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Microsoft refreshes Surface Pro and Surface Laptop with Snapdragon X2 chips, longer battery life, and higher prices

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Why This Matters

Microsoft's latest refresh of the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop lines introduces Snapdragon X2 processors, offering significant improvements in graphics performance and battery life, alongside higher prices. These updates aim to enhance portability and user experience for consumers, especially those interested in versatile 2-in-1 devices and longer-lasting laptops. The move reflects Microsoft's focus on integrating ARM-based chips to compete in the evolving PC market, emphasizing mobility and efficiency.

Key Takeaways

What just happened? Microsoft has refreshed its main Surface Pro and Surface Laptop lines with Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X2 processors, bringing improved graphics, longer claimed battery life, and, of course, higher prices. The Surface Pro starts at $1,499, while the Surface Laptop starts at $1,599, making both $100 more expensive than the comparable last-generation Snapdragon X Elite models.

The new Surface Pro is the 13-inch 12th Edition model, while the Surface Laptop is now in its 8th Edition and remains available in 13.8-inch and 15-inch sizes.

Both are available starting June 16, with business versions arriving July 14. The launch follows Microsoft's earlier Intel-based Surface for Business updates, but these Snapdragon models are the consumer versions aimed at Copilot+ PC buyers.

Microsoft says the Surface Pro with Snapdragon X2 offers up to 53% faster graphics performance than the previous generation, along with up to 15.5 hours of local video playback.

It keeps the familiar 2-in-1 design, optional OLED display, 1440p Quad HD front camera with an ultrawide field of view, and support for the Surface Slim Pen and Surface Pro Flex Keyboard. The latter is still sold separately, although Microsoft is temporarily throwing in a keyboard with Pro purchases in the US through June 30.

That offer is compelling as the Surface Pro's base model starts below the Laptop, but a keyboard can add around $170 for the standard cover, or far more for the Flex Keyboard.

The Surface Laptop gets a more conventional update. Microsoft says the Snapdragon X2 version delivers up to 58% faster graphics performance than the previous generation and up to 20 hours of battery life on the 13.8-inch model, or up to 19 hours on the 15-inch version.

Both Surface Laptop sizes use LCD touchscreens rather than OLED panels, though the 15-inch version's display has been sharpened from 201 PPI to 262 PPI. The smaller Laptop also gets a new Jade color option.

The base Surface Pro configuration includes 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, while the Surface Laptop starts with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.

Both lines can be configured with Snapdragon X2 Plus or Snapdragon X2 Elite chips, each with an 80 TOPS NPU, and memory options now include 16GB, 24GB, 32GB, and 64GB.

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