Tag: Surface Event 2021

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Microsoft announces extremely minor Surface Pro X hardware refresh.

Microsoft has announced a very minor update for its ARM-based Surface tablet, the Surface Pro X.

The refreshed tablet will feature better LTE service with support for Gbps LTE data speeds, and Microsoft will start selling a cheaper Wi-Fi-only version for $1,150. The lowest costing option in Canada before was closer to $1,250.

The company also says that the Surface team has made headway in porting apps over to the ARM system. It highlighted Photoshop, Lightroom and several other apps on stage, but compared to Apple’s transition to ARM with the M1 lin, this remains a lacklustre effort.

Hopefully, the switch to Windows 11 will help Microsoft accelerate this transition, but beyond now allowing for x64 app emulation, it doesn’t seem like Windows 11 is really going to change the tablet that much — at least for now.

Like the Surface Pro 8 and the Surface Studio Laptop, the Surface Pro X is also getting support for Microsoft’s new Slim Pen 2, which includes a small feedback motor so it feels more like using a real pencil.

While I don’t want to be that hard on Microsoft’s transition to ARM since I think it’s an important move for the company, it’s a little boring to see such a minor update come to the most forward-thinking Surface device. Further, the fact that Microsoft didn’t really highlight its transition to ARM very much during its Surface event, makes me wary of what the company hopes to accomplish with the Pro X.

In case you missed the Surface show, the highlights from the event are the new Surface Duo 2 smartphone and the Surface Laptop Studio, an interesting laptop that folds into a unique design. You can read our review of the Surface Pro X from 2020 here.

Microsoft’s Surface Pro X starts at $1,149 in Canada and releases on October 5th.

You can learn more about all of Microsoft’s Surface announcements here.

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Mobile Syrup

Microsoft unveils revamped Surface Duo 2 with 5G and triple rear cameras

As expected, Microsoft unveiled an update to its Surface Duo dual-screen smartphone at its September Surface event. The Surface Duo 2 sports many improvements, including a faster processor, 5G, revamped cameras and a new ‘Glance Bar.’

Overall, it really seems like Microsoft took the criticisms from the original Duo and made those improvements accordingly. And, it has me very excited to try out the Duo 2.

First up, the Duo 2 runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 system-on-a-chip (SoC), which should help significantly improve performance over the original Duo. Additionally, that means the Duo 2 will support 5G. Overall, this is a huge change and should go a long way to making the Duo competitive with other flagship foldable devices from Samsung.

Like its predecessor, the Duo 2 sports two ‘PixelSense Fusion’ 5.8-inch AMOLED displays that can be used together as one 8.3-inch screen. This time around, however, the screens offer a 90Hz refresh rate, which should make scrolling and gaming smoother. Microsoft also boosted the battery to 4,449mAh split across two cells — it’ll be interesting to see how this battery life holds up given the original Duo’s surprising longevity with a smaller 3,577mAh battery.

The ‘Glance Bar’ is another exciting enhancement with the Duo 2. Based on the pictures, it looks like the edge of the display has a subtle curve along the edge of the hinge. When closed, it allows users to see a small strip of the screen, which displays the time and lights up with notification bubbles to show how many calls, messages and other notifications are waiting for you when you open the phone.

Another major area of improvement is the camera. Microsoft added a new triple rear camera array with 12-megapixel wide, telephoto and 16-megapixel ultrawide cameras. That alone is a significant bump over the single selfie camera on the original Duo, but how well these new cameras perform remains to be seen. Speaking of the selfie camera, it also got a slight improvement to a 12-megapixel sensor.

Finally, the Duo 2 will be available in two colours — ‘Glacier’ like the original Duo and a new ‘Obsidian’ option. Microsoft says the Surface Duo 2 will cost $1,899.99 in Canada and will be available for pre-order on Microsoft’s website starting today. The Duo 2 will be available for purchase starting October 21st. That means the Duo is still quite expensive, but with the significant overhaul Microsoft has done, it might actually be worth the money this time around.

You can learn more about all of Microsoft’s Surface announcements here.

Image credit: Microsoft

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Mobile Syrup

Microsoft’s Surface Pro 8 features a processor bump, 120Hz display and Thunderbolt 4

Like clockwork, Microsoft has refreshed its Surface Pro line with the Surface Pro 8.

The popular 2-in-1 sports a slightly refreshed design that’s more in line with the Surface Pro X, but nearly all of the most significant changes are under the hood. For example, Microsoft says that the Surface Pro 8 is two times faster than the Pro 7 and that it delivers 40 percent higher sustained CPU performance and 74 percent faster graphics performance thanks to its 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1185G7/i5-1135G7 chip.

Surface Pro 8

The tablet’s PixelSense display has also been updated to feature a 120Hz refresh rate, 10.8 percent higher resolution (2880 x 1920 pixels), is 11 percent larger thanks to its reduced bezels, and is 12.5 percent brighter.

Other changes include updating its camera to feature a 5-megapixel 1080p front-facing shooter and a 10-megapixel rear-facing camera capable of shooting 1080p and 4K video. Microsoft says that the Surface Pro 8’s camera should perform better under low-light and feature more consistent brightness. There are also new mics and speakers included in this year’s refresh.

Another notable hardware change is two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, allowing the tablet to connect to 4K monitors or an external GPU.

Surface Pro 8

The 2-in-1 also works with Microsoft’s new Surface Slim Pen 2, a new version of the stylus that includes a built-in haptic motor that aims to replicate the feelings of using an actual pen on paper. Microsoft says that the Pen 2 also offers better precision and lower latency.

The Surface Pro 8 also works with a similar detachable keyboard to the Pro X, complete with a storage slot for the Surface Slim Pen.

Speaking of the Pro X, Microsoft’s ARM-powered Surface got a small update with a lower-cost Wi-Fi-only model.

Microsoft’s Surface Pro 8 starts at $1,399. The 2-in-1 is available to pre-order now and releases on October 5th.

Click here to learn more about the full line of products revealed at the 2021 Microsoft Surface event.

Image credit: Microsoft

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Mobile Syrup

Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Studio looks like a MacBook with a Surface kickstand

Microsoft unveiled several new devices at its September Surface event, including the all-new Surface Laptop Studio.

What stands out most about Microsoft’s newest laptop is its unique hinge. The Laptop Studio seems to be one part Surface Pro and one part Surface Laptop for one wholly weird device. Users will be able to open and use the Laptop Studio like a typical laptop or adjust the screen to make it comfortable for drawing and even lie it (almost) flat like a tablet.

The Laptop Studio boasts a 14.4-inch ‘PixelSense Flow’ touchscreen with up to a 120Hz refresh rate and a resolution of 2400 x 1600 pixels (201ppi). The Studio retains the Surface line’s classic 3:2 aspect ratio as well.

It runs Windows 11 and sports Intel’s 11th Gen Core H35 i5-11300H or i7-11370H CPUs with 16 or 32GB of RAM. For graphics, customers can configure the Studio with either Intel’s Iris Xe graphics on the i5 or Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3050 Ti on the i7. There are some other options for commercial versions of the Studio.

Additionally, the Laptop Studio sports Microsoft’s new Surface Slim Pen 2 and ‘Quad Omnisonic’ speakers with Dolby Atmos. For ports, the Laptop Studio offers a Surface Connect port, two USB 4.0 ports with Thunderbolt 4 support and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Microsoft highlights the Surface Laptop Studio as a great option for creators, with powerful performance and tools designed for creators to draw, sketch, design, and more.

The Surface Laptop Studio will cost $2,049.99 in Canada and will be available for pre-order starting today on Microsoft’s website. It will go on sale starting October 5th.

Those interested can learn more about the Surface Laptop Studio on Microsoft’s website.

Click here to learn more about the full line of products revealed at the 2021 Microsoft Surface event.

Images credit: Microsoft

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Mobile Syrup

Microsoft aiming for sustainability, accessibility and productivity with its new accessories

Microsoft’s Surface event’s showstopper was definitely the all-new Surface Laptop Studio, however, the company did release a few Surface accessories alongside too, including the pebble-looking Ocean Plastic Mouse, the handy Surface Adaptive Kit and the latest Surface Slim Pen 2.

Ocean Plastic Mouse

Kicking off the new accessory list is Microsoft’s Ocean Plastic Mouse, which, as the name suggests is made out of recycled ocean plastic. However, not entirely.  The outer shell is 20 percent recycled ocean plastic while the product’s box is made out of 100 percent recyclable materials.

According to Microsoft, plastic trash collected from the seas and waterways is cleaned and processed into reusable plastic resin pellets. These recycled pellets are then ground up and used in the mouse’s shell.

The wireless mouse features Bluetooth connectivity and solid 12-month battery life from a single AA battery. Weighing in at 84g, the mouse features three customizable buttons (with the Mouse and Keyboard center software) along with Microsoft’s Swift Pair for quick and easy Bluetooth pairing.

Microsoft’s Ocean Plastic Mouse is compatible with any device running Windows 11 Home/Pro or Windows 10/8.1 and will be available to pre-order today for $34.99.

Surface Adaptive Kit

The Surface Adaptive Kit is Microsoft’s new solution to making its products easier to use and navigate. Essentially, the kit is just a bunch of differently coloured and sized stickers that can be attached to critical keys, ports and cables for easy identification. The stickers have three-dimensional bumps, allowing visually impaired individuals to identify the key, port or cable that they are looking for.

Further, the kit also includes a ring opener and a pull tab opener that provides increased leverage while opening the lid of a Surface product. According to Microsoft, the Surface Adaptive Kit is compatible with Surface Laptop 4, Surface Laptop 3, Surface Laptop Studio, Surface Pro 7, Surface Pro 7+, Surface Pro 8, Surface Book 3, Surface Dock 2, Microsoft Designer Compact Keyboard, Microsoft Number Pad and Microsoft Bluetooth Keyboard, however, considering that the kit comprises of stickers, I don’t they are limited to Microsoft’s products and can be used universally.

The Surface Adaptive Kit is available to pre-order starting today for $14.99.

Surface Slim Pen 2

Microsoft’s latest Surface Slim Pen 2 has a built-in haptic motor that the company claims will provide a highly tactile experience, similar to using a real ink pen. However, the feature is limited to use with only the Surface Pro 8 and the Surface Laptop Studio.

The stylus has a sharper tip, which Microsoft says will allow it to be exceptionally accurate and deliver high-precision shading for artists. Further, the stylus can charge wirelessly when stored in the Surface Type Cover, when attached to the Surface Laptop Studio or with the Surface Duo 2 Pen Charging Case.

The matte black Slim Pen 2 boasts Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 technology and has two buttons, one on the side and one on the top with eraser functionality with up to 15 hours of battery life on a single charge.

The accessory is compatible with several devices, including the Surface Laptop Studio. Surface Pro 3 – Pro 8, Surface Pro X, Surface Duo, Surface Duo 2, Surface Go, Surface Go 2, Surface Go 3, Surface Hub 2S, Surface Laptop 1-4 , Surface Studio 1 and 2, Surface Book 1-3 and any non-Surface device that support Microsoft Pen Protocol (MPP). You can check if your device supports MPP here.

The Surface Slim Pen 2 is available to pre-order starting today for $169.99.

Click here to learn more about the full line of products revealed at the 2021 Microsoft Surface event.

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Mobile Syrup

The Surface Go 3 is a subtle update to Microsoft’s entry-level 2-in-1 series

The Surface Go 3 is one of several new products released at Microsoft’s September Surface event — but you might not have noticed just from looking at it.

That’s because, from the outside, there’s not much difference between Microsoft’s new Surface Go 3 and last year’s addition to its 2-in-1 laptop-tablet hybrid series, i.e. the Surface Go 2.

In fact, the two devices are nearly identical in terms of physical specs: the Surface Go 3, like the Surface Go 2, features a 10.5-inch, 1920 x 1280 pixel resolution, 3:2 aspect ratio display housed in a platinum-coloured magnesium body with a kickstand — there’s no rainbow palette of options to choose from here, unfortunately.

Despite being marketed as its “most portable Surface PC yet,” the device also seems to have the same dimensions and weight as last year’s Surface Go 2, measuring in at 9.65 inches x 6.9 inches x 0.33 inches and 1.2 lbs.

The differences lie within the device, though the improvements here are still incremental.

For instance, the Surface Go 3 gets a CPU boost, via a dual-core Intel Pentium Gold 6500Y processor or quad-core 10th Gen Intel Core i3-10100Y processor with 4 or 8GB of RAM.

During the Surface event, Microsoft claimed these upgrades make the device run 60 percent faster than before.

It also boasts an extra hour of battery life over last year’s model — 11 hours, bumped up from 10 hours — and features built-in eSIM technology.

And, of course, this new model runs on Windows 11, rather than Windows 10.

Port-wise, the Surface Go 3 sports a Surface Connect port, USB-C, a 3.5 mm headphone jack, a microSDXC Card Reader and a Nano SIM tray.

It’s also fully compatible with the Surface Pen, though the pen — and protective Type Cover — are sold separately.

The Surface Go 3 starts at $ 519.99 CAD. You can pre-order the device now, or purchase it outright in-store or online as of October 5th, 2021.

Click here to learn more about the full line of products revealed at the 2021 Microsoft Surface event.

Image credit: Microsoft