Microsoft has rolled out its new series of laptops alongside a new set of Surface-branded headphones and earbuds. The announcement made just a day after Apple's latest MacBook Pro 13-inch launch hints the Windows-maker is eyeing a face-off with Apple in the laptop segment. For launching the products, Microsoft took an unusual route by announcing the Surface Go 2, Surface Book 3 laptops, Surface Headphone 3 wireless headset and the much-anticipated Surface Earbuds via a blog post rather than an official announcement.
Surface Go 2
Both the latest Surface-branded laptops follow the convertible design much like their predecessors but also pack new hardware components for a smarter price.
For instance, the latest Microsoft Go 2 comes with a magnesium body with a magnetic keyboard fold and an identical body like its predecessor Microsoft Surface Go.
The Surface Go 2 comes in two versions. The basic model packs an Intel Pentium Gold 4425Y processor, 4 GB RAM and 64 GB eMC storage. The advanced version offers an Intel Core M3-8100Y branded processor bundled with 8 GB worth RAM and 128 GB SSD storage. The processors picked for the latest series of Go convertibles can let them offer much faster performance and better battery life.
The Windows maker has also featured an improved five megapixel front camera and a powerful new microphone to offer a better Skype experience.
The Surface Go 2 would be available at a starting price of $399 in the US and £399 in the UK.
Surface Book 3
Microsoft's latest flagship convertible laptop Surface Book 3 has been rolled out in two display variants - 13.5-inch and 15-inch - in contrast to Apple's latest MacBook Pro's 13-inch display. Both the screens come with PixelSense technology with a contrast ratio of 1600:1. The 13-inch display can offer 3000 x 2000 pixels at 267 PPI, while the 15-inch would boast 3240 x 2160 pixels at 260 PPI.
The 13-inch Surface Book 3 edition would pack either Intel Core i5- 1035G7 or Intel Core i7- 1065G7 processor and the 15-inch version would house an Intel Core i7- 1065G7 processor. The latest 10th generation processors in the Surface Book 3 would help them to offer at least 50 per cent better performance than their predecessor Surface Book 2.
Microsoft has also adopted Nvidia's Quadra graphics chip in the Surface Book 3 to offer top-notch graphic performance. The Surface Go 3 would come in 8 GB + 256 GB, 16 GB + 512 GB and 32 GB + 1 TB ram and storage combination, while the 15-inch would come in 16 GB + 256 GB, 32 GB + 512 GB/ 1 TB/ 2 TB variant. All the RAM featured in Surface Book 3 are LPDDR4x with a clock speed of 3733 MHz and the storages used are PCIe SSDs.
The Surface Book 3 would come at a starting price of $1,599 in the US starting May 21, while in the UK the device would be available beginning June 5 from £1,599.
Surface Headphone 2 and Surface Earbuds
The new noise-cancelling wireless headset from Microsoft, Surface Headphone 2 promises to offer enhanced sound structure, lightweight body and improved battery life compared to its predecessors. The Surface Headphone 2 would come at $249 in the US starting May 12 and £239.99 in the UK starting June 5.
The truly wireless AirPods solution from Microsoft dubbed Surface Earbuds would come with advanced Office integration at $199 in the US and £199 in the UK. There are not many details about its sound quality and other features. So it would be too early to say whether it can stand up to Apple's AirPods and other market leaders in the segment.
