Microsoft unveils Surface Book i7 with 16-hour battery, launching November for $2,399

At its Windows 10 event in New York City today, Microsoft unveiled the Surface Book i7, succeeding the 13.5-inch Surface Book laptop released last year. The company promised 30 percent more battery life, which specifically translates to 16 hours, up from 12 hours in the original model. You can pre-order the laptop today, starting for $2,399 — ships November 10, 2016.

Panos Panay, head of engineering for all of Microsoft’s devices, took the stage to explain why the company is updating the Surface Book. In short, gamers want more frame rate, designers want less lag, and everyone wants more battery life.

And so the device has that — with a beefy Intel Core i7 chip, twice the graphics performance of what was available from the original Surface Books, and altogether, “three times more than the highest-end MacBook Pro” with a 13-inch display, Panay said. The laptop can drive 1.9 teraflops of performance, he said. And there’s a second fan now.

But it’s in the same form factor as the original Surface Book, because the device has been so well received. There is the removable touch-friendly display, for example. It’s a bit like Apple’s strategy when it comes to iPhone updates — don’t mess it up, but do upgrade it with high-end features sometimes.

“It really is the ultimate laptop. I hope you like it,” Panay said.

The highest-end Surface Book ships next month, but you can preorder it today. It costs a whopping $2,399.

Meanwhile the Surface Pro 3 and 4 tablet remain available starting at $799, and the original Surface Book starts at $1,349. Notably there is no price drop for the Surface Book and no announced refresh of its specifications.

Jordan Novet contributed to this report.