Microsoft just announced its first laptop ever, the Surface Book. The Surface Book is a nice addition to Microsoft’s hardware arsenal in addition to its popular Surface Pro tablet. The Surface Book is a direct competitor of Apple’s MacBook Pro laptop. Microsoft also announced the next generation of its Surface Pro tablet, Surface Pro 4.
Surface Book
Meticulously crafted and ultra-thin, Surface Book is the ultimate device for powering your ideas. Its 13.5-inch PixelSense™ rivals the printed page with a resolution of 3000 x 2000, and features an integrated backlit keyboard, optional graphics, and responsive glass trackpad. Go beyond the laptop and detach the screen to use like a clipboard, or rotate and reattach to use like a canvas. It weighs just 3.34 pounds (1516g) and has a battery life of 12 hours5 for all day use.
Surface Pro 4
Incredibly powerful and light, Surface Pro 4 handles the toughest tasks with ease. It weighs a mere 1.73 pounds (786g) and has a stunning 12.3-inch PixelSense™ with extremely high contrast and low glare to reduce eye strain. Its battery lasts 9 hours4 for all-day use , and it delivers the ultimate in laptop comfort and productivity with its multi-position Kickstand, improved Keyboard2, and included Surface Pen.
As a professional developer, you will have to probably choose one or other. I do own Surface Pro 3 and love it.
Here is a comparison between the two.
| |
Surface Pro 4 |
Surface Book |
| Message |
The most powerful laptop |
Perfect balance of size and power |
| Price Starting |
$899 |
$1,499 |
| Operating System |
Windows 10 Pro |
Windows 10 Pro |
| Screen Size |
12.3 inch |
13.5 inch |
| Resolution |
2736x1824 |
3000x2000 |
| Weight |
1.73 lbs (.786g) |
3.34 lbs (1.52 Kg) |
| Battery life |
Up to 9 hrs |
Up to 12 hrs |
| Ports |
Two full-size USB 3.0
Full-size SD card reader
Headset jack
Mini DisplayPort
Surface Connect |
Full-size USB 3.0
microSD card reader
Headset jack
Mini DisplayPort
Surface Connect
Cover port |
| Maximum Storage |
256GB (512GB later) |
512GB (1TB later) |
| Processor |
Intel Core i7 |
Intel Core i7 |
| RAM |
8GB |
16GB |
The Verdict
Both devices are very powerful, slick, and productive. I am a big fan of thin and light laptops. I am also OK with 8GB of RAM. Personally, I prefer Surface Pro 4 but if you really need a laptop to replace your PC, the Surface Book is for you.