After years of relatively minor upgrades, Microsoft has finally given its iconic Surface hardware a massive overhaul.
During yesterday’s media-only event at its headquarters in Redmond, Washington, Microsoft unveiled two new ARM-based Surface laptops, the Surface Laptop (7th Edition) and the Surface Pro (11th Edition).
Both are powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon X processors, featuring enhanced AI capabilities, and start at $1,000 (KES 128,100.00).
Pre orders are currently ongoing, with sales set to begin on June 18.
Microsoft Embraces Qualcomm
Following Apple’s 2020 shift from Intel to custom M-series chips, Microsoft has now transitioned to Qualcomm processors for its new Surface devices.
The new Surface Laptop and Surface Pro are equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus processors, which are part of a new category Microsoft calls “Copilot+ PCs.”
These chips are designed to optimize performance and battery life while enabling advanced AI features. Qualcomm claims the Snapdragon X Elite offers the highest neural processing unit (NPU) performance per watt, outperforming Apple’s M3 chip by up to 2.6 times and Intel’s Core Ultra 7 by up to 5.4 times.
Also Read: HP’s new Omen Transcend 14 gaming laptop: Understated yet powerful
Additionally, it uses 60% less power while matching peak CPU performance. According to Microsoft, the new Surface devices are 58 percent faster and have 20 percent longer battery life compared to the MacBook Air with M3.
However, Microsoft is not entirely moving away from Intel. Intel announced that its Lunar Lake processors, set to release later this year, will also support AI performance for Copilot+ PCs.
This indicates that future Surface devices might feature Intel processors as well, although specific models remain uncertain.
Surface Laptop (7th Edition)
The new Surface Laptop deviates from the previous numerical naming convention, skipping the “6” to be called the 7th Edition. It addresses several drawbacks of its predecessor with significant design updates, including thinner bezels and a haptic touchpad.
Also Read: Users can now officially run Windows 11 on Apple Silicon Macs
The laptop comes in two sizes: a 13.8-inch touchscreen and a 15-inch model with a 120-Hz refresh rate. Microsoft touts these as the brightest displays on any Surface Laptop, boasting 600 nits of brightness and a P3 color gamut for accurate color representation.
Unlike the new MacBook Air, the new Surface Laptop can support up to three 4K monitors, totaling four screens, including the laptop’s display. It features a Full HD Surface Studio camera with AI-powered enhancements for video calls, such as background blur and noise filtering.
Internally, the device offers a choice between Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus processors, with the 15-inch model exclusively using the Elite chip. Performance is reportedly 86% faster than the Surface Laptop 5, with battery life extending up to 20 hours on the 13.8-inch model and 22 hours on the 15-inch.
In terms of RAM and storage configurations, the base variants come equipped with 16 gigs of RAM (I hope Apple is taking notes here) and 256GB of storage. However, users can configure the laptop with up to 64 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage.
Surface Laptop (7th Edition) Specifications
- Display: 13.8-inch PixelSense multitouch (2304×1536, 120Hz); 15-inch (2496×1664, 120Hz); 400 nits, Gorilla Glass 5
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite, Plus (15-inch), X Elite (13-inch)
- Graphics: Qualcomm Adreno
- Memory: 16, 32, 64GB LPDDR5X
- Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD
- Ports: 13.5-inch: 2 USB-C (USB 4.0 w/DisplayPort 2.1), USB-A, 1 Surface Connect port, 3.5mm headphone jack, SDXC
- Security: 13.5-inch: Camera (Windows Hello) 15-inch: Camera (Windows Hello) and integrated smart card reader; TPM 2.0 chip
- Camera: 1080p (user-facing) with improved Windows Studio Effects
- Battery: 20 hours of local video playback (13.8-inch), 22 hours of local video playback (15-inch)
- Wireless: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
- Operating system: Windows 10 Pro or Windows 11 Pro
- Dimensions: 13.5-inch: 11.87 x 8.67 x 0.69 in.; 15-inch: 12.96 x 9.4 x 0.72 in.
- Weight: 13.5-inch: 2.96lb; 15-inch: 3.7lb
- Color: Sapphire, Dune, Platinum, Black
Surface Pro (11th Edition)
Skipping the number 10, the new Surface Pro (11th Edition) succeeds the Surface Pro 9. While not as drastically updated as the Surface Laptop, it includes several enhancements.
The design remains familiar, featuring the signature kickstand and detachable keyboard (sold separately). It now has an ultrawide quad HD front-facing camera with Windows Studio Effects for video calls and a 10 MP rear camera capable of 4K video.
Also Read: x86 vs. x64 vs. ARM: What’s the difference?
The new Surface Pro still retains the removable SSD feature, which we first saw with the Surface Pro 8. A key upgrade is the new OLED display option with HDR support, though a standard LCD screen is still available for a lower price.
The Snapdragon X Plus powers the standard model, while the OLED version uses the Snapdragon X Elite, promising up to 90 percent faster performance than its predecessor. The device supports up to three external 4K monitors, Wi-Fi 7, and an optional 5G for mobile connectivity.
Microsoft also redesigned the Surface Pro’s keyboard cover, now called the Surface Pro Flex Keyboard. It detaches and can be positioned anywhere for versatile typing, and features a 14 percent larger haptic touchpad.
There’s also a bold key set option for improved accessibility. The device remains compatible with the older Surface Slim Pen stylus. (Again, I hope Apple is taking notes).
Surface Pro (11th Edition) Specifications
- Display: 13-inch PixelSense Flow (2880×1920, 267 PPI, Gorilla Glass 5) up to 120Hz with dynamic refresh rate and 10-point multitouch, optional OLED screen
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite (OLED), Snapdragon X Plus (normal)
- Graphics: Qualcomm Adreno
- Memory: 16, 32, 64GB LPDDR5X (OLED), 16GB (normal)
- Storage: 512GB, 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD (OLED); 256, 512GB (normal)
- Ports: 2 USB-C (USB 4.0 w/DisplayPort 2.1), 1 Surface Connect port, 1 Surface Keyboard Port
- Security: Camera (Windows Hello), NFC/smartcard reader; TPM 2.0 chip
- Camera: Quad HD ultrawide (user-facing) with Windows Studio Effects, 10MP rear-facing
- Battery: 14 hours local video playback; 47WH (normal) 53Wh (OLED)
- Wireless: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
- Operating system: Windows 10 Pro or Windows 11 Pro
- Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.2 x 0.37 inches
- Weight: 1.97 pounds
- Color: Sapphire, Dune, Platinum, Black
- Price: TBD
- Optional accessories: Surface Slim Pen 2, Surface Flex Keyboard
Both the Surface Laptop (7th Edition) and the Surface Pro (11th Edition) are available for preorder now and will officially launch on June 18, each starting at $1,000.
