surface Pen, which allows you to write directly on Web pages with the Microsoft Edge browser.Learn more.
Do you recommend a certain monitor when connecting to the surface pro 4. The current monitor that I am using looks a little grainy.
Compared to the super high resolution of the Surface Pro 4, just about any older or low res monitor is going to look poor. Although do make sure you're at the "native" resolution for your external monitor. If not, it will look blurry.
If it's fine, any modern display will technically work just fine. I always suggest checking them out in person and make sure it'll meet your needs.
If it's fine, any modern display will technically work just fine. I always suggest checking them out in person and make sure it'll meet your needs.
8 years, 4 months ago
by
omegafiler
TX