Surface Book 2 vs MacBook Pro
This morning, Microsoft announced the second generation of removable laptops: surface Book 2 (published in November this year). This machine not only can use Intel’s eighth generation CPU and VR ready-made discrete graphics, Microsoft also claims that the notebook charging time is longer than the same type of MacBook 70%.
But how do Microsoft and Apple’s notebooks stack up in other categories? Both share certain similarities (RAM, storage size), but you might be surprised by which has a lower starting price, and which has the higher resolution.
Performance and Pricing
For starters, the 13-inch models show that while you might spend more for a Surface Book ($1,999) than a MacBook Pro (up to $1,799), that PC makes it worth your money. Not only is it rocking a mighty powerful Nvidia GTX 1050 GPU, but its 8th-Gen Intel Core i7 CPU will deliver speeds and benefits that Apple doesn’t offer in any models, as it’s still using 7th Gen CPUs.
13-inch Surface Book 2 vs 13-inch MacBook Pro
| Surface Book 2 (13-inch) | MacBook Pro (13-inch) | |
| Starting price | $1,499 / $1,999 (discrete graphics) | $1,299 / $1,799 (Touch Bar) |
| Screen size (resolution) | 13.5-inch (3000 x 2000) | 13.3-inch (2560 x 1600) |
| CPU | Core i5-7300U, Core i7-8650U | Core i5-7267U, Core i7-7660U |
| RAM | 8GB, 16GB | 8GB, 16GB |
| GPU | Intel HD / UHD Graphics 620, Nvidia GTX 1050 | Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640, 650 |
| Storage | 256GB – 1TB | 128GB – 1TB |
| Battery life | 17 hours (estimated for laptop); 5 hours (estimated for tablet) | 8 hours, 40 minutes (tested) |
| Ports | 2 USB Type-A, 1 USB-C, SD Card, 3.5mm audio | 2 – 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports, Headphone jack |
| Cameras | 5-MP Front, 8-MP Back | 720p FaceTime HD |
| Dimensions | 12.3 x 9.1 x 0.9 inches | 12.0 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches |
| Weight | 3.38 / 3.62 pounds | 3.02 pounds |
| Tablet weight | 1.59 pounds | n/a |
The 15-inch versions of these machines tell a similar story, with the Surface Book 2 starting at a $100 higher price, but packing the VR-ready Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 card, which is far more powerful than the Radeon Pro 560. Again, Microsoft is offering 8th-Gen Core i7 speeds while the 7th-Gen Core i7 in Apple‘s 15-inch MacBook Pro already feels outdated in comparison, even though it only came out 4 months ago.
While the 13-inch Surface Book 2 features a higher starting storage of 256GB to the MacBook Pro’s 128GB, the 15-inch model has a lower maximum capacity, with 1TB to the MacBook Pro’s 2TB.
15-inch Surface Book 2 vs 15-inch MacBook Pro
| Surface Book 2 (15-inch) | MacBook Pro (15-inch) | |
| Starting price | $2,499 | $2,399 |
| Screen size (resolution) | 15-inch (3240 x 2160) | 13.4-inch (2880 x 1800) |
| CPU | Core i7-8650U | Core i7-7700HQ |
| RAM | 16GB | 16GB |
| GPU | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 with Intel UHD 620 | Radeon Pro 555 (2GB) or Radeon Pro 560 (4GB) with Intel HD 630 |
| Storage | 256GB – 1TB | 256GB – 2TB |
| Battery life | 17 hours (estimated for laptop); 5 hours (estimated for tablet) | 10 hours, 59 minutes (tested) |
| Ports | 2 USB Type-A, 1 USB-C, SD Card, 3.5mm audio | 2 – 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports, Headphone jack |
| Cameras | 5-MP Front, 8-MP Back | 720p FaceTime HD |
| Dimensions | 13.5 x 9.9 x 0.9 inches | 13.8 x 9.48 x 0.6 inches |
| Weight | 4.2 pounds | 4 pounds |
| Tablet weight | 1.8 pounds | n/a |
Design
The Surface Book 2 looks nearly identical to its predecessor, though Microsoft claims it redesigned the machine’s hinge for strength and durability. Unfortunately, it still shows an awkward gap when docked and closed. This year’s MacBook Pro is sporting a look Apple launched last year that we still appreciate but didn’t shake things up from its predecessor.
While the Surface Book 2 may endear itself to those who want to transform their laptop into a detachable tablet, that functionality seems to come at the price of portability. Not only is the Surface Book 2 noticeably thicker than the MacBook Pro (0.9 inches vs 0.6 inches), it’s also the heavier of the two, with an up to 0.6-pound weight differential.
Display
The Surface Book 2 notebooks feature super high-res screens in both the 13.5-inch (3000 x 2000) and 15-inch (3240 x 2160) models. While we loved the beautiful screens in both of Apple’s notebooks, our hands-on time with the Surface Book 2 suggested its PixelSense screens, which feature a 1600:1 contrast ratio, will be just as vibrant.
Battery Life
Microsoft is claiming that the Surface Book 2 will last up to 17 hours on a single charge, which — if true — is amazing. Apple’s MacBook Pros with Apple a1278 laptop battery on the other hand, lasted between 10 hours and 59 minutes (15-inch) and 8:40 (13-inch).
Keyboard
Our hands-on time with the new Surface Book 2 notebooks suggest its keys have retained their 1.5 millimeters of travel, which we love, but noticed lost some of their snappiness.
The MacBook Pro keys, on the other hand, have a lower 0.7 to 0.8 millimeters of travel, but still manage to offer enough clickiness to make for tons of typing (though the 15-inch MacBook’s got the better keys).
Ports
“One step forward, and one step back” is the story here, as Microsoft’s finally added a USB Type-C port to the Surface Book, but it’s not a Thunderbolt 3 port, the superior flavor of this connector that allows for higher-speed connections.
The Surface Book 2 still beats the MacBook Pro, though, as it also offers 2 USB Type-A ports and an SD memory reader, which the MacBook (which includes 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports) does not. Both offer 3.5mm headphone jacks.
Outlook
It appears that Microsoft’s new laptops beat the MacBook in performance, though they do make you pay for that zippiness. The Surface Book’s also neck-and-neck with the Apple notebooks in every other category, suggesting that it will be the high-end flagship notebook to beat. Of course, we need to put it through the rigors of testing to be sure, so stay tuned to Laptop Mag for our full reviews of the 13 and 15-inch Surface Book 2.
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