Microsoft looks to be releasing the successor of its powerful notebook, Surface Book, dubbed Surface Book 2 during the second half of 2016, which is a nice little timeline since the upcoming notebook will be able to take on Apple’s MacBook Pro lineup, which will no doubt be announced during the company’s WWDC 2016 event.
As for the hardware present inside Surface Book 2, Microsoft might desperately be waiting for Intel’s 7th generation i5 and i7 processors, which have been codenamed Kaby Lake series of processors. The 7th generation of processors are going to be produced on the 14nm FinFET technology, but the new architecture is expected to deliver higher performance compared to the Intel’s 6th generation Skylake processors. In terms of efficiency and performance, Surface Book 2 will definitely have the upper hand against the 2016 MacBook Pro lineup thanks to the new processors.
However, Microsoft could be looking to kick it up a notch by installing a 4K display onto Surface Book 2. The original Surface Book came with a 3000 x 2000 resolution, so it is quite likely that the upcoming notebook will have a higher resolution than this. According to Vine Report, Surface Book 2 could be releasing during the month of June, which is the perfect time for it to take on the 2016 MacBook Pro lineup.
Another addition to the feature side of Surface Book 2 will be the introduction of a USB-C port. The advantages of having a USB-C port installed on a machine will include higher data transfer speeds, more power delivery and of course the ability to hook up a secondary display thanks to this miniature port. While pricing details are currently in limbo, Surface Book 2 will undoubtedly be coming in several different specification flavors and with different pricing structures, but we hope that the starting price tag is less than the $1,499 that came with the original Surface Book.
With the imminent release of Surface Book 2, the prices of Surface Book will continue to fall, allowing the notebook to come even more affordable than before.
