Consumer Reports stops recommending Microsoft Surface PCs over reliability concerns

Consumer Reports removed its recommended badge from Microsoft’s entire Surface lineup after finding the hardware significantly less reliable than most other brands. In a survey of 90,000 tablet and laptop owners, about 25 percent of Surface users reported problems by the end of the second year, including freezing, unexpected shutdowns, and touchscreen response issues.

Microsoft rejected the conclusion and said the findings do not accurately reflect Surface owners’ experiences or the improvements made in each Surface generation. The survey period ended before the Surface Laptop and updated Surface Pro were released, so the result likely reflected earlier devices such as the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book.

Reading notes

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• Consumer Reports removed the recommended badge from Microsoft’s entire Surface lineup.
• The publication said Surface hardware was significantly less reliable than most other brands.
• About 25 percent of Surface users reported problems by the end of the second year of ownership.
• The reported problems included freezing, unexpected shutdowns, and touchscreen response issues.
• Microsoft said the findings do not reflect Surface owners’ true experiences or the reliability improvements in later generations.
• The survey ended before the Surface Laptop and updated Surface Pro were released.
• Earlier Surface devices such as the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book likely affected the results.