Software giant Microsoft today introduced the Surface Book 2, the second generation of its high-end notebook and tablet hybrid. Since it can’t upset any OEM partners) the company continues to compete with Apple’s MacBook Pro notebook family.
Surface Book 2 packs “the latest 8th Gen Intel Core processors and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 and 1060 discrete graphics options, which Microsoft says makes it up to five times faster than the original Surface Book and “twice as powerful as the latest MacBook Pro.”
Battery performance aside, the hybrid device’s battery life numbers that will be impressive if they pan out: 17 hours. The disclaimer here is that number only describes continuous video playback, but Apple rates both the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro at up to 10 hours of video playback, so it’s still a jump if true.
Surface Book 2 is available with a 13.5-inch or 15-inch display, just like other Surface product that can be detached from the keyboard and used as a tablet. It also can be folded or reattached in Studio Mode or View Mode. Microsoft added that the Surface Book 2 has 45 percent more pixels than the latest MacBook Pro. The 15-inch model has a resolution of 3240 x 2160 pixels, good for 267 PPI.
Surface Book 2 starts at $1,499 for the 13.5-inch model with a Core i5 processor, Intel HD Graphics 620, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. While the 15-inch model starts at $2,499 with a Core i7 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics, 8GB of memory, and 256GB of storage.
The tablet-laptop hybrid pre-orders begin November 9 on Microsoft's website and at its retail stores in the United States and select other countries. Deliveries will begin when the device launches November 16. No word on if the 2 will redeem the Surface Book in the eyes of Consumer Reports which pulled its recommendation over poor reliability.
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