Microsoft’s Surface Book range of laptops have proved to be a huge hit with businesses, students, and consumers since it launched back in 2015. Unlike the Surface Laptop, which also looks like a traditional notebook from the outside, the Surface Book packs a detachable screen, which leaves behind the keyboard and works like a tablet.
The fourth entry in this transforming series of laptops is expected to launch later this year as an upgrade to 2020’s Surface Book 3. But there are already rumours the Surface Book 4 could completely rethink its most iconic feature.
The Surface Books’ flexing hinge was revolutionary when it dropped. However, new information has leaked that suggests Microsoft has completely redesigned the hinge. US patent applications from the company show designs very similar to previous laptops in the range – but with one massive change. Instead of having just one hinge, the drawings show two.
The new dual hinge will let the screen swing around on two different points and rotate upwards. The designs, which look similar to both the HP Elite Folio and Apple’s Magic Keyboard for the iPad, suggest you can pull the screen towards you as well as move it backwards. This should allow for more flexibility in how you use the Book 4 as the screen can be placed in many more positions.
However, it could also mean removing the current big selling point of the Surface 3 – the detachable tablet-style screen.
Experts think this could be down to Microsoft wanting to kit out the Surface line with more powerful chips. The current detachable design limits its processing power, because the processor must be kept behind the display instead of in the laptop base.
If the rumours are true, Microsoft will be hoping the new laptop does better than its last experiment with new screen forms. Last year, the Surface Duo smartphone launched with a double screen design – but is widely considered to have flopped thanks to its high cost and software glitches.
Other features tipped for the new Surface Book include a larger trackpad, powerful RTX graphics and a high-refresh 14-inch display with dynamic adjustments. It’s likely to come with a smart pen with pressure-sensitive writing abilities.
Thanks to its release date later this year, it will also be one of the first devices to ship with Windows 11. Windows Central thinks the price will start around the same as the Surface Book 3, meaning a tag of $1,599 (£1,154) and up.
The leak follows another patent Microsoft files earlier this year, which showed a “swappable” back panel which users can switch out to give the laptop a new look. We’ll find out for sure in October, when Microsoft is expected to drop the new laptop along with loads of other new hardware.
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