street hunting
What I’m working on this week: The unseasonable weather has forced me to stay indoors, where I’m happy to begin my journey in Forza Horizon 6. Otherwise, I’m rooting for the last remaining Canadian team in the NHL playoffs.
Microsoft’s new Surface Laptop for business (8th edition)Also known as the Surface Laptop 8, it has one defining feature that I think is reason enough for many to look for a generational upgrade.
I’m talking about the integrated privacy screena first for any Surface product and a key tool in a busy professional’s fight against data security.
It’s an optional upgrade that’s only available on the 13.8-inch Surface Laptop 8, but hey, at least it’s something that further separates the regular “business” and consumer Surface devices.
Surface isn’t the only brand to offer built-in privacy screens, nor the first. Nothing of the sort. I’ll go back to when this type of privacy feature first came to HP and take a look at how some of the big laptop brands implemented it in the years since.
What brand had the first integrated laptop privacy screen?
The Surface is far from the first laptop to feature an integrated privacy screen. HP Secure View The method made its will debut in 2016 on the EliteBook 840 G3 and EliteBook 1040 G3and we actually have a hands-on video with the original implementation, which I’ve included above.
Blast from the past
The main comment on the 2016 Insurance Watch video reads, “They already have this. They are called screens with bad viewing angles…“Sometimes it’s nice to remember how far display technology has come in the last decade!
Like any good privacy screen, HP’s Sure View was able to cut out 95% of visible light when viewed from an angle, making the screen impossible to see if you’re not sitting facing it like the actual user.
It was not a permanent feature, it was only activated by pressing the Fn + F2 shortcut. This is really what sets it apart from alternative third-party options that required you to glue an extra layer to the screen after purchase. These alternatives, of course, could not be turned on and off.
HP followed up its original Sure View display with a second-generation version in 2018 EliteBook x360 G2 we reviewedand at the time, editor-in-chief of Windows Central Daniel Rubino took a deep dive into technology.
He second generation version Switched to a method that uses off-axis contrast reduction, resulting in a bright white panel if viewed at an angle.
Rubino noted that the biggest disadvantages of a Sure View Gen 2 privacy screen were less battery life (on a 20% difference between always on and always off) and a higher cost (about $111 for the update).
Of course, there were also ongoing issues with image quality and poor contrast when Sure View was activated.
The third generation of Sure View It returned to a darker privacy screen that boosted security beyond the first two generations. Safe See Reflect It later emerged as a patented fourth-generation method that uses copper dyes to perform better in dark and bright environments.
Sure View technology is still present in a wide range of HP professional laptops, giving buyers that extra protection against visual hacking that is so important when working in crowded spaces.
Lenovo Privacy Guard arrives to compete with HP Sure View
Not to be left behind, ThinkPad maker lenovo presented his Privacy Guard feature a couple of years after HP introduced Sure View; Right around the time HP was working on its third generation implementation. Privacy Guard first arrived on the company’s flagship 14-inch ThinkPads, including the legendary T480.
Basically, Privacy Guard worked the same way as HP Sure View, giving users a shortcut to toggle privacy. The biggest difference between HP and Lenovo was that the latter focused more on preserving image quality. Still, its low brightness made some think twice before purchasing.
The brightness issues were mostly resolved on the second-generation Privacy Guard displays, and Lenovo finally incorporated Privacy Guard into its overall strategy. think shield security toolset, where it remains today.
This is also when Privacy alert was introduced into the mix. Lenovo was the first company to combine its infrared cameras with tracking software to recognize when eyes other than your own were looking at your screen. Once tilted, the laptop would enable Privacy Guard or at least give a warning on the screen.
These advances have now evolved into modernity. Human presence detection which can lock and unlock your PC automatically, notify you of viewers and much more. Of course, Dell and HP have also added these features to many of their own laptops.
How does Dell handle privacy screens on its laptops?
dell Secure screen came to 2019 for select Latitude 7000 business laptops, and its implementation was almost identical to that of Lenovo and HP. Simply press a shortcut on your keyboard to enable the privacy screen and continue working.
However, the internal workings were different from the first generation Sure View. Dell chose to rely completely on the screen backlight to darken the image. Although it reduced the viewing angles and also didn’t drain battery life as much, it also affected the actual user sitting in front.
Like HP and Lenovo, Dell’s SafeScreen has evolved to be easier on the eyes and has joined other advanced security features to better protect your data when you work in public.
How is the new Surface privacy screen different?
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Our editor-in-chief, Daniel Rubino, was one of the first in the world to try the new Surface Laptop 8 privacy screen and shared some insights into why it’s different from other laptop implementations.
As Rubino explains, Surface takes a similar approach to what Samsung did with his Galaxy S26 Ultra.
Basically, there are wide and narrow view pixels, and switching between them creates the effect. As far as I know, this is the first time it’s been implemented this way on a laptop.
Daniel Rubino
The best part of the Microsoft/Samsung approach is that the privacy screen Does not harm brightness, color reproduction or contrast..
Rubino tested 100% sRGB, 89% AdobeRGB, and 100% P3 color reproduction using a colorimeter with and without the privacy screen enabled. He was also able to hit the same. 500 nits with privacy activated.
Surface’s privacy screen isn’t quite perfect… but it’s close
I appreciate how Microsoft took the best current privacy technology on the market and applied it to the Surface. It fits into the “boutique” market that Surface has always been a member of, with higher prices reflecting premium features and design. Leave it to Surface to do better.
However, the cost here for the privacy screen upgrade is quite aggressive, with models supporting the 13.8-inch Surface Laptop 8. from $2,549.99. I don’t think it makes any sense that you can’t add 5G connectivity AND a privacy screen; Wouldn’t those who need wireless data to work on the go also want additional privacy?
There is also the question of the finish of the screen. Microsoft only offers the privacy screen with a anti-glare coatingwhile those without a filter use a higher anti-reflective finish.
Finally, the lack of Human presence detection shows how Microsoft is still adapting to its new privacy feature. Maybe that’s not such a big deal in your world, but to me, it’s something I hope gets fixed in the next generation of Surface.
I want to know your opinion on laptop privacy screens.
I had a great time looking through the extensive Windows Central archives while researching this article, and I hope it helped highlight a laptop feature that I think is often overlooked.
Now I want to know your experience. On what type of laptop (and what year) did you first experience a built-in privacy screen? Was it satisfactory?
If you’ve considered using one in the past, what stopped you? Brightness or contrast concerns? Battery concerns?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below!
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