Microsoft’s Arm-powered Surface Pro tablet and Surface Laptop are the next big thing in PC hardware, but what happens when they break? That’s when you head over to iFixit, search for a repair guide, and maybe even look for replacement parts.
As they’ve done for several years, iFixit has torn down the latest Microsoft Surface hardware to see how easy they are to fix.
Microsoft has been pushing devices that can be repaired by end users (or, at least, by someone who knows their way around a Torx screw). And according to iFixit’s presenter Shahram Mokhtari, the latest devices live up to that even though it seemed as if the Qualcomm Snapdragon-based hardware would make it a harder job.
The new Surface Laptop is extremely accessible when it comes to its main compartment, with just four screws under the removable laptop feet and a few magnets holding the bottom cover in place. From there you just need to remove a few screws with a 3IP Torx driver to get the battery out.
The rest of the components are mostly simple, too, at least as far as mobile electronics go, Microsoft even includes “wayfinder” guides printed on the parts, plus a QR code linking to repair guides on its site.
The only major bummer is that the RAM is soldered into place next to the Snapdragon processor, though that’s hardly a surprise. Maybe a CAMM2 infusion can help address that in the future.
The Surface Pro tablet is much harder to repair, given its more dense arrangement and the fact that you need to remove the display first to access anything except the M.2 storage drive. (The drive can come out without even opening the case, as seen on previous models.)
Even so, it’s remarkably repairable for a tablet, with most of its components coming out without any glue or just a few flexible thermal shields covering them.
iFixit is giving both the new Surface Laptop and Surface Pro tablet an 8 out of 10 provisional repairability score, a big win for Microsoft. For sake of comparison, the entirely modular Framework Laptop gets a 10 out of 10, while the most recent iPad Air (which shares some Arm DNA with the Surface Pro) gets just 3 out of 10.
Microsoft is getting even more brownie points for posting the service manuals for both new Surface devices on day one.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld
Michael is a 10-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he's the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael's previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he's covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he's always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.