Skip to main content

Can’t afford a Surface Pro? What about Fujitsu’s alternative?

If there is one thing that will always happen in the computing industry, it’s that if a product is popular, it won’t take long for competitors to appear. While Tim Cook might continue to deride Microsoft’s attempts to compete with the iPad and Macbooks of the world with its Surface Book and Surface Pro lines, Fujitsu is all-in with the 2-in-1s, launching a competitor of its own.

It’s called the R726, and it’s a 12 inch, convertible tablet with keyboard cover. It’s built within a magnesium-aluminium alloy chassis, and has a kick stand to make it operate more like a laptop, picture frame or TV as and when you want it to. It measures just 0.4 inches thick at its widest point and weights less than 1.75 lbs, making it one of the more portable 2-in-1s out there.

Internally it’s not too shabby either, with a dual-core, four-threaded i3-6100U from the latest generation of Skylake hardware. That’s just the base model, though, with options for up to a Core-i5-6200U from the same generation. Whichever you opt for however, it always comes with 4GB of RAM, with options for storage ranging up to 512GB. No matter the size, the drive always uses the M.2 SATA SSD standard, so it should be very quick.

Outside connectivity is handled by a Gigabit Ethernet port, as well as support for 802.11ac Wi-Fi, though there are cellular data and NFC modules for additional connectivity if desired. The tablet portion of the two-in-one has a USB 3.0 port, and Mini-DisplayPort, too.

Perhaps the most attractive feature of the whole thing is that Fujitsu is claiming a battery life for the device as long as 12 hours, which is rather impressive.

We still don’t have any pricing information, but the release date is slated for sometime in February next year. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more about this potential Surface Pro alternative.

Editors' Recommendations

Jon Martindale
Jon Martindale is the Evergreen Coordinator for Computing, overseeing a team of writers addressing all the latest how to…
Should you buy the Surface Pro 9, or wait for the Surface Pro 10?
The screen of the Surface Pro 9.

When it comes to laptops, it seems like there's always something new and exciting over the horizon. In the case of the Microsoft Surface Pro line, that's literally the case right now, with the Surface Pro 10 almost certainly set to debut at the end of September. But what do you do if you need another 2-in-1 laptop right now?

Should you wait a little longer for the Surface Pro 10, or get a Surface Pro 9 instead?

Read more
This tiny ThinkPad can’t quite keep up with the MacBook Air M2
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 3 rear view showing lid and logo.

While the laptop industry continues to move toward 14-inch laptops and larger, the 13-inch laptop remains an important category. One of the best is the Apple MacBook Air M2, with an extremely thin and well-built chassis, great performance, and incredibly long battery life.

Lenovo has recently introduced the third generation of its ThinkPad X1 Nano, one of the lightest laptops we've tested and a good performer as well. It's stiff competition, but which of these two diminutive laptops stands apart?
Specs and configurations

Read more
Asus ZenBook S 13 Flip vs. HP Spectre x360 13.5: you can’t go wrong
Drawing on the HP Spectre x360 13.5 inch model.

When it comes to 360-degree convertible 2-in-1s, you have a lot of options. Some of them are among the best laptops you can buy. HP's Spectre x360 13.5 is a prime example, making our lists of both the best 2-in-1s and best laptops and for quite some time representing the best that the class has to offer.

But Asus has been a serious player in this form factor as well, putting out several machines that have been close to making both lists. Its latest ZenBook S 13 Flip is a prime example, and it has an ace up its sleeve: it's a very light laptop that makes it easier to use as a tablet. Does that give it enough to dethrone the Spectre x360 13.5?
Specs and configurations

Read more