Surface Book 2: Microsoft upgrades hybrid product to cater to a more precise market
The Surface Book 2, which is technically the Surface Book i7 or the Surface Book with Performance Base, is one of Microsoft’s most popular new products. It is basically a slight upgrade from the original device, but with a better and more powerful base unit.
The strongest selling point of the Surface Book has always been its feature to transform from a standard notebook to a tablet, thereby making it one of the most efficient hybrid devices in the industry. It acts as a laptop when connected to the keyboard, but separating the screen from its base turns it into a tablet. And while the original Surface Book was well received, the Surface Book i7 is even better though more costly at US$3,299 (AU$4,360).
The Performance Base sports an upgraded GPU, which features a 2GB GDDR5 Nvidia 965M chip. Microsoft also improved the battery life as the entire Surface Book i7 will reportedly last 16 hours on a full charge. Straight from the box, the device also runs on the latest update of Windows 10.
Interested buyers have an option between 8GB or 16GB of RAM, as well as internal storage variants of 256GB, 512GB and 1TB. The weight of the laptop is relatively heavy at 1,647g, while the tablet itself is 725g. The screen, which is 13.5 inches with PixelSense, boasts a 3000x2000 pixel resolution. It also has the same sixth generation Intel Core i7 processor, Surface Pen compatibility, USB A 3.0 ports, SD Card slot and 3.5mm audio jack as the original.
One possible drawback of the Surface Book i7 is that it is slightly heavier and thicker than its predecessor. However, as Windows Central reported, it actually feels better to hold and use. Furthermore, Microsoft delivers on what it seems to have intended, which is a powerful device that caters to the top-end of the market.
