Microsoft just unveiled the Surface Book 2, a premium laptop that will go head-to-head with Apple's MacBook Pro this holiday shopping season.
The Surface Book 2 comes with some big claims: Microsoft says it gets 17 hours battery life (at least, if you're watching streaming video in the Microsoft Edge browser), and that it's twice as powerful as the most recent model MacBook Pro.
I got to go hands-on with the Surface Book 2 at a preview event in San Francisco last week. And while it's hard to assess the reality of those lofty claims in just a few minutes, I can say that the Surface Book 2 is an impressive machine.
Here's the short version: The Surface Book 2 is evolution rather than revolution, bringing a few key tweaks to the original model, first released in 2015. That's actually excellent news, considering that I thought the original Surface Book was just shy of perfect when I reviewed it last year.
Now, here's the more detailed look at why it's such a nice device:
Meet the Microsoft Surface Book 2, the company's most powerful laptop to date, in a premium shell. Microsoft says it gets 17 hours of battery life.Matt Weinberger/Business InsiderThe Surface Book 2 laptop comes in two different screen sizes: A 13.5-inch model, which starts at $1,499, and a 15-inch model, starting at $2,499.Matt Weinberger/Business Insider
This new model also sports its predecessors' most eye-catching feature: The screen actually detaches to become a standalone tablet!Matt Weinberger/Business Insider
This is where you start to see some of the improvements over the first model. Even on the 15-inch model, the tablet portion is light enough to be held with one hand, thanks to a new fanless design across all models. Microsoft says the tablet will now get about 5 hours of battery life on its own.Matt Weinberger/Business Insider
If that battery life is insufficient, or you need the extra processing power stowed away in the keyboard portion, you can clip it back on to the Surface Book 2 backwards...Matt Weinberger/Business Insider
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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