Intel shows off unseen black Microsoft Surface Book

By Zac Bowden
last updated

A mysterious black Surface Book has shown up in a video from Intel, and Microsoft is keeping tight-lipped about it.

If you're in the market for a new Windows laptop, you're liking holding off until later this year to see what Microsoft has planned for its next generation Surface Book, unofficially known as the Surface Book 2. We don't really know much about the second generation Surface Book at this point, but Intel may have given us a first clue.

In Intel's recent promotion video for its new 8th Gen Core processors, the video appears to feature a never-before-seen black edition of the Microsoft Surface Book. There's no doubt about it, it's a Microsoft Surface Book — in black. Could this be a sign of things to come?

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I did ask Microsoft about this, and they declined to comment. This is par for the course when it comes to talking about unannounced products, but if the Surface Book in Intel's video was nothing, then surely Microsoft could have said that, right?

Of course, it's entirely likely that Intel is using a custom render of the Surface Book, in which they simply decided to coat the device in black. Or, perhaps Intel knows something we don't and is giving us a little tease. We can only speculate at this time.

Regardless, the black Surface Book in Intel's new promo video looks cool as hell. In fact, it makes me want a stealth black Surface Book right now. We've still got a few months to wait before we officially know what Microsoft has planned for its next Surface Book, with rumors suggesting Microsoft is looking to hold another hardware event in October this year.

Zac Bowden
Zac Bowden
Senior Editor

Zac Bowden is a Senior Editor at Windows Central. Bringing you exclusive coverage into the world of Windows on PCs, tablets, phones, and more. Also an avid collector of rare Microsoft prototype devices! Keep in touch on Twitter: @zacbowden.

55 Comments
  • If the next SB has the same retarded giant hole when closed and is bulky, heavy and enormous in times when every OEM tries to make the slimmest possible portable device, its going to be just another flop.
  • It was a flop? How many products have you sold that brought in around a billion dollars per quarter? And if you have not, does that mean you are a flop? As for your complaints, the high-end Apple device weighs more, the Apple device is wider, longer, and only 0.3 inches thinner. If you were to use the SB as only a tablet, it is actually thinner than the high-end Apple device. And the Apple device is horribly crippled as compared to the SB. As for giant holes, try thinking before opening your own.
  • Surface Book sales were hardly 1 Billion though. The original SB is a compelling device, but I agree that it had some design issues that put off a lot of people, making it lighter & removing the gap is something that would please a lot of potential buyers and help the Surface line approach 2 Billion.
  •  it is not an ultra lite. There are different categories for different people... 
  • I own one and this hole serves two purposes: 1. It makes it very easy to carry around and 2. You avoid having your screen collecting dirt from the keyboard keys when you close the laptop.   I own a Surface Book and it's the best laptop I ever had. Nothing comes close. MacBooks look so much bulkier, I wonder why you say Surface Book is thick.
  • You can't remove the gap, otherwise, the screen would press down on all the keys. If you wanted to indent the keys, then you're going to then have an even thicker device. Also, you need to take into account the innovative, weight distributing hinge - the tablet/screen part of the SB is heavier than the keyboard/dock based part, so the hinge is an extender, which distributes the weight. it's circular by design, so having the device sit flat means that you'd either need to beef up the base so it's heavier, or have a base thats longer than the tablet screen, or not have it as a tablet screen and do what every other laptop do and put all the hardware into the base so that you just have a screen (and if this is what you really want - buy a surface laptop). The end.
  • Good point!! Learned something new today. True, unlike other NB, SB also have to be a tablet.
  • The only retarded giant hole here is in your brain. The gap serves for reducing heat when working in clipboard mode and more importantly gives digital artists a nice drawing angle. I should also mention that it looks amazing and makes the Surface Book look different from the bunch of cutting boards that today's laptops are. I personally love the hinge and I'd be pretty pissed if they removed it. And why does everything have to be as slim as possible? I don't mind the Surface Book being a bit fatter if it means I'm getting a 13 inch powerhouse with Nvidia card able to handle even medium gaming on the go. 
  • I think that's just a rendered device...for an ad?
  • Still ... they have to have gotten the model from someone ... and I don't think microsoft would be all to happy about them altering their product, even if it is only the colour.
  • with a gtx 1050  I'm really sold 
  • Nah needs to be next gen video at this point too. Otherwise we're like gtx 9X0 why?? Like we were this year.
  • vega!
  • Is it black? Or is it just a darkly lit render? I'm not 100% convinced.
  • I just bought one for college too! Now the decision is do I send it back and wait or keep what I got?
  • keep what you got.  the chances of this seeing the light of day is slim to none.  This is just a "generic computer" to show off the intel product.
  • Or, is it showing that the first product with the new generation of processor will be a new generation of Surface Book?
  • It does mention "designed for what's coming next"...
  • Dan R. said it wasn't a black Surface Book in the original article. Has something changed since his observations?
  • Yeah, he did. He also said it "Looks more like current Surface Book in low light hence the backlit keys; drives eye focus towards the display" here's the link to a Reddit post he did a few days ago. https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/6v2zcv/black_surface_book_in_n...
  • 😍😍 New Surface Book. Next SB is pretty much my next device.
  • I think I would actually buy a top spec surface book if they release it in cobalt!
  • I'd consider it if they didn't pull that junk of limiting to the obscenely priced models. They Surface Book always turned me off at $1,500 as it was, so making you spend $2,500 to get the paint job (and added specs I wouldn't need) would be lame. Then again, I'm still thinking an AMD-based device will be my next mobile computer, if they ever get them coming out in hybrid form factors.
  • You would make a computer purchasing decision based on the COLOUR?  FFS. 
  • Not entirely,  but the cobalt would push towards buying one.  and make me forget aboout that FUGLY hinge on the book.
  • The hinge has its purpose, few post up has some pretty good explanation.
  • I dont care if it cures cancer,  its ******* ugly.
  • Indeed, about as ugly as cobalt might be on a laptop/ mobile computer.  See?  Completely subjective.
  • oooooo burn.  a color is one thing. A piss poor visual design is completely another.  Colors are optional,  a ****** ass hinge system is quite another. 
  • It is the Workstation Edition of the Surface Book.  Comes with Intel Optane 3D-XPoint memory.  .
  • So...If I go Black...I may not go back ?
  • ahhhh crap joe...you almost made me spit coffee everywhere!
  • I cannot see any value in the 8th gen Intel chips.  However, if brings about a new SB, great!
  • You don't think double the processor core count is of any use to anyone??
  • This looks like one of those planned accidental marketing slips to get curiousity levels rising for the up coming Surface Book 2. These types of device slips are what stirs the marketing pot in a good way. Nice one Microsoft and Intel.
  • Yup, way too obvious to be a "slip". The whole commercial showed only one device and that was a Surface Book. It doesn't look like one, it is one - has the eject key on the top row too. But the fact that it looks exactly like v1 is a little worrisome. I thought they were gonna come up with form factor improvements. We'll see.
  • You're right about that. I was planning to finally get the current Surface Book but now I'll just wait till October and see what happens. If it comes out maybe the current Surface Book's prices will finally drop too and in that case I would definitely go for the old one. 
  • As much as I would love for Microsoft to drop the horrendous Apple-silver they've been using on the Surface line and make all future Surface products black, I doubt that there's anything to see here. The video uses a render of a computer. The only thing that makes it a "Surface Book" is the ugly hinge.  But I highly doubt that Microsoft will release a Surface Book 2 with the same hinge. In fact, considering how the hinge was amongst the biggest complaints about the SB, I'd bet it'll be the first thing to go on the SB2.
  • I would buy this now and sell my Surface Pro 12.9 instantly if this comes out. 
  • looks nice!
  • Designed for what's coming next
  • They might be teasing a quad core processor in SB;")
  •  I though MS was moving away from numbering their surface models? Shouldn't it be Surface Book (2017) or something like that?
  • $4000
  • Let me guess Avastar product number 14? Same terrible WiFi but you can get it in black... Yeah OK.
  • This base unit resembles the current performance base, but the keys are mounted higher. It looks like they would contact the screen in a closed book unless there are a couple of pads somewhere to keep the two parts from closing tightly on one another. The geometry of the hinge looks just slightly different on the portion to which the screen attaches, but I don't see how the changes could reduce the hinge gap from the original book. That red dot on the upper bezel is in a position of no sensor or lens in the current design. It's an inch or more to the right. Attractive device, but if this really is Book 2, the specs would have to be hugely improved to make me consider trading in my current book on a new one.  
  • I've got money that says Microsoft knew Intel was going to feature this new device in their ad and were on board with it as a way to tease what's coming next, get people talking about it.  Maybe I'm giving Microsoft marketing too much credit.
  • You are totally giving the 2 people left at microsoft marketing to much credit.  I am going with the guy who designed the commerical for intel used a surface book so he just copied his own device into the video.
  • I'm going for "generic device" for an ad.
  • by calling surface book thick, you may as well call johny depp fat. in videos seen from surface book it looks like that beautiful dinamic hinge from star wars movies is making a big gap between the screen and the keyboard. but in real life it isn't. it is only 0.3 inches thicker than a MacBook and that really is nothing. if you say it's thick, you probably don't know surface. it's the best line of thinnest hardware in the world. surface book also makes a great tablet with a great pen experience that I shamelessly say there is no better one on this earth. and it's integrated with a full desktop OS not some semi OS for phones. surely also the dial will be added to it which is very great addition. I can't suggest a better hardware and software together. and i really couldn't find anything like it. its one of a kind and that kind is better than any other kind.
  • I dont care about measurements...when closed...that hinge looks hideous! 
  • It may have been a coordinated "slip."  Microsoft may be using this to gauge reaction to a design.  Maybe it is just a render of the SB in a different color. Maybe, maybe, maybe.  If I was considering a Surface Book (and I was for a short while), I would say that availability in a gun-metal/ black would definitely weigh into the decision.  Ultimately, specifications and form factor reign supreme for me.
  • Want. 
  • Microsoft has a lot of Surface book users and interested parties wondering if it will kill the Surface book for the Surface laptop which is good but most reviewers say is not as good as some of the laptops out there which are cheaper and already have USB "C" ports. If the 2017 Microsoft Surface book is going to use the Intel 8th generation CPU's it should have a USB "C" port because the Intel PC 8th Generation I5 an i7 CPU'S are made to use USB C technology
  • If you gave me a black 15" SB2, even a special edition at a slight premium price I would probably buy it and might even take the 1TB model. I wouldn't even spend time thinking about it.