Microsoft on Tuesday revealed the second generation of its high-end Surface Book convertible laptop, whose display can be detached and used as a tablet. In addition to upgrading components in the 13.5-inch laptop, Microsoft is also introducing a 15-inch version.
In addition to upgrading components in the 13.5-inch laptop, Microsoft is also introducing a 15-inch version.
Both models are notable for offering up to 17 hours of battery life, while Apple's current MacBook Pro promises 10 hours. The original Surface Book gave users up to 12 hours of battery life.
"We do not recommend people use the device for 17 straight hours," Panos Panay, Microsoft vice president of devices, said at a media briefing last week. "But if you really wanted to, that was our goal."
The smaller Surface Book 2 is three times more powerful than the original, which debuted two years ago, while the larger one is five times more powerful than the first one, Panay said. As was the case with the first Surface Book, the new ones are twice as powerful as the MacBook Pro, Microsoft says.
Microsoft will begin to accept preorders on Nov. 9 and will start selling them a week later. The smaller Surface Book 2 starts at $1,499, the same price as its predecessor, and the larger version starts at $2,499.
The launch comes a couple of weeks after Google introduced the 12.3-inch Pixelbook convertible laptop, its most powerful Chromebook yet. That product starts at $999. The 13-inch MacBook Pro starts at $1,299, and the 15-inch model starts at $2,399.
In addition to the refreshed Surface Book, Microsoft makes the Surface Laptop, the Surface Studio all-in-one PC and the Surface Pro series of convertible tablets. But the Surface Book receives more hours of use per week on average than any other Surface product, Panay said.
The laptops can be configured with Intel's new eighth-generation Coffee Lake quad-core Core i7 processors, although the smaller model can be ordered with a seventh-generation Core i5 chip. The larger model lets people play games with a wirelessly connected Xbox controller. The 13.5- and 15-inch Surface Book 2 come with a USB-C port for the first time but retain Microsoft's proprietary Surface Connect charging ports.