Microsoft's amazing alternative to Apple's MacBook just got even better with the Surface Laptop 2

In mid-2017, Microsoft released the Surface Laptop, a break from the norm for the Redmond tech titan's growing hardware business.

Where Microsoft's other PC hardware all came with some kind of gimmick — the Surface Studio PC folds down to a drawing desk; the Surface Book laptop's screen detaches — the Surface Laptop was (mostly) a straightforward touchscreen laptop, with nothing but a solid design and a weird fabric-coated keyboard to set it apart.

And yet, the Surface Laptop distinguished itself by being actually really good; at least as good, if not better than, the Apple MacBook, its closest competitor.

With the Surface Laptop 2, available Tuesday for a starting price of $999, Microsoft really didn't re-invent the wheel. I've been using it for a few days now, not enough for a full review, but enough to tell you that with this laptop, the good news is the bad news.

 

The bad news is that it means the Surface Laptop 2 isn't wildly different from last year's model, including some of its quirks. The good news is that, generally speaking, this thing is a wonderful little laptop that stands up to the best of Apple.

A little bit of bad

First, let's get the bad news out of the way real quick. It still has the fabric-covered keyboard that some people didn't like. In my opinion, this makes the Surface Laptop weirdly cozy to type on, but also, it takes extra care to keep it clean and crumb-free. Microsoft recommends wiping the keyboard down with "a damp, lint-free cloth."

Also annoying is the fact that the Surface Laptop 2 doesn't ship with a USB-C port, the latest and, honestly, greatest standard for connecting accessories.

Whereas Apple dropped the ball by going all-in on USB-C too soon, making it the only port on its recent-model MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops, Microsoft is weirdly running the other direction by not including a USB-C port at all.