Microsoft challenges Apple with $899 Surface Pro, $999 Surface Laptop 2

Microsoft just put Apple on notice with its new Surface devices.

The company showed off a new Surface Pro 6, Surface Laptop 2, and Surface Studio 2 during a press event in New York on Tuesday. All three devices deliver significant performance boosts, and are available in a new matte black finish.

The new Surface Pro 6 — Microsoft apparently opted to go back to numbered names for its Surface line — has notable upgrades from last year’s Surface Pro. The first Surface to come with a quad-core processor, it’s 67 percent more powerful than its predecessor, according to Microsoft, and will get up to 13.5 hours of battery life. It weighs just 1.7 pounds.

The Surface Pro 6 will start at $899 —  and ship Oct. 16. In addition to the new matte black color, it will also be available in silver, with red, blue, and gray covers.

Microsoft’s Surface Laptop received similar upgrades in power and efficiency. The Surface Laptop 2 is 85 percent faster, according to Microsoft, with battery life clocking in at 14.5 hours. 

It also has the “thinnest touchscreen display on any laptop,” according to Microsoft Surface chief Panos Panay.

The Surface Laptop will also be available Oct. 16, and will start at $999. 

Finally, Microsoft unveiled an updated Surface Studio 2. Much of Microsoft’s improvements went toward the display, which is now 38 percent brighter and has 22 percent more contrast. 

It will also come with up to 2 TB of SSD storage, and supports “next-gen” Pascal graphics.

In addition to the new Surface devices, Microsoft also released the latest Windows 10 update, which make it easier to use your iOS or Android phone with Windows 10.

This story is developing…