Microsoft did a lot of internal improvements over the past few years. They released Windows 10, one of the best upgrades in the operating system since Windows 7. A bunch of new devices were released, all carrying the Surface name. And probably the biggest surprise of all – they slowly started shifting towards the open – source world. And considering how they were the arch enemy of it, it’s clear to say that Microsoft has changed a lot – for the better. Recently, they announced the Surface Go, their cheapest device targeted towards students. And now, they’ve upgraded the rest of their lineup. In this one, we’re taking a look at the Microsoft Surface Laptop 2. Let’s see what is new!

Design

Starting with the design, you’re not going to see much changes here. The device is still sleek though – you have a nice metal build all around, with the signature Alcantara finish on the keyboard. The keyboard is nice, travel distance is excellent and it’s a lot quieter than the previous model. The fresh feature in the design department is the new matte black color. It’s looking pretty sleek and it has my likes already. Keep in mind though that the aluminum finish does attract fingerprints, and they’re much more noticeable on the matte black color.

Features

Remaining on the outside, you have a fair bit of ports available for use – for 2018 standards. On the left, you have a single USB-A port, a Mini Display port and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Going to the right, you will find the proprietary Surface connector for charging the device sitting alone. The biggest downside of this is the lack of a USB-C port. It wasn’t present in 2017 when it was still in its early age, and it’s stupid that it’s not available now near the end of 2018. Especially considering their new Microsoft Surface Headphones are charged using a USB-C cable.

Going inside the device, and we can see that the Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 rocks the most recent hardware. For the processors, you’re getting the latest 8^th generation of Intel processor. The options for now include the i5 and the i7 processor, and both options are great. Going over to the memory, you have the options of 8 or 16GB of RAM. That is a welcoming upgrade, considering the first generation started at 4GB. As for the internal storage, you can choose anything between 128 to 1TB of SSD storage. For us, anything above 256GB should be fine, but pick depending on your needs. Finally finishing the battery, Microsoft claims up to 14.5 hours of average use. Considering how the previous model handled the battery well, we’re expecting results that are near this mark.

Pricing and availability

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 can be pre-ordered right now through Microsoft’s website in the US. More markets should follow up in the upcoming months. Prices start at $1000 for the lowest model and going all the way to more than $2000 for the beefed up one.

So, what are your thoughts on the Microsoft Surface Laptop 2? Share them in the comments below.