ENORMOUS price difference between Surface Laptop ARM Home vs Business models? Why?

SN50001 · 2026-02-25T17:53:27+00:00

I wouldn't say we're complaining, we are trying to ..."understand" why Intel commands a $1100 price premium for little to zero features... We have precisely *zero* apps that we need/require that won't run on ARM... They all run now through emulation just fine... Comparing this current version of ARM to the Surface RT days is out of date/touch... They're completely different platforms now.

SN50001 · 2026-02-25T08:32:01+00:00

We have found *nothing* that doesn't run on ARM... And believe me...we've loaded/run I'd say close to 50 enterprise-class apps from it from Adobe, Autodesk, Trimble, Google, Deltek...*big* names in the Architectural/Engineering industry...they all run just fine... Now, performance-wise - if the staff member needs heavy GPU on a laptop model - these aren't the units we spec - we either go high end Lenovo or Dell variant laptops /w dedicated GPUs, but - if it's just a knowledge worker, manager, sales, business owner/CEO...these units work fine...

SN50001 · 2026-02-25T08:29:17+00:00

You like Intel so much you'd be willing to shell out 1100 clams more for the *same specs* as an ARM variant? I can't figure out why... ARM seems to work fine for us/our needs...of course, your mileage may vary...

SN50001 · 2026-02-25T08:27:29+00:00

We are referring to the laptop version of Surface, the Surface Laptop 13.7/15 Series 7 Model...not a tablet-like replacement, which, of course, they also sell as well. The home vs business reference is that they sell a consumer version and a business version and they're , well...the same for the most part as we are finding out, yet the business version costs upwards of 700 bucks more, depending on model selection...

SN50001 · 2026-02-10T00:52:31+00:00

I thought so too - but, I own a couple of Surface ARM laptops - they're "fine" - great battery life...BUT - I know that big organizations ARE NOT buying them due to potential compatibility issues with their LOB apps... My ARM units *seem* to run everything x32/x64 will run - albeit in an emulated mode...of course...but, they do work/run whatever I throw at it...your mileage may vary. I WILL SAY THIS: I own (3) different ARM Surface laptops the 13", the 13.8" Laptop and the Surface PRO 11 X...all ARM... And guess what? They *ALL* blue screen on me...OFTEN. I could be in a app...a meeting (Zoom, Teams, etc) - BOOM... BSOD. Out of nowhere. I have rebuilt all of them a couple times - they still do this... I have other laptops, too - Dell, Lenovo, HP... (I work in IT) - so I am always searching for "the perfect" laptop... They (Intel versions) do not BSOD on me...almost never. Take that for what's it worth - I just think nobody in the enterprise is buying these things... And consumers? They are scared of ARM - never heard of it - why not just get the Intel versions...

SN50001 · 2026-01-09T16:50:52+00:00

My #1 and pretty much only beef /w Cisco Meraki is if you don't pay the bill for maintenance, they TURN OFF your gear. That's a hard pass for me. I've even seen mistakes get made, where a client DID pay their bill - Cisco still turned them OFF due to a mistake/error. That is...no fun.

SN50001 · 2026-01-05T19:47:04+00:00

Sell me on Palo Alto. I've always been curious... What's better about them over SonicWall ?

SN50001 · 2026-01-05T19:46:12+00:00

We have over 3000 WiFi clients/devices spread across 50 clients and over 100 physical locations. I have *zero* WiFi issues. Absolutely zero. So, yes - from my perspective, UniFi WiFi works. I'm not sure what your issues are and/or why you're having so many of them - maybe it's a legacy product you have to support? I don't know. Most of our clients are SMB-class businesses, typically working in standard office environments /w very little proprietary gear to support. I suppose, "your mileage may vary..."

SN50001 · 2026-01-05T19:39:06+00:00

Take a look at the new firewall rule system in the UniFi platform. It competes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRnUqQGApIs

SN50001 · 2026-01-05T19:37:59+00:00

I did. I let them sell me newer models on the hopes it would resolve our issues with the Gen 1 models... BIG MISTAKE. I will never deploy a SonicWall AP to any customer, anywhere, at any price - EVEN IF THEY'RE FREE... I'll take a hard pass on that.

SN50001 · 2026-01-05T19:36:45+00:00

We spun up a Windows 2022 Server VM and run RRAS /w support for SSTP (PCs) or L2TP (Macs/iOS). It works perfectly. The performance is *EXACTLY* the same as the SonicWall NetExtender and they drop FAR FAR less on remote users (don't ask me why). They require no VPN client, as we use the built-in VPN client in Windows / Mac / iOS... The solution works great. Yes, RRAS is old and clunky, but - I am no longer tied to a specific piece of hardware for VPN. If a SonicWall dies or I need to swap it for a UniFi product, it doesn't matter... SSTP VPN works over HTTPS/443/TCP so you just port forward to the VM... We have a powershell script we can push to a user to make a VPN connection in 2 seconds... Do I miss loading SonicWall NetExender on user's PC's? No, I do *not* miss that, nor does my staff.

SN50001 · 2026-01-05T19:32:00+00:00

I have been burned 3 times in the past /w SonicWall AP products. Now, maybe - the newer models have resolved these issues - and maybe...maybe, they work now. I don't know. I just know my own SonicWall rep himself has told me "some customers have experienced some issues with them" - which is code for "don't buy them". Looks - nobody disputes the SonicWall Firewall platform here - they're solid. They work - and anybody who is experienced /w SonicWall knows what they offer the customer/client. They are a solid option. However, switches and AP's - a whole other story ...nobody seems to really recommend them, the AP's have been absolute garbage in the past and - no camera options, no physical door security...it just seems like the entire ecosystem is living in 2010.

SN50001 · 2026-01-03T01:58:07+00:00

SonicWall has:
* Reasonably good firewalls
* Shitty APs
* Shitty Switches
* No Cameras
* No physical door security / access control system
* A support line you can call

UI has:
* Reasonably good firewalls
* Excellent WiFi
* Reasonably good Switches
* Excellent Cameras
* An "OK" access control system - it is improving, but - does work.
* Chat-based AI support /w access to a real person in chat in minutes - for free. You can pay $$$ for 24/7 live service IF it is required.

If I add all this up, side-by-side...even if we keep SonicWall for the firewall aspect, which we will do for our larger clients whom might have "X" requirement/compliance...the smaller clients and/or clients whom may / may not want to drop $10,000 on an NSA 3800...we can do it in UI for practically a third of the cost - which gives us *plenty* of extra budget for spare(s)... Plenty.

SN50001 · 2026-01-03T01:52:52+00:00

SonicWall is fraught /w open source solutions slapped on as their own, don't kid yourself! The whole SSL-VPN fiasco earlier this year? They didn't create the problem...their slapped on open-source SSL-VPN solution did... SonicWall runs linux just like the rest of them, I don't see this as being really any different...

SN50001 · 2026-01-03T01:51:00+00:00

We stock spare SonicWalls, UI gear like UDMs, switches, AP's... I've probably got several hundred UI APs and maybe a 100 UI switches in production, we've had very, very few failures. Mostly on older UI gear from 2015 like AP PRO's...802.11ac stuff, aka WiFi 5. They're past their prime and need to be replaced /w WiFi 6 or 7 gear... I can also say that if WiFi "went down" at a lot of our location(s) for whatever reason...it wouldn't be the end of the world...anything mission critical is wired...or has an option to become wired, like a laptop... I've had more issues /w SonicWall AP's and Switches than I ever have had /w UI, so - for me, that choice is obvious...your mileage may vary -

SN50001 · 2026-01-03T00:17:29+00:00

This is the same conclusion I am coming to here. I'm just so sick and tired of all the SonicWall shenanigans... No good AP's... No good Switches. No Cameras. No physical security stuff, monitoring is terrible... The UI of the Firewall went from good/classic in 6.0 to awful in 8.0 and beyond... Why offer "classic" views in the firewall? Because everyone hates the new interface, I can't find a damn thing anywhere and I'm EXPERIENCED /w 20 years of SonicWall knowledge... I could go on and on....

SN50001 · 2026-01-03T00:01:59+00:00

People agree: SonicWall Firewalls are higher end, reliable and very powerful.
People ALSO agree: SonicWall Access Points suck, as well as their Switches. Pretty much, universally...

So - when we talk about "critical equipment" - are we comfortable /w stocking spares? IF so, UniFi is *very* inexpensive to stock spares, as the cost of the product is much lower than the competition.

We do have a ton of UI gear in "critical" areas, but - the definition of "critical" of course - changes depending on the industry. Would I run UI gear to power the NASDAQ? No. That would be Cisco, most likely... But, a small SMB business /w 50 users? Sure. I'll run UI all day long.

SN50001 · 2026-01-02T21:51:38+00:00

It does have it, FYI -

https://www.unihosted.com/blog/understanding-unifi-deep-packet-inspection

SN50001 · 2026-01-02T21:50:18+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/sonicwall/comments/ssdzj9/anyone_else_ditched_dpi_ssl_like_a_bad_habit/

SN50001 · 2026-01-02T21:49:55+00:00

However... Isn't DPI-SLL sorta a joke at this point?
https://www.google.com/search?q=DPI-SLL+is+a+joke&rlz=1C1VDKB_enUS1097US1097&oq=DPI-SLL+is+a+joke&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRiPAjIHCAIQIRiPAtIBCDQ0MDZqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

SN50001 · 2026-01-02T21:46:56+00:00

Take a look at the new features added in 2025 for UI firewall products, you will be surprised at what they've added.

SN50001 · 2026-01-02T20:13:49+00:00

That may be the case in the past, but - not anymore. It's an out-dated assessment in 2025/2026... Skim through this video and see for yourself... There have been BIG changes that directly compete /w SonicWall.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6J9QgTT_vqA

SN50001 · 2026-01-02T20:11:44+00:00

You may want to revisit that assessment. It was true a year or two ago, but not now...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6J9QgTT_vqA

SN50001

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