When Microsoft first introduced the Surface Book 2 in October 2017 in two sizes, the larger 15-inch model started out at a thousand dollars more than the smaller 13.5-inch model. This was because, while the base model 13.5-inch Surface Book 2 was offered with a seventh-gen Core i5 (eventually refreshed with eighth-gen) and no dedicated GPU, the starting point on the 15-inch variant was an eighth-generation Core i7 and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060.
That changes today though. Microsoft has begun selling a 15-inch Surface Book 2 with an Intel Core i5-8350U, 16GB RAM, and a 256GB SSD for $1,999, $500 less than the previous entry point. Like all Core i5 models of the Surface Book 2, there is no dedicated GPU.
The new model was first spotted over a month ago, showing up as pre-orders on Best Buy Canada that would ship on June 18. After the story became widespread, the listing was removed, although it"s back today along with a listing on Bestbuy.com.
The Core i5 variant of the Surface Book 2 isn"t yet available on the Microsoft Store, although that will likely show up soon. If you want to check it out on Bestbuy.com for $1,999, you can find it here, or you can check it out on Best Buy Canada where it costs $2,599.99 CAD.