Microsoft held a launch event on September 22 to announce all the big updates coming to its Surface line of laptops, tablets and phones. However, one device was surprisingly absent and Microsoft has just confirmed why.
We expected to see the successor to the high-end convertible Surface Book 3, the Surface Book 4, unveiled at the event on Wednesday but instead Microsoft took the opportunity to showcase the all-new Surface Laptop Studio.
So, what has happened to the Surface Book 4?
We asked Microsoft whether it will be retiring the Surface Book range, and a spokesperson confirmed that the new Surface Laptop Studio is designed to replace the Surface Book in Microsoft’s 2021 line-up. This means the Surface Book is no more.
“Surface Laptop Studio is inspired by what our customers love most about Surface Book – a powerful and beautiful laptop that adapts to you – and takes those things to a new level,” the spokesperson told Trusted Reviews.
“Providing new levels of versatility and performance, Surface Laptop Studio will assume the place previously occupied by Surface Book. With the performance advancements made across our other 2-in-1s and laptops, the team stepped back to reimagine what a performance laptop could be. The result is a product that adapts to how you want to work, watch, create, or play.”
This leaves the Surface Laptop Studio the new go-to Surface device for creatives and power users in need of a versatile device that can keep up with their work.
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Unlike the display on the Surface Book, which was detachable, the Surface Laptop Studio features a new hinge mechanic that allows you to slide the 14.4-inch 120Hz display over the keyboard when you want to use it as a tablet.
The Surface Laptop Studio also features an Intel 11th Gen processor, the Nvidia GeForce 3050 Ti GPU and support for the Surface Slim Pen 2. There’s also a 1080p front camera and support for Thunderbolt 4 for faster data transfer speeds.
The Surface Laptop Studio will be available in early 2022, with prices starting at $1599.99.
Interestingly, the Surface Book 3 is still available to purchase from Microsoft’s store with a £1599 starting price. It remains to be seen how long that will remain the case, but we do at least now know that the Surface Book 4 will probably never see the light of day.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
