On Tuesday, Microsoft unveiled the new Surface Laptop at its Microsoft EDU event in New York City. The upcoming device’s defining feature is that it will run Windows 10 S instead of the standard OS version. It will cost $999 when it launches this June.
Windows 10 S, the tech giant’s new version of Windows aimed specifically at students and schools, was also presented at the event. This operating system will be lighter and faster than regular Windows 10, but it will only run apps downloaded from the Windows App Store.
Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Samsung, and Toshiba have partnered up with Microsoft to create affordable laptops and tablets for students that run on the new OS. The company also upgraded Minecraft: Education Edition to teach kids how to code.
Microsoft Surface Laptop: Specs and design
Microsoft’s approach this time over is much more traditional than other products of the Surface lineup. The Surface Laptop has no form factor tricks up its sleeve like the Surface Book or the Surface Pro, but it is built with the same premium standards.
The laptop comes in an aluminum casing, and it weighs just 2.76 lbs or 1.25 kg. There is only one option regarding display size: a 13.5-inch PixelSense touchscreen protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3, with 2256 x 1504 resolutions and 3:2 aspect ratio. It is also Surface Pen enabled.
Under the hood, users can choose processor and memory configurations according to their needs. Intel provides 7th generation chips for the Surface Laptop, which comes with a Core i5 in its base model but can be upgraded to a Core i7.
The student-aimed laptop comes with 4 GB of RAM as a standard, but it supports up to 16 GB. Same thing with SSD storage, which starts at 128 GB but can go up to 512 GB. Units with the i5 chip are paired with Intel HD 620 while i7 models come with Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640.
Check out the highlights from today's #MicrosoftEDU event: pic.twitter.com/AGbXlOX9wg
— Microsoft (@Microsoft) May 2, 2017
Microsoft’s latest Surface product comes with just one USB 3.0 slot, a Mini DisplayPort, a headphone and headset jack, and a Surface Connect port. It also has a 720p HD camera compatible with Windows Hello’s face sign-in and Omnisonic speakers with Dolby Audio Premium support.
Microsoft Surface Laptop: Price and availability
The tech giant has the Surface Laptop available for pre-order already in four different configurations. Users in the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, the U.K. and several countries in Europe can place their orders now, and they will start shipping on June 15.
The Surface Laptop starts at $999 for the i5 model with 128 GB SSD and 4 GB of RAM, which makes it one of the best laptops under 1000 bucks. The $1,299 has the same chip but doubles memory capacity for both RAM and storage, and it is the only model currently available in Burgundy, Graphite Gold, and Cobalt Blue.
Intel Core i7 units start at $1,599 with 256 GB SSD, 8 GB of RAM, and Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640. The top-of-the-line model doubles all memory capacities again for $2,199. These are both available only in Platinum.
Source: Microsoft
