News
News Categories

Microsoft Surface event reveals updated Pro 8, Go 3, and new Laptop Studio *updated*

By Ken Wong - on 24 Sep 2021, 11:34am

Microsoft Surface event reveals updated Pro 8, Go 3, and new Laptop Studio

The products unveiled at Microsoft's Surface event. Image source: Microsoft

*Updated: 24 September 2021 11:20 am with pricing and availability of the Surface Go 3*

Microsoft has just wrapped up its Surface event for 2021 and while there were the expected upgrades to some products, there were some surprises too.

All the products announced will ship with Windows 11 and indeed will officially launch on 5 October, the same date as Windows 11 and Office 2021.

 

Surface Pro 8

The new Pro 8 goes up to 120Hz. Image source: Microsoft

The first product of the event was the Surface Pro 8.

Billed by Microsoft as their “most powerful Pro ever”, the new Surface Pro 8 was built on the Intel Evo platform and most models come powered by Intel’s quad-core 11th Gen Core processors. It features support for up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. According to Microsoft, it is 75% faster than the Surface Pro 7.

The display is a 13-inch PixelSense Flow Display (more on this when we are told), that supports Dolby Vision. But the big news is that while it will run at 60Hz by default, the display will jump up to 120Hz for a smoother pen and more responsive touch experience.

The pen now has its own slot in the keyboard for charging. Image source: Microsoft

As for connectivity, there are two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 support, as well support for Wi-Fi 6 and LTE in some models. It also takes inputs from the new Surface Slim Pen 2. This can now be stored and charged with the keyboard, so it is always with you, ready for use. If this aspect seems familiar, it was first made popular on the Surface Pro X and it's great to see this practical design follow through on Surface Pro 8.

With a battery life of up to 16 hours, the new Surface Pro 8 can be charged to 80% in just over an hour, so you’ll always be ready for work or play.

 

Surface Go 3

The Surface Go 3 is enough for most use cases. Image source: Microsoft

“Built for everyone” according to Microsoft, the new Surface Go 3 is said to be 60% faster than its predecessor thanks to up to a quad-core 10th Gen Intel Core i3 processor, up to 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. The 10.5-inch PixelSense Display has a resolution of 1,920 x 1,280 pixels.   

There is only one USB-C port for connectivity. But it does also have Wi-Fi 6 and some models support LTE as well. Battery life is around 11 hours.

 

Surface Laptop Studio

The Surface Laptop Studio looks normal at first glance. Image source: Microsoft

The initial Surface blew me away when it was launched. And tonight, it happened again with the Surface Laptop Studio.

At first glance, it looks like a regular laptop. But pull the 14.4-inch touchscreen with a 120Hz refresh rate, forward and a special hinge allows the screen to fold-forward. You can even fold it nearly flat over the keyboard, for better pen use

But you can pull the screen forward and change the viewing angle entirely. Image source: Microsoft

Internally, Microsoft has packed it with a more powerful quad-core Intel H-series 11th gen Core i5 or i7 processor options. You’ll also get either 16GB or 32GB of RAM and between 256GB or 2TB of storage. There’s also either Intel’s integrated Iris Xe Graphics or an NVIDIA RTX 3050 Ti GPU where graphics options are concerned.

If you game or use your laptop for entertainment, the Laptop Studio has Quad Omnisonic speakers, featuring strong bass and Dolby Atmos audio support.

 

Pricing and availability

Microsoft didn’t provide any pricing or local availability. We will update this article with more information as we get it.

*Updated*

The Surface Go 3 is available for pre-orders starting 24 September. Business customers can buy it via commercial authorised resellers like AsiaPac Distribution, Insight Technology Solutions, JK Technology, and UIC Asian Computer Services.

Consumers can look to authorised retailers including Best Denki, Challenger, Courts, Gain City, Harvey Norman, Microsoft Store and Microsoft authorised stores on Lazada and Shopee.

It will be available in the following configurations:

Surface Go 3 Model

Surface for

Consumer 

Surface for

Business

10th Gen Intel Pentium Gold, 4GB RAM, 64GB SSD

S$599

S$678 / S$599*

10th Gen Intel Core i3, 4GB RAM, 64GB eMMC

N/A

S$758

10th Gen Intel Pentium Gold, 8GB RAM, 128GB eMMC

S$848

S$838*

10th Gen Intel Core i3, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD

S$928

S$998

*Pricing applies to eligible commercial Education customers only

We asked Microsoft about the price and availability of the Surface Pro 8 and Laptop Studio but they were unable to provide any details only saying that they were forthcoming. We will update this article when we have more information. 

Join HWZ's Telegram channel here and catch all the latest tech news!
Our articles may contain affiliate links. If you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission.