Microsoft’s affordable Surface Go 2 and powerful Surface Book 3 are finally available for pre-order in Malaysia starting from June 2. The two latest models focus on improved performance in an effort to appeal to developers and creatives who require a versatile work device.
Surface Go 2
The Surface Go 2 will be available from June 18 onwards. It comes in a variety of colours: platinum, black, poppy red and ice blue. Below is the official pricing in Malaysia:
Intel Pentium Gold, 4GB RAM, 64GB eMMC with WiFi – RM1,955
Intel Pentium Gold, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD with WiFi- RM2,655
8th Gen Intel Core m3, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD with LTE-Advanced – RM3,455
You can can find the Surface Go 2 at authorised physical retailers like All IT and Harvey Norman. The laptop is also available online on Lazada and Shopee.
The Surface Go 2 maintains the same lightweight and compact form factor but with upgrades. This includes a larger 10.5″ PixelSense display that rocks a Full HD resolution.
Running on Windows 10 Pro, users have a choice between an Intel Pentium Gold 4425Y or 8th Gen Intel Core m3 CPU. It is configurable up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB SSD of storage. The Surface Go 2 comes equipped with built-in WiFi. There is an option for LTE Advanced that allows you to stay connected anywhere. In terms of battery life, Microsoft said it lasts up to 10 hours.
In the age of Zoom calls, the Surface Go 2’s dual microphone Studio Mics help increase voice clarity while reducing background noise for uninterrupted team meetings. A 5-Megapixel front facing camera that delivers sharp videos even in low light.
Have a document to scan but no scanner in sight? The rear-facing camera’s new Camera application allows you to scan documents and whiteboards. There is even support for the Surface Pen for users who need to mark up documents or drawing diagrams on their device.
The Surface Go 2 doesn’t come with many ports as it has a single USB-C port, so if you need to connect more devices you will need a dongle. It also comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack as well as a micro SDXC card reader for reading data and media.
Though often see the Surface Go 2 paired with a Type Cover keyboard and Surface Pen, the two accessories are in fact sold separately. The Surface Go Signature Type Cover costs RM578 while the Surface Pen costs RM399.
Surface Book 3
The Surface Book 3, on the other hand, is a Windows 10 Pro laptop with a detachable display and offers plenty of power for power hungry users. Pricing for the Surface Book 3 in Malaysia is as follows:
Surface Book 3 (13.5″)
10th Gen Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD (Intel Iris Plus Graphics) – RM7,788
10th Gen Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD (Nvidia GeForce GTX1650) – RM9,688
10th Gen Intel Core i7, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD (Nvidia GeForce GTX1650) – RM11,688
Surface Book 3 (15″)
10th Gen Intel Core i7, 32GB, 512GB SSD (Nvidia GeForce GTX1660) – RM13,088
Like the Surface Go 2, you can get the Surface Book 3 at physical retailers such as Harvey Norman and All IT. Online you can find it on Lazada and Shopee.
Micosoft claims the new Surface Book 3 is its “most powerful laptop ever” with a supposed increase of 50% in performance over the previous model. Combining the power of a desktop, versatility of a tablet and the freedom of a light and thin laptop, the 13.5″ offers up to 15.5 hours of use while 15″ model lasts up to 17.5 hours.
In terms of connection ports, both models come with two USB ports and one USB-C port. You can plug in your favourite pair of headphones with the 3.5mm headphone jack. There is also a full-size SDXC card reader which comes in handy for transferring photos from your camera.
Available in 13.5″ or 15″ sizes, both models feature 3K resolutions and have an aspect ratio of 3:2. Microsoft offers the 13.5″ variant with options of a 10th Gen Intel Core i5 and i7 processor, while the 15″ Surface Book 3 comes with a i7 processor. Aside from that, it can is configurable with up to 32GB of RAM and 2TB of PCIe SSD storage.
