Microsoft released its Surface Book 2-in-1 in October 2015, calling it the “ultimate laptop.” It shipped jam-packed with a detachable screen, Surface Pen support, Intel “Skylake” dual-core processors and Windows 10 Professional. That’s on the low-end configuration. Shell out an extra 200 bucks (£300, AU$600) over the $1,499 (£1,299, AU$1,899) asking price and Microsoft will throw in an Nvidia-based discrete GPU.
Despite an appetizing list of hardware specs, the 2-in-1 didn’t arrive without a few hiccups. There were some complaints surrounding the “Dynamic Fulcrum Hinge” including a gap that’s formed when the laptop is closed. The Clipboard tablet portion of the device has a low battery life, and the pricing is rather steep on the higher end.
So, you can tell that we’re not the only ones already clamoring for Microsoft to improve on an already promising formula. Enter the (would-be) Surface Book 2.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? The would-be second Surface Book device
- When is it out? Current rumors point to early 2017
- What will it cost? Likely as much as – if not a bit more than – the current Surface Book
Surface Book 2 release date
Naturally, Microsoft has yet to officially announce the Surface Book 2 given that the original launched less than a year ago. However, it’s easy to speculate that a follow up is in the works, and could release alongside a Surface Pro 5 and allegedly a Surface Phone as well as a Surface all-in-one PC. These are all expected to land at the same time as Microsoft’s second Redstone update (RS2), the code-named successor to this summer’s Anniversary Update.
Moreover, it would make sense with the release frame (and the array of technical issues still persisting on the current Surface Book) to launch the new model with Intel’s next-generation Kaby Lake processors. The 14-nanometer microprocessor architecture from Intel is slated to go into volume production at the end of 2016, offering native USB 3.1 Type-C and Thunderbolt 3 support in addition to featuring up to four cores as the default configuration and better CPU/GPU performance.
It’s unclear whether Microsoft plans to capitalize on its recently revealed Play Anywhere program with any of its upcoming Surface Book hardware. However, 2017 would be the perfect time to bring out an additional gaming-focused configuration complete with, say, a GeForce 980M.
We’ll see what happens as we get closer to the Surface Book 2’s purported release.
What we want to see
For as much as we’ve been smitten by the Surface Book, firmware issues aside, there will always be room for improvement. (That would be the case even if it had earned top marks from us.)
From the screen size and resolution to the hardware inside, we have a few ideas for how Microsoft could craft an even better Windows 10 tablet.
An even better screen
The upcoming Intel Kaby Lake processors will undoubtedly be needed to power the rumored, higher-definition screen that’s slated for the Surface Book 2. The current model sports a 13.5-inch display with a 3,000 x 2,000 (267 ppi) resolution that’s backed by an integrated Intel HD Graphics 520 GPU.
The new model may utilize the same-sized screen but offer a 4K resolution: 3,840 x 2,160. This rumor is aligned with public information we’ve seen about Intel’s Kaby Lake architecture, which will supposedly include a better graphics architecture that improves playback of 4K video and 3D graphics.
With a higher resolution should come a better way to actually detach the screen from the keyboard. That’s one of the biggest complaints surrounding the current Surface Book unit: the hinge’s locking mechanism featuring Microsoft’s “muscle wire.”
This scheme not only requires electricity to work, but that users must press and hold down a key until the hinge lets go of the tablet. It’s software-based, too, meaning the process could be hampered by an unforeseen glitch in the system.
Thus, the Surface Book 2 needs a functional hinge that allows the keyboard to be detached whether the device is on or off.
We need more power
Of course, with an increased screen resolution comes the need for more power. The “Kaby Lake” architecture is said to support processors with a thermal envelope of up to 95 Watts (W), which isn’t too shabby, meaning it shouldn’t be a battery hog with increased performance.
But the Surface Book 2 will need better battery support overall, as the original provides a 4-hour battery in the Clipboard and an 8-hour battery in the base (based on our tests). Customers will want to use the Clipboard on its own, and its current battery will likely not provide those 4 hours when watching 4K content.
An improved battery would also be needed to support a built-in recharge dock for the Surface Pen. The current device is powered by a standard AAA battery, but a patent reveals that Microsoft is shooting for a stylus with a built-in rechargeable battery.
This is a rather old patent, but it wouldn’t be surprising nonetheless if the company pushed forward with a rechargeable Surface Pen for the Surface Book 2, even more so given Microsoft’s current focus on providing better stylus support in Windows 10. The new pen will supposedly feature an LED indicator light and a power button.
More power might also be needed for an updated, discrete GPU option, too. As previously stated, the current model has an option for a Nvidia GeForce graphics chip based on the “Maxwell” architecture, which has a thermal envelope of up to 75W.
If Microsoft were to offer the notebook version of, say, Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 980 graphics chip, the power requirements would shoot up to 145W. Alternatively, the slower GeForce GTX 980M chip would use less power (100W) while still supporting DirectX 12 in Windows 10, but require more juice than the current discrete GPU used in today’s Surface Book.
What would make the Surface Book 2 really shine is if it were to be VR-ready. That means installing additional ports into the current configuration that merely includes two USB 3.0 ports, a mini DisplayPort and an SD card reader.
The missing ingredient here is the required HDMI 1.3 port supporting a 297MHz clock by way of a “direct output architecture.” That means the external video output pumped through the HDMI port cannot be locked to the laptop’s integrated GPU.
A race to beat its new rivals?
Despite a good deal of talk about when the Surface Book 2 will be released and what it will contain, there were several reports (with dodgy reliability) speculating that the device – along with the Surface Pro 5 – would be released this summer alongside the Anniversary Update.
Of course, the AU is here and a Surface Book 2 didn’t arrive in time to beat Apple’s MacBook Air 2016 and MacBook Pro 2016 to market. Again, given the Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 are still young, releasing follow-up models this soon was unlikely to begin with.
That’s it for now. There are probably a few easter eggs hiding in the Windows 10 Insider Preview builds that we haven’t caught yet in terms of hardware. Microsoft’s plans for Redstone 2 are seemingly rather big, and throwing in new devices shouldn’t be totally out of the question.
We’re still betting on an early 2017 release for Surface Book 2, but we’ll have to play the wait-and-see game as 2016 draws to a close.
Source: techradar.com
This is a retarded article. I mean… there are no sources, and the author suggests a 980m…
Hop on the OLED train like the Thinkpad X1 Yoga and HP Spectre x360 without upping the already insane prices on the upper tier models. The current resolution for a 13.5″ screen is fine. Also give the dGPU 2 gb and add Thunderbolt/C.
If they could implement a Thunderbolt port then there wouldn’t be much need for a 980m. With the Thunderbolt you could just get an external GPU and you’d be set, just as long as they offer an option for a beefier CPU, as well as decent RAM.
they could add the new rx 480m with a 35w tdp and decent performance
Why would Microsoft be rushing to release their second computer using Skylake to compete against Apple’s first computer using Skylake? They’ll likely wait and release the next iteration of the Surface Book in the Fall/Winter with Kabylake and be on the market for another 8 months ahead of Apple.
By the way, current generation of Surface Book actually lets you detach the screen when it is powered off. The detach button works whether the device is powered on or off. I can’t really understand why everyone is complaining about the issue that doesn’t even exist in the first place.
I doubt they would implement a 980 but with Nvidia’s new architecture for the 1080 (much faster, cheaper, more efficient) they could come up with a gpu that beats the first book in speed by a good margin. I just hope the tablet portion has a better integrated gpu in relation. I don’t care about 4k. That hinge definitely needs to go.
Please. Get real tech writers. Never would they implement a GTX 980 nor will they put a 980m in the 2nd Surface Book, Not only is that NOT what the target audience is for this device but the 980m would have been out for 2 years by the time this new book comes out. On top the fact that the writer complains about/wants more battery life. Please be some type of realistic.
The writers on this website are such tech noobs. If they put a 4k res screen in then it will be a 16:9 screen which is terrible, 3:2 is the best and will be retained if MS have any sense. Thus the resolution would be more like 4200 x 2800 to be a good 3:2 ultra hd screen. Not that more pixels are needed for any reason whatsoever.
My thought. I really hope they stick to the 3:2 ratio, it’s perfect for work. Just for my personal preference, it could also be a 14″ or 15″ sized screen, but 13.5″ is just fine.
Only thing I miss is a native HDMI port. Most of the non-wireless beamers nowadays connect via HDMI and while Displayport might be fine for all monitors, those HDMI adapters are still unreliable.
It could be 15.6 or even 17.3 for me lol. Bigger the better.
‘more pixels are needed for any reason whatsoever’, yeah, because people don’t buy stuff just because they don’t need it….noob
A HDMI suport without USB-C? OMG! You’re still in 2010
Microsoft may want to best Apple but they are far from the quality Apple delivers in hardware and operating systems.
You must be joking. I have a mac and a PC. OSX is old and dated and lacking in functionality. Apple macs dont even have touch screens yet! Thought they do look good but so does the Surface Book which is way more advanced than any Mac.
Have you ever experienced the surfacebook first hand? I think it can rival a MacBook in terms of build quality in terms of software I have to admit that Microsoft still got some work to do (not that the hardware couldn’t be improved)
I want a Surface Book with its “Waiting For Godot” need for updates.
Apple might offer a slightly more polished experience in some cases for some people, for a lot of other people the innovation Microsoft has been doing is making for some really awesome products. Surface Pro? Completely usable as a laptop, if not the most ideal. iPad Pro? Still an iPad, not a Mac, so it’s still very limited. A touchscreen Macbook? Still MIA…
Microsoft innovation is always in a perpetual state of gonna – like gonna see it soon. Then we get tired of waiting and they pull another rabbit out of the hat. How much of the cool Windows 8 features ever worked as announced? Windows 10 is the same story. It works but we are always waiting for the next rev to be the ultimate.
I disagree; I find the user experience of modern premium windows laptops better than Mac. I use a razer blade for day to day and would not go back.
You pay a premium for a caped ecosystem and subpar components. It is really a good alternative for people not interested in technology.
However, for this demographic the Chromebook does the trick.
Apple ecosystem is not for serious work, maybe for some niches but overall I find it subpar.
I think it slike Bang & Olufsen gadgets, sexy but overpriced.
My next Laptop? Probably a Kaby lake razer blade pro or a Surface book 2.
It depends on what you need. Musicians have been looking for the perfect page sized tablet for sheet music. The iPad Pro fits the bill and has several excellent apps besides the screen real estate.
Real musicians should use an specific build of Linux, or of android (depends PC or Tablet), because the can have a lot less audio lag input. There aren’t much android specialized tablets, but it could be installed a linux partition. Apple is everyday less innovative, unique, and even less the most usefull tool.
I know tons of musicians and none of them have a Linux DAW. A few are suffering through Android. Most pros and semi-pros use Mac OS and some use Windows.