Microsoft now offers a cheaper 15-inch Surface Book 2, but buying one doesn't make sense

Want a 15-inch Surface Book 2 but can’t afford the exorbitant US $2500 price tag? Microsoft is now offering a cheaper version with a Core i5 CPU for $2000… but buyers should probably pass on the model.

On paper, the cheaper Surface Book 2 is virtually identical to its more expensive brother save for two components. The CPU has been cut from an 8th gen Intel Core i7-8650U to an Intel Core i5-8350U, and the dedicated Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 GPU has been cut. Due to these sacrifices, the cheaper Surface Book 2 only costs US $2000, or $500 cheaper than the Core i7/GTX 1060 Surface Book 2.

However, the Core i5 model doesn’t make a lot of economic sense. Microsoft’s own pricing will surely cut into sales of the cheaper model; the Core i7/GTX 1060 model is actually on sale for $2200 right now at Microsoft and Best Buy, and it’s been priced there for a while.

Additionally, a “budget” 15-inch Surface Book 2 doesn’t make much sense when the similarly-specced 13-inch model is $1100-1300 (depending on the configuration). It’s not likely that consumers on a budget would consider a slightly larger display worth the $700-900 increase.

Our advice: those hunting for a 15-inch Surface Book 2 are better off shelling out the extra $200 for a better CPU and a much more powerful graphics solution. The Core i5 Surface Book 2 15 is going to have a hard time finding a niche in the convertible market, especially compared to other variants of the same machine.