On October 10, 2015, Microsoft unveiled the Surface Book. Good god, how I wanted that laptop. It represented a new direction for Microsoft, one where the company would not only compete in portability, but also in power. Though the Surface Book didn’t have quite the brawn of gaming laptop counterparts, it came close, while far exceeding them in style and creative potential.
Being a poor college student at the time, there was no way I could afford such a laptop. But I vowed that I would get one at some point after I got a real job, and in November 2017, I pre-ordered a Surface Book 2.
Even though the Surface Book 2 still holds its weight (it’s the laptop I’m typing on right now!), I’ve been eagerly awaiting its successor. As applications got more demanding and the number of assets I needed to work grew, I started to hold out hope for a Surface Book 3. And today that’s finally here.
This morning, Microsoft is announcing a whole slew of Surface products. While it couldn’t announce them in the form of a big event like usual, there is a lot to unpack here, including a new Surface Book, Surface Earbuds, Surface Headphones, Surface Go, and a new Surface Dock. Let’s get into it.
Surface Book 3
The Surface Book 3 doesn’t look all that different from the Surface Book 2. In fact, the exterior remains mostly unchanged.
The biggest changes are inside. This time, we’ve got the 10th gen Intel i5 1035G7 or i7 1065G7 processor in the 13.5-inch, and only the i7 on the 15-inch. The 13-inch comes with integrated Iris graphics or a discrete Nvidia 1650 GPU on the 13.5-inch, and a GTX 1660 or Quadro RTX 3000 on the 15-inch.
The laptops also come with up to 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage, up from the 16GB of RAM and 1TB storage maxed-out option in the Surface Book 2.
The Surface Book 2 experienced an issue where the battery would drain if the laptop was at max load, but Microsoft has boosted the power supply of the Surface Book 3 15-inch to 127W to mitigate this issue.
The Surface Book 3 will start at $1,599, available May 21.
| Surface Book 3 13.5-inch | Surface Book 3 15-inch | |
|---|---|---|
| Display | Screen: 13.5� PixelSense Display
Resolution: 3000 x 2000 (267 PPI) Aspect ratio: 3:2 Contrast ratio: 1600:1 Touch: 10 point multi-touch G |
Screen: 15� PixelSense Display
Resolution: 3240 x 2160, (260 PPI) 10 point multi-touch G5 Aspect ratio: 3:2 Contrast ratio: 1600:1 |
| CPU | Quad-core 10th gen Intel® Core processor Quad-core 10th gen Intel® Core i5-1035G7 processor
Quad-core 10th gen Intel® Core Quad-core 10th Gen Intel® Core |
Quad-core 10th Gen Intel® Core processor
Quad-core 10th Gen Intel® Core |
| GPU | Intel® i5-1035G7 models
Intel® Iris Intel® i7-1065G7 models NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 with Max-Q Design w/4GB GDDR5 graphics memory |
Intel® i7-1065G7 models
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design w/6GB GDDR6 graphics memory NVIDIA® Quadro RTX Design w/6GB GDDR6 graphics memoryiv |
| RAM | 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB 3733Mhz LPDDR4x | 16GB or 32GB 3733Mhz LPDDR4x |
| Storage | Solid-state drive (SSD) options: 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB PCIe SSD | Solid-state drive (SSD) options: 256GB, 512GB,
1TB, or 2TB* PCIe SSD *2TB storage available in the U.S. |
| Battery | Connected to keyboard base: Up to 15.5 hours of typical device usage | Connected to keyboard base: Up to 17.5 hours of typical device usage |
| Ports | 2 x USB-A (version 3.1 Gen 2)
1 x USB-C 3.5mm headphone jack 2 x Surface Connect ports (one on keyboard base, one on tablet) Full-size SDXC card reader Compatible with Surface Dial* on- and off-screen interaction |
2 x USB-A (version 3.1 Gen 2)
1 x USB-C 3.5mm headphone jack 2 x Surface Connect ports (one on keyboard base, one on tablet) Full-size SDXC card reader Compatible with Surface Dial* on- and off-screen interaction |
| Cameras | Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing)
5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p HD video 8.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p HD video |
Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing)
5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p HD video 8.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p HD video |
| Charging | Intel Core i5 65W Surface Power Supply w/USB-A (5W) charging port
Intel Core |
127W Surface Power Supply w/USB-A (7W) charging port
Quick Start Guide |
Surface Go 2
The original Surface Go was a hit, with its low cost and high versatility. This time, Microsoft is improving on the Surface Go design with a larger, higher density 10.5-inch display, improved battery life, and a newer 8th-generation Intel Core M processor.
Microsoft says it’s also added higher-quality microphones to make video calls better, and the microSD card allows you to add up to 1TB of storage.
The Surface Go 2 will be available starting May 12 for $399.
| Surface Book Go 2 | |
|---|---|
| Display | Screen: 10.5-inch PixelSense DisplayResolution: 1920 x 1280 (220 PPI)Aspect Ratio: 3:2Contrast Ratio 1500:1Touch: 10-point multi-touchCorning®Gorilla® Glass 3 |
| CPU | Intel®Pentium®Gold Processor 4425Y8thGen Intel® Core m3 Processor |
| GPU | Intel®UHD Graphics 615 |
| RAM | 4GB/8GB RAM |
| Storage | 64GB eMMC128GB Solid State Drive (SSD)7 |
| Battery | WiFi: Up to 10 hours of typical device usage LTE Advanced:3 Up to 10 hours of typical device usage |
| Ports | 1 x USB-C 1 x Surface Connect Surface Type Cover PortMicroSDXC card reader3.5mm headphone jack |
| Cameras, Video and Audio | Windows Hello face sign-in camera (front-facing)5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p HD Skype HD video8.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p HD videoDual Studio Mics2W stereo speakers with Dolby®Audio Premium |
| Charging | 24 W power supply |
Surface Headphones 2
The Surface Headphones 2 doesn’t look all that different from the original, but Microsoft says it has improved audio quality and battery life, rating them at 20 hours of battery life.
The earcups can also now swivel 180-degrees, which make the headphones rest more comfortably on your shoulders, and they now offer 13 levels of ambient noise control. They also come in black.
The Surface Headphones 2 will be available for $249 starting on May 12.
Surface Earbuds
We’ve been waiting on the Surface Earbuds since October of last year, and Microsoft is finally putting them on sale.
Much like the Pixel Buds, Surface Earbuds have touch controls that allow you to control music or listen to notifications, and they also have integration with Microsoft 365 which allows you to more easily dictate in apps like Word or PowerPoint.
The Surface Earbuds will be available for $199, starting May 12.
Whether the new Microsoft devices hold up to their reputations is yet to be seen, but we’re excited to try them out soon. What do you think about Microsoft’s new products? Are they worthy successors?