The MacBook Pro is about to face some tough competition from Microsoft’s newest laptop/tablet hybrid that was just revealed today.
Microsoft’s new Surface Book 2 computers are being billed as the most powerful laptops to come from Microsoft. The company even says they’re twice as powerful as the latest MacBook Pro.
Which MacBook Pro configuration Microsoft is referring to isn’t clear, but we’d guess it’s the baseline 13-inch MacBook Pro. The new Surface Book 2 utilizes the latest 8th gen Intel Core processors combined with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 and 1060 discrete graphics options.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ck5RbTQj28
Taking on the MacBook Pro
While the CPU performance sounds impressive, what makes Surface Book 2 really stand out is its 17 hours of battery life for video playback. The MacBook Pro only gets about 10 hours.
Like the original Surface Book, the display on this model can be removed so that you can use it like a tablet. The display on the 15-inch Surface Book 2 packs almost seven million pixels, which also more than the MacBook Pro.
There also plenty of ports packed into the machine. You get a USB-A, USB-C and SD card reader on the side. Prices for the 13.5-inch model start at $1,499. The 15-inch model will set you back at least $2,499.
Pre-orders for the new Surface Book 2 open on November 9 with first orders shipping on November 16.
Buster Hein is a freelance writer who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Twitter: @bst3r.
11 responses to “Microsoft’s Surface Book 2 is ready to take on the MacBook Pro”
Na, I don’t think so.
MBPR have 3rd gen SSD’s
Surface Books have 2nd gen SSD’s.
MBPR use HQ processors, which are 45 watt i7’s.
Surface Book uses U processors which are 15 watt i7’s.
MBPR have Thunderbolt 3 (4 of them)
Surface Book have NONE.
Sorry but the Surface Books lack in certain areas. They have a nice screen and GPU, but that’s about it.
LOL
SB2 has 1060 NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX graphics w/6GB of video ram.
Up to 17hours Battery life
Up to 267 PPI PixelSense™ Display (detachable for 5 hours battery)
Pen included, touch included.
You Mac fans crack me up…. who has Windows Mixed Reality? Who now has a 15″ detachable screen that can be a Mixed Reality viewer?…SB2
The MBPR is ok a some but you still need an IPad… that would be thicker, heavier and more expensive to get less graphical power by a longshot and no magnetic surface connector port that with the surface dock can run TWO 4K displays plus the device. and have up to ten extra ports. not only that the 15″ has NATIVE XBOX PROPRIETRARY wireless built in will pair nicely with any Windows Mixed Reality shell for a PREMIUM Mixed reality experience.
You have fun with your overpriced Mac, and AR kit tech demos..the rest of the world now has access to the ultimate 15″ device
But when you take the screen out of the laptop, you lose the GTX graphics.
A 15inch detachable screen? Yeah, right. Most people aren’t going to use that big of tablet. too big.
Here’s what you missed.
The SB2 has a 15 watt i7 that’s only 1.9Ghz, the MBPR have a 45 watt i7 that’s either 2.8Ghz, or 2.9Ghz.
The SB2 uses older 2nd gen SSD. the MBPR uses 3rd gen SSD’s which are faster and more expensive.
The SB2 doesn’t have Thunderbolt 3. the MBPR has 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports.
I think it’s dumb to compare. I’ll bet if you compare video rendering on a MBPR with Final Cut Pro, it’ll trounce video rendering on the SB2 using Premier. it won’t even be a contest.
Apple’s going to upgrade to a HQ i7, not the pathetic 15watt refresh chips that really aren’t that big of a deal.
You can connect up to 4 4K displays with the MBPR or 2 5K displays WITHOUT spending more money on a dock. Damn you are ignorant.
You can get a ton of different docks for the MBPR, ranging from $100 docks on up, with more ports depending on your needs, but without any dock, you can connect to 4 4K monitors.
The Microsoft SurfaceBook 2 won’t sell that many. It just won’t. Sorry to burst your Microsheep pipe dream, but Microsoft simply doesn’t sell that many computers with their name on them.
The MBPR’s have a 3.5mm headphone jack. Have you even looked at Apple’s site and analyzed what they have? Probably not.
LOL MBPR is a joke, no touch nothing cool just boring USBC dongle life…hey if it makes you feel better to go for it meanwhile the rest of use like Mixed reality… we like touch/pen and we like a true Professional 8th Gen tablet when detached… not some ios thing
You don’t NEED dongle’s in most cases. Mixed reality, because you can’t handle regular reality. Who likes these touch pens? Some rapper teaching math to illiterate children? Yeah, I saw the ad. Pretty silly. not everyone uses a Pen. Only a small percentage of the market uses a Pen.
You lose the GTX processor when you detach the screen to carry around just the screen. Did you not understand that? The GTX processor is inside the keyboard section, not the detached screen.
I have a surface pro 4 and use my pen all the time , just today two clicks to do a screen capture and annotate while presenting.. oohs from the audience. What also go oohs today was invoking Cortana by voice and showing off her witty personality and conversation carrying on ..almost human.
See Apple users have been away from Windows so long they have no clue that Apple is being lapped by Microsoft. Mixed Reality IS the next thing and the best AI wins then next round for the rest of our lives.
you need a dongle to connect to HDMI with the Surface Book 2, so it’s not completely void of using dongles either. But you can’t connect to Thunderbolt RAID, PCI chassis, eGPU boxes, and other Thunderbolt devices that Professionals use. Sorry, but the Surface Book isn’t as great as you THINK it is. Are you having troubles trying to convert Mac users to Surface products? Getting desperate aren’t you? How much is Microsoft paying you? Obviously, too much because you aren’t doing a very good job so far.
Surface dock uses ONE magnetic connector…ten ports out
Tiny trackpad.
bobo trackpad
Not sure how Surface Book 2 will pan out. I had Surface Book and I had to return it for Surface Pro 4 because it was horrible for me to use. I recently got a MacBook Pro 13 with Touch bar, and I love it. The keyboard is actually fun the use.