This week at Microsoft Ignite, I had the chance to go hands-on with the new Surface Hub 2S and Surface Hub 2X. I was able to touch them, ask questions, and find out a little more about the upcoming collaborative display from Microsoft. Surface Hub 2S and Surface Hub 2X are two very interesting devices, if only because they're almost the same device — the only real difference between them is software. Before we dive into the software, however, let's talk a bit more about that hardware. This was the first time I had seen a Surface Hub 2 up close, and unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos or video of the devices. I can describe them to you, though: they are fantastic. You'll find a USB-C port on all four sides of the Surface Hub 2 so that you can plug in Surface Hub 2 peripherals like a webcam, fingerprint reader, and possibly other accessories in the future, no matter the orientation. Best VPN providers 2020: Learn about ExpressVPN, NordVPN & more They both also feature the same 4K display, and four loud and clear speakers which are placed at the top and bottom of the left and right sides of the display, Unfortunately, Microsoft was not ready to talk about specifications such as processor, RAM, etc. so, for now, we don't know what those are going to be. Surface Hub 2S

Starting with the Surface Hub 2S, this is the device that will begin shipping to customers in Q2 2019. It looks and feels exactly like the Surface Hub 2X, but with a couple of minor differences. First, it doesn't come with a fingerprint reader. Surface Hub 2S doesn't support the fingerprint module due to the OS being the old Surface Hub 1 OS. There's also no way to tile the Surface Hub 2S either, meaning you can't use multiple Hub 2's side-by-side as one giant screen. The other notable difference about this hardware is that the Surface Hub 2S is configured in the landscape orientation, which cannot be changed. The Surface Hub 2S cannot rotate into portrait mode like in the videos we've seen, likely because the old Hub OS doesn't support this functionality. The rotation mechanism is locked out of box and will unlock when you switch out the upgradable computer in the back to the Surface Hub 2X module. Surface Hub 2X

Surface Hub 2X is the device Microsoft announced earlier this year and won't be available until sometime in 2020. It is the jaw-dropping, smooth rotating, fluid, and beautiful Surface Hub 2 experience we've seen in the videos, and it is real. Differences in hardware include the upgraded computer module in the back, fingerprint reader support, and the ability to rotate the screen. Microsoft was unable to show us the tiling feature, which lets you stack multiple Surface Hub 2's together to make one giant screen, as the hardware still isn't final. The demo we received included the cool rotation trick, opening a file in Office, and joining a video call in Microsoft Teams. When in portrait mode, video calls make the person on the other end feel almost life-sized. I had the chance to use the rotation mechanism on the Surface Hub 2X, and it works really well. It doesn't feel heavy, and it locks into the horizontal or vertical positions so that you don't accidentally bump it out of orientation. The software effect that keeps text and windows fixed in place when rotating looks cool, but as the software is still very early, it was a little jaggier than what we've seen in the official promo video, but still awesome nonetheless. Windows Core OS