The Microsoft Surface portfolio of tablets, notebooks, and 2-in-1 computers are set to arrive in South Africa by the end of the year, according to sources close to Microsoft.
The Surface line is equivalent to the MacBook line from Apple, in that the software and hardware are tuned by the same company. As a result, the Surface computers are optimally tuned for Windows 10, like macOS is optimally tuned for MacBooks.
The first Surface was released almost 8 years ago in select regions. After many Surface upgrade, the new line of computers will be made available in South Africa without having to import the device.
To highlight some of the devices Microsoft intends to bring to South Africa, it announced four new Surface products yesterday:
- The Surface Go 2 is a 2-in-1 computer that gets office and personal tasks done.
- Surface Book 3 is designed for professionals who need desktop-level performance from a workstation laptop.
- The Surface Headphones 2 and Surface Earbuds offer a wireless audio experience to pair with other Surface products.
- The Surface Dock 2 and the multi-port Microsoft USB-C Travel Hub help users set up their workspaces.
Surface Go 2
The most affordable Surface device in the lineup, the Surface Go 2, is a 2-in-1 computer that fits into lighter workloads like document editing and web browsing. It offers a 10.5-inch Full HD display, 10-hour battery life and a model with 8th Generation Intel Core M options.
The device features Studio Mics, Microsoft’s dual-microphone solution, to increase voice clarity and reduce background noise for Teams meetings or video chats, and a 5MP front-facing camera delivers sharp video.
Paired with the Surface Pen, the Surface Go 2 allows distance learners and remote workers to stay digital, while unlocking the power of a stylus for applications like drawing diagrams, marking up documents, or working through equations. The Surface Go 2 starts at $399 in the US.
Surface Book 3
The Surface Book 3 is Microsoft’s most powerful Surface device in the line, which provides up to 50% more performance than the Surface Book 2 and up to 17.5 hours of battery life. Users can choose between a 13-inch or 15-inch model, which both feature high-DPI PixelSense Displays, and the performance of 10th Generation Intel Core processors with the choice of discrete Nvidia GeForce GTX or Quadro RTX GPUs.
For developers that push the computing and IO performance of their device, the new Surface Book now comes with up to 32GB of RAM. Gamers can take their games with them – the Nvidia GeForce GTX GPU has enough power to play the top Xbox Game Pass for PC titles at 1080p in a smooth 60 frames per second. There’s also a new option with the Nvidia Quadro RTX 3000 to better meet the needs of commercial customers and higher education institutions. The Surface Book 3 starts at $1599.
Surface Headphones 2
Putting on headphones is today’s equivalent of shutting the office door to focus and connect in any setting. Surface Headphones 2 are designed to slip comfortably over one’s ears and surround one with spectacular sound quality, including 13 levels of ambient noise control. The headphones provide up to 20 hours of clear sound. The active noise cancellation is adjustable through on-ear dials and can be tuned to either block out or amplify human voices.
Surface Earbuds
The new audio device, the Surface Earbuds, offer touch controls so users can start a phone call or change the song without taking out their phones. The controls allow users with Android phones to play Spotify with a triple tap on either earbud. Screen-free integration with Microsoft 365 lets users catch up on emails with Play My Emails in the Outlook Mobile App for iOS or allows users to dictate in Word, Outlook or PowerPoint.
Surface Dock 2
The Surface Dock 2 helps users expand their workspace with a magnetic click, to enable multiple displays and more ports to expand connectivity to external storage and connect to networks.
These devices will be available in the US throughout May, and will likely arrive in South Africa by the end of the year.
