The Surface Book i7: Microsoft's revamped 2-in-1 device comes with better graphics and more battery life

Microsoft may not have released the official next generation of the Surface Book, but it did make major improvements on the original. With more power and a stronger battery life, the Surface Book i7 is just what was asked for.

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The Surface Book was -- and is -- a good device. It was well received overall and there were hardly any complaints about the unit. Despite this, Microsoft was evidently listening to the few and made the necessary changes to make the device even better. The new Surface Book i7 comes with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M graphics card, which makes it powerful enough for gaming.

The original Surface Book can be used for gaming, but it is not ideal and hardly compares with its competitors in that sense. With the new graphics card, the Surface Book i7 has 2GB of video memory. While it definitely still barely holds a candle to other gaming laptops, it does give users the option to try out a game or two.

The new Surface Book i7 also comes with 30 percent more battery life, thereby giving its users as much as 16 hours of continued use. This was another complaint on the original device, as it could only run for 12 hours when connected to the keyboard base. On the other hand, the new device can run for the same 12 hours without the base.

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As Microsoft disclosed, the new Surface Book i7 comes with a 13.5 PixelSense Display and a 3000x2000 pixel resolution. Powering the device is either an Intel core i5 or i7 processor. It also comes with an option of 8GB or 16GB of RAM. Out of the box, it runs on Windows 10 Pro and includes a 30-day trial for Microsoft Office. It also has a 5 megapixel front camera and an 8 megapixel rear camera.

As of now, Microsoft has made the Surface Book i7 available in the US for pre-orders. The device is priced at US$2,400 (AU$3,140) and will start rolling out in November. However, the Redmond-based company has not disclosed when it will be available in other locations.