Microsoft is introducing cheaper models of its Surface Laptop and Surface Book 2.
The Surface Laptop model is now available on the Microsoft Store for $799. That’s a $200 discount, but a trade-off in processing power; it runs a 1.6GHz Intel Core m3 processor instead of the faster Core i5 found in the original $999 base model.
However, at the $799 price, you still get a pretty sleek laptop. In our July review, PCMag gave the Surface Laptop high marks and recommended it for college students looking for a stylish notebook.
We liked that it came in a thin and light case; all together, the product weighs in at 2.76 pounds. The laptop also had an insanely long battery life, coming in at 16 hours, 44 minutes during our rundown tests.
The new $799 model comes with 4GB of RAM, 128GB of SSD storage, and a high-resolution display with an unconventional 2,256-by-1,504 screen resolution.
However, the Surface Laptop comes with Windows 10 S, an operating system that can only run apps from the Microsoft Store. You can upgrade the OS to Windows 10 Pro, which can run non-Microsoft Store apps, but it’ll cost you an extra $49.
Consumers in the market for a PC convertible should also consider the Surface Book 2, which comes in a new $1,199 model, or $300 off the original starting price.
The discount comes at the expense of memory. The cheaper unit only has 128GB of storage, as opposed to the 256GB found in the $1,499 model. Unlike the new Surface Laptop model, it runs a more powerful Intel Core i5 processor, but the device is a heftier 3.38 pounds.
The hybrid PC can work like a laptop, or detach or fold into a tablet; PCMag gave it a positive review. So far, Microsoft hasn’t said why it made the pricing changes. But earlier this week, the company reported that revenue for its Surface products only went up a mere 1 percent year-over-year in 2017’s fourth quarter.
