Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Microsoft lowers Surface Book 2 and Laptop price of entry

Mark Coppock
By

Microsoft Surface Book 2 13 Review
Mark Coppock/Digital Trends
Microsoft’s Surface line of notebook and desktop PCs is known for its stunning design, innovative form factors, and excellent input options and Windows 10 integration that make them great options for creative and productivity tasks. At the same time, Surface is also notorious for another of its attributes — price. Surface prices range from the very low end of the premium segment well into the stratosphere.

That has likely cut into Surface sales, which were basically flat in Microsoft’s second quarter 2018 earnings report in spite of the release of the new Surface Laptop and Surface Book 2. It’s possible that pricing impacted those results, and perhaps in response, Microsoft has introduced two new versions of those machines aimed at making them affordable to more users.

Recommended Videos

First up is the Surface Laptop, which has added a new low-end seventh-generation Intel Core m3 CPU to the mix. When configured with 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD, which are the only options, the notebook now comes in at $800. That’s a full $200 down from the previous entry-level offering of a Core i5, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB SSD, offering some significant savings for a reduction in overall performance. You’ll be somewhat limited in pizzazz, however, as Microsoft is only offering this configuration in one color, Platinum.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Next is the Surface Book 2 13.5-inch model, which previously started out at $1,500 for its entry level configuration with a seventh-generation Core i5, 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD, and integrated Intel HD Graphics only. Now, you can configure the entry-level model with a 128GB SSD and spend only $1,200, an even more significant savings of $300. You’ll be limited in storage, but you could also add in a MicroSD card to expand storage if things get too tight. In the meantime, you’ll enjoy the same pop-off and extremely high-quality display, class-leading pen, and excellent keyboard and touchpad.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

We’ll note that there are other notebooks and 2-in-1s that you can buy for these kinds of prices. However, if you want the unique good looks of the Surface Laptop or the unparalleled flexibility of the Surface Book 2, then at least now you can buy into either line for a price that won’t make your bank account cry.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Mark Coppock
Mark Coppock
Computing Writer
Mark has been a geek since MS-DOS gave way to Windows and the PalmPilot was a thing. He’s translated his love for…
Don’t buy the Surface Laptop Go 3 — here’s what you should get instead
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 front view showing display and keyboard.

As a former marketing professional and a laptop reviewer, I often find myself surprised and sometimes confused by the decisions companies make when launching a laptop. An example is when a company introduces just one or two configurations that may not meet the needs of a range of users and, as a result, starts a laptop off on the wrong foot. In that case, I can at least understand the complexity of manufacturing and component sourcing. Although I'll mention a lack of options in a review, I won't necessarily ding a laptop because of it.

Some mistakes, though, are harder to overlook. That's how I feel about Microsoft's Surface Laptop Go 3, which the company introduced at a significantly higher price than its predecessors. The laptop, which is designed and configured like a budget machine, starts at $800 and runs up to $1,000. Those are midrange prices, but the Surface just can't compete against many midrange laptops.
$800 is too much
Asus Zenbook 14 OLED Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Read more
This Acer OLED laptop (almost) beats the MacBook Air 15 — and it’s cheaper
Acer Swift Edge 16 front angled view showing display and keyboard.

Larger laptops have become more popular as the industry adapts to the needs of hybrid workers and creators. But some users value portability over power, so a number of new thin and light 15-inch laptops and larger have hit the market to meet their needs.

Apple recently released its largest MacBook Air ever, the MacBook Air 15, which is incredibly thin and reasonably light. Acer has its Swift Edge 16, which is one of the lightest large laptops, but not quite as thin as the MacBook. Which of these machines is right for you?
Specs and configurations

Read more
Nvidia is cheating with its GPUs, and that’s great for laptops
A game playing on the Razer Blade 14 gaming laptop.

With some AI trickery, Nvidia has managed to cheat the traditional rendering pipeline for games. And that makes traditionally underpowered laptops so much better.

Its latest RTX 40-series mobile GPUs are very powerful -- especially if you jump up to the RTX 4090 in a machine like the Asus Strix Scar 17. But it’s the low-end options where Nvidia is really pushing ahead. That isn’t due to raw power, but instead Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS), Nvidia's AI-powered upscaling and frame generation tech.

Read more