Under the Surface
Microsoft has upped its game with its latest line-up of products. We take a closer look at four of the best
MICROSOFT is quietly getting quite serious about the devices it makes.
Its Surface laptops, hybrids, tablets and now phones are getting better every year.
The company has just updated its line-up with the latest versions of some of its products and added a new high-end laptop.
Here are the four most interesting new devices in the range.
SURFACE PRO 8
This is the high-end hybrid with a 13in screen – larger than previous devices and with a higher resolution.
It also has an adaptive refresh rate, running at 60Hz normally, but doubling that for anything that needs it, like stylus input.
The Pro 8 also supports Thunderbolt 4, so you can connect to external devices that require high speeds, like 4K displays.
The whole thing is powered by Intel’s 11 generation chips, with versions with i5 and i7 available.
The Pro 8 also supports the new Slim Pen 2, which this year adds an intriguing feature.
There is haptic feedback to make it feel as if you are drawing on paper and not glass.
■ Pro 8, from £999, released October 28
■ Slim Pen 2, £119.99, released October 21
SURFACE LAPTOP STUDIO
The new flagship laptop from Surface is an odd-looking object, which has a hinged screen that works in three different modes – laptop, which works like a regular laptop; stage, which covers the keyboard and puts the screen at a more comfortable angle for watching video; and studio, which lies the screen flat – better for stylus work.
Microsoft says it’s the most powerful laptop it’s ever built, and has certainly got the guts to be a powerful gaming machine on top of all the other things.
■ Surface Laptop Studio, coming early 2022, no price yet
SURFACE DUO 2
The Duo is unlike anything else out there – it’s a dual screen phone.
The design is similar to the first effort that came out last year, but this year’s adds two important features – a proper camera and support for 5G mobile data. The camera system now offers ultra-wide, wide and telephoto lens.
The Duo 2 also sports the Slim Pen system for stylus input.
■ Surface Duo 2, from £1,349, released October 20
SURFACE GO 3
Finally, there’s an update to the lower-end of the Surface line – the Go has been given new processors from Intel. Apart from that it’s more or less the same device as before, with the same screen sizes.
The bump to the processor specs will make the 3 some 60% faster than the 2, though – which should make the Go a much more compelling device for productivity.
■ Go 3, from £369, released October 5
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