Announced last October, Microsoft’s latest Surface family is hitting Malaysian shores from 15 January 2019. You can pre-order the Surface Pro 6 and Surface Laptop 2 starting today.
Surface Pro 6: Familiar
With the Surface Pro 6, Microsoft has chosen to stick to the familiar form factor and continues to snub USB Type-C for expansion. In fact, it even weighs exactly the same as the previous generation (770g for i5, 784g for i7), not including Type Cover.
Fans would be chuffed with the 12.3-inch 3:2 PixelSense Display (2736×1824 @ 267PPI) though, as with the much-loved multi-angle kickstand.
Build is excellent, as you would expect from Microsoft’s premium 2-in-1 tablet PC.
The versatile tablet comes with everything you need including a full-size USB 3.0, 3.5mm headphone jack, Mini DisplayPort, one Surface Connect port, Surface Type cover port and a microSDXC card reader.
Connectivity-wise, the Surface Pro 6 packs Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 4.1.
The device comes with a 5MP front-facing camera supporting 1080p Skype HD video and Windows Hello face authentication. On the back, there’s an 8MP autofocus camera capable of 1080p Full HD video.
Security-wise, the Surface Pro 6 comes equipped with a TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise-grade security.
Battery life is claimed to be up to 13.5 hours for local video playback.
Microsoft Malaysia is making available only the Platinum colourway of the Surface Pro 6, coming in various configurations starting with the 8th Gen Intel Core i5-8250U, 8GB RAM + 128GB SSD model for MYR4,399 and all the way up to the Core i7-8650U, 16GB RAM + 512GB SSD for MYR8,999.
Note that units do not come with the Type Cover or Surface Pen and these need to be purchased separately.
Surface Laptop 2: Better but not by much
For those who prefer a conventional laptop form factor, the Surface Laptop 2 is an option, although it’s far from “conventional.”
A conventional laptop will not come with an Alcantara-laden keyboard. A conventional laptop would not come with elegant colourways like Platinum, Burgundy, Cobalt Blue, and a new matte Black (only Platinum is available in Malaysia, though).
Mashable says, “Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 is the best laptop of 2018.” I’ll reserve my opinions on it until a proper hands-on review, but on paper at least, the Surface Laptop 2 looks as solid as they come.
Featuring a 13.5-inch 3:2 PixelSense Display (2256×1504 @ 201PPI) with 10-point touch and protected by Gorilla Glass 2, the notebook comes in several configurations including 8th Gen Intel Core i5 or Core i7 processors with Intel UHD Graphics 620, up to 16GB of RAM and up to 512GB of SSD storage. It has support for the Surface Pen and is compatible with Surface Dial off-screen interaction.
The laptop offers one full size USB 3.0 port, 3.5mm headphonejack, Mini DisplayPort, one Surface Connect port, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac as well as Bluetooth 4.1.
Like the Surface Pro 6, USB Type-C and Thunderbolt 3 ports are sadly absent from the Surface Laptop 2.
The Surface Laptop starts from MYR4,829 for the Core i5, 8GB RAM + 128GB SSD model, and MYR6,199 for the Core i5, 8GB RAM + 256GB SSD model.
Pricing and availability
Surface Pro 6 (Available in Platinum only)
- Surface Pro 6 Intel Core i5/8GB RAM/128GB SSD — MYR4,399.00
- Surface Pro 6 Intel Core i5/8GB/256GB SSD — MYR5,799.00
- Surface Pro 6 Intel Core i7/8GB RAM/256GB SSD — MYR7,079.00
- Surface Pro 6 Intel Core i7/16GB RAM/512GB SSD — MYR8,999.00
Surface Laptop 2 (Available in Platinum only)
- Surface Laptop 2 Intel Core i5/8GB RAM/128GB SSD — MYR4,829.00
- Surface Laptop 2 Intel Core i5/8GB RAM/256GB SSD — MYR6,199.00
Accessories
- Surface Pen (Available in Platinum, Burgundy and Cobalt Blue) – MYR399.00
- Type Cover for Surface Pro 6 (Available in Black) – MYR473.00
- Signature Type Cover for Surface Pro 6 (Available in Platinum, Burgundy and Cobalt Blue) – MYR634.00
- Signature Type Cover with Finger Print Reader for Surface Pro 6 (Available in Black) – MYR634.00
- Surface Mobile Mouse (Available in Platinum, Burgundy and Cobalt Blue) – MYR187.00
Microsoft also introduced the Surface for Business line-up, specifically developed for enterprise-level users with enterprise-grade manageability and security benefits through Windows 10 Pro.
