Customers who want to order the device online can still get it from Microsoft’s retail partners, including Amazon, Best Buy and Fry’s Electronics, so it’s not completely unavailable for purchase ahead of its expected October 29 launch date. It isn’t until we hit $1,900 that the Surface Book really shines with its dedicated GPU, but that also renders it significantly more expensive than the Spectre x360.
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As we noted in our brief hands-on with the device, the Surface Book shows promise: It just feels like a premium device. However, as you’ll learn in our Surface Pro 3 vs Pro 4 comparison the changes are mainly internal. Do not forget to consider all your options before pre-ordering.
One aspect of the Surface Pro tablets inherited by the Surface Book is their relative chunkiness.
There’s still the “infinite position” kickstand and the thin keyboard with the double magnetic hinge that gives it a more comfortable angle for typing. In addition, the sensors in the tablet have metal mesh technology. When you detach the screen into clipboard mode, the device switches over to Intel Integrated Graphics, much like those on the HP Spectre x360.
Microsoft was keen to stress that the Book is more of a laptop than a hybrid. This will be placed in the keyboard, so the Surface Book won’t be able to take advantage of the extra power when used as a tablet, but should capably handle tasks like 3D modelling and gaming while connected.
Microsoft’s device solves that with a detachable display. It offers a high-resolution touchscreen and a keyboard that’s joined to the screen with a special hinge.
Connectivity is handled by a decent collection of two USB 3.0 ports, a full-size SD card reader and a Mini DisplayPort, as well as 802.11ac WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0. However, both have the same 267ppi pixel density and 3:2 aspect ratio.
Apart from these unique design aesthetics, the Surface Book also features Intel’s latest sixth-gen Core i processors, which can be bundled with up to 16GB of RAM.
A big 3000×2000 resolution ensures the Surface Book has a sharp 267ppi, even with its 13.5in display.
The story appears to have come about because Apple believes that Microsoft should stop making the Surface after Apple copied it. Jobs Mob was also angry that Microsoft’s new Surface Pro is better than anything Jobs’ Mob could dream up and so unleashed its tame press hacks to seed a few discontent among Microsoft;s partners.
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Another nice touch is that the 8MP rear-facing and 5MP front-facing cameras are capable of 1080p video capture.
