Surface 2 launch: Where to get the cheapest Microsoft tablet in Europe
Microsoft on Tuesday unveiled the successors to its original Surface tablets: the Surface 2 and the Surface 2 Pro.
It also confirmed that the Tegra 4 ARM Surface 2 and the Intel Haswell Core i5 Surface Pro 2 will go on sale on 22 October in 22 countries, including 15 in Europe.
Following Microsoft's recent price cuts across Europe for its first gen Surface RT and Surface Pro, the newer models will cost approximately €100 more than the first-gen versions.
In Germany, Spain, Austria and Belgium, the Surface 2 starts at €429 for the 32GB slate, while the Surface Pro 2, which can be ordered with 64GB, 128GB, 256GB and 512GB internal storage, starts at €879 and goes up to €1,779.
Elsewhere on the continent, in France, the ARM-based Surface 2 starts at €439 for the 32GB model while the Pro starts at €879.
In Italy, the Netherlands and Portugal the Surface 2 starts at €439 while the Intel-powered Pro starts at €889. Meanwhile, the Swiss can buy the ARM Surface 2 from CHF 479 (€389) while the Pro will cost at least CHF 979 (€796). In Luxembourg, the ARM and Pro Surface 2 slates will start at €409 and €839, respectively.
In the UK, the ARM model starts at £359 and its Intel counterpart starts at £759, while in Ireland, the ARM Surface 2 will cost €439 while the Pro will sell for €899 and up.
Moving north to Scandinavia, prices, as usual, are higher with Danes being slugged DKK 3,399 (€455) for the ARM variety, while the Pro will start at DKK 6,999 (€938).
Finnish starting prices on the Surface 2 and Pro 2 tablets are €449 and €909, respectively, while across the Baltic, Swedes can buy the ARM and Intel models from SEK 3,895 (€452) and SEK 7,895 (€917) respectively. Norwegians meanwhile can buy the ARM version from NOK 3599 (€451) and the Pro from NOK 7299 (€814).
Both the Surface 2 and the Surface Pro 2 are wi-fi-only models, however Microsoft confirmed yesterday that an LTE version of the Surface 2 will be coming next year.
As well as boosting the specs for the second generation Surfaces, Microsoft has also tackled the issue of distribution — the Achilles heal of the original Surfaes.
Europeans, even in smaller countries like Finland, Belgium and Sweden, will get the Surface 2 tablets at the same time as the US though at slightly higher prices.
In the case of the original Surfaces, Europeans had to wait nearly four months longer than the US for Surface RT, which arrived in February 2013 in many smaller European markets, missing the Christmas sale period. The Pro meanwhile arrived in in Europe in May 2013.