Surface Book 1 vs 2: What is New in Book 2?

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By Olatunbosun Adesoye

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Do you want to know how the Surface Book 2 compares to Surface Book 21? If yes, this Surface Book 1 vs 2 comparison article will be of help.

Surface Book 1 vs 2: At First Glance

Very few people will agree, but the Surface Book 2 could be regarded as the third variant in the Surface Book family. After Microsoft introduced the Surface Book in 2015, they upgraded it with a performance-based version in 2016.

Microsoft called this version the Surface Book Performance Edition. The upgrades Microsoft made on this version were a slightly more powerful GPU and more battery capacity.

However, these weren’t the kind of upgrades that most Microsoft fans had been craving. Hence, the Surface Book Performance Edition didn’t qualify as a true replacement.

The honor of the ideal replacement fell on the Surface Book 2, but just how much of a significant replacement is the Surface Book 2? This head-to-head pairs up the Surface Book 1 with the Surface Book 2 to find out.

Surface Book 1 vs 2: Design, Dimension and Weight

As long as design is concerned, Microsoft seems to have taken the saying “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” too seriously. You’ll need to look very closely to spot the difference between the Surface Book 1 and Surface Book 2.

Like the Surface Book 1, the Surface Book 2 has the same silver-grey magnesium chassis with the reflective Windows logo stamped on its lid. Its overall appearance also looks as premium and simple as ever.

Fortunately, the Surface Book 2 is not just all about the good looks. It also has the same sturdy build the Surface Book 1 has.

The trick behind their sturdy build is the construction method Microsoft’s engineers applied. These laptops have been constructed from two solid blocks of magnesium.

As a result, their chassis feel so tightly fitted you would think that there isn’t any opening or an attached body part. If you take a look at their smooth sides, you’ll see that the two flat edges that start from the top of their display seamlessly transitions to their base parts.

This seamless transition terminates at the tip of the palm resting on their base parts. If you didn’t have the foreknowledge that these laptops’ displays can detach, you would think the build from their display to their base is continuous.

The key to delivering this effect is the “dynamic fulcrum hinge”. Did I mention that the odd-looking fulcrum hinge also makes its return on the Surface Book 2?

Well, it did. Thanks to the way this hinge bonds their display to their keyboard base, both Surface Books look like a single piece of unit.

However, the controversial design effect this fulcrum hinge had on the Surface Book 1 is also present on the Surface Book 2. Unlike regular hinges that fold flatly, this dynamic fulcrum hinge coils into itself.

The result of this is a noticeable gap between the display and keyboard when the laptop is closed. Though this structure means that the oily outlines of the keyboard won’t get imprinted on the screen, it also means that specks of dust could easily get into the laptop.

It doesn’t end there though. Since the fulcrum hinge looks like it has threads, it makes the laptop look like a book or a file case when it is closed.

This may cause a little inconvenience when you want to fit either of the Surface Books into a backpack. Overall, the supposed aesthetic effect the fulcrum hinge is meant to offer has been the subject of criticism for some because some people don’t fancy how it looks.

Fortunately, this hinge offers more than just an aesthetic effect. It remains the key piece behind the functionality both laptops offer.

When you open these laptops, the fulcrum hinge extends to help create support for their display. As you push the display open, the keyboard base becomes slightly deeper, giving the display the support it needs to stay upright and stop the entire laptop from tipping over.

The other Surface Book trademark feature – the Clipboard – is also present in the Surface Book 2. To be clear, Microsoft calls the Surface Book’s removable display a “Clipboard” rather than a tablet.

Attaching and detaching this Clipboard from the Surface Book 2’s base is as straightforward as it was on the Surface Book 1. After you press the eject button on the keyboard, the screen will blink off for a second, and then the laptop will signal when it is safe to detach the screen.

The signal is always in form of a quick tug.

Though this process is fast and simple, getting the timing right requires getting used to the laptops. After you get the signal to detach the screen, you have to wait for a little before you lift the display off its base.

Another thing you may need to get used to is both laptops’ 3:2 display aspect ratio. This aspect ratio makes their displays look tall and unconventional at first.

Due to this, you may not enjoy watching movies on both Surface Books’ displays at first, but you will begin to fall in love with them after a short time. This is largely thanks to the excellent display resolution and fantastic color reproduction their displays have to offer.

However, both laptops’ display configuration options and features differ. While the Surface Book 1 only ship with a 13.5-inch display that offers a QHD resolution of 3000 x 2000, the Surface Book 2’s display could vary.

The Surface Book 2 could come with the same 13.5-inch display as the one on the Surface Book 1 and it could also feature a 15-inch display. With the 15-inch display, the Surface Book 2 offers a better screen resolution of 3240 x 2160.

In case you are wondering, our Surface Book 2 review unit features the 13.5-inch display. Overall, colors on both laptops’ displays have a beautiful pop and blacks don’t look washed out.

However, one aspect where both laptops disappoint is their display bezels. Although Microsoft trimmed down the Surface Book 2’s bezels a bit, the trim is still not good enough to meet current standards.

On the bright side, both laptops’ slightly thick bezels will serve a good purpose when you want to use them in tablet mode. Since they are slightly thick, they provide enough room for your fingers to hold on to the device without touching the display.

Hence, they help to prevent your fingers from making accidental taps and clicks.

Aside from the little trim, Microsoft made on the Surface Book 2‘s bezels, they also made another improvement on the laptop’s bezel. Microsoft has adjusted the space around the camera to make it appear with less visible cutouts of the screen’s area.

This approach helps the Surface Book 2’s display maintain its block-like uniformity. Unlike the Surface Book 1’s display whose camera has a slightly visible cutout, the Surface Book 2’s uniform layering makes its display look like a continuous piece of magnesium.

Also, the Surface Book 2’s keyboard deck has been tucked in to maintain cleaner lines and uniformity. Its keyboard looks different from the Surface Book 1 whose keyboard is slightly inset.

On a closer look, you will see that the Surface Book 2’s keyboard is flush with its deck.

This keyboard design adds to the overall aesthetics of the Surface Book 2. It gives it a more seamless look.

Sadly, this keyboard design also has a downside to it. Unlike the Surface Book 1’s keyboard that offers a solid 1.5 mm key travel, the Surface Book 2’s keyboard is shallow with just 1.2 mm key travel.

To be clear, key travel is the distance a keyboard’s key travels between its resting and fully pressed positions.

In spite of its shallow key travel, the Surface Book’s backlit keys feel great. Just like the ones on the Surface Book 1, they have an appropriate clickiness that makes them comfortable to type on.

Surprisingly, the 10fastfingers typing test result I obtained showed that the Surface Book 2 can aid fast typing with more accuracy. If you take the 10fastfingers typing test with the Surface Book 2, you can achieve 119 words per minute with just a one percent error rate.

Similarly, you can achieve fast typing accuracy with the Surface Book 1, but not as fast as with the Surface Book 2. With the Surface Book 1, you can register 73 words per minute with just a two percent error percentage.

Note, however, that individual typing speed and accuracy on this test may differ depending on the typist’s natural typing speed. Nonetheless, the results I highlighted above are a good indication of how an average fast typist can fare on both laptops.

Below the Surface Book 2’s keyboard, Microsoft still offers the same 4.1 x 2.7 glass touchpad like the one on the Surface Book 1. As it is on the Surface Book 1, the Surface Book 2’s touchpad feels silky smooth.

The Surface Book 2’s touchpad also recognizes inputs without delay. Scrolling, clicking, and tapping on both laptops’ touchpads are all smooth.

They are also great at instantly recognizing various Windows 10 gestures. Both laptops’ touchpads can easily recognize gestures like three-finger taps for launching Cortana and three-finger slides for switching apps.

Aside from the keyboard and touchpad, Microsoft also provides another means of input on both laptops. If you want to enjoy the full functionality of either of the two laptops, you should buy a Surface Pen along with them.

The Surface Pen Microsoft sells with these laptops is almost lag-free and it offers up to 4,096 degrees of pressure sensitivity. Therefore, it inputs commands on the screen with incredible precision.

I will advise that you get this Surface Pen if you want to buy either of the Surface Books.

In terms of ports, both Surface Books are very short on ports. The Surface Book 1 offers just 2 USB 3.0 ports.

Though Microsoft did make a little upgrade on the Surface Book 2’s port collection, it still isn’t good enough. On the Surface Book 2 you get just 2 USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports and 1 USB-C port.

Since the Surface Book 2’s size has barely changed compared to Surface Book 1, I’m not so surprised by its limited port collection. Talking about size, the Surface Book 2’s 13.5-inch version still shares almost the exact same measurement as the Surface Book 1.

While the Surface Book 1 measures 312.3 x 232.1 x 13.0 – 22.8 mm, the 13.5-inch Surface Book 2 measures 312 x 232 x 13-23 mm. Their weights, on the other hand, completely differ.

The Surface Book 1 weighs 1516 g while the 13.5-inch Surface Book 2 weighs 1534 g.

When you consider the 15-inch Surface Book 2, as expected you get completely different dimensions. The 15-inch Surface Book 2 measures 343 x 251 x 15-23 mm and weighs 1905 g.

Despite its large screen, the 15-inch Surface Book 2 is not too big. It is compact and quite light for its size.

Overall, these Surface Books’ design remains excellent and I believe Microsoft took the right approach by not making major design changes. However, it is important to note the few noticeable changes Microsoft made to some parts of the Surface Book 2.

Some noticeable improvements in Surface Book 2 are the addition of a USB-C port which was not included in Surface Book 1. Also worthy of note is the 2 USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports in Surface Book 2.

In comparison, Surface Book 1 had the lower version USB 3.0 ports.

In addition to the above differences, Surface Book 2 also offers a 15-inch display option instead of just the 13-inch display available in Surface Book 1. So, in Surface Book 2, you have the option to either buy the 13-inch or the 15-inch model.

To summarize this section, the Surface Book 2 retains the Surface Book’s excellent design and fixes some of the previous laptop’s design flaws. As a result, it deserves the win in this category.

Hence, the Surface Book 2 scores an eight in this Surface Book 1 vs 2 design comparison. Meanwhile, the Surface Book 1 scores a seven.

Surface Book 1 vs 2: Processor (CPU) Performance

The Surface Book 1 and Surface Book 2 are completely different in terms of their processor configuration. Though Microsoft offers different configuration options for each laptop, they offer more and better options for the Surface Book 2.

From a glance, a techy person would easily be able to tell the difference in quality in both laptops’ configuration options.

First of all, while the Surface Book 1’s configuration options only include 6th generation processors, the Surface Book 2 offers 7th and 8th generation processors. With a higher-generation processor, you can expect better performance.

Moving on, I will further break down the quality difference in both laptops’ configuration options as I highlight their processor configuration options.

For the Surface Book 1, Microsoft offers a dual-core Intel Core i5-6300U processor or a dual-core Intel Core i7-6600U processor. A basic way through which we can get an idea of these processors’ capabilities is by considering their base and maximum frequency.

To be clear, the base frequency indicates the lowest speed at which a processor can run. Meanwhile, the maximum frequency indicates the fastest speed at which they can run.

With the Intel Core i5-6300U processor, you will get a base frequency of 2.40 GHz and a boost frequency of 3.0 GHz. Meanwhile, the Intel Core i7-6600U processor will offer you a base frequency of 2.60 GHz and a boost frequency of 3.40 GHz.

As I stated earlier, the Surface Book 2’s processor configuration options are better compared to the ones the Surface Book 1 offers. We will see one of the reasons why I said so in the succeeding paragraphs.

When you want to buy the Surface Book 2, you can choose between a dual-core Intel Core i5-7300U or a quad-core Intel Core i5-8350U processor. You can also buy the Surface Book 2 with a quad-core Intel Core i7-8650U processor.

Given the fact that these processors are newer processors, they will be able to run much more efficiently than the older ones on the Surface Book 1. Let’s consider their operating speeds for instance.

If you equip your Surface Book 2 with the Core i5-7300U CPU, you will get a base frequency of 2.60 GHz and a boost frequency of 3.50 GHz. With the Core i5-8350U processor, your laptop will be able to run at a base frequency of 1.70 GHz and a boost frequency of 3.60 GHz.

Meanwhile, the Core i7-8650U processor offers a base frequency of 1.90 GHz and a boost frequency of 4.20 GHz.

Aside from the faster speeds these processors have, the higher number of cores they offer is an added advantage. Having more cores will allow you to have more programs running at the same time.

It will also enable you to switch from one program to another with more ease.

Obviously, the more powerful processor configuration on the Surface Book 2 came into full effect when I considered some processor-specific tests. Before I highlight the test results, let me make it clear that our Surface Book 1 review unit features the Core i5-6300U processor.

Meanwhile, our Surface Book 2 review unit features the Intel Core i7-8650U processor.

On the regular real-world processor performance test, the Surface Book laptops performed excellently. They can easily handle various processor-specific tasks like web surfing, document creation and editing, spreadsheet package preparation, and many more.

Overall, both laptops are efficient performers.

To get a clear distinction of the difference in their performance capabilities, I considered the Cinebench R15 benchmark test. For clarity, the Cinebench R15 is a benchmark that tests for a laptop’s processor performance capability.

This test checks how efficient a laptop’s processor is by first subjecting one of its cores to a processor-specific workload. At the end of this part of the test, it rates the processor’s performance by assigning a result value known as its single-core score.

This benchmark also subjects more than one of the processor’s cores to processor-specific workload. Like it does for the single-core aspect, it assigns a result value known as a multi-core score after the end of the test.

Since the results are usually in numbers it is easy to identify the difference in the performance a specific laptop’s processor can offer. This is why I considered this test.

On the Cinebench R15 test, the Surface Book 1 scored 122 points in the single-core aspect and it scored 305 points in the multi-core aspect. Meanwhile, the Surface Book 2 achieved much better scores.

The Surface Book 2 scored 178 points in the single-core aspect, while it scored 675 points in the multi-core aspect.

Clearly, the Surface Book 2 offers better performance compared to the Surface Book 1. Without a doubt, Surface Book 2 offers the kind of power increase that Microsoft lovers will love.

As a result, the Surface Book 2 scores a nine in this Surface Book 1 vs 2 processor performance comparison. Meanwhile, the Surface Book 1 scores a seven.

Surface Book 1 vs 2: Memory (RAM) Performance

In the memory aspect, Microsoft equips both the Surface Book 1 and Surface Book 2 with the same RAM configuration. Microsoft ships both Surface Books with an 8 GB LPDDR3 RAM.

Though both laptops only have one RAM slot each, you can still upgrade their RAM configuration to a maximum 16 GB size.

While our Surface Book 1 review unit came with 8 GB RAM, our Surface Book 2 came with 16 GB RAM. Though the Surface Book 1 can offer a good RAM performance with its 8 GB RAM, the Surface Book 2 is obviously much better.

First of all, in the real-world multitasking test, the Surface Book 2 could handle a higher number of operations at once. To give more detail, the Surface Book 2 could run smoothly with up to 25 Chrome tabs while streaming 2 YouTube videos at 1080p.

The Surface Book 1 can multitask quite well too, but you will notice a drop in its performance when you begin to run more than 20 Chrome tabs with other operations.

Aside from the real-world test, the PCMark 8 benchmark test I considered also indicates that the Surface Book 2 offers better memory performance.

In case you are wondering what PCMark 8 is, it is a benchmark that tests how well a laptop can handle memory-intensive tasks. It tests a laptop by subjecting it to various office-related tasks and content-creation operations.

The PCMark 8 simulates operations like word processing, web surfing, spreadsheet preparation, and videoconferencing.

On this test, the Surface Book 1 achieved a score of 2,814 points. Meanwhile, the Surface Book 2 offered a better performance as it achieved a score of 3,072 points.

With this performance, the Surface Book 2 proves to be the better laptop in terms of memory performance. As a result, it scores an eight in this Surface Book 1 vs 2 memory performance comparison.

The Surface Book 1, on the other hand, scores a seven.

Surface Book 1 vs 2: Storage Options and Performance

Just like in the memory department, Microsoft employs the same storage configuration for the Surface Book 1 and Surface Book 2. Both laptops come with a 1 TB SSD drive.

Microsoft also includes a full-size SDXC card reader in both laptops for storage expansion purposes.

In terms of performance, the Surface Book 1 took the fight to the Surface Book 2 for the first time so far. Surprisingly, the Surface Book 1 outperformed the Surface Book 2 in the file transfer test.

Specifically, the Surface Book 1 copied a 4.97 GB file in 18 seconds at a copy rate of 283 MBps. Meanwhile, it took the Surface Book 2, 24 seconds to copy the same file at a copy rate of 203.6 MBps.

Though the Surface Book 1 had a faster operation speed in this test, the CrystalDiskMark test result I obtained showed an equal performance speed. For those wondering what CrystalDiskMark is, it is a benchmark that tests for the performance speed of a storage drive.

CrystalDiskMark test checks for the read and writes speed a disk drive can offer.

On this test, the Surface Book 1 and Surface Book 2 offered the same read and write speeds. They had read speeds of 1499 MBps and write speeds of 311.5 MBps respectively.

Despite the fact they had the same benchmark test results, the Surface Book 1 emerges victorious in this round. This is because of the faster speed it displayed in the real-world file transfer test.

That being said, the Surface Book 1 scores an eight in this Surface Book 1 vs 2 storage performance comparison. Meanwhile, the Surface Book 2 scores seven.

Surface Book 1 vs 2: Graphics Card Performance

For graphic processing, Microsoft offers a range of configuration options for both the Surface Book 1 and Surface Book 2. However, the configuration options they offer for the Surface Book 1 are different from the ones you get with the Surface Book 2.

Also, the configuration options available for the Surface Book 2 are more powerful than the ones available for the Surface Book 1. Just like in the processor aspect, the Surface Book 2’s configuration options are of higher grades, so they can offer more efficient performance.

In the next few paragraphs, I’ll highlight the differences between the GPU of both Surface laptops.

First of all, let’s consider the Surface Book 1’s configuration options. For the Surface Book 1’s GPU, you can equip the laptop with an integrated Intel HD Graphics 520 or a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 940M.

You can also buy the Surface Book 1 with a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M.

Apart from the Intel HD Graphics 520 graphics card, the other two configuration options also come with dedicated VRAMs. With a dedicated VRAM, a graphics card will be able to offer better graphics performance because the VRAM aids its operation.

That being said, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 940M comes with a 1 GB GDDR5 VRAM. Meanwhile, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M comes with a 2 GB GDDR5 VRAM.

Moving on to their performance capabilities, I will highlight the speeds the Surface Book 1’s GPU configuration options can offer.

With the Intel HD Graphics 520, you get a base frequency of 300 MHz and a boost frequency of 1050 MHz. Meanwhile, the GeForce GTX 940M offers a base frequency of 954 MHz and a boost frequency of 993 MHz.

The GeForce GTX 965M, on the other hand, has a base frequency of 924 MHz and a boost frequency of 950 MHz.

Now I will highlight the configuration options Microsoft offers for the Surface Book 2.

For the Surface Book 2’s GPU, you can equip the laptop with an integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620 or a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics card. Alternatively, you can also equip the laptop with a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card.

Just like with the Surface Book 1’s configuration options, the Surface Book 2’s configuration options also come with dedicated VRAMs. Another similar thing is that the integrated graphics card option the Surface Book 2 offers also doesn’t come with a dedicated VRAM.

Apart from the Intel UHD Graphics 620 configuration option, the other configuration options come with dedicated VRAMs. To be more specific, the GeForce GTX 1050 comes with a 6 GB GDDR5 dedicated VRAM while the GeForce GTX 1060 comes with a 3 GB GDDR5 dedicated VRAM.

In terms of their performance speeds, the speed each of the graphic cards offer differs. With the Intel UHD Graphics 620, you get a base frequency of 300 MHz and a boost frequency of 1150 MHz.

The GeForce GTX 1050, on the other hand, offers a base frequency of 1392 MHz and a boost frequency of 1518 MHz. Meanwhile, the GeForce GTX 1060 has a base frequency of 1506 MHz and a boost frequency of 1708 MHz.

So far, based on the GPU configuration options for Surface Book 1 vs 2, it is obvious that Surface Book 2 offers a more powerful GPU. Will this translate to better GPU performance?

We will find out as I compare their performances in real-world and GPU benchmark tests.

Before I proceed to give reports of how the Surface Book 1 and 2 performed in various graphics tests, I will like to make a quick clarification. For the record, our Surface Book 1 review unit features the Intel HD Graphics 520 graphics.

Meanwhile, our Surface Book 2 review unit comes with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card.

Based on real-world performance tests, it is clear that the Surface Book 1 can barely handle intensive gaming with its integrated GPU. You can only adequately enjoy casual gaming on the laptop.

Also, the Surface Book 1 cannot handle intensive picture and video editing.

The Surface Book 2, on the other hand, can handle more graphically intensive tasks. It can run new graphically intensive AAA title games at 1080p.

For more details, the Surface Book 2 can playThe Witcher at frame rates of 32.8 frames per second. Meanwhile, the Surface Book 1 could barely run the game.

The Surface Book 1 will offer an almost unplayable frame rate of 11.4 frames per second.

However, the Surface Book 1 should be able to run a less intensive game like Shadow of the Tomb Raider. It can play the game at a frame rate of 55.2 frames per second.

Meanwhile, the Surface Book 2 should do much better with a frame rate of 161.5 frames per second.

In the benchmark test, as anticipated the Surface Book 2 continued to display a much better GPU performance capability. The benchmark test I considered is the 3DMark benchmark.

This benchmark tests a laptop’s graphics performance capability by simulating graphically intensive tasks. At the end of the test, it scores the laptop based on its performance – the higher the score, the better.

On this test, the Surface Book 1 scored 4,9514 points. Meanwhile, the Surface Book 2 achieved a better score with ease.

The Surface Book 2 scored an impressive 13,5277 points.

To round off this graphics comparison section, the Surface Book 2’s benchmark test performance further asserts its graphics performance superiority. As a result, the Surface Book 2 scores a nine in this Surface Book 1 vs 2 graphics performance comparison.

Meanwhile, the Surface Book 1 scores a seven.

Surface Book 1 vs 2: Battery Life and Performance

The Surface Book 1 and 2 come with the battery same configuration. Both laptops feature a 69.0 Wh Lithium-ion battery.

However, Microsoft promises different battery runtimes for the two laptops. Microsoft promises that the Surface Book 1 will be able to last for 12 hours of video playback duration.

Also, according to Microsoft, the Surface Book 2 will be able to last up to 17 hours.

Unfortunately, both laptops’ battery runtimes are as long-lasting as Microsoft promised. On a video playback test, the Surface Book 1 lasted for 10 hours and 4 minutes.

Clearly, 10 hours and 4 minutes is 1 hour 56 minutes short of Microsoft’s promised runtime.

The Surface Book 2, on the other hand, lasted a bit longer than Surface Book 1. However, its battery runtime is still shorter than what Microsoft promised.

Specifically, in the video playback test, the Surface Book 2 was able to last for 15 hours and 15 minutes.

To further test and compare the battery performance of Surface Book 1 vs 2, I also considered a web surfing test.

On the web surfing test that involves continuous web surfing with Wi-Fi, the Surface Book 1 still couldn’t last as long as the Surface Book 2. After 6 hours and 42 minutes of web surfing, the Surface Book 1 ran out of battery power.

Meanwhile, the Surface Book 2 had enough juice to handle the test for 10 hours and 35 minutes. From these tests, we can conclude that the Surface Book 2 offers a longer battery life compared to the Surface Book 1.

Hence, the Surface Book 2 scores a nine in this Surface Book 1 vs 2 battery life comparison review. Meanwhile, the Surface Book 1 scores an eight.

Our Rating Summary

Rating AreasSurface Book 1 Surface Book 2Notes/Comments
Design78The Surface Book 2 retains the Surface Book’s excellent design and fixes some of the previous laptop’s design flaws. As a result, it deserves the win in this category.
Processor (CPU)78The Surface Book 2 offers a better performance compared to the Surface Book 1. Hence, it wins this round.
Memory (RAM)78The Surface Book 1 was no match for the Surafce Book 2 in both the real-world memory test and benchmark test. Due to its better memory performance, the Surface Book 2 is victorious in this aspect.
Storage87Despite the fact they had the same benchmark test results, the Surface Book 1 emerges victorious in this round. This is because of the faster speed it displayed in the real world file transfer test.
Graphics Card79While the Surface Book 2 performed better in the real-world test, it further asserts its graphics performance superiority in the benchmark test.
Battery Life89From the battery tests I considered, we can conclude that the Surface Book 2 offers a longer battery life compared to the Surface Book 1.
Our Average Rating7.38.2On average, the Surface Book 2 is a better laptop.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. When did the Surface Book 1 come out?

The Surface Book 1 was released in October 2015.

2. Is the Surface Book 2 worth it?

Yes, it is. The Surface Book 2 can offer more power compared to the Surface Book 1 thanks to the upgrades in its processors and GPUs.

This laptop also features some other little but significant improvements in its design. For instance, it offers USB Type-C which was not available in Surface Book 1.

3. What graphics card is in the Surface Book 1?

The Surface Book 1 could come either one of three different graphics card configuration options. You can either buy the laptop with an integrated Intel HD Graphics 520 or a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 940M.

Microsoft also allows you to buy the Surface Book 1 with a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M.

4. Does Surface Book 2 have Bluetooth?

Yes, it does. The Surface Book 2 comes with version 4.1 Bluetooth.

5. Does Surface Book 1 have USB C?

No, it doesn’t. The Surface Book 1 only comes with 2 USB 3.0 ports.

Conclusion

At first glance, it looks as though the Surface Book 2 is just a remake of the Surface Book 1, but a deeper dive reveals something else. It goes without saying that there is a significant upgrade in the Surface Book 2’s hardware specifications.

As a result, the Surface Book 2 is able to offer more power compared to the Surface Book 1. With its better performance capability – particularly in the processor and GPU aspect – coupled with other little improvements, the Surface Book 2 earns its title as the proper successor.

Definitely, the Surface Book 2 was always going to be the favorite in this battle. The main question, however, was whether or not it was going to be another minor update or a worthy successor.

In the end, it truly is. Hence, based on our comprehensive comparison of the Surface Pro 1 vs 2, we recommend:

The Surface Book 1 is still a good laptop though. If you want to spend less, you can consider getting the Surface Book 1.

I hope you found this Surface Book 1 vs 2 comparisons helpful. If you found the review helpful, we would love to hear from you.

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Finally, for more laptop comparison reviews, visit our Laptop Comparison Reviews page. You may also find our Laptop Specs page very helpful.

About the Author

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Olatunbosun Adesoye

Adesoye Olatunbosun is a technical writer at Itechguides.com. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Software Engineering. Ola is an art and philosophy enthusiast. When he is not writing, he reads, watches football, or codes apps. Ola writes reviews, buying guides, and best pick articles for Itechguides.com.

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