UPDATED 20:51 EDT / APRIL 13 2021

APPS

New Microsoft Surface laptop offers choice of AMD or Intel chips across all models

Microsoft Corp. today announced its latest range of laptops, and as expected all the devices now offer a choice between both Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and Intel Corp. processors.

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 comes in a 13.5-inch and 15-inch model shipping with either Intel’s latest 11th generation processors, paired with Intel Iris XE graphics or AMD’s Ryzen 4000 series processors with AMD Radeon Graphic Microsoft Surface Edition. Microsoft did not opt to use AMD’s Ryzen Pro 5000 announced in March, but it’s still a switch since previously AMD chips had been an option only on the 15-inch model.

All four variants offer an Alcantara, a synthetic textile material, or metal finish in a variety of colors. The laptops feature a built-in HD front-facing camera, studio microphone array, a 201-pixel-per-inch high-contrast touchscreen display and Dolby Armos Omnisonic speakers.

While visually similar to the Surface Laptop 3, under the hood Microsoft is promising improved battery life of up to 19 hours with the Surface Laptop 4, compared with 11.5 hours for the previous model. Customers also now have the option for 32 gigabytes of memory.

CNBC noted that Microsoft was not clear on how consumers will know to pick AMD or Intel models but did say the AMD models will offer better gaming performance and will be more appealing to people working with photo and video software given the boosted graphics.

The 13.5-inch Surface Laptop 4 starts at $999 for the base AMD model with 256GB of storage through $2,299 with an Intel Core i7 and 1 terabyte of storage. The 15-inch model starts at $1,299 with the base AMD up to $2,399 with an Intel Core i7 chip.

Accessories

Along with the new Surface Laptop 4, Microsoft also announced a number of accessories including new headphones and headsets, a speaker and a webcam.

On the headphone side, the new accessories include Surface Headphones 2+ for Business that offer 13 levels of active noise cancellation, innovative ear cup dials, an advanced eight-microphone system, 18.5 hours of music and or up to 15 hours of voice calling time. Surface Headphones 2+ for Business is priced at $299.

On the lower-end consumer side, Microsoft is offering what it calls Modern USB and Wireless Headsets. Certified for Microsoft Teams, the Modern headsets are said to enable greater focus and call privacy, particularly in shared workspaces. Both are $49.99.

Also using the same branding is the Microsoft Modern USB-C Speaker, designed to deliver high-quality audio for meetings, calls and casual music listening. Available later this year, the speaker has a list price of $99.99.

Finally there’s the Microsoft Modern Webcam, a camera designed to deliver high-quality, reliable videoconferencing certified for Microsoft Teams. The cam offers 1080p video, HDR and a 78-degree field of view for $69.99.

Samsung

Microsoft won’t be alone in offering new devices shortly, as Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. announced an Unpacked event for April 28.

According to CNET, the event is expected to include the possible debut of the new Galaxy Book laptops as well as Chromebooks.

Image: Microsoft

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