It seems that Microsoft is planning useful new spins on both the Surface Pro 6 and 15-inch Surface Book 2, with the introduction of Core i5 processor models that have 16GB of system memory.
Previously, if you wanted 16GB of memory, you had to choose one of these hybrids with a Core i7 processor, and the big hike in price that that this beefier CPU commands. Core i5 variants only offered a maximum of 8GB of RAM with the Surface Pro 6 (and as for the Surface Book 2, the 15-inch flavor doesn’t even offer an 8GB option at all).
But folks who want the extra memory without paying for a Core i7 are about to get new models that meet their needs, with both the Surface Pro 6 and 15-inch Surface Book 2 to be offered with Core i5 chips and 16GB of RAM, according to Winfuture.
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If the German tech site is correct with its report, the Surface Pro 6 (model P6A-00001) with Core i5-8350U, 16GB and 256GB of storage will allegedly be priced at $1,399 (around £1,095, AU$2,035), with the 15-inch Surface Book 2 (QKK-00001) Core i5-8350U, 16GB with 256GB SSD set to lighten your wallet to the tune of $1,999 (around £1,570, AU$2,910).
Compare that to the asking price of the existing 16GB-toting Surface Pro 6 that runs with the Core i7 processor and a minimum 512GB SSD, with an asking price of $1,899 (around £1,490, AU$2,760). In other words, the new model will be 27% cheaper, a pretty big saving for dropping the CPU to a Core i5 (and storage down to 256GB).
As for the existing 15-inch Surface Book 2, that only comes with 16GB of system memory as mentioned, but also currently only allows for the Core i7 to be chosen, and in this configuration with 256GB of storage, you’re looking at a current outlay of $2,499 (around £1,960, AU$3,630), so the new spin represents a 20% price difference.
Degree of caution
Both the reported new models were spotted over at Best Buy Canada, but the product listings have since been taken down. As ever, we must therefore take this report with a degree of caution. That said, we’ve found the Surface Book 2 Core i5/16GB machine listed on pre-order at another US retailer, so while we can’t be sure, it seems there’s a good chance these offerings are in the pipeline.
It’s not clear when they might arrive, although previously Best Buy had listed a release date of June 18 for the new Core i5 Surface Book 2 with 16GB. Presumably, the Surface Pro 6 may also turn up around the same time, so we can potentially expect the arrival of both models at some point next month.
And if they’re coming out in the US, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t make it to the UK and other territories, although perhaps with a bit more of a delay.
Let’s hope this report is on the money, as more options are always better when it comes to hardware configurations.
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Via MS Power User
