Earlier this month, Microsoft opened pre-orders for its Surface Book in several new markets, including the UK, where it"s priced from £1,299. But the company is now offering buyers the opportunity to save up to £400 as part of a new trade-in promotion.
The discount is being offered as a "cashback reward" - rather than money off at the time of purchase - and the exact amount you"ll get will depend on the device that you trade in.
For example, an iPad 2 will get you £75, compared with £250 for an iPad mini 4. A MacBook Pro Retina qualifies for the maximum possible discount of £400 - but if you trade in any Windows notebook with an Intel Core i7 processor, the most you can hope for is £175. Even a Surface Pro 3 with Core i7 won"t get you more than £375. A full list of qualifying devices and their corresponding cashback amounts is available here.
The device you"re trading in must have been purchased in the UK, and will need to be "a working, complete and undamaged device... with a working battery and power supply".
Suffice it to say that - like most manufacturers" trade-in deals - the amounts offered by Microsoft are pretty poor compared with what you could get by selling your existing device elsewhere. Selling your Surface Pro 3 Core i7 on eBay, for example, might get you somewhere in the region of £650 - considerably more than Microsoft is offering.
But if you prefer doing things Microsoft"s way, you"ll need to pre-order your Surface Book, and then file your claim within 14 days of delivery. Shipments of the new Windows 10 notebook are scheduled to begin on February 18 in the UK.
Source: Microsoft Store / Surface Book trade-in site