Microsoft introduced the sequel we’ve all been waiting for: the Surface Book 2. The Surface Book launched two years ago making it Microsoft’s first attempt at a more traditional laptop. As a Microsoft Surface owner, I have eagerly been waiting for the sequel. If you don’t know, the Surface Book has been my daily work computer for almost two years. A couple months back, I wrote about what I love and hate about the Surface Book. While some of my major qualms are still evident in the sequel, such as the headphone jack placement, I really think the Surface Book 2 is a major improvement over its predecessor. Here’s what to love about the new Surface Book 2.
There are two different models
The Surface Book only came with a 13.5-inch model. The Surface Book 2 will now give you the additional option of a bigger 15-inch model. The 13.5-inch will weigh in at 3.38 lbs, while the larger 15-inch will weigh in at 4.2 lbs. For reference, the 15-inch MacBook Pro weighs 4.02 lbs. This is huge for power users who want to leverage a larger work space on an almost seven million pixel display. It’s difficult to use another laptop when you’re used to the high resolution displays seen in the Surface Book series.
Battery life is fantastic
High resolution laptops usually go hand in hand with terrible battery life. This is because it takes more power to drive the increased number of pixels. The Surface Book broke this norm and already had a great battery life. It combines a battery in the keyboard base along with a battery in the detachable tablet. The Surface Book 2 will be able to provide up to 17 hours of video playback, along with five hours in tablet mode. I was getting around 2 hours of use with in tablet mode so a 250% increase is a welcome improvement. The terrible battery life of the tablet in the original Surface Book made me never want to use it off the keyboard base.
Revamped fulcrum hinge
The Surface Book’s dynamic fulcrum hinge is what separates it from other laptops. This feature is what allows you to detach the screen from the keyboard base. Microsoft made the dynamic fulcrum hinge much sturdier than before so the screen will not budge when using it on your lap. This will give you additional peace of mind that the screen won’t detach from the base and crash on to the floor.
Ports, ports, ports
MacBook Pro owners will look on with envy. The Surface Book 2 will have two USB-A ports, a full-size SD card reader, and its proprietary Surface Connector. SURPRISE! A USB-C port has been added to replace the Mini Display port. The USB-C port can be used to charge the Surface Book 2 along with connecting it to external monitors. It is interesting to note there are now two options to charge and connect to external monitors, the Surface Proprietary Connector and the USB-C port. The release of the new Surface Pro was met with dismay that the 2-in-1 hybrid didn’t have a USB-C port. Maybe Microsoft has finally accepted that USB-C is ready for prime time. Regardless, the Surface Book 2 looks to be the solution for users who hate dongles.
Overall
In my opinion, the Surface Book 2 will be one of, if not the best, laptops to come out this year. The Surface Book 2 is available for pre-order beginning November 9th and delivery will begin on November 16th. The 13.5-inch base model will start at $1499. This configuration will come with 7th Gen i5 processor, 8 GB of RAM, and 256 GB of storage. The 15-inch will start at $2499 and come with 8th Gen i7 quad-core processor, 16 GB or RAM, and 256 GB or storage. Let us know in the comments what you think about the Surface Book 2.