Microsoft's next-gen Surface devices don't sound exciting going by rumors — and I worry they'll be poor value even compared to MacBooks

• Rumors have emerged about next-gen Surface Pro and Surface Laptop models
• They will be relatively minor upgrades, although notably an OLED option should be added to the Surface Laptop
• Intel CPUs could be deployed across both ranges, even in baseline models – but there are worries about the price tags here

Microsoft has apparently refreshed Surface Pro and Surface Laptop models due this year, some of which should be arriving soon – although a new rumor suggests any changes will be mostly minor, and there's a lot of concern around the possible price tags.

Windows Central grabbed the scoop here, with sources spilling a whole bunch of info on the new Surface portables, which will come in two flavors: one powered by Intel Core Ultra 3 (Panther Lake) processors and the other will be Arm-based, built on Qualcomm's chips.

The latter with be Snapdragon X2 Plus and X2 Elite CPUs, we're told, but there won't be a model packing the flagship Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme. Similarly, Intel's Panther Lake chips won't extend to Core Ultra 9 processors – the new Surface products will be built on Core Ultra 5 and 7 silicon.

Unusually, we're told that the Surface devices with Intel chips will come first, launching in spring in the US – which effectively means they're about to debut, possibly within the next month or so – followed by the Snapdragon models in the summer (from June to August).

As noted, don't expect major changes from Microsoft, with the design of both the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop remaining much the same as the current incarnations (although we'll get some new colors).

The most notable change will be the introduction of an OLED version for the higher-end Surface Laptop configurations, complete with a bumped-up screen resolution (and the Surface Pro will again offer OLED).

For the lower-end models of these Surface devices, seemingly the biggest move will be that Microsoft is set to offer a choice of Intel CPUs as well as Snapdragon chips, rather than reserving Intel silicon for (pricier) business-targeted models. Note that the current-gen Surface Pro and Surface Laptop for consumers exclusively run on Snapdragon CPUs (the latter is our top-rated Windows 11 laptop, incidentally).

Early retailer listings have already given us a glimpse of the memory and storage specs for these devices, which are rumored to start at 16GB and 256GB respectively, rising to 64GB and 2TB at the top-end – which sounds perfectly plausible.

Remember, add seasoning with all of this, as it's just chatter from the grapevine, albeit from a reliable source for all things Microsoft.

Analysis: pricing is an obvious concern

The upgrades on offer aren't particularly compelling, then, although it's common practice that some generations of hardware will be more of a lowkey affair (usually a new CPU and trimmings). The only sizeable move is the addition of an OLED option to the Surface Laptop range (matching the Surface Pro in that regard).

I say that, but the processor changes are important, too, and actually, the apparent decision to use Intel chips once again in consumer models is a big switch for Microsoft.

With the current generation of these Surface devices, Microsoft has championed Arm silicon for the consumer because of the huge battery life benefits from Snapdragon chips. Something recently changed on the Intel front, though, namely that Panther Lake has proven to offer eye-opening battery stamina too – and so maybe this plays into the decision here.

Perhaps more to the point, Windows Central notes that the supply of Qualcomm's Snapdragon chips is supposedly looking shaky, and that could be the reason why Microsoft is launching Intel versions of the Surface devices first, then Arm models. And that'd make sense as to why Intel silicon needs to be used across the whole range, perhaps.

There is, of course, likely to be another major difference with the next-gen Surface Pro and Surface Laptop, and that's the price. While there's no rumored price tag as such, Microsoft has just hiked the pricing across its Surface line-up in a big way, and that must surely reflect on how much the new models will cost.

With the Surface Laptop 13-inch getting a price increase of $300 on the Microsoft Store, and other models getting up to $500 jumps in their price tags – nasty indeed – the stage is fully set for more expensive hardware with the next-gen range in 2026.

There's no two ways about that really, and in the online reaction to Microsoft's move, people are already taking this as read. One Redditor's comment on the rumored incoming Surface models was: "What a boring release. And disappointed they aren't offering the high spec'd Snapdragon. For their new crazy price point, it should have been included."

That 'crazy' price point is just theoretical, of course – although we're all suitably prepared for a shock. And as noted in the replies, the likelihood is that the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme (the mentioned 'high spec'd Snapdragon') won't be a good fit for these Surface devices due to thermals and space issues within these slim pieces of hardware.

At any rate, there's a general air of gloom around the Surface range right now, and how with the freshly hiked pricing, it's failing to compete with Apple's MacBooks – which are hardly regarded as value champion laptops themselves. Except for the new MacBook Neo, mind, and it's also notable that Microsoft doesn't intend to push out a Surface to fight the Neo on wallet-friendlier turf (yet).

That said, Microsoft hasn't had much time to react to the early popularity of the MacBook Neo, although it seems to have added some urgency to the campaign that's underway to make Windows 11 better.

The best laptops for all budgets

➡️ Read our full guide to the best laptops
1. Best overall:
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M5
2. Best budget:
Apple MacBook Neo
3. Best Windows 11 laptop
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch
4. Best thin and light:
Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i
5. Best Ultrabook
Asus Zenbook S 16

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