The release date details have yet to be confirmed but the likelihood of the Apple MacBook Pro 2016 clashing with the Microsoft Surface Book 2 seems not a remote possibility. And going by the leaked details and speculations so far, the latter appears to enjoy key advantages in terms of specs and feature bumps
Here are five possible ways that the Surface Book 2 will beat the new MacOS Sierra laptop from Apple:
Solid redesign
The first Surface Book is not the slim and light type but there is no doubt that it is a thing of beauty. New reports suggest Microsoft is reengineering the hybrid device that will make the build closer to that of conventional notebook. "The new design will incorporate a hinge that makes the display and keyboard flush," BGR reported.
It's unclear if the fulcrum hinge used on the first device will be ditched or redesigned but Microsoft is likely to make the Surface Book 2 sexier than its predecessor and make it a worthy rival to the MacBook Pro 2016 that analysts said will be trimmer and lighter than ever.
Removable display
One clear advantage of the Surface Book over the MacBook Pro is the removable display that certainly will be carried over to the 2016 versions. There is no chance that MBP 2016 will permit users to detach the display portion of the device and use it as standalone or like an iPad.
In contrast, the Surface Book 2 will surely offer the same 2-in-1 function of being a traditional laptop for extensive productivity duties and a tablet, when the display is undocked, for a more casual use.
Surface Pen
Another Surface Book feature that Microsoft will surely rollover with the Book 2 is stylus support via the Surface Pen, which is another layer of productivity function. For would-be users of the MacBook Pro 2016, stylus support remains a rumor and only limited on the Mac trackpad even if the function becomes a reality.
The closest that Mac users will get the same treatment is getting the iPad Pro that is built with Apple Pencil functionalities. But is should be noted that the iPad stylus is offered by Apple as a separate purchase, which for many is a deal-breaker.
Intel Kaby Lake
Rumors say Intel's seventh-gen chip Kaby Lake will be the power under the hood of the MacBook Pro 2016 but the chance of such a scenario happening is not very good. Apple watchers are convinced that if the MBP 2016 will indeed run on Kaby Lake then the debut will need to be delayed until early 2017. So the safer bet is it remain a 2016 launch for the refreshed MacBook Pros but Skylake will be the main engine.
As for the Surface Book 2, it's all but confirmed that Kaby Lake will fire up the device and all the new devices that Microsoft will release in the coming months, the Surface Pro 5 and Surface desktop series including.
Portable gaming machine
Reports indicate that premium models of the MacBook Pro 2016 on release date will boast of AMD Polaris 11 GPU but the spec bump is exclusive only for the select 15-inch MBP variants. For the Surface Book 2, the inclusion of a powerful graphics card is likely across the board, indicating that all users will enjoy the device as a portable gaming machine that will render in 3D and 4K display resolution.