Surface Laptop 2 hands-on: Faster, new black color, but still no USB-C (video)

Alongside the Surface Pro 6, Microsoft this week unveiled the Surface Laptop 2, another modest refresh that still manages to bring a significant speed boost to the table.

From the outside, the Surface Laptop 2 looks exactly like the original Surface Laptop, albeit with a new matte black color option. On the inside, however, the laptop is now powered by Intel's 8th Gen processors, making it up to 85 percent faster than the original, Microsoft says. The typing experience has also been improved with a quieter keyboard, and Microsoft has revamped the cooling system so that the fan only kicks on at around 90 percent CPU usage.

For more, check out our initial hands-on look at the Surface Laptop 2 above. And if you're ready to snag one for yourself, the Surface Laptop 2 is available to preorder starting at $999 ahead of its expected October 16 launch.

Everything Microsoft announced at its October 2 Surface event

Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl.