14 DAY TRIAL // The new Surface Pro 6, which was announced by Microsoft in early October, is also available in a black finish, which although it looks very sexy, appears to wear off way too easily.
This is what a series of early customers claim on posts on social media (here and here), with several photos published as evidence that the black paint chips way in some parts of the body.
Furthermore, there are several buyers who reveal that the device scratches away with the smallest effort, especially in the areas around the Microsoft logo on the back.
While some believe that this might be related to the way the black finish is applied to the magnesium body, an alleged Microsoft employee says the issue is already being monitored by the company.
“We're (we, as in Microsoft) are monitoring this. We've had a few stores report demo units chip as well, but I think it's a one-off situation as the Surface Laptop had a couple of issues with finish like this. My belief is the fact the paint cure time is quite long (upwards of 2 months) and some batches that are freshly made are being sold just right past the cusp of the finish fully curing,” they say.
Just use a skin to prevent paint damage
Surface Pro 6 is not anodized, but instead uses a tough ceramic oxide layer applied directly to the magnesium body. Microsoft says that several other black finish layers are then applied to the device.
At this point, it’s not yet known if this is a widespread problem or not, but using a skin is pretty much the easiest way to hide any physical damage the device may experience. At the same time, some have tried using a Sharpie to paint the areas where the Surface Pro 6 got scratched, but it goes without saying that this is just a temporary workaround.
We’ve reached out to Microsoft for more details on this possible manufacturing defect and we’ll update the article if an answer is offered.
Via DT