Microsoft has unveiled it's first ever laptop built by the company, the Surface Book.

Microsoft say this is the fastest 13-inch laptop ever made and is twice as fast as the MacBook Pro.

But it's about more than power, it's more than a laptop, the screen section can be detached to make it a separate tablet too.

But it's not a Surface Pro, it's got a fancy hinge and super powerful GPU to set it apart, that and plenty more.

A class-leading screen

The screen is a 13.5-inch display with 6 million pixels for 267ppi. That's a 3,000 x 2,000 resolution display in a 3:2 aspect ratio.

This is an optically bonded PixelSense display meaning an enhanced pen and touch experience. It also feature the thinnest Gorilla Glass ever on a laptop. The end result should be a clear picture that also feels responsive to the touch, ideal for tablet mode.

This screen setup also works with the Surface Pen for 1,024 points of sensitivity meaning it should be good enough for casual and professional use.

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Microsoft

A light and intelligent build

The entire laptop weighs in at 725g and is just 7.7mm thin. Not bad when you consider it's packing as much power as a larger MacBook Pro.

The GPU lives in the keyboard section so for full power it needs to be attached. When detached it acts as a tablet with more limited power but long battery life. Attach it to the GPU and graphic power gets a boost, ideal for gaming or working.

The keyboard features backlit keys that are quiet, stable and comfortable, says Microsoft. It also claims these offer best-in-class keystroke.

The trackpad is made of glass and offers 10-points of touch. There are two USB 3.0 ports. The device features what Microsoft calls a Dynamic Fulcrum Hinge that opens to offer support like a laptop.

To remove the tablet from the hinge a simple button press on the keyboard unlocks it and the top can be removed.

Powerful performer

The performance in the Surface Book is claimed to be so good it's enough for for anyone, be it gamer, scientist, designer, coder, or whoever claims Microsoft.

It features the latest sixth gen Intel Core i5 or i7 processor and Nvidia GeForce GPU with GDDR5 memory. The Xbox team has worked on the system to offer the best gaming power. But they also aimed for longevity with what Microsoft claims results in 12-hours of battery.

Storage is available in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB SSD variants with either 8GB or 16GB of RAM.

There is also a 5-megapixel front facing camera, 8-megapixel rear camera with autofocus and both can record at 1080p.

Price and release date

The Surface Book will be available from 26 October in the US from $1,499.

The $1,499 version is with Intel Core i5 with 8 GB of RAM. The highest end Intel Core i7 with 16 GB of RAM goes for $2,699.

There is no word on UK pricing or release date yet.

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