Microsoft Unveils Affordable Surface Laptop Go And Revamped ARM Surface Pro X For $ 1500
Microsoft today announced the 12.4-inch Surface Laptop Go, as well as new configurations for the Surface Pro X Hybrid Laptop, which can be powered by Microsoft’s new ARM SQ2 processor. Both new items will go on sale on October 13th.
The Surface Laptop Go, which the company has priced at $ 549, features a 12.45-inch display with a 1536 x 1024 resolution and 3: 2 aspect ratio. The novelty is built on the basis of a quad-core Intel Core i5-1035G1 processor with integrated Intel UHD graphics and can offer the installation of up to 16 GB of LPDDR4X RAM, as well as up to 64 GB of eMMC permanent memory or a solid-state drive up to 256 GB.
The regular version of the Surface Laptop uses an infrared camera with face recognition. The more affordable Laptop Go has a fingerprint scanner built into the power button. Unfortunately, the camera’s capabilities are limited to 720p HD resolution. This looks especially strange against the background of the fact that Microsoft is positioning the Surface Laptop Go as a device for professionals and students. In comparison, the same affordable Surface Go 2 tablet has a 5-megapixel camera with support for FHD 1920 x 1080 pixels.
The equipment of the novelty also includes one USB Type-C and Type-A port, a combined audio jack, and a proprietary Surface Connect connector. The manufacturer claims support for Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) and Bluetooth 5.0 for the compact Surface Laptop Go laptop, as well as up to 13 hours of battery life without recharging and support for fast battery charging technology.
The Surface Laptop Go will be available in Sandy, Blue, or Platinum colors. The laptop runs Windows 10 in S Mode, which allows only those applications that are available in the Microsoft Store to run on the system. At the same time, it is allowed to turn on the normal mode of operation, which, if necessary, will make it possible to install third-party applications on the system.
The main distinguishing feature of the updated Surface Pro X hybrid portable system is the use of the new Microsoft SQ2 SoC. At the same time, the already sold Surface Pro X modifications based on the SQ1 processor will remain in the assortment of Microsoft, while the new versions will simply take more expensive positions. In addition, the manufacturer has added a new platinum variant to the color palette of the cases.
The new chip used in the system, like the SQ1 processor, is based on a chipset developed by Qualcomm. The manufacturer does not indicate this, but there is an assumption that the progenitor of the SQ2 is the second generation Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx 5G. At the same time, Microsoft only claims support for the wireless LTE (4G) standard for Surface Pro X.
Surface Pro X features a 13-inch 3: 2 touchscreen display with a 2880 x 1920 resolution, 8GB to 16GB LPDDR4X RAM, up to 512GB SSD, two USB 3.2 Type-C ports, Surface port Connect, and a Nano-SIM card slot.
New SQ2-based Surface Pro X configurations start at $ 1,500. For the novelty, the company offers keyboard covers in platinum, red and blue colors. The Surface Slim Pen is available as an add-on to your laptop.
The manufacturer claims support for Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), Bluetooth 5.0, as well as up to 15 hours of battery life for all Surface Pro X configurations. The Surface Pro X tablet runs a version of the Windows 10 operating system for ARM systems.
In addition to the aforementioned portable systems, Microsoft also introduced new accessories today: a new Designer Compact Keyboard for $ 70, a Bluetooth numeric keyboard for $ 25, a 4K wireless display adapter for transferring images from a Windows 10 system to a TV screen for $ 69, and ergonomic Bluetooth mouse for $ 50.
