A thousand strangers teamed up to make this amazing $1,500 alternative to the Microsoft Surface Pro
The Eve V is a tablet/laptop two-in-one, running Windows 10. In principle, it's a lot like the Microsoft Surface Pro.
That means you can yank the keyboard off, and use it like a big ol' tablet. It even comes with a stylus for taking notes.
Here's the Eve V...
...and here's the Surface Pro. Same idea.
The Eve V is being sold in batches to superfans. Eve says that by making small batches sold directly to customers they don't have to keep inventory on hand, which means savings they can pass on to customers.
The Eve V is offered in various configurations, from $799 all the way up to a tip-top of the line $1999 model. And it comes with a stylus and the keyboard — accessories that will cost you an additional $99 and $159, respectively, with the Surface Pro.
What makes the Eve V so special? Well, Eve, the startup that makes the Eve V, thought that the Surface Pro was great, but could maybe not high-end enough for real power users.
So Eve built up a community of true believers — anybody who contributed to the Eve V crowdfunding campaign got a vote on everything from the size of the device, to which processor it uses, to the material of the keyboard cover.
Previously, Eve CEO Konstantinos Karatsevidis told Business Insider that the "V" refers to the device's original codename, "Pyramid Flipper" — as in, turning the usual top-down model of hardware development on its head.
And what they came up with is a really thoughtful device that improves on the Surface Pro in some really interesting ways.
A good example, pictured here: The included keyboard cover is also a Bluetooth device, so you can detach it from the Eve V and keep working. The Surface Pro's keyboard comes separately for $159, and only works when attached to the device.
Another nice perk is that the power button is also a fingerprint reader, so you can unlock the Eve V as you turn it on or wake it up from sleep.
The speakers are pretty good, the design is nice, and it's a stock-standard version of Windows 10 without any Eve-specific software. The crowd came through with a nice, fresh product, overall.
Earlier in the Eve V's development, Karatsevidis told Business Insider that the company originally thought people wanted a super-thin, super-light computer. Not so: It turned out the people really wanted more ports and better battery life, even if it meant a chunkier computer than the Surface Pro.
On the subject of battery life, I have to report that the Eve V got only about 4 hours on a charge.
However, Karatsevidis assures me that my experience is uncommon. And other reviewers of the Eve V have gotten anywhere from 8 to 10 hours. Plus, Eve promises that software updates are coming to the Eve V that will improve the battery life further.
Even giving Eve the benefit of the doubt here, though, it highlights an issue that would-be Eve V buyers should be aware of.
The company is new and untested, and there might be some kinks to work out as it gets off the ground. And as a startup, Eve's customer support game might not be as strong as that of a more established company like Microsoft or Apple.
And boy, does the Eve V have ports. It has two USB-C ports, which can be used to charge it up. It also sports two regular-issue USB ports, a Micro SD card reader, and, yes, a headphone jack.
The Surface Pro, for comparison, sports one USB port, the proprietary Surface Connect port for charging, a mini-DisplayPort, the MicroSD card reader, and the headphone jack. In that sense, the Eve V is more forward-looking -- it even supports the rising Thunderbolt 3 standard for external 4K displays.
There are some fun little touches, too. Instead of a "Backspace" key, the Eve V says "Oops." And by pushing the Windows key and the V together, you can actually change the color of the backlighting on the keys.
Generally speaking, the Eve V is a joy to use. It's fast and responsive, and not bad to look at, either. It doesn't have enough horsepower for serious gaming, but it's great for the power user on the go. The screen is nice, too -- it's brighter with better colors than the Surface Pro.
The stylus works well, too, if you like using your tablet for sketching or taking notes.
That said, there are some places where the wisdom of the crowd fails. Most noticeably, the mouse trackpad on the keyboard cover is only okay, and way worse than that of the Surface Pro.
Still, for the power user, or someone looking for something a little bit different, I do recommend the Eve V. Good luck getting one, though: Eve is selling it in batches, and the last batch sold out in only three hours.
If you want to get on the waiting list, here's the link.
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