Updated, 4/1/19, 9:15 a.m. PT: Microsoft has updated its Surface Book 2 lineup with a new configuration featuring an 8th Gen Intel Core i5, a 256GB SSD and 8GB of memory for $1,499, as reported by Windows Central. The previous version of that configuration features a 7th Gen CPU and has been discounted to just $1,299. This update gives the Surface Book 2 a quad-core Intel Core i5-8350U, which doubles the laptop's core count, though it features the same Intel HD Graphics 620. The updated Surface Book 2 is shipping from Microsoft's online store now.
Original article, 3/7/19, 8:44am PT:
Retailer listings indicate that Microsoft is planning to double the core count of the Surface Book 2's base model processor. The current baseline CPU is the Intel Core i5-7300U; the listings claim that option will soon be replaced by the Intel Core i5-8350U.
WinFuture spotted the leaked retailer listings (in German) on March 3. Microsoft hasn't revealed plans to update the Surface Book 2, but according to the listings, the configuration options could see a modest processor upgrade in the next few weeks.
The Core i5-7300U features two cores and a turbo clock speed of 3.5GHz. The Core i5-8350U adds two more cores and ups the turbo clock speed to 3.6GHz. It also doubles the cache to 6MB and ups the maximum supported memory speed to DDR4-2400 from DDR4-2133.
More information about Intel's 8th Gen U-series processors is available in our coverage of the Kaby Lake refresh. Suffice it to say the upgrade from the Core i5-7300U to the Core i5-8350U should help the Surface Book 2 appeal to people looking for a new laptop.
The Surface Book 2's other specs appear to be unchanged. The listings WinFuture found also claim the price (with 256GB storage) will remain unchanged, with retailers asking for the usual $1,499 (€1,569).
Microsoft is currently selling the Surface Book 2 with a 13.5-inch screen, 8GB of RAM, 256GB storage and the i5-7300U for just $1,299, down from $1,499. That could indicate that the company wants to sell through its remaining stock before introducing the new CPU option.
