Microsoft has introduced its Surface Book 3, which is a new version of the convertible laptop that’s said to be 50 percent more powerful than its predecessor with up to 17.5 hours of battery life.
The new device follows the same design like the previous version, and you’ll continue to be able to choose from two sizes, including a 13.5-inch and 15-inch.
Although there are not exterior changes, you’ll find some significant improvements inside. The Surface Book 3 now includes Intel 10th Generation processors, with the 13.5-inch model featuring a Core i5 quad-core processor, and the 15-inch model shipping with a Core i7 quad-core processor.
Also, the 13.5-inch model, starting at $1599, comes with an Intel built-in Iris Plus graphics, but you can get it with a Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q graphics for a starting price of $1999. The 15-inch model, starting at $2299, comes with a GTX 1660Ti (or businesses can upgrade to the NVidia Quadro RTX 3000 GPU starting at $3,499).
Surface Book 3 is also a device for gamers, since there’s a new 127W charger on the 15-inch model, users should no longer have problems charging during gameplay. However, the graphics doesn’t include hardware-accelerated ray tracing, but the Nvidia GTX 1600Ti card should be sufficient to play Xbox titles at 60fps with 1080p resolution.
Perhaps one of the biggest upgrade this time around is the option of up to 32GB of memory and up to 2TB of M.2 2280 for internal storage.
As for ports, you’re getting two USB-A ports, a single USB-C port with USB Power Delivery 3.0 support, a full-size UHS-II SD card reader, and a Surface Connect port, but there’s no Thunderbolt 3 support.
Microsoft is also adding far-field studio microphones, and you’ll find 5MP front-facing and 8MP rear-facing auto-focus camera with 1080p HD video and support for Windows Hello face authentication.
In addition, there will be a Surface Dock 2 and a Microsoft USB-C Travel Hub priced at $259.99 and $99.99 respectively. The Surface Dock 2 will include four USB-C ports, support for two 4K monitors at 60Hz, fast charging, and larger Surface Connector cable to make it easier to manage. And the Microsoft USB-C Travel Hub will give you more ways to connect to networks, displays, and USB-C accessories.
Surface Dok 2 (source: Microsoft)
You can preorder the Surface Book 3 starting May 6, but the device will be available starting May 21, in the United States and Canada with more regions expanding in the future.
Alongside the Surface Book 3, Microsoft also announced the Surface Go 2 with a larger screen and internals upgrade.
