Microsoft Surface Book 2 Specs, Features, Reviews: 15-Inch Variant Being Compared to MacBook Pro
Two years after the release of Microsoft's Surface Book, the company has officially unveiled its predecessor — the Surface Book 2.
Just like new generation laptops, the Surface Book 2 comes with the latest hardware specifications and software features. Some of the common specs in both the 13.5-inch and 15-inch variants include Bluetooth 4.1 support, a 5-megapixel front camera and an 8-megapixel rear camera, Dolby Atmos sound for headphones, an SD card slot, a backlit keyboard, and Windows Hello login support.
The price of the 13.5-inch variant starts from $1,499. The base model comes with a seventh-generation Intel Core i5 7300 U processor with 8 GB of RAM, but higher-end versions are equipped with an eighth-generation Intel Core i7 8650U processor with 16 GB of RAM. It also has Nvidia GTX 1050 GPU with 2 GB of VRAM.
Meanwhile, the 15-inch display variant starts at $2,499. It is equipped with the top end eighth-generation Intel Core i7 8650U quad-core processor, 16 GB of RAM, and Nvidia GTX 1060 graphics solution with 6 GB of VRAM.
Consumers can choose from three SSD storage variants, such as 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB.
According to 9TO5Mac, the two Surface Book 2 models feature touchscreen displays, but Microsoft claims that their 15-inch variant contains more pixels than Apple's 15-inch MacBook Pro.
Microsoft is also claiming that both variants of their new laptop-tablet hybrid can get 17 hours of battery life, as per The Verge, which heavily compares to the MacBook Pro's 10-hour battery life. However, it is to be noted that while Microsoft bases its battery test through a video playback loop, Apple claims that its test is more of mixed usage.
The 15-inch model is also being compared to the MacBook Pro in terms of weight, in which it is slightly heavier than Apple's laptop.
The Microsoft Surface Book 2 will start selling on Nov. 16. Pre-orders, on the other hand, is said to begin on Nov. 9.