Customers around the globe may now get either one of Microsoft's newest machines — the upgraded Surface Pro or the new Surface Laptop — as both start rolling out worldwide.
Microsoft confirmed the rollout on Wednesday, June 14, confirming that both the Surface Pro and the Surface Laptop have started launching in 25 markets, in addition to the behemoth Surface Studio expanding its global availability.
In a blog post, Microsoft reminisced the first Surface product and looked at how far it has come since.
"With Surface Pro, we created a new category and challenged the status quo of the laptop," wrote Panos Panay, Corporate VP of Microsoft Devices. "With every Surface release since we have continued to push the boundaries of existing categories — bringing more power, more pixels and more versatility to help people work how they want, where they want."
The Surface Line
Indeed, Microsoft has been hard at work developing the Surface line for years, and seeing how those devices evolved the tablet category into something more functional and capable truly is a testament to Microsoft's efforts. What started out as a plain tablet has now become a dedicated creative workstation, a supremely capable 2-in-1 that can replace your laptop, and a sexy new notebook.
Choosing between the Surface Pro and the Surface Laptop shouldn't be too difficult. Just keep in mind that the Surface Laptop is actually a dedicated laptop, albeit with a less capable version of Windows 10, while the Surface Pro is a tablet you can attach a keyboard to.
If you think you need a machine that's mostly going to sit on your lap as you work, then the Surface Laptop appears to be the better choice. If you want a powerful, desktop-grade tablet and don't care for a keyboard at all times, then get the Surface Pro.
For artists and creative who plan on mostly making drawings and illustrations with a Surface device, definitely get the Surface Pro if you can't nab a Surface Studio yet, as the tablet also features a Surface Pen with pressure-sensitivity, among other artist-focused functionalities.
Of course, drawing on the Surface Laptop is also possible, although it simply can't offer a dedicated experience as much as the Surface Pro does. There are many reasons why both products exist, and that's one of them.
Surface Pro
The Surface Pro starts at $799, and at that price, it comes with an Intel Core m3 processor, 4 GB of RAM, Intel HD Graphics 615, and 128 GB of SSD storage. Users, however, can configure it with more powerful specs. If you have the money, you can put a seventh-generation Intel Core i7 processor, 1 TB of SSD storage, and 16 GB of RAM under the hood.
Surface Laptop
The Surface Laptop, meanwhile, starts at $999, which comes with an Intel Core i5 processor, 4 GB of RAM, Intel HD Graphics 620, and 128 GB of SSD storage. But again, users willing to put in the money can customize it further with more powerful specs. The most expensive configuration comes with an Intel Core i7 chip, 16 GB of RAM, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640, and 512 GB of SSD storage. It costs $2,199. Only the Core i5 variant is available for the time being.
