Microsoft Surface Book 2 preorders are now live

Next week on November 16, Microsoft will begin selling the all-new Surface Book 2 - now in two sizes with a 13- and 15-inch option.

Preorders were pre-announced as going live on November 9 and true to its word Microsoft threw the switch at midnight Eastern Standard time.

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Starting at $1,499 for the 7th generation Intel Core i5 version - which is also wholly fanless - and going up to $3,000 for the 1TB 8th Generation Intel Core i7 version (the quad-core one with fans and NVIDIA GTX 1050) the 13.5-inch model is likely to be the most popular and abundant.

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CategorySurface Book 2 13 inchSurface Book 2 15 inch
ProcessorIntel Core i5 (3.2GHz)Intel Core i7 (4.2GHz)Intel Core i7 (4.2GHz)
Display size13.5 inch1600:1 contrast ratio15 inch1600:1 contrast ratio
Display resolution3000 x 20003:2 aspect267 PPI3240 x 21603:2 aspect260 PPI
RAM8GB or 16GB16GB
Native graphicsIntel HD Graphics 620Intel UHD Graphics 620Intel UHD Graphics 620
Discrete graphicsi5: Nonei7: NVIDIA GTX 1050 (2GB)NVIDIA GTX 1060 (6GB)
Storage256GB, 512GB, or 1TB256GB, 512GB, or 1TB
Weighti5 total: 1,533g (3.38lbs)i7 total: 1,642g (3.62lbs)Tablet: 719g (1.59lbs)Total: 1,905g (4.20lbs)Tablet: 817g (1.80lbs)

Full Surface Book 2 specifications

For those who need serious power, the 15-inch model offers an NVIDIA GTX 1060 with a full 6GB of video memory. The 15-inch model only provides a choice for storage between 256, 512GB, or 1TB varieties ranging from $2,499 to a whopping $3,299.

Other improvements include:

  • Reworked fulcrum hinge — While Microsoft is keeping the gapped hinge, it has been rebuilt to be sturdier, and now both models can easily be opened with one hand.
  • Keyboard — The Surface Book 2 keyboard and trackpad both borrow from the Surface Laptop's design, with 1.55mm of key travel and the same overall response curve. There are also now dedicated keys for display brightness.
  • Display — Microsoft has improved the display with thinner materials and a higher contrast ratio, plus it fully supports that latest Surface Pen and Surface Dial on the display.
  • Improved audio — Surface Book 2 has reworked the speakers, which are now slightly more powerful but also take up less space
  • Front camera for Skype — Microsoft worked closely with the Skype team to make the front-facing camera work well with Skype.
  • Windows Mixed Reality ready — Both Surface Book 2's support Windows Mixed Reality. A USB Type-C to HDMI adapter will let current head-mounted displays (HMDs) connect easily.

Orders in the U.S. will likely ship on November 15th from Microsoft for a November 16th delivery. No word on store availability, but you'll probably be able to walk into a physical Microsoft Store and grab one on November 16th.

Stay tuned for our review in case you're unsure, but Microsoft seems to have pulled off the most potent Surface ever.

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Update: It appears that other markets are also live for preorders as well including Germany and likely the other nine markets in Europe and Canada.

Updated November 9, 2017: The 512GB and 1TB variants of the 15-inch model are already sold out online. You may still be able to find 512GB versions at Microsoft retail stores.

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Daniel Rubino
Editor-in-chief

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central. He is also the head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007, when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and watches. He has been reviewing laptops since 2015 and is particularly fond of 2-in-1 convertibles, ARM processors, new form factors, and thin-and-light PCs. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.