Mark Coppock/Digital Trends
If you’ve been thinking of buying a Surface Book 2, you might want to hold off for a bit. Microsoft could soon be refreshing the cheapest entry-level 13-inch version of the Windows 10 2-in-1 with a much more powerful processor, according to German blog WinFuture.
While this Surface Book 2 model will still keep the design, 8GB RAM, 256 GB of storage, ports, and display, the new version would bump the Intel processor under the hood up to an eighth-generation quad-core i5-8350U. This would be an upgrade from the current, and much slower, seventh-generation dual-core i5-7300U processor on board. Just like Surface Pro 6, the switch to quad-core would bring a significant performance jump. More technically, reports indicate that the chipset would also get a boost clock rate up from 3.5GHz to 3.6GHz, and consumers could see a 50 percent performance jump in multi-core tasks.
Several listings have been appearing online for the new Surface Book 2 variant and pre-order prices are currently noted at $1,500. That is the same suggested price as current 13-inch models, however, Microsoft is discounting this existing version and selling it for $1,300. Naturally, that would suggest it could be considering getting rid of existing stock of 13-inch Surface Book 2’s ahead of this refresh to bring a new model to consumers.
Currently, the only way to get similar quad-core power would be to upgrade to a model with the Intel Core i7 processor, which is slightly more expensive at $2,000. Most listings mention that the new model would arrive “in the coming weeks,” but there is not yet a solid release date.
Other laptop makers have already refreshed devices with newer Intel Whiskey Lake processors, including Dell with its XPS 13, so it would make sense for Microsoft to do something similar. We had reviewed the Surface Book 2 in November and found that it already provided excellent performance in all areas and unparalleled battery life. We also liked its keyboard and touchpad, and versatility when used as a tablet. A fresher entry-level model with quad-core processors would likely be much appreciated for consumers and would make it a more enticing option in the ever-crowded market for Windows 10 2-in-1s.
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