Microsoft, Surface Book 2, launch, price, specifications
Microsoft Surface Book 2 coming in IndiaMicrosoft Official Blog (Screen-shot)

Microsoft's Surface Book (1st Generation) was a sleek and powerful laptop that gave stiff competition to Apple MacBook series, but it never made it to most of the countries including India. Now, the American technology behemoth has finally made up its mind to release the successor, the Surface Book 2 in India.

Microsoft Surface Book 2 is a unique laptop in several aspects. It is a hybrid device, which can detach itself from the keyboard and work seamlessly as a touch-screen tablet, all thanks to armadillo-inspired 'dynamic fulcrum hinge' and innovative 'muscle wire locks', which help in easy detachment of the display from the keyboard.

The new Microsoft Surface Book sports 13.5-inch PixelSense display similar to the 2016-seroes and also comes with bigger 15-inch size as well. As far as the exterior look is concerned, the premium metallic shell and also thermal settings of the device have been re-configured to dissipate heat more efficiently, particularly when the device is used during graphics-intensive gaming session.

Under-the-hood, Surface Book 2 houses a more powerful, faster and more efficient SoC (System-on-Chip) than ever before. It comes with 7th Gen Intel Core i5/8th Gen Intel Core i7 processors and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 and 1060 discrete graphics options.

With such top-notch hardware, Surface Book 2 is said to be five times more powerful than the original and is twice as powerful as the latest MacBook Pro, Microsoft claims.

The Surface Book 2 also supports Surface Pen with tilt and 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity for amazing inking as well as Surface Dial on-screen, making it more versatile than any rival brand in its class.

For those unaware, Surface Dial is a new peripheral designed in a shape of a hockey puck, which has to be placed right on the Surface Studio screen. It integrates with Windows 10 to work with Surface for a faster and more intuitive way to scroll, zoom and navigate.

It is backed by 8GB/16RAM and with such top-notch configurations, Surface Book 2 is well equipped to support 3D gaming, mixed reality and capable of performing functions seamlessly in others forms of work.

Furthermore, Surface Book 2 will come with all-day battery life – up to 17 hours of video playback. That's 70 percent more than the latest MacBook Pro, the company noted.

Being a proprietary device of Microsoft, Surface Book series owners get extra perks such free Microsoft Office Words.

When exactly Microsoft Surface Book 2 coming to India and how much will it cost?

Microsoft has only confirmed that it will be releasing Surface Book 2 series in India, but it has neither mentioned the actual price structure or specific time-frame availability details. But, it is expected to be announced in coming months during local launch event.

In US, 13.5-inch and 15-inch Surface Book 2 models are available in three configurations (check-below) with prices starting at $1,499 (approx. €1,270/Rs.97,557) and at $2,499 (€2,117/Rs 1,62,639), respectively.

We expect Microsoft to offer the Surface Book 2 series in same configuration, but with higher price, due to import duty taxes.

Stay tuned. Follow us @IBTimesIN_Tech on Twitter for the latest news on Microsoft products.

Key specifications of Microsoft Surface Book 2 and new Surface Book (2016):

Models Microsoft Surface Book 2 (2017) series Microsoft Surface Book (2016)
Display Model 1: Screen: 13.5-inch PixelSense Display
  • Resolution: 3000 x 2000, (267 PPI)
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Contrast ratio: 1600:1
  • Touch: 10-point multi-touch G5

Model 2:

  • Screen: 15-inch PixelSense Display
  • Resolution: 3240 x 2160, (260 PPI)
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Contrast ratio: 1600:1
  • Touch: 10-point multi-touch G5
13.5-inch PixelSense display
  • Resolution: 3000 x 2000p
  • Pixel density: 267 ppi (pixels per inch)
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Touch: 10 point multi-touch
OS Windows 10 Pro Creators Update 64-bit
Office 365 30-day trial
Windows 10 Pro with
Office 365 30-day trial
Processor Model 1 and 2 come with two configurations:
  • 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8650U (quad-core) with up to 4.20 GHz Max Turbo
  • 7th Gen Intel Core i5-7300U with up to 3.50 GHz Max Turbo
6th Gen Intel Core i7
Graphics
  • Model 1 (13.5-inch): Intel HD Graphics 620 integrated GPU, Intel UHD Graphics 620 integrated GPU, or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 discrete GPU w/2GB VRAM
  • Model 2 (15.0-inch): Intel UHD Graphics 620 integrated GPU or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 discrete GPU w/6GB VRAM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M 2GB GDDR5 memory
RAM 8GB or 16GB RAM 1866Mhz LPDDR3 8GB/16GB
Storage Solid state drive (SSD) options - 256GB/512GB/1TB Solid state drive (SSD) options - 256GB/512GB/1TB
Cameras, video and audio Camera:
  • Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing)
  • 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p HD video
  • 8.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p Full HD video

Audio:

  • Dual microphones
  • Front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby Audio Premium
  • 3.5mm headset jack
Camera:
  • Windows Hello face sign-in camera (front-facing)
  • 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p HD video
  • 8.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p HD video

Audio:

  • Stereo microphone
  • Stereo speakers with Dolby audio Audio Premium
Battery Up to 17 hours of video playback Up to 16 hours of video playback
Wireless connectivity
  • Wi-Fi: 802.11ac
  • Bluetooth: BT4.1 LE
  • Xbox Wireless built-in (15.0-inch only)
802.11ac Wi-Fi wireless networking; IEEE
802.11a/b/g/n compatible
Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology
Ports
  • 2 USB 3.0 Type A
  • USB Type-C
  • UHS-II SDXC card reader
  • 3.5mm headphone jack
  • 2 Surface Connect
  • Surface Dial onscreen interaction
Surface Book
  • Two full-size USB 3.0
  • Full-size SD card reader
  • Surface Connect
  • Headset jack
  • Mini Displayport
Add-ons Security:
  • HW TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in

Casing: MagnesiumColor: Silver

Physical buttons: Volume, Power

  • Casing- Magnesium;
  • Color- Silver;
  • Physical buttons- Volume, Power
  • Security- TPM chip for enterprise security
Sensors
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Proximity sensor
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
Dimensions Model 1:
  • Model 1A: 13.5" (i5) 12.3 x 9.14 x 0.51–0.90 in. (312.00 x 232.00 x 13.00–23.00 mm)
  • Model 1A: 13.5" (i7) 12.3 x 9.14 x 0.59–0.90 in. (312.0 x 232.00 x 15.00–23.00 mm)

Model 2:

  • 15" (i7) 13.50 x 9.87 x 0.59–0.90 in. (343.00 x 251.00 x 15.00–23.00 mm)
312.3 x 232.1 x 13.0 - 22.8 mm
Weight
  • Model 1: 13.5": Starting at 3.38 lbs (1,534 g) including keyboard
  • Model 2: 15": Starting at 4.2 lbs (1,905 g) including keyboard
1.65kg
Package contents
  • Surface Book 2
  • Power supply
  • Quick start guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
Surface Book
  • Surface Pen
  • Power Supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents (one year limited hardware warranty)
Price (in US) Model 1:
  • Model 1A: 256GB storage + 7th Gen Intel Core i5-$2,999 (€2,749/Rs. 2,00,678)
  • Model 1B: 512GB storage + 8th Gen Intel Core i7-$2,999 (€2,749/Rs. 2,00,678)
  • Model 1C: 1TB storage + 8th Gen Intel Core i7-$2,999 (€2,749/Rs. 2,00,678)

Model 2:

  • Model 2A: 256 storage + 8th Gen Intel Core i7 -$3,499 (€3,208/Rs. 2,34,135)
  • Model 2B: 512GB storage + 8th Gen Intel Core i7-$2,999 (€2,749/Rs. 2,00,678)
  • Model 2C: 1TB+ 8th Gen Intel Core i7-$4,199 (€3,850/Rs. 2,80,976)
  • Model 1: 256GB storage+ Intel Core i7+ 8GB RAM+ dGPU- $2,399 (€2,199/Rs. 1,60,528)
  • Model 2: 512GB storage+ Intel Core i7+ 16GB RAM+dGPU-$2,799 (€2,566/Rs. 1,87,295)
  • Model 3: 1TB+Intel Core i7+ 16GB+dGPU-$3,299 (€3,024/Rs. 2,20,752)

 Check-out Microsoft Surface Book 2 series video:

Microsoft's most advanced laptop Surface Book 2 coming to India: All you need to knowMicrosoft Surface via YouTube