Microsoft have been striving to present a stark alternative to Apple's coffee-shop-ubiquitous Macbook line for a while now. In the past, their Surface range of (mostly) hybrid laptops/tablets have hardly been gaming machines, but that's now changed with current range-topper, the shockingly expensive...

"... the Microsoft Surface Book 2 is a truly brilliant machine."

We liked the original Surface Book on review here at T3.com. We loved its flexibility and do-anything capabilities - it was just so powerful and premium that, despite a few minor issues, it was not hard to wholeheartedly recommend. And here, with the new Surface Book 2, nothing has changed.

Massively powerful for a 2-in-1; Battery life is excellent; Lightweight despite size and spec; Screen is superb; Can play modern AAA games at high settings

Surface Pen is not included; Drab grey finish; Speakers are so-so

If someone told us back in 1992, when Windows 3.1 was first released, that Microsoft would become known for its hardware, we would have done a double-take. Yet, with more cash flow than it knows what to do with, the Redmond-based mega-corporation has arguably introduced an entirely new category of...

Crazy long battery life; Massively powerful; Lightweight yet large tablet; Excellent cooling

No up-firing base speakers; Small trackpad; Very pricey; No Surface Pen included

After a somewhat shaky start (excuse the pun), Microsoft's Surface Book has found its stride. The new and improved Book 2 retains all that was good about the original - including beautiful design, a versatile Clipboard and an excellent keyboard and trackpad - while introducing a handful of...

Beautiful design; Clipboard works a treat; Excellent keyboard and trackpad; Gorgeous 3:2 PixelSense display; Chart-topping battery life; Fanless base specification; Good range of accessories

Doesn't support Thunderbolt 3; Surface Pen not included

The Surface Book 2 is an excellent laptop than tries to do a bit too much for its own good. While it excels in a number of areas, it's forced to make a couple of disappointing compromises that stop it from achieving its full potential.

Excellent performance; Superb screen; Great keyboard

Expensive; Surprisingly bulky; Poor battery life

Fantastic machine. Very pleased with the hardware and performance. One issue though, Microsoft's fault, is there is no printed visual accompanying the laptop showing what each connectors is. As a result, we bought the wrong connector to connect this to an external Monitor.

After being a Mac user for 5 years I decided to switch back to a PC due to compatibility issues with apple. I've always wanted one of these surface computers after seeing the one my boss has at work.

The Surface Book 2 is still one of the most unique device designs out there. The detachable display docks to a solid keyboard base, which offers a powerful GPU and plenty of battery. The extra capabilities add to a laptop that can be used in a lot of scenarios.

With prices starting at £1,500, this isn't a casual purchase – but with its detachable screen, this could be the best Windows 10 power-user laptop going

excellent keyboard; great trackpad; brilliant screen; great stylus; 9-hour battery; fancy hinge; great 2-in-1 compromise; USB A; full-sized SD and USB-C; Windows Hello; Surface Dial support; 8th generation Core i7 chips; discrete GPU

Windows still has tablet app gap; very expensive; relatively heavy; still a bit of play in the hinge; no Thunderbolt 3