Microsoft releases Surface Book 3 to rival The 2020 MacBook Pro

Microsoft announces new devices, within the Surface family, that are expected to hit the market in the coming weeks and that can already be reserved. These are Surface Go 2, Surface Book 3, Surface Headphones 2, Surface Earbuds, as well as accessories such as the Surface Dock 2 and Microsoft USB-C Travel Hub multiport.

Let’s start with the Surface Book 3, which Microsoft says is the most powerful laptop it has ever created – a truism like Apple’s because it is clear that if the Surface Book 3 is the latest model of the most powerful laptop that Microsoft has in its range, it will not be less powerful than the previous one.

This model is the brand’s most powerful Microsoft laptop yet. It provides up to 50% more performance than Surface Book 2 and up to 17.5 hours of battery life. Either the 13 ”or 15” model has a PixelSense display with a high density of dots per inch, an accurate trackpad, a more comfortable keyboard, the performance of a 10th generation Intel CPU and the power of a dedicated GPU. NVIDIA.

With the 13-inch Surface Book 3, Microsoft integrated Iris Plus graphics but the 15-inch with i7 processors dedicated Nvidia graphics that surpass the graphics cards of the 16-inch MacBook Pro. Specifically, if you buy a Surface Book 3, you will be able to choose between a GeForce GTX 1650 with Max -Q in the 13-inch version. In the 15-inch version, you can choose between the GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q or a Quadro RTX 3000 Max-Q, the most advanced of all.

Microsoft claims that the 15-inch model with Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q has enough power to use the PC games available on Xbox Game Pass at Full HD and 60 frames per second. It also has Wi-Fi 6 but, at the port level, it maintains the same as the previous version – such as the design or the screen. A small change is that the USB Type-C port is now USB 3.1 Gen 2 instead of Gen 1. However, there is no Thunderbolt 3 support like the MacBook Pro.

Surface Book 3 has up to 32GB (3733MHz LPDDR4X) of RAM, a high-speed SSD, and the storage options go up to 1TB for the 13 and 2TB for the 15 inches. For game lovers, the 15-inch Surface Book 3 integrates an NVIDIA GeForce GPU with the power to play PC titles with Xbox Game Pass at 1080p and 60 frames per second. The possibility of choosing an NVIDIA Quadro GPU has also been added. RTX 3000 for better performance Surface Book 3 has a starting price of $1,599 for the 13-inch model and $2,299 for the 15-inch model. Both will be available starting June 5. According to Microsoft, the Surface Book 3 has the fastest solid disk it has ever used on any machine.

Surface Headphones 2 is characterized by 13 levels of ambient noise cancellation. Microsoft has also improved battery life with up to 20 hours of battery life. Active noise cancellation is adjustable through intuitive dials and can block or amplify human voices. The headband design has been updated so that the ear cushions rotate 180º. In addition to the classic platinum color, it also comes with a black finish. They are priced at about $249 and will be available on June 5.

For their part, the Earbuds offer intuitive touch controls to start a phone call or change a song without having to touch the phone. They come with a wireless charging case, Omnisonic sound, and can launch content playback directly from Android phones with a triple tap on either earbud. Integration with Microsoft 365 without a screen allows you to catch up on emails through Play My Emails in the Outlook mobile app for iOS or dictate in Word, Outlook, or PowerPoint. They are priced at about $199 and will be available from May 12.

As for the improved Surface Go 2 compared to the previous model, it maintains the same design but offers a larger PixelSense screen than the previous one, 10.5 ”; improved battery life; and up to 64% faster performance than the original as a result of the 8th generation Intel Core M processor.

Still, Microsoft claims that the new Surface Go 2 offers 64% more performance with the new Core m3, something more than remarkable if true. The battery is also better than the previous model, with 10 hours of battery life – one more than the Surface Go.

According to the Redmon company, the Surface Go 2 also has two studio microphones to improve call quality and has the option of LTE.

The price is just as low, starting at $399 for the basic version. It will be available on May 12.

Microsoft Surface Book 3 specs: 13 inch vs 15 inch

	Surface Book 3 (13.5-inch)	Surface Book 3 (15-inch)
Starting Price	$1,599 (integrated graphics) / $1,999 (discrete GPU)	From $2,299
Screen	13.5-inch, 3000 x 2000	15-inch, 3240 x 2160
CPU	Core i5-1035G7, Core i7-1065G7	Core i7-1065G7
Graphics	Intel Iris Plus, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650	Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti
RAM	8GB, 16GB, 32GB	16GB, 32GB
SSD	256GB, 512GB, 1TB	256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0	Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, Xbox Wireless
Estimated battery life	15.5 hours with keyboard attached	17.5 hours with keyboard attached
Ports	2 USB Type-A, 1 USB Type-C, SD Card, 3.5mm audio	2 USB Type-A, 1 USB Type-C, SD Card, 3.5mm audio
Cameras	5MP front-facing; 8MP rear-facing	5MP front-facing; 8MP rear-facing
Audio	Dual far-field mics, Front-facing stereo speakers w/ Dolby Atmos	Dual far-field mics, Front-facing stereo speakers w/ Dolby Atmos
Dimensions	12.3 x 9.14 x 0.9 inches	13.5 x 9.87 x 0.9 inches
Total weight	3.38 pounds; 3.62 pounds with GPU	4.2 pounds