Microsoft just wrapped up their Surface Event. Even before the event, there were a lot of speculations about what the company will announce during this event as it was specifically dedicated to their hardware products.
Here's everything that Microsoft announced during their event:
Surface Studio Laptop
Microsoft has taken a fresh take on their flagship laptop (Surface Book) with not only a new form factor but also a new name i.e., Surface Laptop Studio. Though the laptop looks like an Apple MacBook but has a form factor similar to Acer Concept D or HP Elite Folio with a flexible hinge which now offers three ways for the user to use the device: laptop, tablet, and studio.
The Surface Studio offers a 14.4-inch touchscreen display with up to 120Hz refresh rate, an Intel Core i5 or i7 11th Gen CPU. The laptop also offers two GPU configurations i.e., an RTX 3050Ti with 4GB GDDR6 memory and an RTX A2000 (commercial only) GPU with 4GB of GDDR6 memory. Microsoft has also kept the 1080p webcam with some AI-powered smart camera features. The laptop includes a quad-speaker setup with Dolby Atmos. And for the first time, Microsoft has added the support for Thunderbolt 4 on their surface devices.
All-new Surface Pro X
Microsoft has also announced a refreshed model of their Surface Pro X, though there are no significant changes to the design. But this time the Surface Pro X starts at $899 with a Wi-Fi-only option and a Gigabyte LTE model.
The Surface Pro X includes a 13-inch (2280x1920) PixelSense touchscreen display, the signature kickstand, 5-megapixel 1080p webcam with AI-powered smart camera features, and all-day battery life. The Pro X also includes an Eye Contact feature which allows the laptop to use its onboard neural engine to display as if the user is always looking at the camera.
The Surface Pro X comes with an SQ1 along with Adreno 685 GPU or an SQ2 CPU along with Adreno 690 GPU. The Pro X goes up to 16GB of LPDDR4x RAM with three user-replaceable SSD options: 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB. Microsoft claims that its upcoming Windows 11 and built-in 64-bit emulation will allow this ARM-Powered machine to run apps like MS Teams, Office, Adobe Apps in a more usable state.
Surface Pro 8
The Surface Pro series is one of the most popular products created by Microsoft and this time they have built on it with the Surface Pro 8. The Pro 8 includes an HD camera with 4K video support, a bigger (due to smaller bezels), and a brighter 13-inch display with a resolution of 2880x1920 along with a 120Hz refresh rate (the default is 60Hz). The battery now lasts for up to 16 hours and can be charged to 80% in just over an hour.
Microsoft is claiming that the Surface Pro 8 will perform 2x faster than the Surface Pro 7 all thanks to the new i5 and i7 11th-gen quad-core Intel CPUs and the Intel Iris Xe Graphics. The Pro 8 can be configured with 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB of LPDDR4x RAM with user-replaceable SSDs of 128GB or 256GB for Wi-Fi or LTE model and an additional 512GB or 1TB with Wi-Fi-only models.
The Surface Pro 8 starts at $1099 and is being focused as a multidimensional device that is good for productivity, content creation, or even gaming as Microsoft has added Thunderbolt 4 support which allows us to connect an external GPU.
Surface Go 3
The Surface Go 3 has also received some noticeable changes like new storage options that include 128GB and 256GB SSDs with the base model having a slower 64GB option. The graphics and CPU have also received a bump and now include Intel UHD Graphics 615 and provides a choice between a dual-core Intel Pentium Gold 6500Y or a Quad-core i3 10th Gen CPU. The memory maxes out at 8GB or 4GB in the case of the base model.
Surface Go 3 starts at $399 and weighs at 500grams (1.2lbs), it also comes with a 1080p webcam.
Surface Duo 2
Microsoft during the event also announced the successor to their Android-powered foldable smartphone the Surface Duo which had the ability to run two Android apps concurrently. The new Surface Duo 2 features an 8.3-inches display and is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor with support for 5G and NFC.
The phone will be available in three configurations i.e., 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB with 8GB LPDDR5 DRAM memory. Microsoft has also added a triple camera setup on the back of the phone with a 16MP f/2.2 Ultra-Wide lens, a 12MP f/2.4 OIS telephoto lens, and a 12MP f/1.7 OID wide lens.
The Surface Duo 2 starts at $1499 and will now be shipped with the Xbox Game Pass app preinstalled with support for touch controls while utilizing both displays.