Hardware fireworks in crisis: Microsoft is refreshing Surface devices

Microsoft has not presented new hardware for a long time. The manufacturer is now making up for this with a whole range of new devices, including the Surface Book 3 and the Surface Go 2.

Microsoft has recently had its customers wait for fresh hardware. There was even speculation that there would be no successor to the Surface Book 2. The company is now wiping all this aside.

Microsoft's first Surface Book was celebrated in test reports four years ago as "Ferrari among notebooks". While the manufacturer has meanwhile expanded its Surface product family to include various laptops, tablets, headphones and other devices, the Surface Book has recently become silent.

Some fans even feared that Microsoft would say goodbye to the model in order to focus entirely on the laptop business. But now the US company has presented fresh hardware in an online event, including the new Surface Book 3. The company also presented a new edition of its school laptop Surface Pro and an improved version of its Surface Headphones headphones.

Laptop and tablet in one device

With the Surface Book 2016, the software group not only wanted to oppose the Macbooks from Apple as a high-quality alternative, but also to create a new device class: Unlike the Macbook, the display can be decoupled from the notebook and used as a tablet for surfing.

The Surface Book 3 is now equipped with Intel's Core-i processors of the 10th generation, so that resource-hungry professional software such as Solidworks, Autodesk, Visual Studio or the programs of the Adobe Creative Cloud can also be run with it. The manufacturer promises a performance increase of 50 percent compared to the previous model and the "most powerful laptop from Microsoft to date".

Long runtime and graphics power

The battery should last up to 17.5 hours. You can choose from 13.5 or 15 inch touch displays. Depending on the desired graphics performance, the device is optionally available with Nvidia Geforce or Nvidia Quadro GPU. The Surface Book 3 is available with a 13.5-inch display from a price of 1799 euros, in the 15-inch version from 2599 euros.

The Surface Go also has a successor. The Surface Go 2 has a 10.5-inch display and can be equipped with either 8th-generation Intel Core M processors or Pentium Gold processors. With this computer, Microsoft promises a battery life of up to 10 hours, while maintaining the slim and light design of its predecessor.

LTE modem for internet on the go

Users who want to access data while on the go and do not want to rely on WLAN can also opt for a variant with mobile radio (LTE Advanced). The Surface Go 2 starts at a price from 459 euros. With LTE-Advanced, the compact laptop costs 829 euros or more, depending on the memory configuration.

At the event, Microsoft also announced a new edition of its wireless headphones. According to the company, the Surface Headphones 2 offer improved sound quality and battery life of up to 20 hours. The newly designed ear cups can now also be rotated by 180 degrees. This is useful when the headphones are temporarily removed and worn around the neck. The Surface Headphones cost 280 euros.

True wireless headphones start here

In the future, the company will also be selling its wireless in-ear headphones, the Surface Earbuds. The True Wireless plugs can be operated with gestures. In this way, users can take calls or jump to the next song without having to take their smartphone out of their pockets or go to the computer. Microsoft charges 220 euros for the Surface Earbuds.