Microsoft Surface Pro 6, Surface Laptop 2 Arrives In New Matte Black

Microsoft announced a bunch of new Surface products yesterday, including the Surface Pro 6 and the Surface Laptop 2. The company’s 2018 refresh of the two Surface computers feature the same old design of their predecessors, but the two have been outfitted with better internal specs.

Surface Pro 6

The Microsoft Surface Pro 6 still loots a lot like its predecessors. It still has the same tablet form factor that comes with an adjustable kickstand on the back and the optional detachable keyboard. The only thing that’s new on the external design of the Surface Pro 6 is that it comes in a new matte black finish that gives it a sleek and stylish look.

Microsoft has overhauled the internal components of the Surface Pro 6 to improve cooling, which is why it is now able to support quad-core processors, according to The Verge. It’s powered by the 8th-generation Intel quad-core processor with up to 16GB of RAM and up to 128GB of internal storage. Microsoft claims that the Surface Pro 6 is 67 percent faster than the previous model.

As for the rest of its specs, it still comes with a 12.3-inch touchscreen display with a screen resolution of 2,736 x 1,824. It also comes with an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera that has Windows Hello support. For battery life, Microsoft is claiming up to 12.5 hours.

Unfortunately, the Surface Pro 6 still has the same array of ports that are found on its predecessor. It comes with one USB 3.1 Type-A port, a mini-DisplayPort, the Surface Connect port, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a microSDXC card slot, according to Ars Technica. It would have been a lot better if Microsoft added a USB Type-C port, which is already seen by many as a requisite for devices in 2018.

The Surface Pro 6 is available to pre-order now and it set to start shipping on Oct. 16. It has a starting price of $899 with an Intel Core i5 processor.

Surface Laptop 2

Like the Surface Pro 6, the Surface Laptop 2 comes with a new matte black finish. However, the new model still carries most of the same design as the original Surface Laptop. The keyboard on the Surface Laptop 2 has been given a slight redesign, making it now quieter when typing.

Inside, the Surface Laptop 2 is powered by the 8th-generation Intel quad-core processors. Microsoft claims that this makes the new laptop 85 percent faster than the original Surface Laptop, CNET has learned. It also comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Microsoft has completely dropped the 4GB RAM configuration, which should please a lot of customers.

The rest of its specs are the same as the original Surface Laptop. It still has a 13.5-inch touchscreen display, a single USB Type-A port, a Mini Display Port, the Surface Connector and the 3.5mm headphone jack. Once again, Microsoft didn’t put a USB Type-C port on this device.

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 is now available to pre-order with a starting price of $999. It is set to start shipping on Oct. 16.