Microsoft Surface Book 2 release date, news: specs include 4K display, Thunderbolt 3

A shadow of a man using his mobile phone is cast near Microsoft logo at the 2014 Computex exhibition in Taipei. Reuters/Pichi Chuang

Microsoft came out with a new laptop in last month's launch event, but it was not the Microsoft Surface Book 2, which will not arrive until next year.

The Redmond-based tech giant is expected to use the seventh-generation Intel processor, Kaby Lake on the new iteration of its successful notebook.

The Kaby Lake will do wonders in the Microsoft Surface Book 2 all around. First off, it will make possible the use of USB 3.1 Type-C and Thunderbolt 3 support.

The former should make for faster and more efficient data transfer and battery charging. The latter is dubbed the fastest, most versatile connection to any dock, display, or peripheral device, which should offer sleek connectivity and performance on the Microsoft Surface Book 2.

The Intel Kaby Lake will also be built on a 14-nanometer technology, which is said to boost the performance of chips by 12 percent compared to the Skylake, which is the one on the original Microsoft Surface Book and the i7 version launched last month.

The Microsoft Surface Book 2 is also expected to sport a much better display, and this will also be the work of the Kaby Lake as it will improve its graphics performance.

The screen is expected to deliver a crisp 4K resolution while playback of 4K video and 3D graphics should be a much smoother experience with the upcoming iteration of the Microsoft laptop.

The Microsoft Surface Book 2 should also offer up much longer battery life, but it might not be drastic since it the juice will be used on the 4K display as well.

On the design front, Tech Radar says that Microsoft has to find a way to make the process of detaching the screen from the keyboard — which is software-based — less complicated that it could be done when the device is also off.

As for the release date, the Microsoft Surface Book 2 is expected to arrive in spring next year.

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