Microsoft's Surface launch takes it a step closer to 'cool'

Thursday, 4 October 2018

OPINION: Microsoft's road to cool has been a long one.

And while the tech giant might not be 100 per cent there, this week's event in New York City took them one step closer.

The four most notable new products were: Surface Laptop 2 - a direct rival to the Macbook, the Surface Pro 6 - aimed to rival the iPad, the brand new Surface Headphones and the Surface Studio 2.

I'll take you through Microsoft's new products and their most notable features.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 2

$1699

Available 10/16/18

Think of this as Microsoft's flagship piece of hardware. It's a 13.5-inch laptop that's a bit of an all rounder and a direct competitor, in terms of specs, to the new Macbook. It's competitively priced too, with the 128GB SSD storage option starting at $999.

This Surface Laptop 2 is aimed at anyone looking for a laptop with a long battery life (13.5 hours) and a high-res display (2256 x 1504).

Microsoft claims the new laptop is 85 per cent faster than its predecessor, which launched in May 2017.

Take this claim with a pinch of salt. Big tech companies make this sort of claim all the time, and while it's technically true in specific areas, it can be hard to notice the difference as a real-world user.

That said, the Surface Laptop 2 does have 8GB RAM, which is twice as much as the original Surface Laptop. There's also an 8th Gen Intel quad-core processor on board which suggests this device will, in fact, be a lot quicker.

The storage options are pretty good too. Ranging from 128GB SSD all the way up to a 1TB SSD option.

The one controversial feature of the laptop is that there's only a single USB 3.0 and Mini Display Port. No USB-C. So it's not exactly a future-proof laptop. This also presents a slightly confused message from Microsoft as it released new Surface Headphones (see below) with the newer USB-C port.

Microsoft Surface Pro 6

$1,549

Available: 10/16/18

It's been a year-and-a-half since Microsoft updated the popular laptop/tablet hybrid. The most popular new features in the Surface Pro 6 are the 8th Gen Intel quad-core processors and, oddly, the new matte black finish.

Other than the new colour, the external design of the Surface Pro is pretty similar to the 5. The screen is a 12-inch display with a 3:2 aspect ratio. The real changes are internal.

The new display is 38 per cent brighter and offers 22 per cent more contrast. Microsoft also reports that the new Surface Pro is 67 per cent faster than its predecessor. This will be a direct result of the new processor and massive 16GB RAM available on some models. The storage options are 1TS SSD for the base model and 2TB SSD in the high-end model.

What about the ports I hear you say? Well… it's the same story as the Surface Laptop 2. USC-C is a no-show.

Microsoft Surface Headphones

NZ$TBC (US$349)

Available: Unknown in NZ

This was the surprise product of the launch. The new over-the-ear Bluetooth headphones feature built-in Cortana (Microsoft's voice assistant) and a 12-hour battery life.

The USB-C charged headphones are controlled by the touch-sensitive casing, which responds to specific input gestures. The device will automatically pause and play songs when they're taken on and off by the wearer.

Microsoft Surface Studio

$6199

Available: 16/10/18

Microsoft also launched the Surface Studio 2 (US$3499, a device with a 28-inch HD display and boosted graphics performance that's aimed at creative professionals.

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