Microsoft Surface Book 2016 goes super-powerful, increases battery life, amps graphics

Microsoft is revamping the Surface Book for 2016 - and this time it's all about increased power and longevity.

Externally the new Surface Book looks no different to the original model. It's the same 13.5-inch laptop design, with detachable screen and electronic "muscle wire" release mechanism.

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But the 2016 Surface Book has been redesigned "from the outside in", with an additional cooling fan and a pair of hyperbolic cooling fans at back of product to keep the temperature down. That means the latest Intel Core i7 processor on board can work harder without overheating.

Graphics have seen a boost too, doubling the power compared to the original model by using an Nvidia GTX 965M with 2GB RAM. That's some serious power. Microsoft claims it'll mean more than three times the power of the current MacBook Pro 13-inch.

Also inside is a new battery. So when Microsoft claims that the 2016 Surface Book offers a 30 per cent increase in longevity per charge, it's not basing that on software enhancements - it's down to increased capacity. The claim is 16-hours of life per charge.

Now the original Surface Book was said to last for 12-hours, but we were achieving around 8-hours from it during our testing. If that stands true for the new Surface Book then, well, it could last for a genuine 12-hours - which sounds great to us.

The 2016 Microsoft Surface Book will go on sale in November. It's available for pre-order right now, priced at $2,399. International pricing and release dates aren't confirmed just yet.