Microsoft Surface
Panos Panay, Corporate Vice President for Surface Computing demonstrates the new Microsoft Surface Studio computer at a live event in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S.,October 26, 2016. Reuters/Lucas Jackson

The Microsoft Surface Book i7 is the second device in its convertible laptop series and the device features a 13.5-inch tablet as its top half. Pen and Touch support have been provided to its PixelSense screen and the keyboard that is the base of the Surface Book i7 hosts a graphics chip that makes the device better than most other devices in the market currently.

The “Dynamic Fulcrum Hinge” is still there despite reports that Microsoft would drop it. In terms of design, it looks very similar to its predecessor. The PixelSense screen has a resolution of 3200x2400 pixels. It uses Intel’s dual-core 6th-gen Skylake Core i7-6600U chipset, SSD from 256GB to 1TB and 8GB and 16GB LPDDR3 options.

Tech enthusiasts, fans and experts have all praised the laptop’s incredible speed and long battery life that is better than any other laptop in its class, writes PC World. Some have even stated that the Microsoft Surface Book i7 is somewhat more practical than Apple’s MacBook Pro 2016.

The device offers both full-tablet and stylus modes and retains the full-size USB-3 and SD card slots. Thus, the hybrid laptop that doubles as a tablet too is the perfect choice for those who can afford it. This brings the price factor in question. The Microsoft Surface Book i7 is expensive.

As per CNET, the Surface Book i7 is an expensive one, starting at US$2,399 (AU$3,150) for 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM. Upgrading it to 1TB of storage and 16GB RAM will make one shell out US$3,299 (AU$4,330).

This perhaps is the biggest downside of Microsoft Surface Book i7. It’s frightfully expensive. Experts have criticised Microsoft for not including the Kaby Lake chipset at that price. However, those who have used the hybrid have all praised its incredible graphics performance. It is clear that Microsoft has put in a lot of time and effort in bettering the laptop’s graphics performance.

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