Microsoft Surface Book 2: The ultimate laptop improves in every way but one
Microsoft’s Surface Book 2 solves a big problem for Microsoft: How do you market the Surface Book as a performance notebook when it’s two years out of date? As our review shows, by making it bigger and faster, with longer battery life. Only a power problem slows it down.
With the Surface Book 2, Microsoft brings 8th-generation Intel Core processors and powerful, discrete Nvidia GPUs with enough horsepower to start thinking of the Surface Book 2 as a graphics workstation. But Microsoft’s big October surprise was the debut of not one, but two Surface Book 2 devices: a 13.5-inch and a new 15-inch model (we reviewed the latter). Neither is a simple clamshell notebook, though calling them convertible 2-in-1s instead seems like we’re selling them short.
As our review of the 15-inch Surface Book 2 shows, however, the new generation isn’t perfect. An ambitious decision to use a USB-C port has ripple effects for expansion capabilities. There’s a power issue. And then there’s the price: up to almost $3,300! Should you buy it? Yes, there’s reason to look elsewhere. But none of its flaws are deal-breakers.
The 15-inch Surface Book 2 (left) sits next to the original 13.5-inch Surface Book, which otherwise looks nearly identical.
BASIC SPECS
You’d think that Microsoft’s Surface Laptop, given its name, would be the company’s flagship notebook. But it’s not. The Book is. I very rarely ever undocked either the first- or second-generation Surface Book, and the combination of a sturdy construction, fullsized ports, terrific battery life, and excellent performance makes the Surface Book 2 the undisputed star of Microsoft’s mobile lineup. Compare it to Apple’s MacBook Pro, if you’d like: On paper, the Surface Book 2 tops it.
If you already own a Surface Book, you know what the Surface Book 2 looks like: It’s virtually identical. But now it has a bigger sibling, as the Surface Book 2 ships in either a 13.5-inch or a 15-inch form factor. The cheapest Surface Book 2 is priced at $1,499 (with a 10 percent discount for military, students, faculty and even parents of K-12 or higher-ed students). Though it uses a 7th-gen Intel Core i5-7300U with an integrated GPU, the other models will ship with the 8th-gen Core i7-8650U.
We tested the priciest Surface Book 2
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