Meet Microsoft's new Surface Book laptop (and Surface Pro 4, too)

There's a new name in laptop land, although it's also one of the world's best-known brands. Microsoft has finally pulled the trigger on creating its own laptop, and the result is the Surface Book.

If the company's Surface devices were tablets which could double as notebooks, then the Surface Book is a laptop which can become a tablet thanks to its detachable screen.

This ultrathin two-in-one boasts all the muscle of a cutting-edge notebook – including Intel's latest 6th Gen Core i5 and i7 powerplants – with a pixel-packed 13.5 inch screen coated in scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass and up to 12 hours of battery life.

An innovative bendy hinge (that's our highly technical term for it) helps you reverse the screen to slip over the keyboard, similar to the Lenovo Yoga, Toshiba Portege Z20t and co...

... while the press of a button releases the screen from the top of the hinge, to become a grab-and-go tablet.

In that sense the keyboard is more of a dock for the Surface Book's display, although it contains its own battery, USB ports, an SD card reader and an optional GPU for enhanced graphics.

Microsoft says the Surface Book weights in at 1.5kg with both the keyboard and screen lashed together, and 725g for the display itself.

The Surface Book will be launched in Australia on November 12 – pricing starts at $2,299 for the entry-level model with a Core i5 engine, 8GB of RAM and a 128GB solid state drive.

Also hitting the streets that same day is the Surface Pro 4.

This fourth-generation member of the Surface tablet family generally sticks to the formula which made the Surface Pro 3 a long-awaited and much-needed hit for Microsoft.

That includes meaty Intel 6th Gen processors (choose from the Core m, Core i5 and Core i7) and a sharp if slightly larger 12.3 inch screen.

The biggest change is in the revamped Type Cover keyboard.

This now edges closer to being a 'real' keyboard with space between the keys and firmer key travel, plus a larger multitouch trackpad which works nicely with Windows 10's gesture set, while the bundled Surface Pen is more sensitive and now sports an 'eraser' top.

What's not changed? The TypeCover remains a cost-extra option on top of the Surface Pro 4, which itself starts at $1,349.

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David Flynn

David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.