The new model has 128GB of storage, but it’s $300 cheaper
Microsoft introduced a new Surface Laptop model earlier today to bring its pricing down, and now the company is doing the same to its new Surface Book 2. While the Surface Book 2 only launched in November, the new base model price is $1,199 for the 13.5-inch version. That includes an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. The previous cheapest Surface Book 2 was $1,499 with more storage (256GB), so Microsoft has cut some space to bring the price down by $300.
Microsoft has consistently marketed the Surface Book 2 as a powerful laptop, and 128GB of storage will mean some people will have to consider external storage solutions for photo or video editing tasks. Still, a $300 saving for less storage could appeal to a lot more people now. One of the big criticisms of Microsoft’s recent Surface devices has been price, and the company is now making its Surface Laptop and Surface Book 2 more affordable if you’re willing to compromise on specs. No changes are being made to the 15-inch models, but they are continuing to be made available in even more countries.
Both of today’s pricing changes come just two days after Microsoft revealed its Surface revenue had only increased 1 percent year-over-year in the latest holiday quarter. It was a surprising revelation, especially as the company refreshed its Surface Pro earlier in 2017 and launched the new Surface Laptop. Microsoft launched its Surface Book 2 partway through the recent quarter, but it’s clear the company wants to generate more sales across its devices and push its Surface revenue up through pure sales rather than relying on the margins it was hoping for initially.
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