Wednesday, May 6th 2020
Microsoft Announces Surface Go 2, Surface Book 3, Surface Headphones 2 and Surface Earbuds
The way we work, connect and learn continues to change right in front of us. Our devices have become our window to the world - our office, our school and our social space. To help navigate the current environment people are turning to Windows PCs more than ever. In fact, over 4 trillion minutes are being spent on Windows 10 a month, a 75% increase year on year. It's not just the pull of the larger screen and better keyboard, but the versatility of a device that runs the software we need and games and entertainment we love, with cameras and mics built in to connect us to the people who matter most. This is what Windows PCs were built to do. This is what we design Surface for.
The new Surface Go 2, Surface Book 3, Surface Headphones 2, Surface Earbuds and accessories are designed to help you do what you need, from anywhere - a concept that has taken on new weight since we first started working on these products. Instead of planes, coffee shops and offices, we're moving from home office to kitchen table to couch, but our need for devices that keep us productive and connected has never been greater.
As a company, we are focused on supporting our customers during this time of change. From making Microsoft Teams available to everyone to evolving Microsoft 365, we want to make sure every person and every organization has the tools they need to stay connected and productive. Nothing inspires me more than seeing the amazing things our customers and employees are doing with our products. I've connected with educators like Dr. David Kellermann at the UNSW in Sydney and parents like Elisa who are using Surface to keep students engaged and learning from home. I've felt the energy from our own team as they navigated how to build and bring products to market remotely. I am deeply appreciative of work they are doing for our customers. We are so excited to get these new Surface devices in people's hands, meeting them where they are today and supporting them with the tools they need to keep working, keep creating and keep learning.
As we continue to expand our Surface family of devices, our goal is to design a Surface for every person, every work style and every location, scaling from the most portable to the most performant. To give you devices that can switch context as quickly as you do to take you from work to play to everything in between. Today we are announcing four new products and new accessories with that in mind.
Surface Go 2 keeps the same thin, lightweight design, but now offers a larger 10.5-inch PixelSense display, improved battery life and a model with up to 64% faster performance than the original with 8th Generation Intel Core M options for the first time. We've added Studio Mics, our dual microphone solution, to increase voice clarity and reduce background noise for Teams meetings or video chats, and a 5MP front-facing camera delivers sharp video even in low light. We've also added the new Camera app for the rear-facing camera to make it easy to scan documents and whiteboards - whether you're sharing notes from a meeting or turning in homework. Paired with Surface Pen, Surface Go 2 allows distance learners and remote workers to stay digital, while unlocking the power of natural ink for things like drawing diagrams, marking up documents or working through math equations. You can personalize your Surface Go with Type Covers, Sleeves and accessories in a variety of colors, including Platinum, Black, Poppy Red, and Ice Blue. Surface Go 2 starts at $399 and will be available starting May 12.
Surface Book 3
Surface Book 3 is our most powerful laptop ever, providing up to 50% more performance than Surface Book 2 and up to 17.5 hours of battery life. Whether you choose 13-inch or 15-inch, Surface Book 3 has beautifully crisp, high-DPI PixelSense Display, smooth, precise trackpad, comfortable keyboard and the performance of 10th Generation Intel Core processors and choice of discrete NVIDIA GeForce GTX or Quadro RTX GPUs. For developers that push the computing and IO performance of their device, Surface Book 3 now comes with up to 32 GB of RAM and the fastest SSD we have ever shipped. For people who love to game, Surface Book 3 15-inch has an NVIDIA GeForce GTX GPU with enough power to play the top Xbox Game Pass for PC titles at 1080p in a smooth 60 frames per second. We've also added a new option with the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 3000 to better meet the needs of commercial customers and higher education institutions. Surface Book 3 starts at $1599 and will be available starting May 21.
Surface Headphones 2
People tell us that putting on headphones is today's equivalent of shutting the office door to focus and connect in any setting. Surface Headphones 2 are designed to slip comfortably over your ears and surround you with spectacular sound quality, including 13 levels of ambient noise control. We improved sound quality and battery life, bringing you up to 20 hours of clear sound. Our active noise cancellation is adjustable through intuitive on-ear dials and specifically tuned to either block out or amplify human voices. This comes in handy when you are trying to work from home with roommates, kids, significant others or pets. We updated the ear cup design to rotate 180 degrees for greater comfort when wearing around your neck, and added a beautiful Black finish option in addition to our classic Platinum. Surface Headphones 2 are priced at $249 and will be available starting May 12.
Surface Earbuds
We know there are times when you want to be connected without fully shutting out the world - such as listening to music while out for a run or taking a call while making dinner. Featuring an ultra-comfortable and stable fit, Surface Earbuds offer intuitive touch controls so you can start a phone call or change the song without taking out your phone. Experience rich, immersive Omnisonic sound and instantly play Spotify from your Android phone with a triple tap on either earbud. Screen-free integration with Microsoft 365 lets you catch up on emails with Play My Emails in the Outlook Mobile App for iOS or allow you to dictate in Word, Outlook or PowerPoint. Enjoy all-day battery life with the included wireless charging case. Surface Earbuds are priced at $199 and will be available starting May 12.
Surface Dock 2
The ability to connect to monitors, accessories and additional storage can help you set up the ultimate workspace. Surface Dock 2 helps you expand your workspace with a simple magnetic click and delivers faster charging, higher data transfer rates and the enterprise management tools people have been asking for. We're also announcing a new multi-port Microsoft USB-C Travel Hub to give you more ways to connect to networks, displays and USB-C accessories when you're on the go. Surface Dock 2 is priced at $259.99 and the Microsoft USB-C Travel Hub is priced at $99.99. Both will start shipping to customers later this month in select markets.
Microsoft PC Accessories
We're also introducing two new Microsoft accessories bundles designed to help make you more productive and comfortable wherever your office is located. The Microsoft Ergonomic Desktop reduces fatigue and delivers exceptional comfort and control with a split keyboard design featuring a cushioned palm rest and an ultra-precise mouse with cushioned thumb rest. The Microsoft Bluetooth Desktop gives you a full-sized keyset in a slim and modern design and a compact, stylish mouse that fits comfortably in your hand. The Microsoft Ergonomic Desktop is priced at $89.99 and the Microsoft Bluetooth Desktop is priced at $59.99.
The new Surface Go 2, Surface Book 3, Surface Headphones 2, Surface Earbuds, Surface Dock 2 and accessories are available for preorder today in select markets and will roll out to all Surface markets in the coming months. To help better address the global demand we are seeing for Surface, we excited to share that we will bring Surface to Mexico and South Africa later this year.
We hope these new products will not only help people be more productive from wherever they are currently working and learning, but also help people find moments of focus and relaxation. With our most complete Surface portfolio ever, we have devices and accessories to meet a broad set of needs. Find the Surface that's right for you. We can't wait to see what you'll do with it.
The new Surface Go 2, Surface Book 3, Surface Headphones 2, Surface Earbuds and accessories are designed to help you do what you need, from anywhere - a concept that has taken on new weight since we first started working on these products. Instead of planes, coffee shops and offices, we're moving from home office to kitchen table to couch, but our need for devices that keep us productive and connected has never been greater.
As we continue to expand our Surface family of devices, our goal is to design a Surface for every person, every work style and every location, scaling from the most portable to the most performant. To give you devices that can switch context as quickly as you do to take you from work to play to everything in between. Today we are announcing four new products and new accessories with that in mind.
- Surface Go 2 delivers incredible value in a light, portable design, providing a great device for anyone in your company or family.
- Surface Book 3 is our most powerful laptop ever. Designed for professionals who need desktop-level performance from anywhere, this is the powerhouse workstation.
- The Surface Headphones 2 and Surface Earbuds complete your Surface experience, helping you find focus wherever you are and stay connected to the people and content that matters.
- The Surface Dock 2 and the multi-port Microsoft USB-C Travel Hub help you set up the ultimate workspace wherever that may be.
We created Surface Go to offer a more affordable and portable 2:1 to the Surface line. Organizations like Law School Admissions Council, Renault/F1 and National Healthcare Services in the U.K., and schools like Blue Springs School District in Missouri and Aichi Prefecture in Japan, have chosen Surface Go for its compact design, the versatility of the touch screen, keyboard, Pen and added connectivity of LTE Advanced.
Surface Go 2 keeps the same thin, lightweight design, but now offers a larger 10.5-inch PixelSense display, improved battery life and a model with up to 64% faster performance than the original with 8th Generation Intel Core M options for the first time. We've added Studio Mics, our dual microphone solution, to increase voice clarity and reduce background noise for Teams meetings or video chats, and a 5MP front-facing camera delivers sharp video even in low light. We've also added the new Camera app for the rear-facing camera to make it easy to scan documents and whiteboards - whether you're sharing notes from a meeting or turning in homework. Paired with Surface Pen, Surface Go 2 allows distance learners and remote workers to stay digital, while unlocking the power of natural ink for things like drawing diagrams, marking up documents or working through math equations. You can personalize your Surface Go with Type Covers, Sleeves and accessories in a variety of colors, including Platinum, Black, Poppy Red, and Ice Blue. Surface Go 2 starts at $399 and will be available starting May 12.
Surface Book 3
When we first designed Surface Book, our goal was to give people the power of a desktop, the versatility of a tablet, and the freedom of a light and thin laptop in one beautifully designed device. Developers, designers and professionals rely on Surface Book for coding and compiling, workloads in Adobe and Autodesk, and for gaming with Xbox Game Pass for PC or on Steam.
Surface Book 3 is our most powerful laptop ever, providing up to 50% more performance than Surface Book 2 and up to 17.5 hours of battery life. Whether you choose 13-inch or 15-inch, Surface Book 3 has beautifully crisp, high-DPI PixelSense Display, smooth, precise trackpad, comfortable keyboard and the performance of 10th Generation Intel Core processors and choice of discrete NVIDIA GeForce GTX or Quadro RTX GPUs. For developers that push the computing and IO performance of their device, Surface Book 3 now comes with up to 32 GB of RAM and the fastest SSD we have ever shipped. For people who love to game, Surface Book 3 15-inch has an NVIDIA GeForce GTX GPU with enough power to play the top Xbox Game Pass for PC titles at 1080p in a smooth 60 frames per second. We've also added a new option with the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 3000 to better meet the needs of commercial customers and higher education institutions. Surface Book 3 starts at $1599 and will be available starting May 21.
Surface Headphones 2
Surface Earbuds
Surface Dock 2
Microsoft PC Accessories
We're also introducing two new Microsoft accessories bundles designed to help make you more productive and comfortable wherever your office is located. The Microsoft Ergonomic Desktop reduces fatigue and delivers exceptional comfort and control with a split keyboard design featuring a cushioned palm rest and an ultra-precise mouse with cushioned thumb rest. The Microsoft Bluetooth Desktop gives you a full-sized keyset in a slim and modern design and a compact, stylish mouse that fits comfortably in your hand. The Microsoft Ergonomic Desktop is priced at $89.99 and the Microsoft Bluetooth Desktop is priced at $59.99.
The new Surface Go 2, Surface Book 3, Surface Headphones 2, Surface Earbuds, Surface Dock 2 and accessories are available for preorder today in select markets and will roll out to all Surface markets in the coming months. To help better address the global demand we are seeing for Surface, we excited to share that we will bring Surface to Mexico and South Africa later this year.
We hope these new products will not only help people be more productive from wherever they are currently working and learning, but also help people find moments of focus and relaxation. With our most complete Surface portfolio ever, we have devices and accessories to meet a broad set of needs. Find the Surface that's right for you. We can't wait to see what you'll do with it.
10 Comments on Microsoft Announces Surface Go 2, Surface Book 3, Surface Headphones 2 and Surface Earbuds
It used to be called a "macbook pro killer" but since 2015 the latter became more powerfull on the cpu side. Microsoft only win on the gpu side.
If you don't have a use for the screen, it's a hard sell against the dell xps... they really, really should have gone with the ryzen 4000U cpu. 6/8 core in a 15 watts enclosure. But noooo, they had to stick with Intel.
I was hoping it would at least be an i3-1000G4, so it has some graphical grunt to it, but m3-8100Y means HD Graphics 615 again (the Pentium Gold variant is also 615).
Ah well, the Surface Go 2 will still be a good POS machine.
Coming to the Surface, I just googled and found out there are Linux installations possible which is good because whenver I tried to search how the Linux works, I always got a No. So now perhaps a good progress. However, the worst part - full blown irreparable BGA lockdown like Apple from battery gluing to the casing and SSD soldered to the board and impossible to service making it a consumable product, Win10 unwanted updates which lock out users from controlling their processors (Plundervolt SGX CVE) no UV options, massive privacy invasion. Wonder if we ever see the non consumable products in these portables, Schools and eveyrthing are pushing for the same so no wonder all kids want these only and dumbed down experience of the computers.
The unfortunate part is Microsoft reshuffled everything in Windows again from firing Terry and restructuring it to Cloud operations team, again they did. So now Surface team looks at that Windows, what that means ? Means the Windows development from UX and featureset will be soley dependent on their Surface lineup and Surface is a horrible overpriced product, the cinebench score drops like a rock.
The surface go got the same issues as the netbooks : people buying those will expect a classic windows experience for cheap, but right now x86 isn't fast and efficient enough to provide that experience.
If they are still working with AMD for the surface laptop 4, The surface book 3 will be weaker by a significant margin in the cpu area.
Whatever they thought the point of making a 2nd Go before hardware advanced more... /facepalm
The top spec'd SB3 really should have at least a 6 core, if not an 8.
Exactly what I expect of the "Me too!" company. Not one single original idea or innovation.
I am by no means a windows friend but I am an Apple hater and I am to lazy to get comfortable with Linux so windows is the way to go.
I am in particular interested in 2 things here. The Go2 and the earbuds. yes they are expensive, and on the "surface" (pun intended) there is not a lot new here but look a bit deeper guys.
I have the 1st Gen Go and I use it for media and entertainment purposes... only. The Go was never more and will never be, because you can't work efficiently on an 10" screen. But what you can do on such a device is configure it for entertainment at home or on the go, what you would usually use an Android or iPad for, with the difference that you can have your experience without ads, because you can change the Win10S in Win10Home and do whatever you want. And as I am writing this I think, what you actually do, is paying for an ad-free experience and would I gladly do it. Everybody who whats to game with this device is stupid, for this you have a gaming PC or a console, or at least a real laptop for the smaller games.
What I was hoping for was a bit more CPU power, because the Go could use a bit more. Benchmarks will show if I got that with the i3-8100Y. The RAM upgrade to 8GB is nice though. Will it justify a new buy? We will see! If not I use the one I have for 2 more years because I can, because I do get SW updates for it.
Oh and I forgot to mention, the accessories for the og Surface Go can be used with the new one too, which is very good.
the earbuds: just show me a pair of truly wireless earbuds which easily connects to a windows machine as well as all your other mobile devices with other OSs. For that alone I would buy them, everything else is icing on the cake. Nothing more to say on this one.
The ANC Headphones: I am rocking a Bose QC35 since 5y, best buy ever. The first gen of their ANC Headphone weren't up to it, tests will show if these ones are, the price is ok, the black color option too.
All I am trying to say is, relax and try looking a bit further than your own horizon.
Regards YSE
edit: just realized that my og Go also has 8GB Ram, didn't even remember that. which means the only update would be a slightly faster CPU and a slightly bigger display which is probably not worth an upgrade buy.