Microsoft has launched a new premium device called the Surface Laptop, as part pf its Surface Book series. The portable computer runs on Windows 10 S, a slim version of Windows 10 Pro, with the limitation being that you can only install apps from the Windows Store.
If you want to install normal Windows apps, you can upgrade the device to Windows 10 Pro for free until December 31st, 2017. The device sports a 13.5 inch PixelSense LCD touch screen display, which is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The Surface Laptop comes in two cponfigurations: one which is powered by an Intel Core i5(7200U) and the other with a Core i7 processor. The laptop will be available in 4GB RAM with 128GB of SSD storage, and 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
The Surface Laptop has an anodized metal body, and an Alcantara fabric material keyboard which is easy to clean, resists spills and absorption. The device is quite thin measuring at 14.47mm thickness, and is light weight @2.76lbs.
Microsoft Surface Laptop Technical Specifications
Core i5 variant
- Display: 13.5” PixelSense, edge-to-edge Corning Gorilla Glass 3, LCD touch screen, 3.4M pixels, 3:2 Aspect ratio
- Processor: 7th Generation intel Core i5 (7200U)
- RAM: 4GB/8GB
- Storage: 128GB/256GB SSD
- Keyboard: Alcantara-covered + soft palm rest
- GPU: Intel HD Graphics 620
- Dimensions: 12.13” x 8.79” x .57” (308.1 mm x 223.27 mm x 14.48 mm)
- Security: Windows Hello face sign-in
- Sensors: Ambient light sensor
- Weight: 2.76 lbs (1,252 grams)
- Battery: Up to 14.5 hours of video playback4
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11ac IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, USB 3.0, 3.5mm Headset jack, Mini DisplayPort, Surface Connect, Compatible with Surface Dial off-screen interaction,
- Camera: Windows Hello face sign-in camera, 720p HD camera (front-facing)
- Audio: Stereo microphones and Omnisonic speakers with Dolby Audio Premium
Core i7 variant
- Display: 13.5” PixelSense, edge-to-edge Corning Gorilla Glass 3, LCD touch screen, 3.4M pixels , 3:2 Aspect ratio
- Processor:7th Generation intel Core i7
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 256GB/512GB SSD
- Keyboard: Alcantara-covered + soft palm rest
- GPU: Intel Iris Plus 640Dimensions: 12.13” x 8.79” x .57” (308.1 mm x 223.27 mm x 14.48 mm)
- Security: Windows Hello face sign-in
- Sensors: Ambient light sensor
- Weight: 2.76 lbs (1,252 grams)
- Battery: Up to 14.5 hours of video playback4
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11ac IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, USB 3.0, 3.5mm Headset jack, Mini DisplayPort, Surface Connect, Compatible with Surface Dial off-screen interaction,
- Camera: Windows Hello face sign-in camera, 720p HD camera (front-facing)
- Audio: Stereo microphones and Omnisonic speakers with Dolby Audio Premium
The Surface Laptop will be available in 4 colours: Platinum, Graphite Gold, Cobalt Blue and Burgundy.
So why did Microsoft launch the Surface Laptop?
The answer is simple, in that the Redmond company wants to compete with Google's Chromebook and is targeting to sell the laptop to college students. We think it is likely that the Microsoft Surface Laptop will be popular, as every Windows user will feel at home with it, than a Chromebook laptop.
Surface Laptop price list and availability.
The Surface Laptop has been prices start at $189, which Microsoft will partner with OEMs for. The official store variants from the company start at $999 for the Core i5/4GB RAM/128GB SSD variant. The Core i5 with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD costs $1,299, while the i7/8GB RAM/ 256GB device will retail for $1,599. The highest variant with 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD and a core i7 processor will cost $2,199.,
You can pre-order the device in the following Countries from Microsoft Store, microsoftstore.com and BestBuy.com. For a limited time, Microsoft is offering buyers of Surface Laptops with a free one-year subscription to Office 365 Personal (Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote). and 1TB of free storage on OneDrive.
U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
The Surface Laptop will be launched in China and other markets after a few months. The device will begin shipping in June.