Microsoft unveiled its new 13.5-inch laptop under the Surface brand name in New York on Tuesday. Deviating from its tendency to call the devices various things like convertible tablets or with a kickstand and so on, the newest device is just a laptop and nothing else. This seems to have pleased a lot of experts out there.
The Surface laptop is already receiving a lot of appreciation and criticism from the analysts who take a very close look and make many comparisons. Some of these along with the basic details of the laptops are summed up here.
The Hardware
From the hardware specifications perspective, the new Surface laptop has a 13.5-inch display and the aspect ratio has been maintained at 3:2 and the screen resolution is 2256×1504. It’s a LCD touchscreen monitor which is being claimed as the thinnest in this category and one can use a Surface Pen to write/draw on it. The Surface laptop is just 14.5mm thick (or slim) and weighs 1.25 kilograms; quite decent for a 13.5-inch laptop.
The lower end of this new series has an i5 processor and 4GB RAM and HDD storage of 128GB. This is where the critics feel Microsoft could have done a little better. In today’s context the RAM and the storage appear less. The only explanation for this could be that the new Windows 10 S OS would be light enough to be handled with ease, with just 4GB RAM.
The keyboard has received some positive acclaim. Microsoft has again used a special Italian fabric called “alcantara” which seems to add to the aesthetics and functionality of the keyboard tray. The fabric covers till the edges avoiding the metal edges that trouble a lot of laptop users. The fabric’s colour has been chosen to match with the laptops’ colour and Microsoft has gone on to supply matching Arc mouse as well, though it has to be ordered separately. The keyboards are backlit and another novelty is that the speakers are fixed below the keys and as you keep typing the sound emerges from below your fingers.
The battery fitted in the Surface laptop is another talking point, since the company claims it can last a full 14.5 hours! This indeed is commendable since it claims to have a longer running battery than any MacBook Air!
On the flip side, the use of Windows 10 S means that no third party software or apps other than from the Store can be downloaded and used. One will have to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro for doing that.
Microsoft has announced that the new Surface laptop will be available in four colours: Burgundy, Cobalt Blue, Platinum and Graphite Gold. While the basic 4GB RAM/128GB storage will be sold only in one colour, platinum, the other colours can be ordered in the next higher level 8GB/256GB version. Surface laptop will also ship with an i7 processor and 16GB/512GB versions.
The basic model with the i5 processor and 4GB RAM and 128GB storage will be priced at $999. Obviously, the prices of the other versions will be higher. As indicated, the laptops start shipping in June. The Surface Pen is not part of the pack and has to be ordered separately and so is the Arc mouse if the customer desires one.