Microsoft Will Launch Surface Hub 2S In June, Add A Larger Model In 2020
The company plans to begin testing an 85-inch version of the second-generation Surface Hub next year, following the debut of the 50-inch Surface Hub 2S.
Microsoft's second-generation Surface Hub collaboration display will arrive in June with a $9,000 price tag, while a significantly larger model is planned for next year, the company announced Wednesday.
The first version of the Surface Hub 2S to be released will feature a 50-inch display, and will be priced at $8,999.99 when it begins shipping in the U.S. in June, Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft said. That’s up from the $6,999 starting price of the original Surface Hub when it first launched in 2016.
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Notably, the Surface Hub 2S will feature a removable cartridge, which can be swapped out for a cartridge featuring updated processors and software starting next year. The 2020 cartridge will allow for new functionality such as rotating the Surface Hub 2S.
Meanwhile, also in 2020, Microsoft announced that it will begin testing of an 85-inch version of the Surface Hub 2S with "select customers."
The Surface Hub--an interactive conferencing and white-boarding display that can be used with a digital pen--originally launched in 55-inch and 84-inch sizes.
On the new 50-inch Surface Hub 2S, the display will feature a 3:2 aspect ratio, meaning that the usable screen space will be similar to that of the original 55-inch Surface Hub, according to Microsoft.
The Surface Hub 2S will be substantially lighter at 61.6 pounds, compared to the 105-pound weight of the original 55-inch model. The display will also be 60-percent thinner than on the original Surface Hub, Microsoft said.
The amount of partner involvement on the second-gen Surface Hub is expected to increase from on the original version, which had a specialized partner base due to its requirements, such as the need for reinforced walls to install the 84-inch version, Microsoft said previously.
Exeter, R.I.-based Carousel Industries, No. 52 on the CRN Solution Provider 500 and a Microsoft Gold partner, is among the solution providers that has been bullish on Microsoft's plans for the Surface Hub 2S.
The "sleek design and flexible form factor" of the Surface Hub 2S will allow the display to fit into all collaboration spaces, including smaller huddle rooms, said Rhonda Wingate, Carousel's vice president of sales for collaboration.
"We are excited that the new Surface Hub 2S will be shipping in Q2 and we see tremendous demand for the new version," Wingate said in a previous email to CRN.
The Surface Hub 2S will feature a 4K (3,840 x 2,560 resolution) display, eighth-gen Intel Core i5 processor, Intel UHD Graphics 620 and 8 GB of RAM.
The Surface Hub 2S can be wall mounted or used on a rolling cart, and will include 4K cameras along with far-field microphone arrays, Microsoft has said.