Surface Laptop vs. Surface Laptop 2: What's different?
Surface Laptop 2 offers a significant performance upgrade over its predecessor. Here we have a detailed specs comparison between Surface Laptop 2 versus the original Surface Laptop.
The new Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 isn’t much different from the original Surface Laptop in terms of overall design and features. However, there is one improvement that makes the Surface Laptop 2 a clear successor to the device’s performance. With the latest 8th Generation Intel Quad Core processor, Microsoft claimed Surface Laptop 2 is 85 percent faster than the original Surface Laptop. Surface Laptop 2 now replaces the Graphite Gold option with the all-new matte Black that is much more appealing to most users and professionals.
If you wonder how the new Surface Laptop 2 compared to the original Surface Laptop, here we have a detailed spec comparison between both devices. It will help you to decide whether the Surface Laptop 2 is worth the upgrade or not.
Surface Laptop 1 vs Laptop 2: Specs Comparison
Compare With Please enter device name or part of it Surface Laptop | Compare With Please enter device name or part of it Surface Laptop 2 | |
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Availability | Surface Laptop | Surface Laptop 2 |
Released | 2017 | 2018 |
Release Info |
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Pricing | Platinum
| Starting at 999$ |
Display | Surface Laptop | Surface Laptop 2 |
Size | 13.5 Inches | |
Info |
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Exterior | Surface Laptop | Surface Laptop 2 |
Size Comparison | ||
Dimensions | 12.13” x 8.79” x 0.39-0.57” (308.02 mm x 223.2 mm x 9.93 mm-14.47 mm) Width: 12.13” (308.02 mm) Depth: 8.79” (223.2 mm) Height: 0.39 - 0.57” (9.93 - 14.47 mm) | |
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Colors | Graphite Gold Platinum Burgundy Cobalt Blue | Black Platinum Burgundy Cobalt Blue |
Keyboard and Trackpad |
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Ports |
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Internal Specs | Surface Laptop | Surface Laptop 2 |
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Integrated Graphics |
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Memory | 4GB 8GB 16GB 1866 MHz LPDDR3 RAM | 8GB 16GB 1866 MHz LPDDR3 RAM |
Storage |
| 128 GB 256 GB 512 GB 1 TB Soldered BGA PCIe SSD |
Connectivity | Surface Laptop | Surface Laptop 2 |
Wi-Fi |
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Bluetooth |
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Battery | Surface Laptop | Surface Laptop 2 |
Size | 45.2 Wh | |
Battery Life | Up to 14.5 hours of typical device usage | |
Power Supply |
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Software | Surface Laptop | Surface Laptop 2 |
OS | Windows 10 S |
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Built-in Apps | 1 year of Microsoft Office 365 personal | Microsoft Office 365 30-days trial |
Camera & Audio | Surface Laptop | Surface Laptop 2 |
Camera |
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Audio |
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Misc | Surface Laptop | Surface Laptop 2 |
Inking | Supports Surface Pen with 1024 levels of pressure | Supports Surface Pen 4096 levels of pressure Tilt sensing Best in class latency |
Sensors |
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Security |
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In the box |
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Warranty |
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More | Supports Surface Dial Supports off-screen interaction only |
Upon comparing the specifications, we can notice a few differences between the original Surface Laptop and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 2. To begin with, the Surface Laptop 2 now comes with Windows 10 Home instead of Windows 10 S.
Additionally, the base model of Surface Laptop 2 comes with a minimum of 8GB of RAM, which is twice the amount that the base model of the original Surface Laptop had, and it is offered at the same price as the 4GB model. However, unlike the original Surface Laptop, the Surface Laptop 2 does not include a free 1-year Office 365 personal subscription.
Processors (CPU) Comparison
The latest 8th generation Intel Quad Core processor provides a significant performance boost compared to its previous version. The 8th Gen Intel Core i5 offers a 10 percent improvement in single-core performance and a 70 percent increase in multi-core performance. Similarly, the 8th Gen Intel Core i7 delivers comparable performance for single-core and a 45 percent performance increase for multi-core tasks.
Surface Laptop 2 | Surface Laptop | |||
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Processor | 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8250U | 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8650U | 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7200U | 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7660U |
Launch Date | Q3'2017 | Q1'2017 | ||
Base Frequency | 1.80 GHz | 2.10 GHz | 2.70 GHz | 2.50 GHz |
Max Turbo Frequency | 3.40 GHz | 4.20 GHz | 3.10 GHz | 4.00 GHz |
TDP | 15 watt | |||
Level 1 Cache | 256 KB | 128 KB | ||
Level 2 Cache | 1 MB | 512 KB | ||
Level 3 Cache | 6 MB SmartCache | 8 MB SmartCache | 3 MB SmartCache | 4 MB SmartCache |
# of Cores | 4 | 2 | ||
# of Threads | 8 | 4 | ||
Bus Speed | 4 GT/s OPI | |||
Max Memory Support | 32 GB | |||
Max Memory Bandwidth | 34.1 GB/s | |||
GEEKBENCH 4 | ||||
Single-Core Score | 3,648 | 4,243 | 3,335 | 4,236 |
Multi-Core Score | 11,157 | 12,450 | 6,510 | 8,489 |
More detail | See at Geekbench | See at Geekbench | See at Geekbench | See at Geekbench |
Integrated Graphics (GPU) Comparison
The 8th Gen Intel Core i7 model of Surface Laptop 2 no longer has the Iris Plus Graphics that were present in the Intel Core i7 model of the original Surface Laptop. However, the Surface Laptop 2 still shows an improvement in overall graphics performance compared to its predecessor.
Surface Laptop 2 | Surface Laptop | |||
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Processor | 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8250U | 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8650U | 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7200U | 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7660U |
Graphics | Intel® UHD Graphics 620 | Intel® HD Graphics 620 | Intel Iris™ Plus Graphics 640 | |
Geekbench 4 OpenCL Compute Score | 33,325 | 37,190 | 21,823 | 31,850 |
Base Frequency | 300 MHz | 300 MHz | 300 MHz | 300 MHz |
Max Dynamic Frequency | 1.10 GHz | 1.15 GHz | 1.00 GHz | 1.10 GHz |
eDRAM | N/A | 64 MB | ||
Graphics Max Memory | 32 GB | |||
Graphics 4K Support | Yes, at 60Hz | |||
Graphics DirectX | 12 | |||
Graphics OpenGL | 4.4 | |||
# Display Supported | 3 |
Conclusion
If you are looking for a high-performing laptop, the new Surface Laptop 2 is a great choice. It offers 85% faster performance compared to the original Surface Laptop. However, if you have a limited budget, the original Surface Laptop is still a great option, especially with its current discounted price and features.
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