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.
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 Insider)
The 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.
On the left is the 15-inch version of the Microsoft Surface Book 2; the 13.5-inch model is on the right.
(Matt Weinberger/Business Insider)
This new model also sports its predecessors’ most eye-catching feature: The screen actually detaches to become a standalone tablet!
Microsoft Surface Book 2
(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.
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…
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)
…and use it as a thicker, heavier, but beefier tablet.
…and use it as a thicker, heavier, but beefier tablet.
(Matt Weinberger/Business Insider)
Also note: The Surface Book 2 sports a USB-C port, visible below the pen in this photo, marking a first for any Microsoft Surface device. That port can be used for charging in a pinch — Microsoft says it’ll be slow — but it’s really designed for projectors, monitors, and other accessories.
This is where another subtle improvement comes in. Microsoft says that it’s redesigned the Surface Book’s signature hinge, such that it’s faster to release the tablet portion, while also increasing its reliability and strength. Neat.
This is where another subtle improvement comes in. Microsoft says that it’s redesigned the Surface Book’s signature hinge, such that it’s faster to release the tablet portion, while also increasing its reliability and strength. Neat.
(Matt Weinberger/Business Insider)
The keyboard and trackpad also got slightly renovated. I already thought the Surface Book keyboard and trackpad were the next best thing to the gold standard that is Apple’s MacBooks, and now it’s even more comfortable to type and mouse around.
The keyboard and trackpad also got slightly renovated. I already thought the Surface Book keyboard and trackpad were the next best thing to the gold standard that is Apple’s MacBooks, and now it’s even more comfortable to type and mouse around.
(Matt Weinberger/Business Insider)
Microsoft says the Surface Book 2 is twice as powerful as the MacBook Pro. I can’t verify that claim yet — but I did watch as it played Windows games like “Cuphead” and “Gears Of War 4,” seemingly without breaking a sweat.
Microsoft says the Surface Book 2 is twice as powerful as the MacBook Pro. I can’t verify that claim yet — but I did watch as it played Windows games like “Cuphead” and “Gears Of War 4,” seemingly without breaking a sweat.
(Matt Weinberger/Business Insider)
In short, the Microsoft Surface Book 2 takes a good thing and makes it better, in pretty much every measurable way(Matt Weinberger/Business Insider)
It doesn’t reinvent the original Surface Book (pictured here). But given how much I dug the first version, I’m excited to really put Surface Book 2 through its paces when it launches on November 16th.
It doesn’t reinvent the original Surface Book (pictured here). But given how much I dug the first version, I’m excited to really put Surface Book 2 through its paces when it launches on November 16th.
(Melia Robinson/Business Insider)
