Microsoft Laptop Series

Microsoft is one of the pioneers of modern-day personal computing devices. The US-based company prides itself on innovating and bringing advanced technology to the common consumers. Like many devices, Microsoft Laptops are also a symbol of innovation that targets a wide range of audiences from professionals to students and more.

When we talk about laptops, Microsoft isn’t necessarily the first name that comes to mind. The reason being, that there are very few series and laptop models on offer by this tech company. However, these models are good enough to suffice for most consumers’ needs.

Microsoft Laptop series, more commonly known as the Surface series, has some intriguing models on offer that guarantee affordability, user-friendly designs, intuitive and interactive displays, and much more.

Table of Contents

The Microsoft Surface laptops feature a variety of notebooks, 2-in-1 tablets, and standard laptops. Here is a look at them:

Microsoft Surface Book

Microsoft launched the Surface Book in October 2015. It was a two-in-one book with a mechanically detachable keyboard. Its teardrop design became its signature feature prominent in all the Surface Book models that came out later.

The unique feature of the Surface Book was its discrete graphics adapter. This feature was held in the keyboard module. So, every time the screen was detached from the keyboard while the Surface Book was on, the system auto-switches to integrated graphics present in the tablet.

All Surface Book models feature sixth Generation Skylake Intel Core i5 or i7 processors. In addition, the highest noted performance system features an i7-6600U with a Turbo Boost mode giving 3.4 GHz of clock speed.

Microsoft gave the detachable mechanism a unique name, calling it the ‘Dynamic Fulcrum Hinge.’ The idea behind this hinge was to support the tablet unit, which was considerably heavier than the keyboard module.

Other notable features include SSD storage of up to 1TB, 12 hours video playback, and 10-point multi-touch options with pen input.

Surface Book with Performance Base: This Surface Book came a year later, and it featured updated configurations like an upgraded processor and extended battery life. It had a 13.5-inch display like the original Surface Book.
Surface Book 2: This was announced in October 2017. Book 2 had ceramic hinges to provide better stability, and the book felt much lighter thanks to even weight distribution. It was a 15-inch model.
Surface Book 3: This was announced in May 2020, and it features 10th generation processors from Intel. It features both 13.5 and 15-inch displays, and the 15-inch model provides up to 2TB SSD. Book 3 features a stunning Platinum color.
Surface Book 4: Unlike the previous models, the Surface Book 4 will be the first to feature Windows 11 from this series. It has upgraded features for pen input, integrating smartpen technology, to let the users write with different types of pens on different surfaces.

Microsoft Surface Laptop

Surface Laptop was introduced in May 2017, and it’s another laptop with touch and pen input. Effectively, it was the non-detachable form of Surface Book, and Microsoft claimed to produce the thinnest touch-enabled screen.

The keyboard features four unique colors, built with similar material as the other 2-in-1 laptops from Microsoft. In addition, Surface Laptops came with Windows 10 S to reduce booting time, and the users were able to install programs from the web instead of the Microsoft Store. It also allowed the users to switch to Windows 10 for no additional cost.

Surface Laptop 1: This laptop has 4, 8, and 16 GB RAM with 7th Gen Intel Core i5 & i7 options. It had a 13.5-inch display and SSD storage from 128 GB to 1TB. In terms of video playback, the laptop could provide up to 14.5 hours of battery timing.
Surface Laptop 2 was released in October 2018, featuring 8th Gen Intel Core i5 and i7 processors. In addition, it came with Windows 10 Home and MS Office 365 30-day trial.
Surface Laptop 3: Surface Laptop 3 came a year after Surface Laptop 2. It came in 13.5 and 15-inch display options with 11.5 hours of battery backup. These laptops feature 10th Gen core i5 and Core i7 Intel processors and Windows 10 Home operating system.
Surface Laptop 4: Surface Laptop 4 was released in April 2021, featuring Next-gen design in its 13.5 and 15-inch display options. Featuring 10 point multi-touch options, Surface Laptop 4 provides up to 32 GB LPDDR4 RAM. Also, there are the latest 11th Gen Core i5 and Core i7 Intel processors in the 13.5 and 15-inch models, respectively.
Surface Laptop Go: Introduced in October 2020, Surface Laptop Go features a 12.4-inch screen with 4 and 8GB LPDDR4 RAM options. It has a 10th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, up to 256 GB SSD, and a battery backup of 13 hours. It’s a travel-friendly laptop with a compact body.
Surface Laptop Go 2: It’s designed for businesses with intuitive pen input, 10.5-inch PixelSense display, 8th Gen Intel Core m3 Processor, and an embedded sim and option for Physical Sim.

Microsoft Surface Pro

Surface Pro is probably the most popular series from Microsoft. It’s a line of hybrid tablets featuring a stylus pen and optional detachable keyboards. In addition, it is probably the most versatile of all Surface series from Microsoft, featuring a wide range of processors and operating systems, etc.

The first Surface Pro laptop was introduced in February 2013, featuring Windows 8 Pro, which was upgradable to Windows 8.1 Pro.

Surface Pro 1: Surface Pro 1 featured 64 and 128 GB storage and a 10.6-inch ClearType Full HD Display. It had a 3rd Gen Intel Core i5 processor with a fixed 4GB RAM.
Surface Pro 2: These laptops came in October of the same year as Surface 1. However, they were discontinued in July 2014. Surface Pros featured Windows 8.1 Pro. It had a 4th Gen Intel Core i5 Processor and options for 4 and 8 GB LPDDR3 RAM.
Surface Pro 3: Surface Pro 3 release in June 2014 prompted the discontinuation of Pro 2. There was a 10.8-inch display with 10-point multi-touch input, Surface Pen support, and it featured an Intel Quad-Core Atom processor. The 2GB memory would pair with 64GB storage, while the 4GB RAM was compatible with 128 GB storage.
Surface Pro 4: It was released in October 2015, featuring a bigger 12.3-inch display with pen and touch input. There were 4, 8, and 16 GB RAM options with storage up options up to 1TB SSD. It featured 6th Gen Intel Core m3, i5, and i7 processors.
Surface Pro 5: introduced in June 2017, Surface Pro 5 featured a techy 12.3 touchscreen with pen input. It has 4, 8, and 16 GB RAM options with 7th Gen Intel Core i5, or i7 and m3 processors. It came with Windows 10 Pro featuring SSD storage of up to 1TB.
Surface Pro 6: Introduced in October 2018, Surface Pro 6 had a 12.3 PixelSense touchscreen display, up to 1TB SSD storage, and 8 and 16GB memory options. It featured 8th Gen Intel Core i5 and i7 processors.
Surface Pro 7: Released in October 2019, Surface Pro 7 featured automatic adjustment to lighting. It supports faster multitasking with 16 GB RAM and extended battery timing of up to 10.5 hours. It‘s the most versatile in terms of processors featuring 10th Gen Dual-Core Intel i3, 10th Gen Quad-Core Intel i5, and i7 processors.
Surface Pro 8: Perhaps the most powerful from the Surface Pro series, the Pro 8 just came in recently in October 2021. It features 11th Gen Intel U-Series processors, with an upgraded 13-inch display and removable SSD storage up to 256GB. There is 32 GB RAM and an extended battery backup of 16 hours.
Surface Pro X: Surface Pro X is made for business. It’s an ultra-thin design enabled with Windows 11, 13-inch display for touch and pen inputs, featuring Microsoft SQ1 and SQ2 processors and Microsoft Office 365 family worth one month of a free trial.

Microsoft Surface Go Series

The Surface Go series from Microsoft features some amazing hybrid tablets with detachable keyboards. The first generation of the Go series surfaced in August 2018. This Surface Go model had an intriguing outlook for a start. It featured a 10-inch PixelSense display with 64 GB and 128 GB Solid State drives. It was available in 4 and 8 GB memory options.

Some of the other notable models from the Go series include:

Surface Go 2: Released in May 2020, Surface Go 2 features a highly portable design, making it ideal for businesses. It’s the lightest 2-in-1 laptop providing up to 10 hours of battery life at normal use. There’s an upgraded 10.5-inch display with 4 and 8 GB RAM options. It also features an 8th Gen Intel Core m3 and Intel Pentium Gold Processor.
Surface Go 3: It’s the latest Surface Go series, released in September this year. Surface Go 3 has the same display size as Go 2 and only 8GB RAM. It’s ideal for daily work with extended 11-hour battery backup, and it comes with Dual-Core Intel Pentium Gold and Dual-Core Intel 10th Gen Core i3 processors.

Conclusion

Microsoft’s range of laptops is quite an exquisite one, offering something for everyone. While most of the laptops from Microsoft offer a touch and pen input display, it offers the users great convenience while handling their daily tasks for business and education.

On top of that, most of the laptops are small, light, and portable, making them a perfect option to carry around for any type of use.

Microsoft Laptop Series – Which One Should You Buy?