At an event in New Delhi, Microsoft has launched its latest Surface devices in the country. Unveiled at the end of last year, the Surface Book 2 offers hardware upgrades from its predecessor, including NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 1060 and eighth-gen Intel Core i7 chipsets. The Surface Laptop, meanwhile,
While it's great that the Surface devices have finally made their way to India, potential customers looking to pick up either notebook won't be as enthused when they look at the prices. The base variant of the 13.5-inch Surface Book 2 — with a 256GB SSD and 8GB of RAM — retails for the equivalent of $2,010, or $700 more than what the same model costs in the U.S.
The fully decked-out model with a 15-inch screen, Core i7, 1TB SSD, 16GB RAM, and GTX 1060 costs ₹295,999 ($4,310), roughly $1,300 more than the U.S. — you can pick up another Surface Book 2 in the U.S. for the price you'll shell out for the high-end model in India.
Things aren't any different for the Surface Laptop either, as the difference from the U.S. store is around $500 to $1,000. Here's the full breakdown of what the Surface Book 2 and Surface Laptop cost in India.
Surface Book 2 pricing in India
- 13.5-inch/Core i5/256GB SSD/8GB RAM/Intel HD Graphics 620 - ₹137,999 ($2,010)
- 13.5-inch/Core i7/256GB SSD/8GB RAM/NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 - ₹185,999 ($2,710)
- 13.5-inch/Core i7/512GB SSD/16GB RAM/NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 - ₹222,999 ($3,245)
- 13.5-inch/Core i7/1TB SSD/16GB RAM/NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 - ₹257,999 ($3,755)
- 15-inch/Core i7/256GB SSD/16GB RAM/NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 - ₹222,999 ($3,245)
- 15-inch/Core i7/512GB SSD/16GB RAM/NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 - ₹258,999 ($3,770)
- 15-inch/Core i7/1TB SSD/16GB RAM/NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 - ₹295,999 ($4,310)
Surface Laptop pricing in India
- Core i5/128GB SSD/8GB RAM/Intel HD Graphics 620 - ₹86,999 ($1,265)
- Core i5/256GB SSD/8GB RAM/Intel HD Graphics 620 - ₹114,999 ($1,675)
- Core i7/256GB SSD/8GB RAM/Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 - ₹144,999 ($2,110)
- Core i7/512GB SSD/16GB RAM/Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 - ₹196,999 ($2,870)
- Core i7/1TB SSD/16GB RAM/Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 - ₹233,999 ($3,405)
Both devices will go up for sale on Amazon and Flipkart as well as chain stores like Croma, Reliance, and Vijay Sales.
I can't help but wonder if Microsoft India has a long-term strategy for Surface devices, because aside from a few enthusiast users, no one will be willing to shell out $2,000 for a base variant of the Surface Book 2. If anything, you're better off buying the laptop directly from the U.S. and paying the $300 customs duty.
What are your thoughts on the latest Surface devices? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
