At its October Event, Microsoft Corp. revealed the newest additions to the Surface lineup, the Surface Book i7, and a new all-in-one desktop, the Surface Studio.
The Surface Book i7 is the latest Surface Book to be released by Microsoft. This update features nearly twice the GPU processing power than the original version, and has upped the battery life to 16 hours. The base version of the i7 packs an Intel Core i7 processor with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of SSD storage, but it can be upgraded to include an Intel Core i7 processor with 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of SSD storage.
Microsoft did not sacrifice versatility for power with the Surface Book i7, as it can still be used in regular laptop mode, clipboard mode, and draw mode. It comes included with a Surface Pen in order to take advantage of its PixelSense Display touch screen, and programs like SolidWorks 3D CAD, AutoCAD Revit, and Adobe Premiere Pro 5.
“[The Surface Book i7] has three times better graphics performance than the Macbook Pro 13-inch,” said Panos Panay, head engineer of all Microsoft devices, at the event. Despite boasting about the Surface Book’s prowess compared to Apple’s Macbook lineup, Microsoft has yet to report any sales figures for the first year of the laptop.
The Surface Book i7 starts at $2,399 and will be available Nov. 10. You can read more about its technical specs here.
With the Surface Studio, Microsoft has finally entered the all-in-one desktop game. The Surface Studio can be powered by an Intel Core i7 processor and a 4 GB NVIDIA GeForce GPU, as well as hold 32 GB of RAM and up to 2 TB of storage. It also contains four USB 3.0 ports, a full-size SD card reader, a mini display port, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack.
Despite all of this power, the Surface Studio is an astonishing 12.5 mm thick, with a 28 inch PixelSense Display touch screen that boasts a 3:2 aspect ratio with a 192 ppi. It comes loaded with Cortana, and users can tilt the Surface Studio to essentially create a giant tablet. The tilt doesn’t go all the way down, but it can reach a 20-degree drafting angle.
Additionally, the Surface Studio is releasing alongside the new Surface Dial. The Surface Dial knob attaches right onto the Surface Studio’s screen to create a dial menu of tools to be used in applications such as Adobe CC, Bluebeam, and more. The Surface Dial releases Nov. 10 for $99.99 USD.
The Surface Studio is available for pre-order now, and starts at $2,999 USD. It will be available Dec 15.
The Microsoft Surface Dial