• Microsoft has cut the price of last year's Surface Pro 12-inch and Surface Laptop 13-inch models
• The freshly introduced entry-level models have 8GB of RAM and provide some relief from recent major price hikes
• This isn't a compromise that some people are happy about, and they're arguing that 8GB isn't enough for a laptop these days

Microsoft has given us some more affordable Surface devices, models that are back under a grand in the US due to price cuts – but there's a catch, and that's the compromise made to achieve this pricing.

Windows Central reports that Microsoft's chosen tactic here is to push out new variants of the Surface Pro 12-inch and Surface Laptop 13-inch from last year with just 8GB of RAM to cut the cost. Previously, the baseline models had 16GB of system memory.

These new 8GB versions are priced at $849 for the Surface Pro and $949 in the case of the Surface Laptop on the Microsoft store in the US.

Note that there aren't fresh 8GB models for the recently introduced new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop, which remain with a 16GB loadout at the entry-level.

The new prices for last year's models follow major price hikes for those devices in April 2026. The Surface Pro 12-inch (with 16GB of RAM) was jacked up to $1,049 in the US, whereas previously it started at $799. And the Surface Laptop 13-inch rose to $1,149 versus the original base MSRP of $899.

Analysis: A Neo approach some are questioning

While the new prices are a fair old drop down from the painful hikes that happened a couple of months back, Microsoft has sacrificed half the system RAM to get that reduction. This means these Surface devices are no longer Copilot+ PCs with exclusive AI features, as 16GB of RAM is required for that (although not everyone will miss these AI trimmings).

What else is a bit of a downer here is that the new low prices for half the RAM loadout are still $50 more than the original MSRPs for these Surface products back at launch, when they packed 16GB of RAM.

The other potential aggravation for would-be buyers here is the worry over whether 8GB of RAM is enough these days, a concern that looms ever larger. I've written about this in the recent past, and while yes, you can get by on 8GB for everyday computing duties, I am worried about how future-proofing is going to pan out for Windows 11 laptops (or indeed MacBooks, by which I mean the Neo with 8GB).

Okay, granted, Microsoft is working to make Windows 11 more performant in general, and to ensure the OS is happier with a low allocation of RAM like 8GB — and it is low these days, if you were in any doubt — but what about in five years? I don't know about you, but I expect my laptop to last half a decade, if not longer, and a non-upgradable 8GB is, I fear, going to feel wonky before too long.

Still, I take the point that the option for a more affordable Surface is good to have, and more choice is good — plus that 8GB may remain tenable for longer than you expect if you're sticking to basic computing tasks.

As Windows Central's Zac Bowden points out on X: "Microsoft tells me that it's working behind the scenes to optimize Windows 11 to run better on 8GB RAM, and these devices will be more than capable enough for day-to-day productivity workflows, internet browsing, and media consumption tasks."

Other people are a lot more doubtful, though, as you can see in the replies on that thread, which range from: "8GB of RAM in Windows isn't going to run well regardless of optimizations. You can't stop modern software bloat" to the far more blunt: "8GB RAM in 2026 is a scam."

• Microsoft has launched new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop devices
• They are built around the Snapdragon X2 processor
• The OLED screen is back for the Surface Pro, but prices are steep, even at the entry-level

Microsoft has revealed new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop devices powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 processor.

There's a new Surface Pro 13-inch, alongside fresh Surface Laptop 13.8-inch and 15-inch models, all of which pack the Arm-based Snapdragon X2, with a choice of the X2 Plus (10-core) and X2 Elite (12-core) CPUs.

These consumer devices follow the launch of versions of the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop targeted at businesses which were unveiled a month ago.

The new Surface Laptop offers what Microsoft claims is up to 58% faster graphics performance than the previous generation of its notebook.

The company also tells us to expect up to 20 hours of battery life with the more compact 13.8-inch model, and up to 19 hours with the 15-inch laptop (with local video playback).

The Surface Laptop is available from today in platinum, black, and dune colorways, with the 13.8-inch offering a new color: jade. The device starts at $1,599 in the US (around £1,190 / AU$2,260) for the 13.8-inch model with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.

Pricing elsewhere is yet to be announced — although outside of the US, it's worth noting that the entry-level storage will start at 256GB for the 13.8-inch device.

As for the Surface Pro 13-inch, it's a very similar bump in graphics performance courtesy of the Snapdragon X2 processor, with a claimed 53% leap over its predecessor. You get up to 15.5 hours of battery life here based on Microsoft's internal testing (again for local video playback).

The new Surface Pro 13-inch is available from now in platinum, black, and dune colors, with this hybrid starting at $1,149 / £950 / AU$1,999 for the configuration with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

Other than the major move in upgrading the Snapdragon chips, there's one other notable change to the core specs here, namely that Microsoft has brought back an OLED option for the Surface Pro (so you can choose that as an option, or the basic LCD screen).

The OLED gives you vivid colors and deep blacks, as you'd expect, and a better level of HDR peak luminance, boasting 900 nits of brightness versus 600 nits for the LCD.

Analysis: Snappier but not happier?

While the upgrades to the Snapdragon X2 chips are very welcome in terms of the additional performance for these Surface machines, the price tags are eye-watering — certainly if you compare them to the previous generation of these respective devices. If you recall, the previous Surface Laptop 13-inch started at not far off half the price tag we see here ($900 in the US, versus $1,599 now).

However, we knew this was coming because not so long ago, Microsoft announced some big price increases across the whole Surface range (and rumors insisted these would be applied to these new consumer offerings, which only made sense).

So, there's no surprise in seeing such major increases, but they remain disappointingly hefty compared to the hikes seen elsewhere from other laptop makers.

The Surface Laptop starting at $1,599 / £1,449 / AU$2,799 isn't easy to stomach, frankly, although at least you're getting 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage for that money (as opposed to 256GB, although there will be an international version of the laptop that does drop to this level of SSD capacity).

The Surface Pro 13-inch kicking off at $1,499 / £1,399 / AU$2,699 with 256GB of storage is a real wallet worrier, too. There is, however, a sweetener of sorts for the remainder of June in the US, whereby buyers get a free Surface Pro 13-inch Keyboard bundled by Microsoft (or there's a free Surface Arc Mouse with the new Surface Laptops).

While these Microsoft devices have generally been very well-received over the past few years, that wasn't quite so much the case for TechRadar when we reviewed both new models last year — and with these prices hikes, the Surface is starting to look a dubious value proposition I'm afraid. Especially in light of Apple launching the MacBook Neo with a surprisingly affordable price tag in this RAM-starved climate.

• Rumor has it the next-gen Surface devices have been delayed by a month
• A further suggestion is that "prices are probably going to be so bad" that nobody will be able to afford them
• Big price hikes on existing Surface devices have already raised concerns that the new hardware will be really expensive

Ever since the recent leak about Microsoft's next-gen Surface Pro and Surface Laptop, there have been concerns that the devices will be too pricey, and a fresh rumor will be precious little comfort to those laboring under that fear.

It should be made clear that the hardware itself is still a rumor, but another well-known leaker believes these refreshes are inbound, but they've apparently been slightly delayed, and might be very pricey.

Notebookcheck.net spotted Roland Quandt posting on Bluesky that: "So it looks like Surface got pushed out by about a month. Wonder why that is. Shouldn't matter as the prices are probably going to be so bad, noone will be able to afford the things anyways..."

As per the most recent rumor on these Surface devices, the hardware with Intel CPUs inside was expected to arrive in the spring in the US, followed by the Snapdragon (Arm) models in the summer (from June). So, given that May is the last month of spring and what looks like the targeted launch month at this point, the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop are now coming in June instead. And that would align with a reveal at Microsoft Build 2026, early in that month.

All of this is in theory, of course, as is the info on pricing, so sprinkle seasoning liberally.

Analysis: increasingly ominous

A reply to Quandt's post on Bluesky questions whether this means Microsoft is set to launch the Arm and Intel variants of these devices at the same time now. That might be the case, and Quandt acknowledges it, though he doesn't know.

Whatever he's heard then is presumably vaguer whispers on the release schedule, and nothing concrete on how the timing between the Arm and Intel-powered versions might fall.

That prices are expected to be "so bad" that no one can afford the new Surface Laptop or Pro sounds ominous to say the least. Unfortunately, expensive next-gen devices make sense given what's happened with current-gen models recently.

Microsoft just hiked the prices of the existing Surface range significantly, with some versions getting jacked up to the tune of $500 in the US. And while I wouldn't trust early pricing from retailers – because these are placeholder guesswork, as a rule – the hints we've caught from European websites suggest price tags will be weighty indeed.

If true, that'll be a shame, as Surface products themselves tend to be good, but pricing could very much spoil the appeal if they end up being very costly. Especially if price tags are pushed to extremes, whereby MacBooks end up seeming relatively affordable.

These rumors – and the very real price hikes on existing Surface products – underscore how Microsoft is struggling with the RAM crisis and, what I can only assume, weakness in its hardware supply chain. The rumored delay in launching the new Surface Laptop and Pro would make sense in that light, too.

Apple looks much more robust in this respect, especially considering it has managed to launch a successful new budget laptop in this climate, the MacBook Neo.

It's no secret that Apple has more hardware clout than Microsoft, but the extent to which the latter seems to now be flailing is perhaps worrying. Microsoft may argue that its software is way more important than the hardware anyway – and of course, it is, and the focus is naturally that big drive to fix Windows 11 – but it's not a good look if the firm's laptop range is starting to come apart at the seams, which seems to be the suggestion from the rumor mill.

• 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 RAM crisis has forced Microsoft to put up price tags on Surface laptops
• These hikes are across the board, with increases of up to $500 in the US
• Samsung Galaxy phones and tablets also received some hefty price increases

A fresh round of price hikes on hardware, namely Microsoft's Surface devices alongside Samsung's Galaxy smartphones and tablets, is the latest blow dealt to consumers by the RAM crisis.

Windows Central noticed that prices for Surface laptops have been hiked across the board at the Microsoft Store. Some of the worst price jumps here mean that baseline devices have been increased by an eye-watering $500 in the US.

For example, the Surface Laptop 13.8-inch started at $999 when the device first emerged in 2024, but it's now $1,499 (with 16GB of RAM — the same configuration as all these entry-level models).

If you want the 15-inch model of this notebook, you'll pay $300 more than at launch, with an outlay of $1,599 (which isn't as much of a leap, but still a nasty increase).

Turning to the Surface Pro 13-inch, that's been hiked by $500. The Surface Pro 12-inch and Surface Laptop 13-inch haven't been hit quite as hard, but are still $250 and $300 more expensive, respectively, for the entry-level configuration.

A top spec Surface Pro 13-inch with 64GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD will lighten your wallet to the tune of $3,649.

Expect equivalent hikes in other regions, no doubt, and these new prices will be coming to other retailers selling Surface products, as you might expect.

Microsoft told Windows Central: "Due to recent increases in memory and component costs, Surface is updating pricing on Microsoft.com for its current‑generation hardware portfolio. We remain committed to delivering value to customers and partners while upholding our standards for quality and innovation."

Meanwhile, Phone Arena reports some price hikes on certain models of Samsung's Galaxy smartphones and tablets, which have just quietly come into play in the US.

The Galaxy Z Flip 7 variant with 512GB of storage has been upped in price from $1,219.99 to $1,299.99, with the Galaxy S25 Edge (512GB) also getting bumped from $1,219.99 to $1,299.99. Furthermore, the Galaxy S25 FE has had a price hike from $709.99 to $749.9 (in this case for the 256GB model).

As for Samsung's tablets, price increases have been actioned for Galaxy Tab S11, Tab S10, and Tab A11 models in the US. That includes hikes of $100 to $200, or even close to $300 in some cases (the Tab S11 Ultra with 1TB is up from $1,619.99 to $1,899.99).

Analysis: Samsung worries and Apple value

At least the price rises are relatively slight with the Samsung phones, although $80 is still a bit of a sting (the S25 FE at $40 is much more palatable). Compared to what's happened with Samsung's tablets, though, and the Surface range in particular, that's relatively insignificant. Also, Microsoft's increases are across the board, whereas Samsung has only hiked a few phones here (and not the entry-level products, either, crucially).

Still, this does come off the back of other Samsung phones and tablets getting pricier earlier this month (including the Galaxy Z Fold 7). Unfortunately, all of this points to further possible price increases from Samsung down the line.

As for Microsoft, the current-gen Surface line-up is great in many ways — the Surface Laptop 13-inch is still rated as the top Windows 11 device in our best laptop roundup — but these new prices really put a dent in the appeal of the range. Microsoft's devices are now a lot more expensive overall, and they hardly majored in affordability before, either (particularly not with beefier RAM and SSD configurations).

This is particularly bad news for Microsoft right now, because it makes Apple's MacBooks look a lot more tempting in terms of the value proposition versus a Surface purchase. Apple seems to be weathering this PC component storm in a more graceful fashion so far, and with the affordable MacBook Neo already threatening the dominance of Windows laptops, it could be a dangerous time for Satya Nadella's company, both on the hardware and software fronts.

As a Redditor observed in a thread where multiple people are mulling, or have already made, a macOS defection: "Perfect timing for Microslop, a month after Apple announced the Neo. What could they have been thinking? Apple is now the value brand, lol..."

Microsoft Surface Pro 12 (2025): Two-minute review

The new Microsoft Surface Pro 12 (2025) comes at an interesting time for the Surface family of devices. Once upon a time, Surface products were pitched as flagship devices that were showcases for the latest and greatest Windows features, while also allowing Microsoft to directly compete with its arch nemesis Apple and its MacBook and iPad devices.

Surface devices were also often quite innovative, with unusual form factors that would again be used to showcase various Windows features, and they were championed by Panos Paney, an enthusiastic spokesperson for Surface devices. This meant that despite Surface devices never gaining the kind of mainstream success that Apple’s devices enjoyed, it was always interesting to see what new products the Surface team were working on.

But times change. Panay left for Amazon, and a lot of the enthusiasm and excitement about Surface devices seemed to leave Microsoft with him. The company simplified the Surface lineup, dropping some of the more experimental models, and focused more on commercial customers. The Surface Pro 12 (2025) is seemingly out to prove that Microsoft hasn’t abandoned its consumers, nor has it forgotten about its Surface lineup – I just worry if it’s a case of too little, too late.

The trimming down of the Surface product line means there’s going to be no more Surface Go devices (I asked Microsoft about this directly), which were affordable versions of the usual premium Surface devices. While I appreciated the aim of Surface Go devices – it’s always nice to see a company make more affordable versions of its expensive devices – they never quite hit the mark in my view, with a few too many compromises being made to lower the price at the expense of performance.

Thankfully, that doesn’t mean that people on a budget won’t be able to afford a Surface device, as the base model of the new Surface Pro 12-inch (2025) is now considered the entry level model. Starting at $799.99 / £799 / AU$1,499, it is now the cheapest Surface Pro model, and is a fair bit less expensive than last year’s Surface Pro 11, which started at $999.99 /£1,049.99 / AU$1,899.99.

It’s also a lot less expensive than its biggest competitor, the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024), which launched at a rather staggering $1,299 / £1,299 / $2,199.

While at first glance this seems like a great deal – a newer model for a lot less than the previous model – there are a number of differences between the Surface Pro 12 and Surface Pro 11 that show that Microsoft has still made certain sacrifices to lower the price of the new model. I certainly wouldn’t think of it as an upgrade, rather a more affordable alternative to last year’s model. That’s not a bad thing, of course, but it’s worth pointing out so you know what you’re getting if you buy the new Surface Pro 12 (2025).

Let’s start with the screen: rather confusingly, the number in the Surface Pro 11’s name refers to the fact that it is the 11^th edition of the Surface Pro.

Meanwhile, the Surface Pro 12 is named after its screen-size. So, the Surface Pro 11 actually has a larger screen – and a higher resolution as well.

The Surface Pro 12 comes with a 12-inch screen with a 2196 x 1464 resolution and refresh rate of up to 90Hz. The Surface Pro 11, meanwhile, comes with a 13-inch screen with a 2880 x 1920 resolution and up to 120Hz refresh rate. It can also be configured to come with an OLED panel.

Other changes are that the Surface Pro 12 comes with just one memory configuration: 16GB, whereas last year’s model can be configured up to 32GB. The Surface Pro 12 comes with a single processor choice – the Arm-based, eight-core Snapdragon X Plus, a more affordable, yet less powerful, version of the 10-core X Plus that comes in the Surface Pro 11. That model can also be configured with the even more powerful 12-core Snapdragon X Elite chip.

The Surface Pro 12 also drops support for 5G data connections (though it still features cutting-edge Wi-Fi 7 technology), and the two USB-C ports in this model are USB 3.2, rather than the faster USB4 connections in last year's model.

These are quite substantial differences, and while some people might consider them a downgrade compared to the Surface Pro 11, it’s important to note that Microsoft continues to sell that model alongside the Surface Pro 12, so if you’re looking for a flagship experience, you’ll want the (slightly) older model. This could, of course, confuse people who assume the latest model is also the most powerful, or that the only difference between them are the screen sizes. But, you know: Microsoft and confusing product names – name a more iconic duo.

As with previous Surface Pro devices, the Surface Pro 12 is a Windows 11 tablet, and Microsoft is one of the few companies continuing to release them. The dominance of iPads running iPadOS and Android tablets has seemingly turned off many manufacturers from making Windows tablets.

In a way that’s a shame, as while Windows 11 isn’t an operating system primarily designed for touchscreen devices, unlike iPadOS or Android, the touchscreen experience has come a long way, and you can comfortably find your way around Windows 11 and run most tasks and actions via the touchscreen thanks to large, easy-to-hit, icons and buttons. However, there are still times when Windows 11’s origins as an operating system designed for desktop PCs are apparent, such as when a menu or dialogue box appears that feels clumsy when prodded by a finger and requires a mouse and keyboard for the best experience.

On the other hand, by running Windows 11, you can install full desktop versions of applications, such as Microsoft Word or Adobe Photoshop, rather than the more limited tablet apps. This is the one area I feel Microsoft has the advantage over Apple’s iPad Pro, which, despite featuring the powerful M4 chip found in the best MacBooks and Macs, still uses iPadOS, which means it’s limited to the same basic apps that the iPad mini and iPad Air can run. This makes it feel like a lot of that power is wasted, and it’s something that the Surface Pro 12 avoids by being able to run almost any full desktop program. Plus, the Surface Pro 12 (2025) is nowhere near as powerful, or as expensive, as the iPad Pro, meaning you won’t be quite as concerned about paying for performance you’re not using.

I say ‘almost’ every Windows 11 app because it’s important to note that the Surface Pro 12 uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus chip, which is based on Arm architecture. Without getting too caught up in the weeds of tech mumbo-jumbo, in the past most consumer laptops and PCs used x86-based chips, primarily from Intel and AMD, and that meant that the majority of Windows applications were coded for x86 hardware, so Windows devices using Arm hardware couldn’t run them – instead you had to hope that the app makers would take the time to make an Arm-compatible version, and because sales of Windows on Arm hardware was so small compared to x86, very few developers thought it was worth doing.

Thankfully that’s changed a lot, mainly because the recent generation of Windows 11 laptops using Arm hardware (specifically the Snapdragon X), pushed by Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC branding, have been very popular (and deservedly so, just check out our Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 review and Dell XPS 13 (2024) review for two recent examples of why Snapdragon X laptops are so good).

Microsoft has also released its Prism tool, which is essentially an emulator that allows x86 apps to run on Arm hardware with minimal impact to performance. This, combined with a growing library of native Arm apps for Windows 11 means that most of your favorite apps will run on the Surface Pro 12 – though there might still be cases where an app you often use can’t run.

The Surface Pro 12 (2025) can also be fitted with the Surface Pro 12-inch Keyboard, which offers a tactile, comfortable-to-use, full-size keyboard and trackpad, while also doubling as a protective cover for the screen. This turns the Surface Pro 12 into a 2-in-1 device that can be used as both a tablet and a keyboard, and for pretty much any task where you need to write reams of text, it’s an essential add-on.

Sadly, you have to buy it separately, which adds a further $149.99 / £149.99 / AU$274.95 – a not insubstantial extra expense that I feel most people will need to pay for to get the most out of the Surface Pro 12.

The Surface Pro 12-inch Keyboard snaps on easily thanks to a proprietary magnetic connection, but because of the new screen size, it means you can’t use keyboards from older Surface devices. You can, at least, use a standard Bluetooth or wired keyboard, but that means you miss out on the portability.

Surface Pro 12 (2025): Price and availability

• How much does it cost? Starts at of $799.99 / £799 / AU$1,499
• When is it available? On sale now
• Where can you get it? You can get it in the US, UK, and Australia

With the affordable Surface Go lineup seemingly chucked in the trash, the Surface Pro 12 (2025) is now the most affordable way to get a new Surface Pro, with a starting price of $799.99 / £799 / AU$1,499, which is a fair bit cheaper than 2024’s Surface Pro 11 which starts at $999.99 /£1,049.99 / AU$1,899.99. Microsoft is continuing to sell the Surface Pro 11 alongside the Surface Pro 12, pitching the older model as the premium, flagship device, while the Surface Pro 12 takes the place of the Surface Go as the entry-level.

For that starting price, you get a Snapdragon X Plus 8-core CPU, 16GB RAM, and 256GB of storage. You can also configure it to come with 512GB of SSD storage for an extra $100 / £100 / AU$200. Apart from that, you’re unable to configure any other aspect of the hardware, though you can choose different colors (more of that in a moment).

The starting price is certainly competitive, especially considering the iPad Pro 13-inch starts at $1,299 / £1,299 / $2,199. Meanwhile, the latest iPad Air 13-inch starts at a similar $799 / £799 / AU$1,299 price, but comes with less storage and memory, and lacks Wi-Fi 7 support.

As a reasonably powerful tablet, then, the price is very good, though there are budget Android tablets out there for a lot less.

What’s not included in the price is a wall charger. The Surface Pro 12 no longer uses the proprietary Surface Connect port to charge – instead, any USB-C charger will work, so the lack of an included charger probably won’t be a huge deal for a lot of people, and at least helps keep the price down and reduce waste. If you need a charger, then you can buy an official one for $69.99 / £49.99 / AU$89.95, but because any USB-C power supply above 27W will work, there are plenty of cheaper options.

However, to get the most out of the Surface Pro 12 (and Windows 11, the operating system it runs), you’ll need the Surface Pro 12-inch Keyboard, which turns it into a 2-in-1 device that can be used as either a tablet or a laptop.

The Surface Pro 12-inch Keyboard is sold separately and will set you back $149.99 / £149.99 / AU$274.95, so unless you just want to use the Surface Pro 12 as a tablet, you should factor that into the price.

You can also get the 12-inch Keyboard with the Slim Pen stylus in a bundle for $249.99 / £249.99 / AU$454.95.

In the US and Australia, you can also buy the Surface Slim Pen on its own for $129.99 / AU$229.95. While the stylus is less essential to the overall experience, this does show that from the reasonable starting price, the Surface Pro 12 can quickly jump in cost when you start configuring it.

• Value: 4 / 5

Microsoft Surface Pro 12: Specs

Microsoft Surface Pro 12 (2025): Design

• New screen size
• Thinnest Copilot+ PC
• New color options

If you’ve ever seen a Surface Pro device in the wild, then you’ll pretty much know what to expect with the Surface Pro 12 (2025). On its own it looks like a pretty standard tablet, though I have to say that the thick bezels around the screen does make it feel a little outdated compared to some of its rivals (and even the older Surface Pro 11 has thinner bezels on two of the sides of the screen).

As with previous models, the back has an embossed Windows logo, and the bottom half can be pulled out to make a kick stand, a nice feature that the likes of the iPad don’t have. In the center of the bottom side, there’s also a magnetic port that you use to affix the Surface Pro 12-inch Keyboard to – though if you have an existing Surface Keyboard or Type Cover it won’t work due to the new size.

There are some subtle – and mostly welcome – changes introduced to the design of the Surface Pro 12, however. The proprietary Surface Connect port has been ditched – thankfully – and instead you charge the Surface Pro 12 (2025) via one of the two USB-C ports. While this change has been mainly introduced to comply with a European Union (EU) directive that states that all new electronic devices sold in the EU must support USB-C charging, it’s a positive one for consumers I feel, and does mean that for many of us that already have plenty of USB-C chargers we’re not getting yet another charger that will just be wasted.

Because of the new, smaller, screen, the Surface Pro 12 feels more comfortable to hold in the hand than the larger 13-inch Surface Pro from 2024 (I have both). The Surface Pro 12’s dimensions of 10.8 x 7.47 x 0.30 inches (274mm x 190mm x 7.8mm) are noticeably more compact than the Surface Pro 11’s dimensions of 11.3 x 8.2 x 0.37 inches (287mm x 208.6mm x 9.3mm), and the weight difference (1.5 pounds (686g) for the Surface Pro 12 vs 1.97 pounds (0.89kg) for the Pro 11) means if portability is a priority for you (and if you’re planning on using it as a tablet, then it should be), the Surface Pro 12 could, on paper, be the device to get.

However, it’s not just the screensize that’s different, and you should be aware of some of the changes Microsoft has made to keep the price of the Surface Pro 12 down.

For a start, there’s no OLED model, and the refresh rate is capped at 90Hz (rather than 120Hz of the Surface Pro 11).

The Surface Pro 12 also has a lower resolution of 2196 x 1464 vs 2880 x 1920 of the Pro 11, and that also means a lower pixel density of 220 PPI (pixels per inch) compared to the 267 PPI of the Pro 11. This means the image quality isn’t as sharp on the Pro 12.

The Surface Pro 12 also lacks the easily accessed NVMe port of the Surface Pro 11, which was located on the older model behind the kickstand, and was a nice addition that allowed you to quickly upgrade the storage space of the Pro 11.

On the back of the Surface Pro 12 is a new indent which is where you magnetically attach the Slim Pen stylus (sold separately). Microsoft sent me one to review along with the Surface Pro 12, and I was impressed with how secure the Slim Pen felt when it was magnetically attached – I certainly didn’t worry that the stylus would drop off the tablet.

The Slim Pen also wirelessly charges when attached, which is a nice touch. Despite the indent, however, having the Slim Pen attached does mean that the Surface Pro 12 doesn’t sit flush when placed back-down on a table or desk.

Connecting the Surface Pro 12-inch Keyboard (also sold separately, and supplied by Microsoft for this review) is also quick and easy thanks to a magnetic connection. It adds a bit more weight and bulk, but when closed will protect the screen. It also allows you to use the Surface Pro 12 as a laptop-like device, and I think it’s worth getting. You’ll need to use the kickstand to support the Surface Pro 12 when it’s used as a screen, which isn’t the most comfortable if you’re using it on your lap, but it does work. However, you can’t really adjust the angle of the screen, unlike Apple’s Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro.

The Surface Pro 12’s USB-C ports are also limited to USB 3.2, rather than USB4, which is supported by the Surface Pro 11. You’ll still be able to plug in the same peripherals, but data transfer will be slower.

A more positive design tweak are the two new color schemes, Violet and Ocean, along with the same Platinum color that previous Surface Pros came in. I’ve seen the new Surface Laptop in Violet, and it looks lovely. However, the base model of the new Surface Pro, which I have, only comes in Platinum – you’ll need to pay extra for more storage if you want the Surface Pro 12 in either Violet or Ocean.

Overall, the design of the Surface Pro 12 is solid, though not that excited, especially if you get it in Platinum. Compared to the iPad Air (2025), which has a weight of 460g and dimensions of 247.6mm x 178.5mm x 6.1mm for the 11-inch model, it feels chunkier and cheaper than Apple’s tablet. If you’re used to iPad tablets, you will likely much prefer Appe’s design. The compromises to screen quality and USB speeds with the Surface Pro 12 are also a shame.

• Design: 3.5 / 5

Microsoft Surface Pro 12 (2025): Performance

• Good for general use
• 16GB RAM helps with multitasking
• AI features remain pointless

Microsoft might argue that the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus chip within the Surface Pro 12 is the most exciting component, and I’d agree, but likely not for the same reason.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus is an Arm-based chip (similar to the M4 chip in the MacBook), with a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) of 45 Trillion Operations per Second (TOPS) – an essential specification for it to be called a ‘Copilot+ PC’, which is Microsoft’s catch-all term for Windows 11 laptops that come with NPUs that can handle on-device AI tasks.

You might have noticed that a lot of companies are shoving AI into their products, and Microsoft is arguably one of the most ambitious. Like it or not, AI tools are now tightly integrated into Windows 11, and there’s no sign of that slowing down, with Microsoft’s Copilot AI tool becoming a fundamental part of the operating system, even getting its own dedicated key on the keyboard.

Of course, if you don’t have a Copilot+ PC you can still use Copilot – the key difference is that thanks to the NPU, you can use Copilot and other AI tools locally on the Surface Pro 12 itself, rather than relying on an internet connection and cloud-based AI tools.

The benefits are that you can work offline with these tools, and as all the data you provide the AI with is stored locally, there should be no danger of your data being shared with third parties or used to train AI models. This is good if you’re using AI tools with personal and private information, but less so if you’re just messing around with turning scribbles into AI-generated images in Paint.

Speaking of which, doing that is OK on the Surface Pro 12. Asking Paint to generate an image based on a photo I loaded took about 20 seconds, and the results were… well, what you’d expect from AI-generated art these days. Fine, and initially impressive, but not much more than a brief diversion, as the ‘art’ it produces comes with familiar tell-tale signs that it’s been made by AI. It’s likely a tool you’ll try once and then forget about it.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus’ NPU also gives you access to some exclusive Windows 11 features, namely Click To Do. This feature, which is still in ‘preview’, so not the finished article, is pitched by Microsoft as a way to do things more quickly and easily in Windows 11 with the help of AI.

By holding down the Windows key on the keyboard, you’ll see the mouse cursor turn into a white dot. Clicking on something (or tapping using the Surface Pro 12 screen) will give the screen a blue tint to show that Click To Do is enabled. If you only have the Surface Pro 12 and no keyboard, you can also bring this up quickly by swiping from the right-hand side of the screen.

Click To Do should then intelligently offer up some quick actions supposedly based on what it sees on your screen, such as opening an image in the Photos app and removing the background.

In theory, this could save some time, though to be honest, right-clicking a document and choosing what app to open it in covers a lot of that, is much faster, and doesn’t require a Copilot+ PC.

In practice, however, the feature seems pretty useless. I used Click To Do with my Pictures folder open, then clicked on a photo, then selected Remove background with Paint, thinking that this would open the photo in Paint and remove the background. Instead, it opened the thumbnail preview of the image (which is tiny and pixellated) and removed the background.

Thinking maybe it was Paint’s fault, I did it again, but this time selected Blur background with Photos. This opened up the Photos app, but again, it was just the thumbnail; it didn’t actually open the file.

So what Click To Do is really doing is taking a screenshot of whatever is open, and all you can really do is interact with the screenshot, not the actual files. Maybe I got the wrong end of the stick, but it felt like Click To Do was promising something quite complex, but in reality, it was just basic and of no use.

I tried it with a web browser open and some Bing (of course) search results. Click To Do offered to copy text to Notepad. A bit pointless, but I gave it a go, and it pasted a single line of unintelligible nonsense. Sure, Click To Do is supposedly still in ‘preview’, but it’s in no fit state at the moment, and as a key selling point of Copilot+ PCs like the Surface Pro 12, it’s embarrassing.

Recall, another feature touted as a key selling point for Copilot+ PCs, is in a similar preview state. I’ve gone over the controversies of this plenty of times before but the general thrust of this feature is that it runs in the background and takes constant screenshots that you can then scroll back through and search for things.

Recall was supposed to launch with the initial wave of Copilot+ PCs, but a big backlash amidst privacy and security concerns kept Microsoft from rolling it out. Now it’s here (albeit in preview form), and most of my privacy concerns have been alleviated. First, unusually for Microsoft, you have to turn on this feature yourself; it’s not turned on by default (as it was initially). All the images and data are stored locally, and thanks to the NPU, all AI tasks are done on the Surface Pro 12 itself.

Recall, and the data it collects, can also only be accessed by the user when logged in, and needs to have advanced Windows Hello biometric security enabled.

While the security aspect seems improved, if not completely perfect, my other big concern about just how useful Recall will prove to be remains. On the Surface Pro 12, it can feel a bit sluggish, and it even crashed once, and the results were mixed. It did find screenshots containing search results I’d asked for reasonably well, but once it brings up the screenshots, you’re a bit limited to what you can do – a lot like Click To Do, you can’t click on a file or folder to open it up, though to be fair it does allow you to open the folder location in Windows Explorer.

But it just doesn’t seem that useful, and because you now have to turn it on yourself, and considering the performance and storage impact Recall has when taking all these screenshots, Microsoft needs to really make Recall worth using – and so far it hasn’t.

On a (much) more positive note, the general performance of the Surface Pro 12 (2025) is good. Even demanding apps like Photoshop installed and launched without issue, and because you’re able to run Windows 11 applications, it makes the Surface Pro 12 (2025) a much better tool, in my mind, than the iPad Pro, which despite all its power is limited to iPadOS apps, which are more basic.

Having multiple desktop apps open at once and switching between them was fine, though if you are going to be mainly using standard Windows 11 apps, you’ll need to invest in the Surface Pro 12-inch Keyboard, frankly, as these apps can be fiddly if you’re just using the touchscreen to control them. I did notice, however, that trying to perform too many tasks at once can make the performance of the Surface Pro 12-inch lag, with the occasional app crash. Nothing too out of the ordinary if you’re used to Windows 11, but it means there’s not the slick experience you might expect from an iPad.

Logging into the Surface Pro 12 is handled by the Windows Hello biometric tool, which uses the built-in webcams of the tablet to recognise your face. I found it worked reliably in a range of different lighting conditions, and meant logging in was both quick and secure. If Windows Hello can’t detect you, you can use a PIN or password to log in.

The front-facing webcam does a decent job, though at 1080p, it’s not as sharp or detailed as the 1440p webcam on last year’s model. As the Surface Pro 12 is a Copilot+ PC, you can use the Windows Studio effects tool to tweak the webcam’s footage live. Using AI and the NPU of the Snapdragon chip, you can blur the background, or add creative filters that make you look like a cell-shaded animation, watercolor painting, and automatically center yourself in frame.

These work fine, but they are nothing we haven’t seen before, and the background blur feature seemed less effective as other background blurring features I’ve tried, such as when using Google Meet, with noticeable gaps in the blur where the clear background could be seen.

One feature I did like was Eye Contact, which uses AI to make it seem like you’re looking directly at the screen. As with a lot of devices, the webcam of the Surface Pro 12 is either at the top, bottom or side of the screen, depending on the orientation, and this can result in video calls where it appears like you’re looking away (as you’re usually focusing on the screen). With this feature, it does a good job of adjusting your eyes so they are looking directly at the person you’re talking to.

It sounds a bit creepy, but it does make video calls (or just taking selfies) feel more natural, and the feature does a good job of matching your eye color. When I first tried this feature a while ago, it felt fake, with a definite element of ‘uncanny valley’ where you can tell something isn’t quite right, but it seems the feature has been improved a lot.

The rear camera is Ultra HD, though the photos I took with it weren’t particularly impressive, with quite a bit of noticeable noise in darker conditions. While taking photos, the Camera app became unresponsive, which means I could not adjust the focus; instead, I had to wait a few seconds. This also means that some photos I thought I had taken hadn’t actually been saved, so I wouldn’t recommend depending on the Surface Pro 12 to take once-in-a-lifetime photos – you’d be much safer sticking to your smartphone.

Throughout my time with the Surface Pro 12, I appreciated how silent it was. Like Apple’s M-series chips in modern MacBook Air laptops, the Snapdragon X Plus is efficient enough that the Surface Pro 12 it powers doesn’t need internal fans to keep it cool, so you don’t get any distracting and annoying fan noise when the tablet is working hard. However, with the occasional hangs that I experienced using Windows 11 on the Surface Pro 12, trading silence for a more reliable experience (as cooling the components could improve performance) might have been one compromise I’d have liked.

• Performance: 3 / 5

Microsoft Surface Pro 12: Battery life

• Microsoft promises 16 hours of local video playback
• Lower refresh rate of screen helps give battery life a boost
• Almost 18 hours in our battery tests

A common frustration I have with Copilot+ PC devices running on Arm hardware is that the marketing material often focuses solely on AI features and capabilities, but they are the least interesting thing about products like the Surface Pro 12.

Thanks to the power efficiency of the latest Snapdragon X chips, battery lives of these Copilot+ PC devices are impressively long, and considering that battery life is one of the most important considerations people have when buying a new laptop (it is for me, anyway), it's a shame that this aspect is often glossed over.

The Surface Pro 12 continues this theme, with a battery that lasted an excellent 17 hours and 49 minutes in my battery life benchmark test, which involved playing a looped HD video until the battery died.

While this isn't the longest battery life I've seen with a Copilot+ PC, it's great that we seem to be in an era where battery lives for Windows 11 devices that are near 20 hours are increasingly common (though even the best gaming laptops won't get anywhere near that). You'll certainly be able to bring it on long international flights to work and watch films on, and have plenty of battery left.

Most importantly, it means you can go several work days on a single charge in most cases, since you likely won't be using it for 18 hours straight, making it a great choice for people looking for a thin and light device to work on.

• Battery Life: 5 / 5

Should you buy the Microsoft Surface Pro 12 (2025)?

Buy the Microsoft Surface Pro 12 if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

How I tested the Microsoft Surface Pro 12

• I spent about a week with the Surface Pro 12
• I used it for everyday productivity
• I ran our standard suite of Windows laptop benchmarks

I've been using the Surface Pro 11 daily to write articles (including some of this review), browse the web and make video calls. I switched between using it in tablet mode, and with the Surface Pro 12-inch Keyboard attached, turning it into a laptop-like device.

As well as using it for real-world tasks, I also ran TechRadar's standard suite of benchmark results. I've reviewed numerous iterations of Surface Pro devices, as well as competing tablets like the iPad Pro and some of the best laptops money can buy.

We pride ourselves on our independence and our rigorous review-testing process, offering up long-term attention to the products we review and making sure our reviews are updated and maintained - regardless of when a device was released, if you can still buy it, it's on our radar.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed June 2025

• The Microsoft Surface 7 has been labeled "frequently returned" on Amazon
• No reason was officially given, but user reviews cite Arm-based incompatibilities
• It's believed this could be happening due to more competition being available

The Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite-powered Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 has been deemed "frequently returned" on Amazon.

According to our sister site, Windows Central, the warning applies to an Amazon listing for the Microsoft Surface Laptop (2024) featuring a 15-inch touchscreen, Snapdragon X Elite SoC, 32GB RAM, and 1TB of storage.

Despite having nearly 400 user reviews, with an overall rating of 4.2 / 5 stars, the laptop appears to be returned often according to the retailer, with the disclaimer telling prospective buyers to "check the product detais and customer reviews to learn more about this item".

Detailed top reviews on the laptop from verified buyers have rated the Microsoft Surface 7 with five stars, with particular praise for the battery life. However, a common complaint is that "a lot of programs didn't work with Arm" which is something we've said in our own coverage.

In our five-star review, we praised the incredible performance, excellent battery life, great display, and solid pricing, with the only minor negatives being a lacking port selection, lack of an OLED variant and slight issues with the touchpad's sensitivity. With that said, why are users returning it so frequently? Amazon has not issued any reason why.

Another reason the Microsoft Surface 7 could see so many returns is that people could trade the device in for a computer with a competitor's chip. That's because AMD has made waves with its Ryzen AI processors, such as the coveted Ryzen AI Max+ 395, which has just arrived in some of the best laptops and best ultrabooks on the market. Those wanting superior performance for general computing, AI workloads, and greater compatibility may return to x86 architecture.

We can also look at the pricing of the laptop compared to its competition. This listing is available on Amazon with an MSRP of $2,099.99. However, the machine has been discounted by 26% to $1,544.83 for some time. It's possible that those who purchased it for the sticker price could have buyer's remorse, especially when weighing up against similarly priced options like the Arm-based MacBook Pro M4 (starting at $1,599 for the 14-inch model) which came out after the Surface.

Consumers still don't know what they're getting themselves into

If you've kept a keen eye on the laptops over the past 12 months, you'll no doubt have heard the buzzword "AI PCs" when it comes to Snapdragon X Elite, Ryzen AI, and Lunar Lake laptops in 2024 and 2025. There has been a wealth of promise in advertising around all the new tools you can use through having a dedicated NPU, and how many TOPs of performance you can expect from Qualcomm and the competition in general.

However, to the average everyday computing consumer, there's been no solid throughline in what this tech does, and what it can offer you, especially in the jump from traditional x86 architecture and over to Arm-based silicon. Yes, the latter can have superior battery life and snappier performance in isolation, but it comes at the cost of compatibility.

Windows on Arm has come a long way in the last year as more devices (like the Microsoft Surface 7) adopt it over x86-based alternatives, but you're still not going to get to do everything that you could on that architecture. A lot of popular software is yet to offer an Arm version, and it's not been communicated to hardware manufacturers what's available and what isn't.

As such, users could buy the Microsoft Surface 7 expecting it to do everything their old laptop could, and then be disappointed when they run into problems. If you're asking people to spend $2,000, they will want everything to be perfect out of the box, and a common understanding of differing architectures (and compatibility overall) just isn't going to happen overnight.

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• Microsoft unveils new Surface Copilot+ PC enterprise devices
• Surface Laptop for Business available in two display options
• New Surface Pro for Business offers more connections and performance

Microsoft has unveiled the next generation of Surface Copilot+ PC devices aimed at business and enterprise users, with the new offerings firmly planting AI front and center.

The new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop offer “a significant leap in x86 performance”, the company says, providing boosts in performance and productivity alongside a boosted NPU for business-focused AI tasks.

The launches include a new Surface Laptop available in 13.8in or 15in display options, alongside an upgraded Surface Pro for those looking for something a bit more flexible.

Surface Laptop for Business

“Customers are choosing Surface Copilot+ PCs today for improvements in performance, battery life, and security,” noted Nancie Gaskill, General Manager, Surface.

“Paired with Microsoft 365 Copiloti and enhanced AI processing power, these devices transform the employee experience to amplify your team’s efficiency and creativity through Copilot+ PC experiences designed for work.”

Officially known as the Surface Pro 11th Edition and Surface Laptop 7th Edition, the two new releases are available with Intel’s latest (series 2) Core Ultra processors, but users will have the option of Intel or Snapdragon-powered devices.

Microsoft also revealed customers will soon have the option of a 5G-enabled Surface device, with an all-new Surface Laptop 5G arriving later in 2025 to give users even more connectivity when on the go.

Alongside its Intel power, the new Surface Laptop for Business includes up to 22 hours battery life, Wi-Fi 7 connectivity, added ports and even customizable haptic typing alongside a larger touchpad.

Microsoft says that despite the slightly smaller dimensions on paper, its 13.8in display actually offers a larger viewing space than other 14in displays on the market due to ultra-thin bezels and also features an anti-reflective display for added privacy.

The upgraded device also offers a major performance boost, with Microsoft claiming up to 26% faster performance when multi-tasking, up to 2x faster graphics performance, and even up to 3x the battery life when on Teams calls.

Alongside this, the device features a powerful NPU that Microsoft says makes it the ideal workplace AI companion, powering tools and functions such as the new Windows “Descriptive Search” function across local and OneDrive files, Click to Do, and Microsoft Teams upgrades such as “Super Resolution” and live captions in more than 40 languages.

Surface Pro for Business

Microsoft says the new Surface Pro for Business is designed to replace your existing laptop, tablet, pen and paper in a single device, offering its most powerful tablet device to date.

It also offers more connections than previous versions, with support for up to three external 4k displays, along with boosted hardware which provides 28% more performance than the Surface Pro 9, and 50% more battery life when on Microsoft Teams calls.

“It’s never been more effortless to get work done,” noted Gaskill. "These new Copilot+ PCs offer a solution for every employee."

"Surface Copilot+ PCs are the ideal choice to modernize your business, offering the best combination of hardware, software and unparalleled security to support your business needs - these devices help make your business future-ready."

Both the Surface Laptop for Business and Surface Pro for Business will be available from February 18, 2025 for $1499.

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• New Microsoft 365 AI offering means all your workers can use Copilot for free

• New Surface devices are on the way
• Intel and AMD chips could be involved
• Expect new products from March

Our Surface Pro 11 review and Surface Laptop 7 review will tell you we've been very impressed with Microsoft's own-brand computers this year – and it seems as though plenty more Surface products are heading our way in 2025.

A comprehensive leak from Windows Central outlines what's next for Microsoft Surface. We're apparently getting new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop models in 2025, both with Copilot+ PC branding and Intel Lunar Lake CPUs inside (as previously rumored).

These will be the first Intel-powered Surface computers with the AI-centric Copilot+ PC branding – following on from the Qualcomm-powered models mentioned at the start – as Lunar Lake brings with it the necessary neural processing architecture.

Don't expect too much to change in terms of the aesthetics though. Microsoft is likely to stick with the current designs for the Surface Pro and the Surface Laptop in 2025 and beyond, according to the Windows Central report.

A new mystery device

Some other tidbits: the new Surface Pro and Surface Studio will get anti-reflective screens (unlike the most recent versions), a card reader option will be available, and we may even see 5G on the Surface Laptop for the first time.

The Surface Laptop Studio is getting a 2025 refresh as well, it seems. Intel or AMD chips could be used here, but again the Copilot+ PC branding will be used. According to insiders, a 16-inch version is being mulled over at Microsoft.

A new 11-inch Surface device is in the pipeline as well, the report says, to be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset – though it's not clear what the form factor will be. Finally, a new Surface Dock is also rumored to be on the way.

We can expect these new products to start appearing from the first quarter of 2025, Windows Central says, so that's March at the latest. Plans and schedules can of course change, but it looks like 2025 will be a fun year for Microsoft Surface fans.

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If I could point to a single inflection point for the computing industry this year, it would be the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7.

Not only is it an incredible device that features great performance, outstanding battery life, and a design to die for, but the 2024 Surface Laptop is the vanguard of the AI PC revolution that has taken over the industry this year.

With the help of Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Elite Plus, Microsoft's Copilot+ PCs finally brought AI out of the cloud and onto your laptop thanks to a powerful enough NPU that can actually perform useful AI workloads.

What's more, it was also the first laptop to bring AI to the consumer market, despite Apple having a nearly four-year head start in local AI hardware with its M-series chips.

In the end, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 not only brought AI to consumers in a practical way, it also threatens the Apple MacBook's coveted FOMO status and gave customers a real alternative to the MacBook while keeping the convenience, familiarity, and practicality of a newly invigorated Windows on Arm platform.

Kicking off the AI PC revolution…

There's been a lot of talk about AI over the last year, thanks to Nvidia's soaring stock price, OpenAI's ChatGPT, and Microsoft's aggressive push for its Copilot AI tools, but it wasn't until the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 landed in May that anyone was able to get AI from anything other than the cloud.

Tools like Midjourney and Dall-E for image generation, Claude AI and ChatGPT for text-generation, and generative AI plug-ins for just about every app under the sun have all had to previously rely on an internet connection and a cloud server to process user requests.

This is less than ideal for any number of reasons, but the first generations of local AI hardware for laptops, also knows as NPUs, simply hadn't been powerful enough to do anything truly functional for end-users without having to resort to cloud processing.

That changed with the Surface Laptop 7, which sports a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite system-on-a-chip (SoC) that more than doubles the NPU performance of the Apple M3's NPU, and could now be leveraged to generate text from prompts, perform video and audio processing to remove background noise and blur backgrounds during video calls (or any video recording, for that matter), generate images from text prompts using Stable Diffusion, and, eventually, provide a way to contextually search through your computer's history to find lost files, resume internet searches, and more through Windows Recall.

While other Intel and AMD-powered laptops have since been released that can do all of this as well (and in many cases, do it even better), it all started with the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7.

…while breathing life into Microsoft Surface lineup

While the AI functionality of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 obviously gets a lot of attention, it wouldn't have mattered one bit if the Surface Laptop 7 wasn't also an incredible laptop, and it truly is one of the best laptops you can buy today.

I have always loved the look of the Surface Laptop, and the Sapphire colorway of the Surface Laptop 7 absolutely pops with color and character (as opposed to the stale and rather boring MacBook design). The problem is that the previous Surface Laptops just weren't good laptops. Microsoft's Surface Laptop and Surface Pro always seemed to be a generation or two behind what everyone else, especially Apple, was doing, and their price made them too hard to recommend.

Now, however, thanks to the super-efficient ARM architecture in the Snapdragon X Elite SoC, we have a Surface Laptop that is powerful and has all-day battery life. Before the Surface Laptop 7, only Apple silicon could offer users 15 to 20 hours of useful battery life, with even the best Windows laptop getting 10-12 hours if you were lucky.

While there are some issues with the new ARM architecture in the Surface Laptop 7, especially around app compatibility, that keep it from hitting perfection, it still smashes all expectations we had for what the Surface Laptop line and Windows on Arm could do, and for that, it is the most compelling Windows laptop I've seen in years.

Microsoft’s latest Surface Laptop was very well-received, indeed it tops our list of the best laptops currently, although some folks may still remain unconvinced about its Arm CPU and certain drawbacks therein – but if you’re waiting for a model with an Intel chip instead, it looks like that wait could soon be over.

Windows Central noticed that a purported Surface Laptop 7 with Intel Lunar Lake mobile CPU – as opposed to the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite (Arm-based) processor that powers existing models – has surfaced (ahem) on Reddit.

The prerelease (sample?) model is actually up for sale on a Chinese auction site (Goofish), and the listing describes it as having an Intel Core Ultra 7 268V chip (which is Lunar Lake as mentioned) with 32GB RAM plus a 1TB SSD.

Add some healthy piles of salt at this point, of course, and we can have our usual doubts about such leaks, but that said, the listing seems to be authentic and it’s complemented with photos of the supposed Surface Laptop 7.

On top of that, reliable leaker Zac Bowden of Windows Central tells us that his sources have said that Microsoft is indeed testing an Intel Lunar Lake-toting Surface Laptop – but it isn’t clear whether this will be a variant of the existing Surface Laptop 7, or a new Surface Laptop (presumably a version 8).

However, the design remains the same – as stated in the sales listing – so the former seems to make more sense. Bowden further notes: “It’s likely that Microsoft intends to offer both Intel and Qualcomm variants of the Surface Laptop with its updated design going into 2025.”

That echoes the Goofish seller, who informs prospective purchasers (who really shouldn’t be risking going anywhere near this laptop, we should add) that the Core Ultra 7-packing notebook won’t go on sale until 2025.

Analysis: Business as usual? We hope not

What’s the big deal about an Intel version of the Surface Laptop 7 (or indeed 8)? As noted, while the Snapdragon X Elite-powered notebook is fantastic – we gave the device a glowing review – the Arm chip still has some weaknesses, for example in terms of software (and games) support. Those compatibility quirks are bugbears that an Intel (x86) spin on the Surface Laptop won’t be hampered by.

The best bit, though, is that Lunar Lake CPUs have really impressed since their launch, and these chips won’t let the side down in terms of the strong suits of the Snapdragon chip – you should still get excellent battery life as well as performance with Intel.

The drawback, then, might be the price tag, and this leak doesn’t air good news in this respect.

The Goofish seller tells us that the price from the Microsoft Store for the model in question will be around 19,000 Chinese Yuan, which works out at about $2,700 (or £2,000 / AU$4,000). We’re assuming this applies to the mentioned 32GB plus 1TB model, anyway, but a ‘listing price’ (translation could be shaky) is also provided, pitched at 10,990 Chinese Yuan, which converts to around $1,500 (or £1,200 / AU$2,300). Might that be the entry-level price tag?

We don’t know, but we’re pretty heavy on the skepticism with these figures, given that the current Surface Laptop 7 with 32GB plus 1TB has an MSRP of $1,600 in the US, so for it to be inflated to the tune of two-thirds seems a bit ridiculous. That said, we anticipate a Lunar Lake chip will indeed push the price up a fair bit – but surely not that much.

Finally, Bowden mentions a potential major wrinkle here – could this Intel-toting Surface Laptop be a business-only device? That’s how Microsoft played it with Meteor Lake (in the Surface Laptop 6), and might the same be true for Lunar Lake? Could that go some way towards explaining the eye-watering pricing, perhaps?

Well, we’d forget about the prices put forward here, in all honesty, but we can’t so readily dismiss the idea of a business-centric launch. Let’s just hope consumer models are inbound, as it’ll be very disappointing if they aren’t in the cards.

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Microsoft has announced the upcoming release of several devices which it claims will revolutionize business productivity utilizing advanced AI technology.

Among the new offerings are the Surface Pro 10 with 5G, Surface Pro 11th Edition, Surface Laptop 7th Edition, and the Surface Keyboard.

Microsoft says these business laptops are built to empower users with enhanced performance, seamless connectivity, and innovative AI-driven features.

Enhanced business performance

The Surface Pro 10 with 5G is a productivity-focused device targeting business users, powered by the latest Intel Ultra Core processors. Its design emphasizes portability and flexibility, featuring a detachable keyboard that allows users to switch between laptop and tablet modes, making it particularly attractive for professionals on the go.

Microsoft has partnered with T-Mobile to make the transition to 5G more cost-effective for U.S. business customers. Qualifying businesses can receive a subsidy credit of up to $400 on Surface Pro 10 with 5G devices through the T-Mobile Partner Plus program.

In addition to 5G connectivity, there's also support for Wi-Fi 6, and two Thunderbolt 4 ports for fast data transfer and versatile peripheral connectivity. The display is designed with an anti-reflective coating, enhancing visibility in various lighting conditions, making it ideal for both work and entertainment.

In terms of usability, the device boasts an all-day battery life, allowing users to remain productive without frequent recharging. It will also include the Surface Pro Flex Keyboard, which features backlit keys and a large haptic touchpad. The device is set to be available on September 26, with the price yet to be announced.

Microsoft also announced the Surface Pro, 11th Edition, bringing AI-enhanced capabilities such as Windows Studio Effects, automatic framing, and enhanced voice focus, which boost user experience, particularly in video conferencing and content creation.

The new laptops are powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus processors, which aim to deliver 20% more AI processing power and battery life is up to 14 hours on a single charge, making them a decent choice for teams that require robust performance and long battery life.

Security is also a priority, with an integrated NFC reader allowing for passwordless authentication with devices like the YubiKey 5C, ensuring that sensitive data always remains protected. The Surface Slim Pen further enhances the device’s versatility, enabling precise notetaking, sketching, and annotation.

The availability of Wi-Fi models is scheduled for September 10, while 5G models will be released on September 26. Pricing details are yet to be announced.

The Surface Laptop, 7th Edition is the latest iteration of the Surface Laptop series and is designed to boost team productivity with major upgrades in display quality, connectivity, and user experience.

The new Surface Laptop is available in two sizes, 13.8 inches, and 15 inches, featuring ultra-thin bezels and brighter screens for an enhanced viewing experience. Both models are equipped with advanced connectivity options, including Wi-Fi 7 and multiple ports, ensuring integration with various devices and networks. The laptops promise impressive battery life, with the 15-inch model lasting up to 22 hours, making them suitable for extended use without frequent charging.

The Surface Laptop’s Full HD Surface Studio Camera, paired with AI-powered Windows Studio Effects, should mean users look their best during video calls, with features like Automatic Framing, Portrait Blur, and Eye Contact.

It also sports Omnisonic Speakers and AI-enhanced Studio Mics with Voice Focus to further enhance the audio experience, making it easier for teams to collaborate and communicate effectively. This model is set to be available on September 10, with pricing details also yet to be announced.

Recognizing many business users prefer a larger keyboard for desk-based work, Microsoft is introducing a new Surface Keyboard, a full-sized offering designed to complement Surface PCs and offers enhanced functionality for those who spend significant time working at a desk.

The new keyboard features an expanded keyset, including the dedicated Copilot key, which provides instant access to AI functionalities, allowing users to integrate AI into their workflow, and replaces the traditional menu key.

Compatibility is a key focus, as this keyboard is designed to complement Microsoft’s Surface Pro and Surface Laptop devices. The keyboard will be available starting October 3, with pricing details yet to be announced.

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Microsoft Surface Pro 11: Three-minute review

OK, so it's time for me to eat some crow.

Last year around this time, I scoffed at the idea of Microsoft making its own Arm chip to power its Surface lineup, and I was, frankly, pretty savage in my opinion of Windows-on-Arm based on the limited number of examples that'd actually made it to market (all of which were pretty much garbage).

If I had less integrity, I could say that 'what I was really talking about was Microsoft designing its own chips and having them fabbed by TSMC the way Apple does with its M-series chips, not partnering with Qualcomm for the new Microsoft Surface Pro 11!'

But that wouldn't be honest. The new Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite SoC in the Surface Pro 11 was co-developed by Microsoft specifically to run a new generation of Copilot+ AI PCs, with its Surface Pro and Surface Laptop leading the way. Functionally, yes, it's different than what Apple is doing, but substantively, it's not, and what Microsoft is doing is better than what Apple is doing, and the Surface Pro 11 is as good an example of that as any of this new generation of laptops now hitting the scene.

Before I go into why I think this might be the best laptop released this year, I will front-load my criticisms of the device, since I don't want them to get lost amid the praise, of which there will be a lot in this review.

First, this isn't a tablet. It's a full-featured Windows 11 OS, so making a keyboard an optional, extra purchase starting at $139.99 / £129.99 / AU$239.95 is ludicrous, and making the Surface Pro Flex Keyboard with Slim Pen (included in this review) an additional $449.98 / £439 / AU$499.95 purchase absolutely takes away from the appeal of this device. This is somewhat mitigated by a starting price of $999.99 /£1,049.99 / AU$1,899.99, so even with the additional keyboard expense, it's going to be cheaper than many of the best 2-in-1 laptops out there, but having to pay extra for a keyboard for a laptop PC will never sit right with me.

Second, Microsoft PRISM does an admirable job as an emulation layer, letting you run a lot of Windows x86 apps on the Snapdragon X Elite without any real (or at least noticeable) performance degradation, but there are still some apps that won't run at all, at least not yet. It also goes without saying that any app running through emulation is going to run slower than an app programmed specifically for Arm architecture like that in the Snapdragon X Elite.

Finally, the much-touted AI features of Copilot+ laptops are still very limited. Recall has been held back for a few months (which is fine, honestly), and Studio Effects and Cocreator work well but can feel gimmicky at times. If you buy this laptop hoping to see the future of AI PCs right now, you're going to be disappointed. Real AI-powered apps are coming soon, but they aren't here yet.

With that out of the way, and with all that still top of mind, the Microsoft Surface Pro 11 is my favorite laptop of the year, and I don't see any on the horizon that will dislodge it. I've reviewed dozens of laptops over my last four-plus years writing for TechRadar, and the Surface Pro 11 is the device I'll want to take with me when I have to travel for work, or when I want to work somewhere outside the home or office.

From its incredible design, gorgeous display, and all-day-plus battery life, the Microsoft Surface Pro 11 is more than a match for the iPad Pro, and thanks to its full Windows 11 OS, it can do more than an iPad Pro could ever dream of doing in terms of features and functionality.

Its performance might lag behind the latest iPad Pro with Apple M4 overall, but it is still very competitive nonetheless. That said, the Surface Pro 11 was able to actually run all of my standard benchmark tests, something a MacBook can't do (an iPad even less so), and there weren't any standout weaknesses when it comes to most users.

And even though the Surface Pro 11's gaming performance is pretty laughable overall, it's not like the MacBook Air is a gaming laptop either (no matter how much Apple wants you to believe it is), and the Surface Pro 11's gaming chops are about the same as the best ultrabooks out there.

Where the Surface Pro 11 really shines, however, is its design and battery life. Easily the best-looking detachable laptop on the market, it also sports up to a 2.8K OLED display with far better color accuracy than an iPad Pro according to our tests, a 1440p webcam along the edge of the display for better framing when in landscape mode, and a lightweight but solid build that feels like the investment it is.

In terms of battery life, I'll get into more detail in a bit, but this device lives up to Microsoft's 14-four battery life claim, even edging closer to 15 hours in my local video playback tests. This is a hell of an accomplishment for an OLED laptop and underscores just how good Arm architecture is for power efficiency.

All in all, then, the Microsoft Surface Pro 11 does exactly what it has to do, does it well, and even pushes past what most users are going to expect from even the best Windows laptop of the past few years. It's not perfect, but as more developers release Arm versions of their apps and more AI apps and features roll out, this is a phenomenal laptop that will only get better over the next year and beyond.

Microsoft Surface Pro 11: Price and availability

• How much does it cost? Starting at $999.99 /£1,049.99 / AU$1,899.99
• When is it available? The Microsoft Surface Pro 11 is available now
• Where can you get it? You can get it in the US, UK, and Australia

The Microsoft Surface Pro 11 is available now in the US, UK, and Australia, starting at $999.99 /£1,049.99 / AU$1,899.99.

For this price, you get a 10-core Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus chip, a 2.8K LCD display, 16GB RAM, and 256GB SSD. You can upgrade to an OLED display with a 12-core Snapdragon X Elite chip, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD starting at $1,499.99 / £1,549 / AU$2,699. With the LCD model, you only have the option to increase storage capacity, as all configurations come with 16GB RAM. 

The top-level configuration, with a Snapdragon X Elite, OLED display, 32GB RAM, and 1TB SSD, will cost you $2,099.99 / £2,149.99 / AU$3,599. As mentioned before, all of this is before spending additional money for one of several compatible keyboards. Only Wi-Fi models are available at this time, but 5G-enabled models are due out later this year.

Compared to the iPad Pro 13-inch, the Surface Pro 11 generally comes in, though the iPad Pro is going to have a better display to start. On the flip side, it starts with much less memory and you do get a fully functional Windows 11 operating system, not a beefed-up mobile OS like you get with the iPad.

• Value: 4 / 5

Microsoft Surface Pro 11: Specs

Microsoft Surface Pro 11: Design

• Gorgeous display
• Surface Pro Flex keyboard is fantastic
• Get it in Sapphire Blue, trust me

The Microsoft Surface Pro 11 is not all that different from the Surface Pro devices that came before it, but this one hits different thanks to the gorgeous Sapphire Blue colorway and lovely OLED panel in my review unit.

Featuring a 2880x1920p resolution, a dynamic refresh rate of 120Hz, and a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1, the display is as good or better than just about any other you'll find on the market at this price. The Surface Pro 11's display also features far better color gamut coverage in our testing than the iPad Pro released earlier this year, with the Surface Pro 11's OLED panel capturing 162.7% of the sRGB and 115.2% of the DCI-P3 color gamuts, making this a fantastic 2-in-1 for creatives.

The HDR brightness on the Surface Pro 11's OLED panel is also much brighter than the iPad Pro's, with the Surface Pro 11 peaking at 878 nits while the iPad Pro was only able to get to 498 nits brightness. Meanwhile, the SDR brightness of the Surface Pro 11's OLED panel averaged about 564 nits to the iPad Pro's 476 nits.

Flipping the Surface Pro 11 over, you'll find the characteristic kickstand that Surface Pro devices are known for, and it opens easily enough but stays firm however you set it. It also has a fairly wide range, with its widest open position letting you pretty comfortably take written notes or do design work on a slightly angled surface.

The review unit I received came with a Surface Pro Flex keyboard and Slim Pen, both of which performed very well during my time with the Surface Pro 11. The keyboard is among the most comfortable I've ever typed on, and the Slim Pen, while nothing special as far as a 4,096-point stylus goes (and certainly not up to the level of a professional artist's digital tablet and pen), works pretty well with the Surface for note taking, photo editing, and illustrating work.

The keyboard easily attaches to the pins along the edge of the Surface Pro 11 and they don't detach easily, letting you carry it around without worrying that you're going to drop the keyboard.

The Flex keyboard also lets you detach it and roll the connector flap underneath the top edge of the keyboard, giving you a better typing angle. Also along the top of the keyboard is the magnetized slot for the Slim Pen. If there's a knock I have on the design, it might be that this magnet is too strong, forcing you to sometimes have to really dig in to get the pen. Considering how well Microsoft incorporates accessibility into its products, this was a surprising slip on its part, but it's not deal-breaking by any means.

You only get two Thunderbolt 4 ports, but for a tablet-like device, that's not bad at all. Being Thunderbolt 4, the ports feature charging, data transfer, and DisplayPort 1.4a video output.

The webcam is positioned along the landscape edge of the Surface Pro 11, rather than at the 'top' of the tablet like with the iPad Pro. This makes video calls much less awkward, and the 1440p webcam sends out a crisp, clear image at 30 fps. The webcam also integrates into Windows Hello for better security on the device.

The speakers are fine for a tablet-like device, but they won't wow you. If you want proper sound, you'll need to look into getting a headset to pair with the Surface Pro 11, as there is no headphone/microphone jack.

I won't speak about the other colorways, because I honestly don't want to. The only color you should consider for the Surface Pro 11 is Sapphire, which is an eye-catching powder/sky blue. It's simply much nicer aesthetically than Dune, Platinum, or Black. If you do, you'll have easily one of the prettiest laptops going, and you might even get some jealous looks from Apple diehards.

• Design: 5 / 5

Microsoft Surface Pro 11: Performance

• Great overall performance
• Prism Emulation is pretty decent
• Lags Intel, AMD, and Apple laptops

Windows-on-Arm has come a long way in the four or so years since Microsoft began rebuilding its x86-defining OS for a whole new architecture.

I won't bore you with the finer details of chip-level instruction sets and all that, but it's important to know a few things before you buy a Microsoft Surface Pro 11. 

Once you've built an operating system on the foundation of a certain defined table of machine-language operations that make it all work, switching out that table of operations for a different, albeit similar, set of operations is a lot like immersive language learning. 

Think about it like this: if all you've ever known your whole life is English or Spanish, landing in Beijing and trying to learn Chinese from scratch isn't an impossible task, but it is going to be much, much harder than if you'd grown up speaking it.

Microsoft has struggled for years with even some of the basics of speaking Arm, having spent four-plus decades speaking x86, and Windows-on-Arm historically struggled in that intermediate range where the OS would work, but nothing else installed on the OS would (assuming it would even install). Microsoft still isn't fully fluent in Arm, so to speak, so Windows 11 on the Surface Pro 11 still suffers the occasional app incompatibility here or there, but it is lightyears ahead of where it was in 2020, and that's largely thanks to Prism emulation.

Built into Windows 11 on the Surface Pro 11 is a software layer that acts as a translator for apps that can't work on Arm hardware, taking an app's code and converting its x86 instructions into Arm instructions. Apple's Rosetta works the same way, but just like relying on a translator in a foreign country is going to slow down the pace of conversations, translating an x86 app into Arm takes time that does impact the app's performance.

And this is where the Microsoft Surface Pro 11 really surprised me. I was genuinely surprised at how well apps ran, even in emulation. They were nowhere near as fast as native apps, but they were more than fast enough that 95% of users wouldn't even notice a difference.

Still, there are differences, and they show up pretty clearly in benchmarks.

On the plus side, the Snapdragon X Elite's multicore performance in Geekbench 6.3 was toe-to-toe with the Apple M4 in the iPad Pro, so there is a lot of room for Windows-on-Arm to grow, rather than be held back by slower Arm-based chips as it had been in the past.

But in benchmarks like CrossMark Productivity, the Surface Pro 11 lagged behind the iPad Pro considerably, scoring only 1,327 to the iPad Pro's 1,771.

In terms of creative performance, in my PugetBench for Creators Photoshop benchmark tests, the Surface Pro 11 scored 5,600 compared to the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch with M3's 8,583 in the same test. Pretty much across the board, it was the same wherever the Surface Pro 11 has to rely on Prism Emulation to run a benchmark, which puts the Surface Pro 11 at a disadvantage right out the gate.

These differences are very real, and if you need high performance for your work, then there are going to be few cases right now where the Microsoft Surface Pro 11 is going to outperform an Intel, AMD, or Apple silicon-powered laptop. You'll almost certainly be better off with one of those laptops than the new Surface Pro 11.

But performance isn't strictly a numbers game. More often than not, it's more vibes than anything, and most people need good to great performance and responsiveness and the ability to use the apps they want without any or as little fuss as possible. I spend my days testing the best computer hardware for the consumer market on the planet, and for non-gaming, non-intensive creative work, I found the Surface Pro 11's real-world performance to be a match for any of the dozens of ultrabooks I've tested in the past two years.

• Performance: 3.5 / 5

Microsoft Surface Pro 11: AI features

While not an official scoring category here at TechRadar (at least not yet), it's worth breaking out the Surface Pro 11's AI features into its own discussion apart from general performance.

AI PCs are very much in their infancy, with the first consumer laptops with NPUs only shipping in early 2024. Most developers don't even have developer kits with NPUs in them yet, so the number of AI features you're going to find in an AI laptop right now is pretty small.

The Surface Pro 11 does have some nifty features though, which show the potential of NPUs for consumers. If you've used Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet, you've probably done a video call where you could blur your background or even swap it out for something kitschy or fun.

Studio Effects does something similar on-device, even allowing you to bring these changes into online calls so your video data isn't being processed in the cloud (at least not the blurring stuff. The video encode/decode is still being processed online). The list of available features in Studio Effects will likely expand as it moves from its current 'preview' state to a more mature production feature, so this is probably just a glimpse at what will be possible with Studio Effects over the next year or two.

Another interesting feature is Cocreator, which lets you sketch an idea out in Microsoft Paint and Cocreator will generate a more detailed/refined image based on a text prompt and some other parameters. You can even click on the generated image and move it to the canvas, where you can refine your idea further. 

Of the three AI 'launch' features for the Surface Pro 11 (the other being Recall, which isn't available as of yet), Cocreator is the most interesting. The images aren't necessarily great, and don't get me started on generative AI, copyright, and its theft from countless artists both alive and dead, but Cocreator is something I can actually see people using, if only for themselves.

The quality of the images being produced isn't nearly good enough to pass as actual art (the 45 TOPS NPU doesn't have nearly the processing power to do proper generative AI as we see from Midjourney and other gen AI tools that work in the cloud), and they're even too rudimentary for clip art or slideshow backgrounds.

Still, as an inspirational tool for the actual creative process (not just visual, but for writers and others as well), this could be something people might find helpful. It's not the kind of feature that's worth upgrading your laptop over just to get it, but it does point to where the future of the AI PC is likely to go in the next 2-3 years.

For now, that's really the only AI the Surface Pro 11 is offering as discrete features, but it's early yet. With the release of Microsoft Copilot+ Runtime, developers have a whole host of new tools to leverage the NPU to carry out AI workloads, so it's only a matter of time before AI apps hit the scene in force, and when they do, the Surface Pro 11 will be ready to run them.

Microsoft Surface Pro 11: Battery life

• Nearly 15 hours of local video playback
• Takes about an hour to charge to full

The keystone feature of the new Microsoft Surface Pro 11 isn't its performance, AI tools, or even its appealing design. What really sets the Surface Pro 11 apart from many Windows laptops is its battery life, which is robust enough to challenge even the best MacBooks for longevity.

In our web surfing test, the Surface Pro 11 managed a very impressive 12 hours and 10 minutes of battery life. Even more impressive was our local video playback test. With the display set to full brightness, energy saving turned off, and volume at 50%, the Surface Pro 11 squeezed out 14 hours and 33 minutes of battery life.

Considering that this is an OLED laptop, getting more than half a day's worth of use is something we really haven't seen. The iPad Pro with M4, for instance, got 14 hours and 50 minutes of battery life in our testing, and the MacBook Air 13-inch with M3 managed 15 hours and 13 minutes in our web surfing test. With some settings tweaks, there's no question that the Surface Pro 11 can go well beyond the 12-15 hours it got in our tests and stretch well into the 18-20 hour range, if not even longer.

The 47WHr battery charges fairly quickly with the included charger, but fast charging is available with a 65W or higher power cable, either through the Surface charging port or through USB.

• Battery Life: 5 / 5

Should you buy the Microsoft Surface Pro 11?

Buy the Microsoft Surface Pro 11 if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

How I tested the Microsoft Surface Pro 11

• I spent about a week with the Surface Pro 11
• I used it for everyday productivity and content creation work
• I ran our standard suite of Windows laptop benchmarks

I spent about a week with the Microsoft Surface Pro 11, using it mostly for everyday work, futzing about online, streaming movies, and the like.

I also ran TechRadar's standard suite of Windows laptop benchmarks on the device after installing the tools as normal and with no special flags or settings used besides the tool defaults.

I've been reviewing laptops and computer hardware for TechRadar for more than four years, and have personally reviewed many dozens of laptops in just two years alone. I know what to expect from a laptop in this class and how a laptop's performance ought to match up to its price based on its competition.

We pride ourselves on our independence and our rigorous review-testing process, offering up long-term attention to the products we review and making sure our reviews are updated and maintained - regardless of when a device was released, if you can still buy it, it's on our radar.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed June 2024

Microsoft’s Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 7 Copilot+ PCs are finally launching, and, as it turns out, they are some of the most repairable laptops on the market.

According to a new breakdown of the laptops thanks to iFixit, they praised how easily technicians can service them. Shahram Mokhtari from the official YouTube channel walks through the process of detaching each component, including the motherboard, to demonstrate how straightforward it is to remove and repair them.

Under the case of each device are several labels and QR codes that feature a wrench symbol above them. Microsoft calls the labels ‘Wayfinder Markings,’ and they inform you how what kind of screws you need and how many of them to secure components in that area. Meanwhile, the QR codes bring you to Microsoft’s official service guides page for easy instructions.

The ease of parts removal has been greatly improved, which is especially a boon for laptops. For instance, batteries in the Surface Laptop can now be removed by simply removing the bottom feet and back cover, compared to older models that required nearly every other component to be taken out first. This was especially egregious when the battery was the only serviceable part of the laptop. SSD cards are also simple to take out. Unfortunately, memory is soldered to the motherboard, making it difficult for the average user to detach and replace.

The Surface Pro is just as easy to work on, with the SSD replaceable without disassembly, and removing the display is much simpler than other tablets. However, due to the adhesive securing the screen, replacing other components like the battery can be a bit more challenging.

The Surface Pro and Surface Laptop each receive a repairability score of 8 out of 10, a massive improvement compared to Microsoft’s disastrous scoring back in 2017, when iFixit gave the original Surface Laptop a zero out of ten score for repairability. It seems that after that, Microsoft was determined to turn over a new leaf, even partnering with iFixit in 2021 to start selling Surface repair tools.

Meanwhile, MacBooks and Chromebooks are among the worst laptops for repairability, according to a report called Failing the Fix, which was compiled by the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), a consumer advocacy organization in the U.S. Sounds like Apple and Google should be taking a page from Microsoft’s book and overhaul their own PCs to be far more user friendly. 

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Microsoft has just announced a slate of new laptops under the Copilot+ PC moniker, and they’re paired with an Arm-based Snapdragon chip that boosts the laptops’ performance and efficiency. However, given that these chips do not use an Intel or AMD architecture, you might be wondering how compatible they are with all the best Windows games and apps.

Microsoft has said these PCs have vastly improved compatibility over their predecessors, but what if you want to check a specific game? Fortunately, a new website has launched that lets you see just that.

Called Works on Windows on Arm, the website lets you search for a game and see whether it runs on the new laptops. Each title is given a compatibility grade (‘unplayable,' ‘runs,’ ‘playable,’ or ‘perfect’) and the site lists the frame rates you can expect, what drivers the game uses, and more. 

It should be a helpful resource if you’re considering buying a new Copilot+ PC but aren’t sure if you’ll be able to bring your favorite games along for the ride. Though, we'll call out that Works on Windows on Arm "does not absolutely guarantee that a game will run. The results have been tested, but may not work on your specific machine and configuration." They'd like you to contribute your findings if you get a different result. 

Automatic Super Resolution

The website also notes whether a game supports Microsoft’s Automatic Super Resolution (Auto SR) feature, which works a little bit like Nvidia’s DLSS. Auto SR lowers a game’s rendering resolution and then uses artificial intelligence (AI) to scale its graphics back up. The result is smoother gameplay that is less taxing on your system and enables lower-spec PCs to play games at decent frame rates.

At its recent Surface and Copilot event, Microsoft said that most games should work on its new Arm-powered laptops since there is an emulator built-in that automatically works to translate the apps to work on the new architecture. Microsoft claims it’s as good as Apple’s Rosetta 2 translation layer.

At the time of writing, there were 1,481 games in Works on Windows on Arm’s database, which means there’s a decent chance you’ll be able to check your favorite titles on the website. That’s great news if you’re thinking of making the switch to a new Copilot+ PC.  

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May has been a good month for fans of OLED displays. With Apple’s new iPad Pro and Microsoft’s upgraded Surface Pro being unveiled at almost the same time, there’s now plenty of choice when it comes to high-end tablets that boast top-notch screen tech.

Yet a recent comparison from display industry expert Ross Young shows some massive discrepancies between the two devices that you might not have been aware of if you’d just stuck to the two companies’ marketing materials. It follows a previous claim from Young that the iPad Pro would come with several industry firsts, and when you look a little closer, it becomes clear that the iPad Pro’s display is leaps ahead of the Surface Pro’s, on paper.

What’s immediately obvious is the benefit brought by the iPad Pro’s tandem OLED display. The Surface Pro uses a regular OLED panel, which means it tops out at 900 nits of peak brightness and 600 nits of full screen brightness. The iPad Pro, meanwhile, hits 1,600 nits and 1,000 nits in those two categories, respectively. That’s a huge disparity and one undoubtedly facilitated by the iPad’s more advanced tandem OLED technology.

The differences don’t end there. The iPad Pro has a wider refresh rate range (10Hz to 120Hz compared to the Surface Pro’s 60Hz to 120Hz), offers stronger login protection in the form of Face ID versus a fingerprint reader, is significantly thinner and lighter, and offers a chip with a more efficient and advanced 3nm manufacturing process. 

Despite all of that, it still comes in cheaper, starting at $1,299 / £1,299 / $2,199 compared to the $1,499 (around £1,180 / AU$2,250) Microsoft charges for the OLED version of the Surface Pro.

Which is better?

Of course, not everything is quantifiable by tech specs, and much comes down to how a device feels to hold and use. 

The Surface Pro is a 2-in-1 computer that can be used as either a tablet or a laptop, while the Apple requires you to shell out an extra $299 if you want its keyboard for the iPad Pro. That alone might make Microsoft’s device more attractive to you.

The Surface Pro also pulls ahead in a couple of important ways. For instance, it starts with more storage (512GB versus 256GB), supports Wi-Fi 7 instead of Wi-Fi 6E, offers more CPU cores and potentially more GPU cores (although the latter is uncertain right now), starts with more memory and offers a higher memory limit.

Yet it’s hard to avoid the fact that the iPad Pro is most likely the better choice if the display is your most important consideration. While there’s a lot to like about the Surface Pro, Apple has the display crown for the time being.

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Microsoft recently held its 'AI Era' live event which saw a new line of laptops featuring the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus chips, and offerings from its laptop manufacturing partners. 

All the machines detailed below meet the minimum requirements for Windows Copilot+, the AI-powered assistant that Microsoft is pushing hard. Multiple manufacturers, including not only Microsoft but also Dell, and HP, are going all in with AI and choosing the Arm-based Qualcomm Snapdragon X line over x86 architecture. 

Below, we're going in-depth with an overview of what's been announced and what's expected after the Microsoft event. The best laptops are changing right before our eyes and it's one of the most exciting shake-ups of the established formula from what we've seen over the past handful of years. Let's get into it. 

New Microsoft Surface Laptop and Surface Pro in detail

The manufacturer has unveiled brand-new revisions for the Microsoft Surface Laptop and Microsoft Surface Pro, starting with the new Microsoft Surface lineup. Both new devices will be utilizing the Qualcomm Snapdragon X processors, which is in direct contrast to the current generation Surface Pro 10 running Intel Meteor Lake.

It's an interesting move considering that said Surface Pro 10 was only released a handful of months ago running Intel Core Ultra 100 hardware. The same can be said of the Surface Laptop 6, which has only been on the radar for a handful of months. It looks like Microsoft is ditching the numbered naming convention for these new models, perhaps to emphasize their newfound AI capabilities.

What's particularly exciting about both new products is the quoted battery life and alleged performance improvements when switching to Arm from older Intel x86 chips. According to Microsoft, the new Surface Laptop features up to 22 hours of video playback with 15 hours of web browsing. It's claimed to be twice as fast as Apple's MacBook M3.

The new Surface Laptop will be available with configurations up to 64GB of RAM and 1TB SSD which is no slouch, however, the display is most exciting. That's because both the 13.5-inch and 15-inch models will feature a 120Hz HDR touchscreen. Connectivity also sees a boost with 2x USB-C ports, a 3.5mm jack, and a MicroSD card reader. New Colorways include silver, black, blue, and bronze.

Similar can be said of the new Surface Pro device. It's reportedly 90% faster than the Surface Pro 9 from 2022 with a vastly overhauled camera system. That's because it features a QHD portrait camera and a 4K rear shooter. Additionally, there's also up to 32GB RAM and a 1TB SSD with a 120Hz display as standard, and an OLED model available, too.

Dell unveils new Snapdragon X laptops

Dell has announced a new revision of the XPS line which is ready for the AI computing revolution. The new laptop will be powered by the new Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor which is a massive departure from the current Dell XPS hardware running Intel Core Ultra (Meteor Lake) CPUs. 

Traditionally, Dell has only ever utilized Intel silicon with its machines, which can be considered among the best ultrabooks on the market. The new XPS 13 will feature a refined aluminum chassis with up to 13.4 inch OLED 3K touchscreen display. Colorways include Platinum and Graphite, which appear to be quite slick. 

As well as the advent of the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite SoC, the new Dell XPS 13 will feature up to 64GB RAM, up to 4TB Gen 4 NVMe SSD, and a 1080p webcam. If the price is right then this machine could rival a similarly specced-out Apple MacBook while running Arm-based Windows with its advanced AI functionality. 

However, that's not the only new laptop that Dell unveiled. That's because there's also there's also new Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus-powered Dell Inspiron 14 and 14 Plus models coming, too. Unlike the XPS 13, these new revisions are more to serve the mid-range market with the Plus chip instead of the Elite SoC found in the flagship. 

With that said, the Snapdragon X Plus is no slouch of an SoC as it's running the same custom Hexagon NPU with the same Adreno integrated graphics for a similar level of performance overall. As with other AI-first laptops, the new Dell Inspiron 14 and 14 Plus feature a dedicated Copilot button on the keyboard. 

Acer also goes all-in on AI

Acer is also jumping on the AI computing train with its new line of Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite and Plus processors. Several versions of the aptly named Acer Swift 14 AI will be available, all of which are geared up to use Copilot's suite of features like Recall and Windows Studio Effects. 

The new Acer Swift 14 AI features a 14.5-inch WQXGA (2560x1600) 120Hz display with up to 32GB LPDDR5X RAM with up to 1TB SSD, and an impressive 100% sRGB color gamut. Connectivity also sees a boost as well with Wi-Fi 7 as standard alongside Bluetooth 5.4, and ports include 2x USB-C, 2x USB 3.2, HDMI 1.4, and a 3.5mm jack. 

In terms of pricing, the first Acer Swift 14 AI will retail for $1,099 (around £865 / AU$1,645) in July in the US, however, no availability in other regions or pricing has been confirmed as of yet. It's an exciting development for Acer as it moves into AI computing and its price tag seems consistent with the other entry-level models mentioned above. 

For more events as it happened, you can check out our Microsoft Surface AI event live blog which goes over all the details. We'll be bringing you updates on these announced devices as they roll out over the next handful of months. 

Samsung launches the GalaxyBook4 Edge for AI

Samsung has also confidently announced its new GalaxyBook4 Edge AI laptop which is "powered by GalaxyAI" and Microsoft Copilot in tandem. It's also running the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor featuring the Hexagon NPU running at 45 TOPs. Pre-orders are available now in the US and the UK and shipping on June 18. 

The Samsung GalaxyBook4 Edge will be available in two sizes, either 14-inch or 16-core, all of which feature the Snapdragon X Elite 12-core CPU. The starting price is $1,349 for the base model and up to $1,749 for the top-end version. Interestingly, the 14-inch is actually heavier at 3.4 lbs compared to the 2.6 lbs of the 16-inch version.

According to the press release, Samsung claims its new GalaxyBook4 Edge features up to 22 hours of battery life with "super-fast charging" for all-day usage. The display appears to be a sweeping improvement over its predecessors with a "dynamic 2X AMOLED" display sporting a 120Hz refresh rate for smooth operation. 

Security and business usage appear to be another arm of the GalaxyBook4 Edge as well. The new laptop is backed by Samsung Knox (after Fort Knox) which is said to detect real-time threats and protect against any potential vulnerabilities. Said functionality reportedly makes it ideal for AI-powered business use for local and cloud computing. 

The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x AI laptop arrives 

Lenovo is the latest manufacturer to bet all its chips on the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chipset with its newly revealed Yoga Slim 7x. This machine weighs in at just 2.82lbs and is only 0.5 inches thick. The machine features quite a staggering display as well with a 14.5-inch, 16:10 3K OLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate. 

It's nice and bright as well with a peak brightness of 1,000 nits and benefits from a 100% sRGB color gamut coverage. There's a starting price of $1,199 (around £950 / AU$1,795) with availability expected in June. The Yoga Slim 7x appears to be geared towards video conferencing with a 1080p webcam armed with four microphones and a quad-speaker setup. If you're frequently in meetings, this one shows promise. 

HP backs the Snapdragon X Elite chip for business too

While many of the computers covered above have focused on consumer use, HP has shown how the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chip can be utilized for business. Enter the EliteBook Ultra G1q which positions itself as a premium option for professionals and it looks the part. 

The EliteBook Ultra G1q weighs in at just 2.9lbs with a 2.2K 14-inch display. There's also Wi-Fi 7 connectivity included and a sizable 59WHr battery with quickcharging functionality, able to juice up to 50% in only 30 minutes through the included AC adapter. It's also claimed that this ultrabook features a 26 hour battery life, which is very impressive if it's accurate. 

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Microsoft has unveiled new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop devices that it says can directly compete with – and outperform – Apple’s MacBook Air. Yet while their performance is truly impressive, there’s a notable caveat that suggests the MacBook Air comparison isn’t quite on the money.

Yesterday, Microsoft put on a special show for its new laptops, which come equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chips based on the Arm architecture. This is the same architecture that Apple’s latest M3 chips are built on, and it is known for its ability to combine blistering performance with ice-cold efficiency.

In tests seen by The Verge, Microsoft’s laptops – dubbed Copilot+ PCs – beat the M3 MacBook Air in a series of benchmarking trials measuring chip performance. In terms of battery life, too, Microsoft apparently came out on top, managing just under 17 hours in a web browsing test and over 20 hours of video playback. 

Microsoft tested the MacBook Air in these areas too, and it clocked in at 15 hours and 25 minutes in the first and 17 hours and 45 minutes in the second, putting Microsoft’s device comfortably ahead.

The Arm advantage

So, is this the end of the MacBook Air’s reign? Well, not quite. As pointed out by Ars Technica, Microsoft says its new laptops come with fans, which the MacBook Air does not. 

That means Microsoft has a distinct advantage in terms of cooling, which will always help a chip eke out extra performance. The MacBook Air can achieve its remarkable performance while remaining completely silent, and while the Surface’s performance is undoubtedly incredibly impressive, equipping it with a set of fans means it’s always likely to pull ahead of Apple’s fanless laptops.

Perhaps a more apt comparison is with the Intel-based Microsoft Surface laptops that came before the latest Snapdragon X Elite models. The Verge notes that 2022’s Intel-based Surface Laptop 5 offered eight hours and 38 minutes in a web browsing battery test – just half of what the latest Surface can now offer.

If you’ve got an Intel-based Surface laptop now and are thinking of upgrading to the Snapdragon model, you will likely notice a sizable improvement in performance and battery life. Microsoft also says it has radically stepped up app compatibility for its Arm-based chips, with a new emulator called Prism that Microsoft claims is as good as Apple’s Rosetta 2 at running non-native apps.

The new Surface Laptop starts at $1,000 / AU$1,899 for a 13-inch model with Snapdragon X Plus chip, 16GB of memory, 256GB of storage and an IPS LCD display. The Surface Pro, meanwhile, starts at $1,049 / AU$1,899 for an LCD screen or $1,549 / AU$2,699 for an OLED display. Its base model offers 16GB of memory and either 256GB or 512GB of storage, depending on which display option is chosen.

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Microsoft just announced its new lineup of Surface devices on Monday at a special 'AI Era' press event at its Washington state headquarters. The new devices will come with Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X chips, potentially making them a very compelling competitor to the latest Apple MacBooks and iPads.

We've seen two new devices so far, the Surface Laptop and Surface Pro. That's right - no numbers appended to the end of these two as part of Microsoft's rebranding push under its 'AI Era' of AI-powered Surface products.

The new Surface Laptop sports impressive battery life thanks to the new Snapdragon X Elite processor, with up to 22 hours of local video playback and 15 hours of web browsing. Microsoft was also keen to show off Adobe Photoshop (and other Creative Cloud apps) running natively on the Arm-based processor at twice the speed of Apple's competing M3 MacBook Air, along with new Prism emulation to bridge the gap between Windows on Arm and existing x64 and x86 software.

It'll have up to 64GB of RAM and up to 1TB of SSD storage paired with a 120Hz HDR touch display in either 13.8- or 15-inch sizes. USB-A is alive and well here, too, joined by two USB-C ports, a headphone jack, and a Micro SD card reader. It's available in four colorways: silver, black, blue, and bronze.

Meanwhile, the definitely-not-the-Surface-Pro-11 is reportedly a massive 90% faster than the 2022 Surface Pro 9 5G thanks to its new Snapdragon chip. It offers an impressive QHD front-facing camera and a rear camera that can capture 4K video. Microsoft was keen to tout the new accessibility-focused design features baked into the keyboard and trackpad, too.

It'll pack up to 32GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage with a 120Hz display with Dolby Vision IQ. There is an OLED screen option, but it will cost you more. It comes with Microsoft's AI-powered Cocreator tool, and there's also a new Surface Slim Pen that can be garaged in the new 'Surface Pro Flex Keyboard' type cover as well as triple external monitor support via USB-C. All of this could make this the perfect device for digital creatives.

Both the new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop will feature Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, with the former having optional 5G functionality. They also feature dual studio mics with AI-enhanced 'voice focus' and Dolby Atmos speaker support.

A new era of Surface

Both devices fall under Microsoft's 'Copilot + PC' umbrella, which mandates a set of minimum requirements for new AI PCs and laptops. Copilot + PC requires 16GB of RAM, at least 256GB SSD storage, and an integrated NPU from either Qualcomm, Intel, or AMD (in this case, the former).

The new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop will both start at $999 / AU$1,899 (UK is yet to be announced) for the entry-level models. That'll get you 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD for both devices.

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The day before the start of Microsoft's annual Build conference, the tech giant is holding a major news conference and TechRadar is on the ground in Washington to bring you the latest news as it breaks.

There's been almost no hint of what is being prepped for announcement, so I'll be hearing the news for the first time myself right along with you, and while the event will not be live-streamed, I'll make sure to keep you posted on everything that Microsoft announces as I hear it.

The big guess ahead of Build has been that Microsoft's heavy focus on AI will lean into the slew of new processors hitting the market from Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm, with the latter's Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus chips giving a lot of people hope that Windows on Arm could finally be getting a real shot in the, well, arm. I couldn't help that one, sorry.

But it's also likely that, since this is a developer conference, we're going to see a lot of chatter about Microsoft Copilot. This might include new tools and features, deeper ChatGPT integration, and more along those lines.

Of course, the real wildcard would be Windows 12, but I highly doubt that we're there yet, but we'll see soon enough.

Here we go, folks! This is John, live from Microsoft's Redmond campus in Washington state, where the venerable tech giant is holding a special event ahead of its annual Microsoft Build conference. We're all expecting some exciting stuff from the event, so stay tuned as I bring you everything I see and hear over the next hour.

We're underway now as Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella takes the stage. I can tell you right now, given the number of Qualcomm folks I've seen around here and how the Copilot logo is plastered all over the campus, it's not really a mystery that this event is going to be heavily weighted towards Microsoft's gargantuan AI ambitions and that Qualcomm's Snapdragon X chips are going to play a pretty big role in Microsoft's Surface device plans.

We're starting with Copilot.

Copilot + PC is the new platform Microsoft is introducing, though we don't know a whole lot yet. This is absolutely about integrating AI into the entire Windows platform, not just a tool slapped like a barnacle on the side of a non-AI operating system. 

Yusuf Medhi is taking the stage to tell us about the new category of PC platform.

We're talking about a new system architecture running at 40+ trillion operations per second, 58% faster than the MacBook Air with M3, according to Mehdi.

Copilot is going to be integrated into Windows 11 Settings, Notifications, and other systems.

OpenAI's ChatGPT-4o is going to be fully integrated into Windows, letting ChatGPT-4o help you navigate Minecraft if you've never played the game, kind of like an interactive walkthrough.

As far as demos go, the ChatGPT-4o walkthrough of how to play Minecraft is pretty impressive. As a lifelong gamer, its the kind of use case that makes sense for real people.

We're onto Recall now, which promises to leverage your use history with on-device AI to allow you to pull data you didn't even know you forgot had been processed on your PC. Carolina Hernandez, the product lead for Recall, is describing how to use the Recall function to search for webpages you once visited using natural language, such as the blue dress that you were looking at as a present for a family member.

We're onto privacy and safety. Recall data will only be used on device, with control over what data is retained on your device, and it will never be used to train Microsoft's AI models.

Windows Recall also incorporates Timeline, which lets you scroll through your device history to find what you're looking for.

The idea of having a 'history' for your PC, much like a web browser, that lets you backtrack through offline work is genuinely innovative. If it's on device and secure, I'm absolutely on board with this kind of AI.

We're now onto Windows Copilot Runtime, an OS-level framework that will allow developers to better utilize the power of an NPU for their apps.

OK, we're now talking about the partnerships between Microsoft, Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm. The video is featuring Gelsinger, Su, and Amon, like an Avengers superteam. I guess Apple is Thanos in this case?

We're now onto native Arm apps, including Microsoft 365 apps completely rebuilt from the ground up for ARM.

OK, Prism emulation for Windows on Arm, effectively bridging the x86/x64/Arm gap.

New Microsoft Surface Laptop and Surface Pro with Copilot and Snapdragon X chips. Up to 22 hours of on device video playback, 15 hours of web browsing battery life.

Adobe Creative Suite will now run native on Copilot + PC devices, which require 16GB of RAM, 256GB SSD storage, and an integrated NPU.

In a live demonstration of Adobe Photoshop running on the new Surface Laptop, it processed multiple images about twice as fast on the Surface Laptop as it was on the Apple MacBook Air with M3. 

OK, so Live Captions will use the NPU to provide live translations of any audio as it plays, with a video demo showing a global team on a Teams call all speaking different languages, but the captions stayed consistent across three different languages, with 40 languages supported to start.

The new Surface Pro is up to 90% faster than the Surface Pro 9.

The Surface Pro features a QHD front facing camera, with a rear camera that can capture 4K video.

The keyboard and touchpad will feature more accessibility-friendly touchpad and keys, again, showing Microsoft's leadership on accessibility tech across their product lines. 

We're now onto generative AI. Cocreator, a text-to-image tool, will take text and brushstroke input collaboratively. It can also let you iterate on your own sketching, which is going to be a powerful tool for artists who are brainstorming designs.

In CapCut, the NPU in the Surface Pro entirely handled the work of removing the background from a minute and a half video clip and replaced it with a new one in very little time at all. 

I've been messing around with NPUs for several weeks now, and they've honestly kind of sucked. I think the most important development here might be Copilot Runtime. This might be the key that unlocks these nueral processors to actually create useful AI apps for everyday use.

All the major manufacturers are getting in on all this, with their major lines.

These new devices will be available for preorder today with deliveries starting June 18, with starting prices from $999.99.

OK, so that is a wrap on the press briefing, but there is a lot to dig into and digest, which will take a couple of minutes, but the bottom line is that Qualcomm's Snapdragon X chips, especially the Snapdragon X Elite, are going to be a massive challenge to Apple's MacBook Air.

There is still the question of compatibility on Arm architecture, but if Prism emulation can match what Rosetta was able to do for Apple Silicon, then that might not really matter much, and given how much all the major players have come together to produce these Snapdragon X Elite laptops, software developers have no choice but to build native Arm apps. 

Incredibly, seemingly against the odds, Microsoft might actually deliver on the promise of Windows on Arm.

The pressure is now going to be on Intel and AMD to live up to the battery life promise of these new Arm chips. 22 hours of local video playback on an Intel or AMD chip is laughable right now, and for laptops, this will give Qualcomm a significant advantage if these chips can at least come within striking distance of Intel and AMD's performance and compatibility.

As for all of the Copilot AI demos I saw, there's only so much I can say without testing any of these myself independently. That said, if these new Copilot + PC devices live up to what I've seen in the live demos, then customers (especially everyday people, not necessarily just tech enthusiasts) will have a real reason to upgrade their laptops to those with an integrated NPU.

All of this, I think, is a function of Copilot Runtime. Programmers who actually make the apps that will leverage an NPU will need base-level system access to the NPU hardware, and just as DirectX powered a revolution in PC game development by giving game developers an easy way to harness the hardware in a computer to generate increasingly realistic graphics, Copilot Runtime might do something very similar for all these new NPUs.

I'm going to have much more to say about all of this over the next few days, but I now have to go run out to check out some live hands-on demos (and maybe a sandwich as well).

As always, friends, be kind to each other.

We’ve all been waiting for new Surface hardware to debut, and as we gear up for Microsoft’s upcoming event in May it seems like Surface fans are in for a serious treat. We know that the Surface Pro 10 will come fitted with a Snapdragon X Plus chip, and now we finally have solid Geekbench specs for the upcoming device. 

According to Windows Report, the Surface Pro 10 will be fitted with the Snapdragon X Plus, a powerful but lower-cost variant of the Snapdragon X Elite. Think Apple's M1 versus the M1 Pro. So, rather than 12 cores like the Elite, the Snapdragon X Plus has 10 cores, and will come with 16GB of RAM. 

Under the Surface

So, why is it exciting news that this new Qualcomm chip is appearing on the Surface Pro 10? As we said earlier, the Snapdragon X Plus may be the laptop chip of Intel and Apple’s nightmares, and the Surface Pro 10 is highly anticipated to debut with better quality, brighter OLED screen, and boosted front-facing webcam (including AI capabilities). If the rumors are true the Surface refresh is expected to bring about huge performance jumps and overall quality-of-life improvements. 

It seems quite clear that Microsoft is focused on delivering AI capabilities to users, and to do so would require not just a powerful processor but appropriate software as well - like Copilot, for example. Right now, most people can already use Microsoft Copilot on their Windows devices and take advantage of a lot of its features. 

However, as Microsoft continues to put out powerful AI-focused computers like the Surface Pro 10, we could see a whole new list of power-user features that take advantage of the Snapdragon X Plus. Qualcomm could be the perfect ally for Microsoft as it forges ahead in the AI race - and we can't wait to see how the new Surface performs.

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One of Microsoft’s top brass who headed up the design team for Surface devices (and Xbox, plus Phones) has departed the company after a lengthy term of service.

Ralf Groene, who was Head of Industrial Design, Microsoft Devices, for the best part of a decade, has been at Microsoft for 17 years in total.

As Windows Central spotted, Groene just announced his retirement on LinkedIn. His new role as a retiree is “helping friends to design things” going by his LinkedIn profile.

While the original Surface hybrid was launched in late 2012, a few years before Groene was given the position heading up the design team, he took the lead with the crafting and realization of a whole load of Surface hardware from 2015 onwards. That included the likes of the Surface Book (which first hit shelves later in 2015, in fact) and the Surface Duo.

The timing is interesting, as it’s been a period of great change at the top for Microsoft in recent times.

Late last year, we witnessed Panos Panay, the driving force behind the creation of the Surface line, depart Microsoft, and more recently, Pavan Davuluri has taken the reins of Windows from Mikhail Parakhin (Davuluri is now VP of Windows + Devices).

Analysis: The state of Surface – and what this could mean for the future

Back at that initial launch in 2012, the Surface line of products represented Microsoft’s attempt to build flagship hardware to fully showcase the abilities of its Windows OS. Now, over a decade since then, what does the Surface range represent exactly?

Clearly over the years the devices on offer have become a good deal more diverse, and there are now a lot of members of the Surface family in addition to that original hybrid.

Even so, of late, things have felt rather stale, certainly with the core offering of the Surface Pro tablet (with detachable keyboard accessory). Recall last year, for example, which witnessed a very flat line-up of new Surface offerings, with little fizz to the additions in evidence – and a lot of scratching of heads about where the next Surface Pro was.

Now, of course, we have seen the Surface Pro 10, as well as Surface Laptop 6 – but only for businesses, at least thus far. Consumer models are going to be unveiled in May, but it has been a long old wait for them – and if the rumors are right, the consumer Surface Pro 10 might only offer an ARM chip (with no Intel CPUs even as an option).

That’s just a thin and rather wispy rumor mind, but it seems a risky play if it does pan out – or a measure of Microsoft’s confidence in Windows on ARM given the new Snapdragon X Elite SoC coming in, perhaps. Microsoft clearly feels that ARM silicon is coming into its own, and is now sufficiently powerful to make emulating x86 apps work smoothly enough that it won’t matter (too much) that software isn’t running natively on Surface devices. There are high hopes that said Snapdragon could beat out Apple’s M3 (also ARM-based) silicon, in fact.

In that regard, we could see something very different with the core Surface offering, then, although the design – as per the revelation of the business-focused devices in March – again stays to the tried-and-trusted, and distinctly risk averse, chassis and lines that we’re used to. It’s very much the same case with the Surface Laptop 6, too.

In some ways, we get this – if it ain’t broke and all that. But maybe with a change at the top of the design team, someone new coming in will start to shake up things more for future Surface devices to make their mark on the range in a more meaningful way.

Alternatively, could this be a chance for Microsoft to wind down its Surface line-up? To give up the fight against Apple? After all, Surface devices have been less profitable of late. However, we don’t see that as a realistic proposition, at least not yet – particularly given the push Microsoft is currently giving ARM chips as part of its big AI PC drive – but depending on how well all that goes, things could change quite rapidly, perhaps.

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Microsoft recently unveiled its upcoming Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6, and while they’ll be initially targeted towards schools and businesses rather than regular consumers like you and me, the Redmond-based company has a new design ethos that will – hopefully – benefit everyone.

Both new Surface devices have been designed from the ground up with repairability in mind, comprising more replaceable components than ever before and a new focus on improving ease of repair. Internal parts will be marked with QR codes to help easy identification, along with “clear visual icons and built-in repair instructions”, according to Surface general manager Nancie Gaskill.

So why is this important? Well, for starters, I’ve always been a champion of sustainable and repairable hardware; it’s the reason I scored the Framework Chromebook so highly when I reviewed it, despite its high price tag. Giving the user – or, at the very least, third-party vendors – the ability to easily and safely repair electronic devices might not be very attractive from a pure profitability standpoint, but it helps consumers save money in the long run, and it’s good for the planet as well.

The e-waste conundrum

"E-waste", as it’s called, is a rapidly mounting problem. According to The World Counts, we’ve collectively tossed more than 11 million tonnes of electronics just since the start of 2024 – a staggering, upsetting quantity. In the time it takes me to write this article, another few thousand tonnes will be sent to landfill.

In other words, we’re wasteful – but we don’t have to be. Planned obsolescence in tech hardware has been going on for years, and we’ve all noticed it: home appliances that simply don’t last as long as they used to; phone contracts that push us to upgrade every other year; laptops with short manufacturer warranties and no options for self-repair. Microsoft is taking a stand, and I couldn’t be happier about it.

Now, I don’t want to give the tech giant (or any large tech company, really) too much credit here. In fact, cynics could easily argue that Microsoft has an ulterior motive. Back in 2017, tech repair site iFixit gave the original Surface Laptop a zero out of ten score for repairability, claiming that it was “not meant to be opened or repaired”. It also stated that replacing the battery – something that was near-effortless in older laptops, thanks to modular battery units – was “difficult and dangerous”, thus limiting the device’s lifespan.

It seems that Microsoft took this personally; future Surface products were far easier to repair, and the company even teamed up with iFixit to start selling Surface repair tools in 2021. The new Surface Pro 10 and Laptop 6 are just the latest step for Microsoft, but that doesn’t make that step any less important – and even if Microsoft’s efforts are geared more towards repairing its public image, it’s still a very good thing.

Reduce, reuse, recycle… repair!

There’s nothing more frustrating than when a device breaks, and you can’t get it repaired cheaply and easily. You take it to a repair shop, only to find it can’t do anything. The only option is to send it off to the manufacturer, pray that your warranty is honored, and wait. Let’s be honest: that's not ideal.

Luckily, Microsoft isn’t alone in this recent push against e-waste. Earlier this year, Lenovo claimed it would make its newest ThinkPad laptops last for longer than ever, forging its own partnership with iFixit. Elsewhere, Acer has been working on its rather excellent line of Vero laptops, with eco-minded devices such as the Aspire Vero 15. And, of course, I couldn’t not mention the Californian company Framework, with its brilliant commitment to repairable, modular laptops. What, I already mentioned those guys? Hell, they’re so good at eco-friendly tech, I’ll mention them twice.

The question, of course, is this: will it be enough? After all, many heavy hitters in the tech industry are nowhere near Microsoft’s level. Just consider Apple claiming its Apple Watch 9 is "carbon neutral" – a neat little distortion of reality that fails to address the core causes of e-waste. We’ve been around the block enough to know that "carbon credits" are a sham, and "greenwashing" has become an ugly issue among multinational corporations.

Still, I don’t want to be too much of a Negative Nancy here. Every step towards truly sustainable tech is a worthwhile one, no matter how small. Microsoft, I commend you... but you might want to stop killing the planet with AI, too.

Though Apple has long since rejected the idea of a touchscreen for its iMac, new information hints that the tech giant might be considering backtracking on its stance.

An updated patent application (reported on by 9to5Mac) that was first filed in 2023 revealed an iMac design with a pivoting stand. The reasoning behind the patent is that such a stand would be much easier to transport around as well as take up less space. However, looking at the images for the iMac brings up some familiar design choices.

Apple doesn’t normally make it a habit of reusing designs for its patents, especially ones that are so well known by now. So there’s a strong possibility that the company could be disguising a touchscreen iMac, which would be similar to the Microsoft Surface Studio. It would also make sense from a competitive standpoint, as Apple would be taking on a rival by offering a product that clearly has generated plenty of interest.

Not to mention that it would be a boon for artists, who are one of Apple’s top customers since its line of desktop PCs and laptops are perfect for creative work and video editing. And this would be an excellent opportunity to insert itself into the touchscreen desktop PC market and take it over, as Microsoft hasn’t put out a Microsoft Surface Studio since 2020.

Apple should reconsider its touchscreen stance 

Back in 2016, Apple’s SVP of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller boldly stated that the concept of a touchscreen iMac wouldn’t work: “Can you imagine a 27-inch iMac where you have to reach over the air to try to touch and do things? That becomes absurd.”

However, he also stated that Apple has been experimenting with the idea, with Schiller admitting the company worked on touchscreen Macs "a number of times over the years." It seems that whatever resulted from said experimentation soured the tech giant’s opinion of such technology.

But that was in 2016 and touchscreen technology has only improved by leaps and bounds since then. If Apple isn’t already testing it out, it’s high time to get back into the swing of things and test out iMac touchscreens again. Hopefully, this updated patent turns out to be a step in the right direction.

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Microsoft has recently introduced a bunch of major updates to Windows 11, and now, it’s even updated how you get the updates. If you happen to be getting one of the new Microsoft Surface laptops or tablets anytime soon, you’re in for a treat. 

When you first open up your sparkling new device, you’ll inevitably have to sit through a setup and update process for a little while before you can dive in. Now, Microsoft has made the installation process less lonely by being able to play a game while you wait. 

You can also see our impression of Microsoft's Surface models.

This development was first spotted by Tom Warren of the Verge when he opened and started up the Surface Laptop Studio 2, he was able to play a modernized version of SkiFree, originally an online game created by Microsoft programmer Chris Pirih and released in 1991. 

Where else can you find the game?

This isn’t the first time Microsoft has mined SkiFree for nostalgic mini-game distractions - it’s actually been something of an easter egg you could stumble upon in Microsoft’s Edge browser since 2020. You can still access the game by typing in edge://surf in your Edge browser.

If you have pending Windows updates that are available or are restoring settings from a previous Windows Backup, it might be possible to play the game. It’s not totally clear if this is only available during the setup process of new Surface devices or if you can also play the game while updating any existing device with Windows 11. The Verge asked for more information on the topic from Microsoft but the company has yet to respond. 

Either way, it’s still a fun tidbit to pass the time and it’s the latest improvement Microsoft has made to make the dreaded Windows update process a little less dull. I think it shows that Microsoft developers do pay attention at more precise levels than people realize to improve the overall user experience. The current setup process is already a big step up even from recent Windows versions, which would have Cortana talking you through the process extensively - something some users found unhelpful or annoying.

Where Microsoft may have found inspiration

BetaNews goes as far as to speculate that Microsoft actually nabbed the idea from a third-party Windows enthusiast developer, concept designer 'AR 4789', who developed his own version of Windows with additional features named 'Windows Utopia'. Windows Utopia also lets you play games, as well as browse the web, while you install the custom operating system. 

This news has seemingly been received quite positively by Windows fans so far, and Microsoft could use the goodwill as it rolls out its very novel AI assistant, Windows Copilot, which has been received with a less enthusiastic response. The appearance of the surfing minigame does show that Microsoft is still very detail-oriented when it comes to the user experience, so I hope that it continues to be that way when it comes to delivering huge new features just as it does with the smaller ones.

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Microsoft has unveiled the latest versions of its leading laptops which it hopes will appeal to business customers using its software, including the latest AI tech it has to offer.

The company said its three new business laptops have been designed with productivity, creativity, and collaboration in mind, but beyond that, they aim to appease IT professionals and other decision-makers in their control and longevity.

At the same time, the company announced its latest whiteboarding and video conferencing screen for the meeting room, the Surface Hub 3, which we’ve covered separately.

Trio of new Surface laptops for business

The first device to get the latest treatment is the brand-new Surface Laptop Studio 2, which blends the functionality and practicality of a laptop with the versatility of a tablet: the touchscreen is compatible with Surface Slim Pen 2 for on-the-go note-taking and design work.

Microsoft says that the latest 13th Gen Intel Core processors deliver more than twice the performance of its predecessor. These and the Nvidia RTX 2000 Ada Generation or Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 and 4060 GPUs make it ideal for media-intensive workloads.

The upgraded Surface Laptop Go 3 is most befitting to a typical office worker, though it can handle some pretty intensive workloads with up to 16GB of RAM. It promises 15 hours of battery life, and fast charging to replenish that fairly quickly.

Finally, the Surface Go 4 has been upgraded with an improved battery and now delivers up to 4.5x more performance than the original Surface Go. Redmond sees this tablet-laptop-hybrid suiting best to healthcare and retail workers thanks to its compact size.

The new laptops are available to buy from the Microsoft store, costing companies $3,669 for the Surface Laptop Studio 2, $1,279 for the Surface Laptop Go 3, and $959 for the Surface Go 4.

"Our new Surface devices have been built for the needs and wants of end-users to be more productive, creative and collaborative while supporting the needs of IT professionals to deploy, manage and support these devices at scale through the lifecycle," noted Nancie Gaskill, General Manager, Surface.

"With these new products, we not only bring new innovation and technology but are delivering on some of the most requested commercial features with more performance, improved security, manageability and repairability."

More from TechRadar Pro

• Microsoft Surface Event 2023 as it happened: Surface Laptop Go 3, Laptop Studio 2 and Windows 11 Copilot announced
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The Microsoft Surface Event 2023 has been and gone, and the tech giant has given us a lot to look forward to. The announcements included some big improvements and additions to the company’s AI roster, including a Windows-wide rollout of Copilot, and the long-awaited Surface Laptop Go 3 and Surface Laptop Studio 2. 

Aside from the new hardware, Microsoft made clear that it’s putting a lot of time and energy into its AI-powered products. A good portion of the hour-long event was dedicated to Microsoft Copilot, an AI feature in Windows 11 and Microsoft 365 that assists users by helping with repetitive, boring tasks like writing documents, summarizing emails, and lending a hand with presentations. 

Bing AI also got a lot of love during the event, and will be bringing new features and better contextual answers very soon. Personally, I’m super-excited to start using Bing as a shopping assistant. 

If you’re interested in picking up what Microsoft is putting down, have a look at our roundup of the most interesting announcements from Microsoft’s Surface Event 2023. 

1. Microsoft Copilot 

No, it's sadly not the return of Clippy. About half of Microsoft’s special event was dedicated to its next big dive into the world of AI – Copilot. Previously introduced as Microsoft 365 Copilot, it’s an intelligent assistant designed to enhance productivity apps, and was presumed to be for enterprise users only. Now, a more public version of Copilot is here, and will be available on all devices that receive the next Windows 11 update on September 26. 

Copilot will make its way to PCs, tablets, and laptops, and will be integrated into the OS in what Microsoft calls “the age of copilots.” The intelligent feature can now ask you what you need, answer in the most helpful and natural way possible, and then take action to help you navigate the task in hand. 

According to the official blog post, we’re going to see Copilot in the taskbar ready to go, or activated using the Win+C keyboard shortcut to provide quick assistance alongside your apps. 

2. AI is coming to Microsoft Paint 

We’ve all got some kind of history with Microsoft Paint. I have fond memories of popping the application open whenever I was in IT classes, or just a little bored at home and looking for a place to doodle. 

Now, my beloved Paint application is getting an AI boost for drawing and digital creation, which includes the ability to automatically remove backgrounds and layers, plus the power of generative AI. I’m looking forward to playing around with Paint again with these new enhancements, and to seeing what talented artists do with the updated program. 

3. AI aiding and abetting my next shopping spree

When you’re using Microsoft Bing or browsing in Microsoft Edge, you'll soon be able to get better, and hopefully exact, results for what you’re looking for online. You could ask Bing for information on an item – say a new Amazon Kindle – and Bing will then ask you a few more questions to give you personalized suggestions. 

You’ll also soon be able to drop a photo of the item you’re looking for into Bing or Edge, and use that as a starting point for your shopping. This will be perfect for those times you see something on social media that you’re interested in buying, letting you get accurate shopping information at the drop of a hat.

4. Bing gets a better memory 

Microsoft Bing AI will now use your chat history to inform your future results, adding much-needed context to the rest of your conversations going forward. So instead of having to give the same contextual information before you actually ask your question, Bing will go back through your chats, ready to answer any query using details from your past conversations. 

Let’s say you’ve asked Bing about an artist you’ve been following or a concert you’re planning to attend. The next time you ask Bing for information about the artist or upcoming gigs, Bing can tell you if that artist is performing near your city. If that’s a bit too personal for you, you can always turn the feature off in Bing settings. 

5. Surface Laptop Go 3 

The wait is over! We finally got an official look at the Surface Laptop Go 3, coming in hot with 15 hours of battery life and an 88% jump in performance compared to the original model. 

Unfortunately, the Laptop Go 3 does have a slightly higher starting price at $799 (UK and AU pricing for the new Surface devices is TBC). 

The new entry is keeping the 12.4-inch touch display and 720p HD front camera, which is pretty disappointing considering the asking price. We're expecting to see the Laptop Go 3 fitted with a 12th-Gen Alder Lake chip (also a bit outdated!) for the consumer model, and with 8GB or 16GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. 

A big plus is that the laptop is still available in the same popular colors – Sage, Ice Blue, Sandstone, and Platinum – although it's a shame that we didn’t see Microsoft introduce some new options. 

Surface Laptop Studio 2

A more professional-focused device, this long-anticipated follow-up to the expensive Surface Laptop Studio looks to share the same price tag, but offers some updated internal hardware that makes it a more attractive proposition.

Chief among these additions is a new Neural Processing Unit designed by Intel, a dedicated chip that's designed to handle machine-learning tasks, like the generative AI tools that will be found in Windows Copilot.

Like the original Surface Laptop Studio, it's a sleek device with a nifty central screen hinge that allows for multiple different configurations, helping you achieve maximum creative productivity on this portable workstation.

Surface Go 4... sort of

Although it wasn't announced during the presentation, Microsoft actually did confirm the existence of the Surface Go 4 today – but with a quiet press release, rather than a big showcase.

This is likely due to the fact that Microsoft is targeting the Surface Go 4 as an enterprise device for businesses, and that's fine, but it's a little unclear at this point when it'll receive a wider launch, and the specs look a bit underwhelming for a brand-new tablet in 2023.

Running on an Intel N200 chip, the 'Surface Go 4 for Business' features 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage – nothing special for a Windows 11 device, in other words. At least the physical design looks nice.

Microsoft's Surface Event will be airing later today, and with it is a plethora of new Surface products ranging from the Surface Go to the Surface Pro line and more. It'll be interesting to see how the rumors and reports hold up to the reality of what we actually see at the event.

The Surface Event will run concurrently with what the tech giant calls a "special event" in New York City. And though we have no real confirmation of what exactly we'll see at the event, thanks to not even the journalists invited being told what to expect, there are plenty of educated guesses that can be made.

Along with the nearly-assured Surface laptops and tablets that might make our lists of the best Windows laptops and best Windows tablets, we might see some accessories at the event as well. Microsoft also has made plenty of investments in AI, and there's a more than a good chance that we would see the fruits of those labors during the livestream.

Regardless, we have the scoop on when the event is happening and how to watch it. We also have some predictions on what Microsoft might launch during the livestream.

Edit: Correction made to the live stream time, which is at 1PM EST not 1AM EST.

When is the Microsoft Surface event?

Microsoft revealed that both the Surface Event and the live stream will take place on September 21, 2023. Thankfully, the times are convenient for most global viewers, with nothing running too early or too late for the major time zones.

The live stream will air at 10AM PST / 1PM EST / 6PM BST, meaning that most viewers should be able to tune in during their respective air time. But whether you can make the time or not, TechRadar will be covering the event so feel free to keep checking back for the latest news. 

Whatever Microsoft reveals will definitely be interesting to see. Here’s how to watch the event.

How to watch the Microsoft Surface event

Microsoft revealed today that it won't be hosting a traditional live stream but instead will drop the whole presentation on its various official channels. You can view the event on the main Microsoft YouTube channel, the Microsoft Surface YouTube subchannel, as well as its own official website. 

Meanwhile, journalists have gotten a briefing through a more traditional presentation onsite of the event. The best way to see all the latest news as it happens is by checking out our Microsoft Surface Event 2023 liveblog.

Our Microsoft Surface event predictions 

We're expecting to see the Surface Laptop Studio 2 since it's been nearly two years since the original Surface Laptop Studio was released, and there have been tons of rumors supporting the reveal of its successor. According to said leaks, the laptop will feature a 13th-generation Intel Core i7-13800H processor with 64GB of DDR5 SDRAM.

The reveal of the Surface Pro 10 is almost assured, thanks to the very strict yearly launch cycle of the Pro series. So far, one of the most interesting reports is that we could be getting an 11-inch version along with the standard 13-inch version, which would directly compete with Apple's iPad.

We're also likely to receive a refresh of the Surface Go 4 2-in-1. Earlier in the year, Microsoft postponed an ARM-based Surface Go, though it's expected we'll get an Intel version, and the chip is expected to be an N200 so the 2-in-1 remains inexpensive to the business and education markets it targets.

For a more traditional laptop, the Surface Laptop Go 3 will most likely make an appearance. It will most likely be a minor refresh with a RAM increase from 4GB to 8GB, the 128GB SSD to double in size, and an Intel 12th-Gen Intel Core i5, all to prevent a major price hike.

There's a chance we'll see some Surface accessories like 2022's event, as well as some time devoted to new software and OS updates. AI has also been a large part of Microsoft's investment, so we should receive some updates on the tech giant's progress there.

Microsoft's big event in New York City is today, which we are closely following in in our Microsoft Surface Event liveblog, and the company just announced the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3, complete with 15 hours of battery life and a performance that's 88% faster than the original.

Speculations around the launch of new devices like the Surface Go 4, Surface Laptop Studio 2, and maybe even the Surface Laptop Go 3 have been buzzing around for days. And while Microsoft only actually announced two devices, focusing more on Copilot, it's nice that the Laptop Go line has finally been upgraded.

That's especially because there hasn't been significant activity in the Go, Laptop Studio, and Laptop Go product lines over the past year or so. The Surface Laptop Go, in particular, hasn't gotten the attention it deserves since the release of the Surface Laptop Go 2 back in June 2022 – a huge shame since it's an exemplary notebook that proves that a budget laptop can have premium features. 

While June 2023 came and went without a peep from Microsoft about the line, now's the best time for Microsoft to resurrect one of the best budget laptops we've seen since many are still struggling with the cost of living crisis. And while our hopes that the manufacturer will reinvent it in a massive way have been dashed, there's still a lot to talk about.

Can the new Surface Laptop Go 3 help the the line can reclaim its best touchscreen laptop status? Here's what you need to know to answer that.

Surface Laptop Go 3: cut to the chase

• What is it? The next Surface Laptop Go installment
• When is it out? Pre-order available now, shipping on October 3
• What will it cost? Starting at $799

Surface Laptop Go 3: Price and release date

Unfortunately, the Laptop Go 3 has an even slightly higher price of entry at $799 in the US, but as long as Microsoft the necessary improvements in its display,  webcam, and specs, it's not too bad. You can pre-order it today, but it starts shipping out on October 3.

The original Surface Laptop Go, which hit the shelves back in October 1, 2020, started at a nice and affordable $549 / £549 / AU$999, which offered an i5, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of eMMC storage, which was certainly good enough for people who didn't need a powerful notebook and wanted a budget option. It also capped at $899 / £899 / AU$1,549 for a RAM and storage bump of 8GB and 256GB.

Its successor, the Laptop Go 2, did get a small price rise, starting at $600 / £600 / AU$1,199, which was disappointing as, outside of swapping out that base eMMC storage for a proper SSD, it didn't really come with improvements that would warrant a price bump.

Surface Laptop Go 3: Design

Much-lauded for its premium build quality and stylish design despite its lower price of entry, the Surface Laptop Go line did had a lot going for it when it first hit the streets.

Obviously, because it is one of the best things about the line, it retains its portable nature. At only 10.95 x 8.12 x 0.62 and with a 12.4-inch screen, this is one of the most compact laptops in the world. It's still ultralight and portable, coming in at 2.4lbs (1.08kg), and it'll come in four colors.

Unfortunately, it is keeping its 12.4-inch 1536 x 1024 (148 PPI) PixelSense touch display. The panel boasts 1000:1 contrast ratio, 320 nits brightness, and 3:2 aspect ratio. Same sad news about the webcam, as it retains its 720p HD front-facing camera, basically a dinosaur in this day and age. And sadly, the keyboard still does not have backlighting.

On the plus side, it's still available in its predecessor's beloved colorways: Sage, Ice Blue, Sandstone, and Platinum. In addition, it now comes with a fingerprint power button. As for the ports, it will have a USB-C 3.2, a USB-A 3.1, 3.5 mm headphone jack, and the Surface Connect port. 

Surface Laptop Go 3: Specs and performance

As announced by Microsoft, the Surface Laptop Go 3 with have 15 hours of battery life and 88% faster performance than the original Surface Laptop Go.

The new Laptop Go 3 may be Intel Core i5-1235U, a 12th-Gen Alder Lake chip, and paired with Intel Xe Graphics, 8GB or 16GB RAM, and 256GB storage. This is for the consumer model. Opt for the commercial model, and you get a removable UFS drive of 128GB plus 256GB or 512GB SSD.

We'll know more about how the Surface Laptop Go 3 actually performs in real life as soon as we get our hands on it for a proper review.

Today's best Laptop Go and Laptop Go 2 deals

Microsoft is planning to hold what it's described as a "special event" in New York City on September 21. The company has given no indication of just what to expect from the event and, for now, at least, those who have been invited know nothing about the announcements that will be made. But based on recent rumors and its typical launch schedule, we can make some pretty good educated guesses.

The invitations that have been sent out are very secretive, bearing the promise that there will be "more details to follow." But although Microsoft is keeping its cards close to its chest, there have been plenty of clues in recent months about what's likely to feature.

This is the time of year that Microsoft usually announces new Surface hardware, and it's hard to imagine that various new and updated devices from the range won't play a major role. Microsoft, like just about every tech firm, has made big investments in artificial intelligence, and there will almost certainly be numerous AI-related announcements, too.

The as-yet-unnamed event may not be too far away, but if the sense of anticipation is just too much for you to stand, join us as we take a look at what Microsoft is likely to unveil.

1. Surface Laptop Studio 2

It's approaching two years since the original Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio emerged, so it could be argued that an update is not so much due as well overdue. There have already been various rumors suggesting that Microsoft has been working on the successor for a while, and leaked benchmarks hint at some seriously impressive hardware, particularly on the graphics front.

If the leaks are to be believed – and there's not really any reason to disbelieve them – the Surface Laptop Studio 2 will be powered by a 13th generation Intel Core i7-13800H processor and there will be 64GB of DDR5 SDRAM. 

While such hardware enhancements are certainly welcome, it is hard to imagine that there will be many surprises with the Surface Laptop Studio 2. It is safe to assume that this will be a textbook case of evolution rather than revolution, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. 

Microsoft will be keen not to make any missteps with the Surface Laptop Studio 2, so a pleasingly beefed-up version of the debut model is likely to be what's on offer.

2. Surface Pro 10

While we already have the Microsoft Surface Pro X, we're still waiting for the Surface Pro 10.  The latest addition to the Surface Pro family is usually released in October, so it would be unusual if the same didn't happen this year. Additionally, an October release date would tie in nicely with this September's event. But what can we expect from the device?

We're predicting that Microsoft will unveil two models of Surface Pro 10 – a familiar 13-inch version, and a more portable 11-inch edition. The smaller version will make it easier to treat the Surface Pro more as a tablet than its larger sibling, and this is something that holds a great deal of appeal. 

Choice is always a good thing, so having two versions of the Surface Pro 10 to pick between will keep many people happy, particularly as a smaller model will (presumably) be a little cheaper.

We're not expecting anything major in the way of changes to design, but inside a 13th-generation Intel chip is likely to be hard at work. In addition to faster, better-specced internals, there's a good chance that the keyboard will also get something of an upgrade, too.

3. Surface Go 4

A refresh of the Surface Go 2-in-1 is almost certain to make an appearance at the event, and there has already been something of a bumpy journey to the arrival of the successor to the Surface Go 3. 

Earlier in the year, Microsoft decided to postpone launching an ARM-based Surface Go (and it is worth reiterating that this is a postponement rather than a cancellation... for now, at least) but that doesn't mean a lengthy wait for a new device.

An updated Intel-powered Surface Go device is expected, in the meantime but it's unclear as to whether this with be a Surface Go 4, or a Surface Go 3 Plus – the precedent was set with the Surface Pro 7 Plus, after all. 

The chip is likely to be an N200, helping to keep costs down. This is an important factor at the Surface Go is very much aimed at education and business environment where budgets are likely to be limited.

4. Surface Laptop Go 3

For anyone who prefers a more traditional laptop rather than a 2-in-1, there should be some good news in the form of the Surface Laptop Go 3. 

While an update to the line, complete with higher specifications, is to be welcomed, a better-equipped entry-level model is likely to mean something of a price hike. Just how much of an increase we're talking about remains to seen, but we can expect to see the base RAM jump from 4GB to 8GB, and the 128GB SSD is also expected to double in size. 

An Intel 12th-Gen Intel Core i5 will be at the heart of the Surface Laptop Go 3. This may not be a top-of-the line processor, but it's more than capable. And by opting for a chip of this generation, Microsoft should be able to avoid having to implement a price hike – so that's good news for buyers' pockets.

As with some of the other expected announcements, the Surface Laptop Go 3 should be viewed as a minor refresh to the product line. It may not be a particularly exciting upgrade for existing version 2 owners, but for first-timers there is a lot of appeal.

5. Surface brand accessories

Having decided to ditch Microsoft-branded accessories earlier in the year, the company indicated an intention to focus on the Surface brand. 

While nothing has been confirmed or even strongly rumored as yet, it would not be surprising if we see a range of Surface-branded accessories announced. This could include everything from mice and keyboards to webcams, and it will be interesting to see what approach Microsoft takes here.

Will we see old favorites re-released with a new Surface badge slapped on them, or will we instead be treated to a completely new range of accessories and peripherals that have been designed from scratch? With the Surface range now covering everything from cheap, entry-level hardware to absolutely top-of-the-range kit, Microsoft has given itself massive leeway to release a wide range of accessories with the new branding. 

6. Copilot

Moving away from hardware, Microsoft is likely to give software more than just a passing mention at its September event. 

At the moment, just about every piece of software seems to be receiving an AI overhaul, or an AI add-on, and Windows is no different. Having already firmly embraced artificial intelligence with Bing AI and various other products, Microsoft has been working on its AI assistant for Windows – called Windows Copoilot – for a while now. 

Testers have been granted access to early versions of Windows Copilot, with Microsoft promising that the tool will "transform the way you interact with Windows." We have already seen hints of what Windows Copilot is capable of, but Microsoft has huge plans for this next-generation assistant. We can look forward to finding out much more about what is on the horizon as the march of artificial intelligence continues unabated. 

It is clear that Microsoft is looking to make Copilot as useful as possible to as wide a range of people as possible. It isn't being tailored to any particular purpose, with the aim being to simply make everything easier. And the focus will be on ease of use, with Microsoft offering a shallow learning curve as Copilot lets users communicate with it in natural language rather than having to learn specific commands and syntax. 

Want to summarize the document you are reading and paste it into a Word document? Just ask Copilot to do exactly that. The beauty of Copilot is that it works across Windows and the apps you are running, as well as being internet-aware. Expect Microsoft to make the most of this and to talk about it in a big way.

7. Windows 11 23H2

The existence of the Windows Insider program means that we get to learn about many new features and changes well ahead of a general rollout to everyone. The next big update for Windows 11 has already been made available to testers, so there are no surprises to look forward to for anyone who has been keeping abreast of Windows-related news. 

At this special September event, Microsoft is not only likely to publicly advertise all of the new features added to Windows 11 by the next major update – dubbed Windows 11 23H2 – but, importantly, reveal just when it is going to be released to everyone. We are expecting an October release date, but this is yet to be confirmed. 

We're already expecting Microsoft to talk about Copilot, and this is a key component of Windows 11 23H2, but there's a lot more. We'll learn about support for more archive formats such as .rar files, significant updates to the Explorer app, and much-requested features such as the ability to ungroup taskbar buttons. Other changes and additions that will be showcased include Windows 11 gaining built-in support for controlling RGB lighting, and a new volume mixer. 

Many people tuning into or attending the event will already know about all of these things, but bringing them to a wider audience is the start of Microsoft building up the hype and excitement for Windows 11 23H2.

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According to new leaks, Microsoft is reportedly working on a slate of new Surface devices scheduled for a reveal later this year – and there’s one product in particular that I’m extremely happy to see.

The next-gen Surface Go tablet will not (as previously reported by some outlets) feature an ARM-based processor, but will instead use an Intel N200 chip – a brand-new processor that's designed specifically for affordable, compact devices. The N200 is expected to be significantly more powerful and energy-efficient than the Intel Core i3-10100Y seen in the decidedly lackluster Surface Go 3.

Why am I happy about this? Well, Windows on ARM has historically been a bit of a mess, with even hopes about Microsoft partnering with Qualcomm for more effective on-device AI processing tempered by concerns about the flagship OS running on Qualcomm’s ARM-based Snapdragon chips. Microsoft’s ARM-based Surface devices, like the Surface Pro X, haven’t exactly been able to roll with the best laptops.

The news that the next Surface Go (presumably the Surface Go 4, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see a Surface Go 3 Plus) will instead be using a new and improved Intel CPU is a relief, then; I have personally championed the possibility of Microsoft making its own ARM chips for future Surface devices, but until Windows is truly ready to run on non-x86 processor platforms, I think it’s wiser for the tech giant to stick with Intel.

It’s time for Surface to finally step into the spotlight

The leak, which was originally reported on by Windows Central, also claims that two other Surface devices will be launched later in 2023: the Surface Laptop Studio 2 and Surface Laptop Go 3.

A new Surface Laptop Go could be impressive, since it’s been more than a year since the Laptop Go 2 was launched; with the right internal hardware, the updated model could pack a punch to go up against the MacBook Air. Intel’s Meteor Lake laptop CPUs promise to step up the competition when stacked against Apple’s powerful M-series silicon.

A new Laptop Studio is also an interesting proposition. While we liked the Laptop Go, our original Surface Laptop Studio review in 2021 was decidedly mixed; it was a sterling physical device, but suffered from a high price, limited processor selection, and outdated ports.

A revamped Laptop Studio wouldn’t even need much alteration from the original design, just some new ports and one of Intel’s latest and greatest CPUs. With a non-ARM Surface Go on the way, it almost feels like Microsoft is entrusting the future of its long-running laptop/tablet brand to Intel and its upcoming laptop processors.

If Team Blue can deliver, though, we might be about to see some of the best Surface devices ever released – and it’s about time, since in my opinion, the Surface line has unjustly lived in the shadow of the iPad for too long!

From today, June 30, Microsoft will no longer provide firmware or driver updates for the Surface Pro 6, which means the tablet will stop getting security fixes and major updates.

The tablet-laptop hybrid earned a weighty four stars in our Microsoft Surface Pro 6 review for good reason, sporting a long battery life, excellent new sleek black color options, and quad-core processing. It’s the oldest Surface tablet to officially support Windows 11 and was generally well-received at the time of launch due to its reliable performance and longevity between charges. It did lose points for the odd set of ports, particularly the conspicuous lack of USB-C ports.

We have to appreciate what the Surface Pro 6 gave us – in particular, longer-term repairability. One of the major qualms a lot of people had with the tablet was the fact it was incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to repair. The criticism was widespread enough to force Microsoft to rethink future design decisions, and the company did pledge to make its devices more repair friendly.

Keep in mind that your Surface Pro 6 will still get some software features and security enhancements and Windows updates, so your device won’t suddenly become unusable! You can still happily keep on using your tablet – for now, anyway.

My good colleague John Loeffler recently discussed the fact that Microsoft - threatened, evidently, by Apple’s huge success with its M-series chips - reportedly wants to make its own chips for future Windows 12 PCs.

John didn’t like that idea one bit, but I’m choosing to be a bit more optimistic about Microsoft’s plans - even though the Redmond tech giant has stumbled majorly in the past.

Yes, I know the bespoke SQ1 processor powering the Surface Pro X was a hot piece of garbage. But not everyone can get it right the first time; Apple knocked it out of the park with the M1 MacBook Air back in 2020, but that’s a company that has built an empire based on watching patiently to see what everyone else does, then doing the same thing but slightly better.

Microsoft, on the other hand, is a company willing to fail until it gets it right. I mean, just look at Windows, arguably the tech giant’s greatest success. We all love Windows 10, but there sure were a lot of hiccups along the way. Vista, 7, and 8 were all (mostly) functional OSes, but who among us didn’t wish for a return to Windows XP?

Sure, Microsoft can sometimes go backward rather than forward - though I’m hoping that won’t be the case with Windows 12 - but the truth is that when it comes to custom-designed silicon, the only way to can go is up.

SQ3-ky clean

At the end of last year, we reviewed the Surface Pro 9 5G, a version of Microsoft’s latest professional-grade Windows tablet equipped with the third-generation SQ3 chip as opposed to the Intel processors found in the standard iteration. And it was much better!

The SQ3 - like its predecessors - is an ARM-based chip, which had plenty of advantages but plenty of drawbacks too. 5G LTE functionality was the big benefit, but the ARM system also brought improved eye tracking, gaze correction, noise suppression, and better background blur functionality to video calls. Battery life was also strong, thanks to the SQ3’s lower power consumption.

The performance was reasonably good, too - it didn’t fall into the same pit as the Surface Pro X, which we felt was sorely lacking in power given its price point. But as our editor-in-chief Lance Ulanoff noted in his review, the choice to go with an ARM chip led to “system compatibility and stability issues”, with the main takeaway being that a lot of software simply wouldn’t run on this version of Windows.

I’ll explain this without getting too granular: it’s because ARM is ‘RISC’, or Reduced Instruction Set Computing, while the Intel and AMD processors that power most Windows devices are CISC-based which, you guessed it, stands for Complex Instruction Set Computing. Windows as we know it is inherently built for systems running x86 instruction sets, so getting it to work on ARM hardware requires some finessing - and comes at the cost of the wider software compatibility afforded by x86.

ARMed and dangerous

Here’s the thing, though: Microsoft isn’t giving up on its own silicon, even if the SQ series hasn’t been a resounding success. And I think it finally gets it: Windows doesn’t run well on ARM, but Microsoft makes Windows, so it has a very real chance to be the solution to its own problem.

Windows 12 is still being assembled behind the scenes, a whole new OS - and Microsoft has the opportunity right now to make sure that when it does finally arrive, it’s well-suited to run on ARM hardware.

This could be huge for one specific (but expanding) area: PC gaming handhelds. The Steam Deck is a popular choice for PC gamers on the go, but Valve wisely chose to make it run on SteamOS rather than Windows - a rather notable stumbling block for the recently revealed Asus ROG Ally handheld. Rumored features like a ‘handheld mode’ for Windows could be fully realized in 12, paving the way for some incredible Windows-powered portable consoles.

ARM has its benefits, after all; the significantly improved battery life is a big draw. Intel has been making a big deal out of the boosted power efficiency in its upcoming Meteor Lake laptop CPUs, and if Microsoft wants to get serious about putting its own silicon into the Surface product line, battery longevity will be a key factor.

The future of Surface is tied to the future of Windows

Will the SQ4 (or whatever Microsoft chooses to call it) be one of the best processors on the market? I don’t know - but I hope that Microsoft can finally produce something that lets it go toe-to-toe with Apple’s powerful M2 chips.

It doesn’t have the advantage of running a tightly-controlled closed ecosystem as Apple does with macOS, but if Windows 12 is properly built with ARM in mind, Microsoft could finally solve the big compatibility problem that has plagued its SQ-series tablets. Hell, Apple has even proved that gaming on processor-integrated graphics is a real possibility, even if I don’t personally think that MacBooks will ever become the future of gaming - Windows is just too popular.

Ultimately, in a time when shortages are making reliance on other chipmakers a tenuous proposition at best, I think Microsoft investing in its own silicon is a good idea, despite its previous fumbles. Previous SQ chips have been half-hearted: it’s time to commit.

Microsoft is to stop manufacturing its own-branded peripherals - such as mice, keyboards, and webcams - for the first time since the 1980s, but there’s a catch.

The news follows a conversation between senior communications manager Dan Laycock and The Verge, which spelled out the end for Microsoft peripherals.

While it’s unlikely that they will become collectors’ items, Microsoft isn’t to stop selling peripherals altogether. Instead, it will build its existing Surface portfolio in an effort to try to appeal to more consumers.

Microsoft Surface only

The company’s Surface range of products currently includes a series of budget and high-end laptops and tablets, as well as a single all-in-one desktop targeted at professional users.

To match their Surface-branded hardware, buyers can opt for Surface-branded peripherals that include a variety of mice, keyboards, keyboard cases for tablets, styluses, and a selection of docks.

The company has also dabbled in the audio market with headphones and earphones, indicating a willingness to expand, which ties in with the latest announcement that it would indeed focus on its Surface brand.

Laycock explained to The Verge: “We will continue to offer a range of Surface branded PC Accessories - including mice, keyboards, pens, docks, adaptive accessories, and more.”

There are some areas currently untouched by the Surface brand, including webcams. TechRadar Pro has asked Microsoft about plans to expand its produce range.

As for Microsoft-branded accessories, they will remain on sale for as long as supplies last at their current price points, which are typically a fair chunk cheaper than their Surface counterparts, so if you’re after a bargain, act fast.

• Check out the best productivity apps to use on your Surface or other PC

A new Microsoft study has found the majority of workers are "stuck in pre-pandemic office spaces” rendering them almost impossible to collaborate in properly.

The company's research found 83% of British workers were working in the same environment as they were before the pandemic, with employers resisting change despite adopting some hybrid working policies.

The results highlight some of the key benefits of heading into the office, according to the participants, which include being able to socialize with colleagues and strengthen relationships, however almost three quarters say that they are just “doing emails” when they head to the physical workplace.

Collaborative offices for 2022 and beyond

Microsoft UK Surface Business Group Lead, Alan Slothower, says that “employees clearly need more enticement back to offices than an employer mandate.” He poses the question to businesses: “Are our offices fit for today’s workforce and will they really want to come back?”

Some of the factors holding back workers from returning to the office include being able to achieve less than when they are working remotely, the cost and length of their commutes, and being able to spend less time with loved ones, who may also be working from home.

In contrast, some of the drivers for making a formal office place more attractive include a strong Internet connection, flexible working hours, good transport links, and good air conditioning with temperature control, which could become more vital as Britain heads into a winter of uncertainty with regards to energy prices and potential blackouts.

Furthermore, the concept of an ‘office’ has changed in recent years, with 81% of the employees questioned seeing their work device (such as a laptop) as their own personal office space. Capitalizing on this by enhancing the experience with better collaboration software could be one way to boost workers’ productivity both at home and in a dedicated workplace. 

Moving forward, Microsoft offers three action points to help companies improve their working environments: “make employees’ needs central to business strategy”, “accept and address the hybrid paradox” by valuing both flexibility and human interaction, and “view devices as a productivity powerhouse”.

• Here are our working from home essentials

Microsoft's big October 12 hardware event has almost arrived, and there's plenty of buzz surrounding which new Surface products we might see.

Since the Surface Laptop 4 launched back in April 2021, there hasn't been much on the hardware front from Microsoft barring a few releases in October 2021. We're expecting a lot of new hardware announcements from this event, although our current expectations are based mostly on leaks so temper your excitement until the day itself.

With Windows 11 growing in adoption and a big update for the new OS recently arriving, it seems like Microsoft is on a roll. But the tech giant's Surface products have never quite reached the widespread dominance of Apple's MacBooks and iPads. Could a new slate of products finally change that?

So, what new devices do we want to see this year? Let's take a look.

Microsoft Surface Pro 9

One of the leaked devices - and one we fully expect to see at this point - is the next Surface Pro tablet, running on Windows 11. The Surface Pro line has been around for a long time, and has generally put out solid hybrid tablets - barring the odd misstep that was the ARM-based Surface Pro X.

That's the letter X, not the Roman numeral for 10: the next Pro tablet from Microsoft will presumably be called the Surface Pro 9. Current leaks point towards a 12th-gen Intel processor running Intel Xe integrated graphics, which sounds about right to us. The display is expected to be the same 2880 x 1920 screen seen in the Surface Pro 8.

Naturally, we'd also expect a new Surface Pro to feature Windows 11 and Wi-Fi 6. Some leaks have suggested that we'll see a model powered by a new Microsoft SQ3 processor designed in collaboration with Qualcomm - if this proves to be accurate, that model could come equipped with 5G LTE capabilities.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 5

While the Surface Laptop 4 was a great little Windows laptop, its detractors complained that it wasn't enough of a generational upgrade from the Surface Laptop 3. We're hoping to see a Surface Laptop 5 at this event, which will hopefully represent a bigger leap forward - enough to make it into our best laptops list, ideally!

Current leaks (somewhat unsurprisingly) put the next-gen Surface Laptop on similar footing to the leaked specs of the Surface Pro 9 tablet, powered by a 12th-gen Intel Core processor - presumably with a few different models available, if you'd prefer an i7 over an i5.

The Surface Laptop line is Microsoft's attempt to kick back at the best Chromebooks, providing a lightweight laptop experience running Windows rather than ChromeOS. We'd like to see an upgraded 120Hz display on the Surface Laptop 5, but there's nothing that's been leaked so far to suggest that will be the case.

Microsoft Surface Studio 3

It's been almost exactly 4 years since the Surface Studio 2 launched, and we described it as 'the ultimate digital drafting table' at the time. We stand by it; the all-in-one system aimed at creative professionals was a great product, and it's about time we got a new model.

If the leaks we've seen are to be believed, we might be getting just that. Unfortunately, those leaks also detail the new Surface Studio model as using an 11th-gen Intel processor - an odd move, considering that Intel's 13th generation is almost here and the performance leap between the 11th and 12th gens is very significant.

Still, the Studio 2 had some arguably dated components inside, and it still served as an excellent platform for creative work. As long as the Surface Studio 3's physical design is fresh and up-to-date, it could be a new killer all-in-one system for artistic types.

Microsoft Surface Duo 3

Alright, this one might be wishful thinking on our part. Microsoft's foray into folding smartphone tech has been an unsteady one; we were a bit unsure what to make of the Surface Duo 2 when it arrived last year. It was cool, but seriously expensive and limited by its Android-powered OS.

But the third time's the charm, right? Microsoft released Surface Duo devices in October 2020 and 2021, so we'd still love to see an unexpected Duo 3 arrive on October 12. If Microsoft could actually nail the design and keep the price reasonable, the Duo remains a somewhat unique device that could find a good niche in the market.

A new patent for a different type of foldable display was filed by Microsoft in September 2022, so it looks like Microsoft isn't abandoning the Duo line completely just yet. There are currently no leaks or rumors suggesting that the Surface Duo 3 will show up, but a tech journalist can dream...

Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Go 2 could be on the cusp of arriving, going by a retailer listing for the device that briefly appeared online.

The Verge spotted that a Korean retailer posted a product page for the Surface Laptop Go 2, spilling the spec details, but that listing has since been taken down as is usually the case when such leaks are reported.

This tells us – tentatively – that it looks like Microsoft could be about to introduce a sequel to the laptop, with the listing indicating that pre-orders would open on June 2, in just a couple of days.

The spec details, if correct, show that Microsoft has decided to run with an 11th-gen Intel Core i5 CPU for the Go 2 – the Core i5-1135G7 to be precise – alongside up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

There’s also mention of a better webcam for this model, and a claimed battery life of up to 13.5 hours (that’s a touch more than the 13 hours claimed for the original Laptop Go).

Analysis: Everything seems to be lining up for an imminent launch

Other than the mentioned minor hardware changes, the broad design looks like it remains the same – so this is more of a light-touch refresh of the Surface Laptop Go, which is exactly what well-known Microsoft rumor peddler Zac Bowden predicted not so long ago.

Indeed, the specs line up with what Bowden reckoned we’ll see from the Surface Laptop Go 2, including that the top-tier version will feature 8GB of RAM and 256GB storage. (The entry-level version wasn’t shown by the Korean retailer, but is expected to stick with 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage, with pricing purportedly to stay the same as the Surface Laptop Go, meaning it’ll start from $549 / £549 / AU$999).

Given that the rumors marry nicely with this leak, and a sequel to the Laptop Go makes sense in terms of the device being generally well-received, it seems likely that we could see the Surface Laptop Go 2 emerge, and very soon if the retailer is right with that pre-order date. Bowden pinned his theorizing on a June launch as the most likely timeframe, so again, that fits.

The potential disappointment could come in that this seems to be a pretty minor upgrade, although there’s no doubting that an 11th-gen rather than 10th-gen Intel CPU will help pep up performance, which was one of the downsides of the original Surface Laptop Go as we highlighted in our review. Plus if pricing stays exactly the same, as is rumored, we can’t complain too much about what we’ll be getting for the money with the Go 2.

Sadly, our other moan about the lack of a backlit keyboard doesn’t look like it’ll be fixed with the Go 2, at least not if the retail listing is right, as there was no mention of any backlighting present.

Watch this space, as they say, because we shouldn’t have long to wait at all to find out whether Microsoft is about to spring a new Surface Laptop Go 2 on the notebook world.

• What do you want to see from Microsoft’s Surface Pro 9? Here’s our wish-list

Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Go 2 could be here in the next couple of months, according to the latest speculation – and while the rumors on the upgrades aren’t all that exciting, there’s some positive news on the pricing front.

Zac Bowden of Windows Central claims that word from his sources is that Microsoft is getting ready to launch the Surface Laptop Go 2, and that the laptop will ship in the first half of 2022.

That means it could debut possibly in May or June, though Bowden reckons it’s most likely to be the latter – unless the current planned timeframe slips (which is, of course, always a possibility around launch timing).

Rumor has it that Microsoft intends to keep the pricing the same while (obviously) upgrading the hardware. In other words, the Surface Laptop Go 2 should start from $549 for the most basic version, with the pricing for upper-end models also staying the same.

What’s going on with the hardware upgrades, then? Bowden believes that the laptop will shift up a gear to Intel’s 11th-gen silicon (Core i5), with the entry-level model maintaining the same RAM and storage configuration, namely 4GB plus 64GB of eMMC.

The two higher-tier models will have the fingerprint sensor and power-up the RAM to 8GB plus storage to 128GB or 256GB respectively (SSDs, not eMMC drives), with pricing pitched at $699 and $899 just as before. If pricing stays the same in the UK and Australia, that would mean price tags of £549 / £699 / £899 and AU$999 / AU$1,249 / AU$1,549.

Analysis: If it ain’t broke, pep it up a bit

It’s exciting to hear that a next-gen Surface Laptop Go could be on the near horizon, seeing as the original laptop caused quite a splash when it landed back in October 2020. Indeed, in our review we praised it as the best Surface device Microsoft has ever made, delivering all sorts of high-quality elements – particularly that gorgeous display – as part of an affordable portable.

Performance was one of the areas where we were more critical of the original Surface Laptop Go, and stepping up to a 11th-gen Core i5 chip (from an 10th-gen) will help out on this front.

It’s also worth noting that an additional ripple in the rumor pond is that Bowden heard from one source that the entry-level Surface Laptop Go 2 might up its storage game to 128GB, which would be a very useful boost for this cheapest model. Then again, this could possibly be referring to the business-targeted version of the sequel, not the base consumer model, so take it with a particularly heavy pinch of salt.

While this is more of a minor refresh, of course, and nothing much about the overall design is supposedly going to change – save for a new color option (sage) – some pepping up on the hardware front is all that’s needed, really.

As far as the design goes, as they say, if it ain’t broke, there’s no need to fix it (although Bowden observes that a backlit keyboard might be nice, and this could yet be an upgrade Microsoft is implementing – though the low price point may yet preclude this, at the entry-level anyway).

• Don’t forget Microsoft has a nifty kit for making Surface devices more accessible

I've gathered together all the best Surface deals available right now so you can pay the lowest price for one of Microsoft's premium devices. The manufacturer's unique and highly-rated laptops or laptop/tablet hybrids can cost as much as $1,000 / £1,000 / AU$1,000 or more for the latest and most powerful models, but you can pick one up for a lot less during a sale.

If you're shopping for a Surface Pro specifically, it's important to point out that these devices don't always include the handy Surface Pro keyboard cover that transforms the tablet into a full laptop-style workstation. Even if retailer sites misleadingly show it in product images, you should pay close attention to be sure it's included in a bundle to get the best value for money. However, you can always pick up the keyboard cover hybrid separately.

Whether you go for the Surface or the Surface Pro, just know that we came away relatively impressed by the latest devices in our Microsoft Surface Pro 12 review and Microsoft Surface Laptop review. This is thanks to the power of the Qualcomm Snapdragon X processors, excellent overall performance, slick designs and amazing battery life.

It is likely worth paying extra for one of these new devices, but those after a bargain should find some record-low prices for the previous generation devices in the weeks ahead.

What if you decide the Microsoft Surface isn't for you? Well, you can also browse the latest tablet deals and laptop deals available now for several more affordable options, including cheap Chromebooks and similar 2-in-1 devices. We've also got today's best MacBook deals if you want to compare the Surface Pro to the range of premium laptops from Apple.

Where to find more Surface Pro deals

If the Surface Pro deals above aren't quite hitting your pricing sweet spot, you can always check with retailers directly. Below you'll find all the stores we've spotted offering up Surface Pro deals over the last few years.

US:

• Microsoft: regularly offers Surface Pro bundle deals
• Best Buy: also offers frequent Surface Pro bundle deals
• Amazon: better for straight price cuts and renewed items than bundles
• Walmart: Low prices but bundles don't offer as much value
• Newegg: good price cuts and also stocks older models
• B&H Photo: better for high-spec configurations
• Adorama: regular Surface Pro sales but prices aren't as good as Best Buy

UK:

• Microsoft: Surface Pro bundles are available fairly regularly
• Amazon: excellent for regular Surface Pro deals
• Currys: Surface Pro now included in frequent clearance sales
• John Lewis: often price match Surface Pro deals with extra warranty
• Argos: strong discounts, usually with reduced software as well

Is the Surface Pro worth the price?

If you're looking for a Windows tablet, then the Surface Pro is really your only option outside of 2-in-1 convertible laptops. That means the price of a Surface Pro is typically higher than that of a laptop running the same specs, but you do get the full functionality of a tablet device at the same time.

That means a Surface Pro also has laptop-level specs that are arguably better than devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 or one of the best iPads. However, in recent years, these tablets have added more power and functionality to work admirably as more dedicated workstations for around the same cost.

The Surface Pro does run the Windows OS, though, so you may find it's worth paying a little more for the luxury and flexibility of both a tablet design and a laptop level of performance.

Check out our Best Buy discounts and Microsoft promo codes to get the best deal on your next purchase.

Microsoft has launched its Surface Laptop SE and this new student laptop aims to take on Chromebooks in the K-8 education market.

First announced in November of last year, the Surface Laptop SE is the software giant's most affordable device yet starting at $249 in the US and £229 in the UK. This slim and sleek laptop features a long-lasting battery, an HD camera for video conferencing and a modern processor to load apps and files quickly.

Microsoft is also launching a new version of Windows 11 called Windows 11 SE that will power this new device and optimize performance with curated, education-first apps designed for budget-friendly devices according to a new blog post. At the same time, students can get the best of Microsoft 365 including Microsoft Teams, Office 365 and Minecraft Education Edition to help them build the skills they'll need for the future in a secured and simplified environment designed to limit distractions.

Students will be able to access files for school and productivity apps both online and offline with built-insecurity while IT can manage downloads, deployment and security settings. However, unlike the rest of Microsoft's Surface devices, the Surface Laptop SE will only be available for schools to purchase through authorized Microsoft Surface Resellers like CDW, Staples, Verizon and Insight in the US and Softcat, BT and Computacenter in the UK.

Surface Laptop SE accessories

To complete the Surface Laptop SE experience, Microsoft's partners will offer a number of accessories for the device that can be purchased separately.

These include gumdrop cases and headsets that are tough and designed to withstand heavy use and the JCPal keyboard protector with easy-to-read large print letters and color-coded keys to improve key contrast and recognition. To improve device security, the Kensington Nano Security Slot controls physical access when the Surface Laptop SE is closed. These new accessories join a range of mice, adapters, display cables and more to help round out the Surface Laptop SE experience.

Meanwhile, commercial customers will be able to order spare SSD doors, kickstands and covers for a selection of devices in the Surface portfolio which will enable IT technicians to service devices onsite.

In addition to the Surface Laptop SE, Microsoft also highlighted how the Surface Go 3, Surface Pro 8, Surface Pro X and the Surface Laptop Studio are ideal solutions for educators and high school students that need additional performance, reliability and a modern design. 

We've also featured the best student laptops, best Chromebooks for kids and best school tablets

Editor's Note

• Original review date: May 2021
• Launch price: $1,099 / £999 / AU$1,649
• The Microsoft Surface Pro 8 is not longer generally sold, but newer models with updated specs are available for a lower price

Update – September 2024: You are going to be hard-pressed to find a new Microsoft Surface Pro 8 on sale right now, and even if you did find one, you're almost certainly going to be better off buying the new Microsoft Surface Pro 11.

The only way you should really be looking to buy this device in late 2024 is if you can find it steeply discounted by 40-50%, otherwise, sales on more current models will likely give you a much better value.

Original review follows.

Microsoft Surface Pro 8: Two-Minute Review

The Surface Pro 8 could be old news, folks: the Microsoft Surface live event is taking place on October 12, and all current leaks point towards us seeing our first glimpse of the hotly-anticipated Surface Pro 9. Still, you can read out original review of the current-gen model right here - we loved it when it came out in 2021, and we still love it today.

With the Surface Pro 8, Microsoft finally took the aging design of the Surface Pro lineup and completely modernized it. This is the biggest change we’ve seen on this flagship device in years, rolling out some long-overdue design improvements like thinner bezels, rounded edges, and the inclusion of the Thunderbolt 4.

The Surface Pro 8 is still very much recognizable as part of Microsoft's core line of Windows devices, a one-time candidate for our best tablets list and still one of the best Windows tablets. At the same time, it truly feels like a new generation with these design changes and some of the fastest hardware that's ever been seen in a Windows tablet. And, although we are lamenting the loss of some legacy ports, this is the best Surface Pro we’ve got in years. And, it also comes with the new Windows 11 operating system pre-installed. 

Unfortunately, all those much-needed improvements come with a price increase. With its price of entry at $1,099 / £999 / AU$1,649, the Surface Pro 8 is also the most expensive – a lot more than its predecessor, the Surface Pro 7, that started at $749 / £799 / AU$1,249 – and that makes it harder to sell. Still, Surface Pro users who’ve been waiting for years for a proper update finally have one that’s worth upgrading for.

Microsoft Surface Pro 8: Price and Availability

The Surface Pro 8 is available today, starting at $1,099 (£999, $1,649). That will get you an Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD. 

It's a pretty big bump from the Surface Pro 7, which launched at just $749/£799/AU$1,249. However, that was for a configuration with just a Core i3 processor and 4GB of RAM. But the Pro 7 configuration with a Core i5, 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD launched for just $899/£899/AU$1,499, which is a full $200 cheaper in the US. It's a pretty massive price difference. 

Of course, if you want a more powerful Surface Pro 8, you can pay to upgrade it. You can upgrade the Surface Pro 8 all the way to an Intel Core i7 processor, 32 GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, which will set you back $2,599 in the US. 

In the UK and Australia, the Surface Pro 8 tops out at 16GB of RAM, but with the same specs otherwise, and that top-end spec will set you back £2,059 / AU$3,299.

That makes the Surface Pro 8 the same price as the 12-9-inch iPad Pro to start, and we're not sure that's a comparison Microsoft wants, at least when it comes to performance. In our testing, the Apple M1, which is in both the iPad Pro and some Macs, absolutely wipes the floor with 11th-generation Intel U-series processors. Microsoft has some pretty stiff competition with its oldest rival.

Microsoft Surface Pro 8: Design

The Surface Pro lineup kind of started to stagnate for the last couple iterations. Both the Surface Pro 6 and Surface Pro 7 were just spec updates of the Surface Pro 2017. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as four years ago, the Surface Pro was a pretty fresh device. But now it needs a pretty substantial redesign, especially in the face of the new iPad Pro, which Microsoft has pretty much left alone since its introduction. 

The Surface Pro 8, luckily, brings some much-needed design improvements to the table. The easiest one to notice is the new graphite color, which simply looks incredible. While it seems like Microsoft has been focusing on lighter shades for its devices in recent years, the darker colors with this year's lineup look incredible. 

The chassis is also refined, with more rounded edges, that seem much more comfortable to hold for long periods of time, rather than the flat sides with sharper corners. 

Bezels are also smaller than ever, and this is that final thing that makes the Surface Pro 8 look like an all-new device, rather than a relic from the early 2010s. It makes the screen look so much bigger, and makes the device look more premium than ever – which is good, because it's also more expensive than ever. 

The smaller bezels do more than just look good, though: they allow for an 11% larger display. The Surface Pro 8 now has a 13-inch PixelSense display with a resolution of 2,880 x 1,920. That's right in the middle of 1440p and 4K, but for a 13-inch display, it's absolutely gorgeous. What makes this display even better is that along with the bigger size, it also has a 120Hz refresh rate. This is definitely not a gaming device, but take it from us – once you use a high-refresh display, even for everyday computing, you're not going to want to go back. 

The display is configured to 60Hz out of the box, mainly in the interest of boosting battery life, but you can enable it at any time by going into your display settings. 

On The Surface Pro 8, the display hits 103% of the sRGB spectrum and has a peak brightness of 467 nits, which makes this one incredibly gorgeous display. Everything we've watched on this thing, whether it's Bob's Burgers in bed or the green text on the black background of our command prompt, has looked incredible. 

This is doubly important for a device like the Surface Pro 8, as this lineup is especially popular with artists, who will need the color accuracy to get their work done. It's just kind of a bonus that consuming content looks great, too. 

Sound quality isn't quite as good as what the Surface Pro 8 offers visually, but it's far from the worst sound we've heard in a laptop. Listening to 'Comfort In The Grave' by Vision Video, the highs are perfectly clear, but the bassline kind of gets lost in the background. 

There's not really a lot of real estate available for speakers though, so they're honestly better than we'd expect. Though, you'll still be better off with a pair of headphones. 

Usually, Microsoft pairs the launch of a new Surface Pro with a whole new lineup of Surface accessories, like a new pen and Type Cover. This time around, though, Microsoft is sticking with the same Type Cover that launched with the Surface Pro X, and which has apparently been incredibly popular. That means you might not need to buy a new Type Cover if you upgrade, which is good because Microsoft still isn't including it in the box.

Microsoft has also finally changed the ports. For years, the Redmond company has refused to use Thunderbolt, citing security concerns. It must have found a way around them, however, because the Surface Pro 8 has full support of Thunderbolt 4. This means a whole new world of accessories and peripherals are finally open to the Surface Pro 8, including external GPUs, which are a huge boon to the creative professionals that are most likely to buy a Surface Pro in the first place. 

The Surface Pro 4 has two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack and the Surface Connect port. It does lose the USB 3.0 Type-A port that the Surface Pro 7 had, but we're actually fine with that - it is a tablet, after all. 

However, it's not all rosy here. Microsoft still insists on selling the Type Cover and Surface Pen separately, which is absurd given the higher price tag this time around. We kind of get the Surface Pen being optional, but we can't imagine ever buying this tablet and not also getting the Type Cover. 

The Type Cover itself is still great, as it's the same one as Microsoft debuted with the Surface Pro X, which means it has a handy little wireless charging area for the Surface Pen - but, again, that's sold separately. 

Key travel is surprisingly deep for how thin the keyboard is, and the wide spacing on the keys means you're always comfortable typing. The only place the Type Cover falls apart is its touchpad, which is mediocre at best. But given that this device excels so much as a touch device, it's not that big of a deal. 

Microsoft Surface Pro 8: Performance

With a device that's meant to be as portable as the Surface Pro 8, performance is always a difficult balance to strike. You want it to be fast, but you don't want to push it so hard that battery life goes down the toilet and it becomes too hot to handle. 

Microsoft has apparently put a lot of effort into re-engineering the internals of the Surface Pro 8, and it allowed the company to configure the processor with a higher TDP than past versions of the tablet – boosting it to 23W instead of the 15W of the Surface Pro 7's processor. 

That's not going to be a night-and-day difference, but combine that with just how much faster Tiger Lake, compared to the the low-power Ice Lake chips in the last laptop and Microsoft is claiming up to a 2x performance increase. That's a pretty bold assumption, and unfortunately the Surface Pro 8 falls short of that mark.

That doesn't mean that it's not faster, in fact in Cinebench R15 - a test we've retired and replaced with Cinebench R23 - the Surface Pro 8 is nearly 50% faster than the Surface Pro 7, which is a pretty incredibly generational increase. The difference isn't as stark in GeekBench 4, but it's still noticeably faster. 

What's more impressive, though, is how the Surface Pro 8 fares against its big sibling, the Surface Laptop Studio. The tablet is just 12% slower than Microsoft's so-called creative workstation in Cinebench, and just 5% slower in GeekBench. This is all in spite of the fact that the Surface Pro 8 is half as thick as the Laptop Studio and nearly half the weight. 

The Surface Pro 8 can't compete when it comes to graphics, as it's using the integrated Xe graphics instead of the dedicated Nvidia RTX A2000, but still. If you just need CPU performance, there's pretty much no reason to go for the Surface Laptop Studio over the Surface Go 8. 

Microsoft Surface Pro 8: Battery Life

One of the biggest downfalls of the Surface Pro 7 was its battery life, lasting a paltry 3 hours and 12 minutes in the PCMark 8 battery test. We've since graduated to PCMark 10, but the Surface Pro 8 knocks that number out of the park with 8 hours and 15 minutes, making this a device you can totally use to work all day without needing a charger. 

This is probably largely due to Microsoft's decision to adhere to the Intel Evo program and to limit the refresh rate of the display to 60Hz by default. With how portable the Surface Pro 8 is, it's nice to know it's not going to run out of battery within a couple of hours, as the charger can add extra bulk. 

The numbers are slightly less impressive with our video playback test, where the Surface Pro 8 lasts just 6 hours and 32 minutes, but that's still a pretty nice little Netflix binge. 

Microsoft Surface Pro 8: Webcam and Microphone

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably realized that video conferencing is more important now than it has ever been, and having a laptop (or tablet) with a decent webcam is a godsend, as we all want to look good in our morning meetings. And luckily, the Surface Pro 8 has one of the best webcams we've ever used in a mobile computing device. 

In all of the calls we've taken in our time with the device, both for work and for chats with friends and loved ones, we've come through perfectly clearly without any kind of distortion or problems with focus. And, the front-facing camera is also Windows Hello compatible, so you can use it to log in. 

But of course, because this is a tablet, it also has a rear-facing camera. And, it's, well, fine. It's not as good as what you likely have on your phone, but it's perfectly ok for taking a quick snap of a pet if you don't have your phone handy. 

The microphone is also fantastic, especially considering the form-factor. Our voice comes through nice and clear with no distortion, and the tablet does a great job at filtering out background noise, so we don't even need to use headphones in calls. 

Microsoft Surface Pro 8: Software and Features

One of the best things about getting any Surface device, including the Surface Pro 8, is that you're getting a pure install of Windows 11, without any kind of bloatware. Microsoft installs a totally pure version of the operating system, and as a result, you don't get any annoying popups or useless programs opening for no reason - unless you install them yourself. 

Should I buy the Surface Pro 8?

Don't buy it if...

Also consider...

First reviewed December 2021

How We Test

We pride ourselves on our independence and our rigorous review-testing process, offering up long-term attention to the products we review and making sure our reviews are updated and maintained - regardless of when a device was released, if you can still buy it, it's on our radar.

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Microsoft’s Surface Adaptive Kit, which is designed to make Surface devices more accessible to everyone, is now available to purchase at the company’s online store.

The kit is a bunch of tools which make the Surface more easily usable for people with disabilities, and it includes translucent labels for keycaps which highlight keys visually and have tactile indicators to find them by touch. Plus there are port indicators with raised textures and different colors – and matching ties to go around the cable which is used with the corresponding port, using the same texture and color – to aid with plugging in peripherals to device ports.

There are also miscellaneous ‘bump’ labels which consist of different colored symbols that can be applied anywhere on the Surface device, so for example a dot label could be placed next to the audio jack.

Furthermore, the Surface Adaptive Kit comes with a pair of opener supports, which as the name suggests help to make it easier to open the Surface. One is designed for the lid (with a large loop), and the other for pulling out the Surface Pro’s kickstand (using an attached lanyard or wrist strap).

The kit can be purchased direct from Microsoft’s online store and is priced at $14.99 (£14.99 in the UK, or AU$24.95 in Australia).

Analysis: Microsoft has made some impressive strides forward with accessibility

The Surface Adaptive Kit was announced back in September, and is a thoughtful addition to Microsoft’s range of accessories. It’s great to see that it’s now available to buy, and the various labels will doubtless come in handy for locating ports and keys with a lot more ease.

A whole host of Surface devices are supported by the kit, namely the Surface Laptop 3 and 4, Surface Pro 7 and 8, Surface Laptop Studio, Surface Book 3, Surface Go and Go 2 plus Go 3, and the Surface Laptop Go (but keycap labels will be a little trickier to apply with the latter and the Go Type Cover due to the smaller key sizes).

And of course there’s nothing stopping you applying some of these labels to another non-Surface device (not in theory, anyway, aside from issues around things like key size perhaps).

Microsoft has been pushing forward on the accessibility front for quite some time now, and commendably so, making moves in the early days of Windows 10 to introduce eye tracking functionality for example (that was back in 2017).

• How AbleGamers helped millions of gamers with disabilities

Two-minute review

When Microsoft released the original Surface Duo back in 2020, it was all about providing professionals an easy way to work on the go, getting rid of the barrier between being in the office and being on the road. It was an odd thing to sell in the middle of a global pandemic, to be sure, but the Surface Duo 2 is here right when the world seems to be at least starting to reopen.

And because the world just wasn’t at a stage where something like the Surface Duo 2 was needed a year ago, it feels kind of like a fresh start this time around. We know we’re much more out-and-about than we were when we reviewed the original Android phone, and we know we’re certainly not alone.

But the Surface Duo 2, in the face of this fresh start, comes with a higher price tag, starting at $1,499 in the US, which is a bit more than the $1,399 (£1,350, about AU$1,930) that Microsoft asked for last time. With that higher price you are getting a flagship-level mobile chipset in the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, along with 8GB of RAM and way better cameras – both front and back.

The specs aren’t the most impressive part of the new Surface Duo though. Instead, it’s the hardware improvements Microsoft has made to actually using the device on a day-to-day basis that make it feel more like something we’d be comfortable carrying in our pocket each day. There is still some bugginess, especially when you’re really pushing the device, but rather than it feeling like problems that are inherent to the device, like last time, it feels like something that can easily be fixed in a firmware update.

However, the bugs really do hamper the experience of using the device. There have been several times where the phone has been stuck in the camera mode, for instance, forcing us to have to recharge the phone. That plus the short battery life means the Surface Duo 2 isn't a device that is ready for its time in the spotlight just yet, though it is certainly better than the original device. 

Microsoft Surface Duo 2 price and availability

The Microsoft Surface Duo 2 is available today, starting at $1,499 / £ 1,349 / AU$2,319. For that price you’ll get the standard configuration with the Snapdragon 888 chipset, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.

You can upgrade the storage to 256GB for $1,599 (£1,349, AU$2,469) or 512GB for $1,799 (£1,429 AU$2,769). If you want the top-end 512GB option, you’re going to have to go with the Obsidian colorway – which is the better one anyway if you ask us – but you can get the 128GB version or the 256GB version in the Glacier White colorway as well.

Unlike the original device, though, the Surface Duo 2 doesn’t come with the Bumper case that’ll protect it from falls. That’s not as big of a deal as the last time around, as the sides of the phone are a more rugged plastic this time. Still, it does have the added benefit of letting you magnetically attach the Surface Pen to the device, so it’s something you’re probably going to want to get if you plan on using Microsoft’s stylus.

So, the Surface Duo 2 is an expensive device, but especially now that it has a high-end chipset rather than the mid-range silicon in the original device, it’s more competitive with the phones around it. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, for instance, will cost you $1,799 / £1,599 / AU$2,499, which is slightly more expensive than a similarly configured Surface Duo 2. Then again, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 has 12GB of RAM, which makes it even better at multitasking – but more on that later.

Design

In so many ways, the Surface Duo 2 feels like a finished product in ways that the Surface Duo never did. While it’s recognizable as a follow-up to the original Surface Duo, key refinements have been made that put it above and beyond the original – and that device wasn’t exactly hard to look at.

The new obsidian colorway we have in for review is the first thing that comes to mind. It’s a black phone, which means it won’t show dirt or scratches quite as easily, which is good because it’s still using the same glass outer casing as the last device. This does mean that fingerprints are a bit more visible, but we’re able to get rid of the fingerprints easily with a quick wipe, so that’s not a big deal.

However, unlike the original Surface Duo, which came with a rubber bumper to keep the device protected, the Surface Duo 2 does not, and that's a serious problem. We've already noticed a crack in the outer casing of the device, which developed just from having the device in our bag,  in a pocket with a wallet and a passport. 

Because it is such an awkwardly shaped device, too, and we know it doesn't fit in any of our pockets, it is a device you're going to have to keep in your bag. And, well, you're going to want a case to make sure it stays beautiful.

One of the most noticeable changes, though, is the huge camera bump on the back. Microsoft went with a more powerful triple-lens camera setup this time around, which means the camera now protrudes a considerable amount from the back of the phone. This is something we’re used to in the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra we use as a personal device, but there’s one critical difference between the two devices: the Surface Duo 2 needs to close on top of this camera bump.

That was one of our first worries when we first started using this device, but it’s one that has since turned out to be assuaged. The camera is surrounded with this plastic material, which extends a bit further than the glass back of the camera. This means that the actual lenses aren’t making direct contact with the back of the left side of the device when it closes, and the glass casing of the device isn’t in danger of shattering after opening and closing it repeatedly.

The only real side effect of this, though, is that the Surface Duo 2 just kind of feels a bit odd when you’re using it in a one-screen mode, which we often do when we’re just looking to type out a quick text message. It’s not enough to be uncomfortable, but it feels a bit funky, though this is probably something you’ll just get used to during the life of the device.

Microsoft has also addressed one of the most annoying parts of using the original phone – it was just a pain to have to open the device just to check the time or whether you had any missed texts. Luckily, the Surface Duo 2 has displays that curve around the edge of the device and you can quickly tap the unlock button to show the time printed on the side.

This will also show a little light-based notification when you’re getting a call or a text, but beyond those basic notifications you’ll have to open the device to look. It’s a start, and we wish Microsoft would have included at least a notifications counter or something, like how the LG V60 does in its always-on display portion.

As far as we can tell the Surface Duo 2 hinge is exactly the same as it was on the Surface Duo, and that’s a good thing. It has just enough resistance that it won’t accidentally open, and once it is open, you won’t find it swinging around or anything. We prefer this to the folding display you’d find in something like the Fold 3, too, because the two discrete displays mean you don’t get an ugly crease in the middle of your screen when you’re working – unless you span an app across both screens. 

Dual screen 

Just like the Surface Duo, the Surface Duo 2’s entire pitch revolves around its dual-screen design. But at least they’re better screens this time around.

Where the original device had two 5.6-inch AMOLED displays with a 1,350 x 1,800 resolution, which combined into a “single” 8.1 display with a 1,800 x 2,700 resolution, the Surface Duo 2 narrows the bezels a bit to expand the displays.

This time, there’s two 5.8-inch displays, which open up to a full 8.3 inches. And Microsoft keeps the PixelSense classification, by making each display 1,344 x 1,899, which makes it a combined resolution of 2,688 x 1,892. This is a slightly higher resolution, but the larger display basically cancels it out.

What does make the displays even better though is that they each have a 90Hz refresh rate and a peak 800 nits of brightness. Although, in our testing, the peak brightness only ended up being around 672 nits. It does hit 87.3% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, though, which is incredibly impressive, and is actually better than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, which is a laptop entirely geared toward artists.

This means that all content looks absolutely gorgeous on the two displays, and whether you’re browsing Instagram, watching Netflix or struggling to pay attention in a long Teams meeting, everything will look beautiful.

However, there are still some problems. Sometimes, when running an especially heavy application on one of the displays and trying to run something like Edge or Slack on the other screen, the UI crashes, which leads to a black screen and us having to restart the phone. We’re still not sure what’s causing this and it’s one of the things we want to do a bit more testing on, but it’s a worrisome bug, and could severely impact the use of the device. But, again, stay tuned on that one.

The gestures for dual-screen usage are the same as they were the last time around, and you can swipe up and drag towards the middle of the two displays to have an app span across both screens. This basically works the same as it did on the original Surface Duo, but some apps, like Instagram, for instance, will only be available in one orientation.

Most Microsoft apps, on the other hand, take full advantage of the dual displays on the Surface Duo 2 again. What we find ourselves using the most is Outlook across both displays, as having both your email list and your current email side by side makes going through our morning emails so much less of a chore.

This will also be beneficial in Teams, where you can have the chat open on one display, with the actual video call open on the other. That’s not something we’ve tested much, as we honestly just never find ourselves using Teams for anything, but if you primarily work through the Microsoft Office suite, you’ll get a lot of use out of the dual-screen functionality.

For everyone else, it’s still just neat to have two apps open side-by-side, but the Surface Duo 2 is far from the only phone that can do this.

Camera 

We wouldn’t think of the Surface Duo 2 as being a device where an excellent camera is super necessary, but when you’re paying this kind of cash for a phone – even if Microsoft isn’t calling it that – the camera had better be at least decent.  

That definitely was not the case with the Surface Duo. But with the Surface Duo 2 Microsoft has made some huge improvements, making it at least good enough to get photos that look like they came from this decade. 

It’s not going to match the photos taken by the iPhone 13 or the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, but they’ll be good enough for most people – especially if you just need to get a quick shot of something for work.

This time around there are two cameras, one 12MP front facing camera, and a triple-lens camera on the back. This includes a 12MP wide lens, a 12 MP telephoto lens and a 16MP Ultra-Wide lens.  We’ve included some camera samples down below. It’s such a huge improvement from the original device, and one that honestly should have just been there to begin with.

Performance and specs

Finally the Surface Duo has a decent chipset in it. The original device, while it was a neat idea, struggled precisely because Microsoft has the same problems with its phones that it does with its laptops – it never includes powerful enough componentry.

This time around, Microsoft has included the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, which is a marked improvement over the Snapdragon 855. And while Microsoft has also included more RAM in the Surface Duo 2, with 8GB instead of 6GB, it still isn’t quite enough for what this phone is trying to do.

In our ideal world, we would be able to constantly run multiple demanding apps side by side as our work requires – as it often does. But because Microsoft didn’t include the 12GB of RAM that most flagship devices run these days, running a demanding app like, for instance, Genshin Impact, on top of Discord is what led us to the UI crash we mentioned before.

But it's more than UI crashes. Taking the Surface Duo on a trip upstate, there were several times that we had the camera open to capture pictures of the beautiful scenery, only for the phone to get stuck in the phone app. We couldn't swipe up to get home, or swipe back to exit, then the phone starts to be completely unresponsive. 

When this happens, we have to stop what we're doing and restart the phone entirely, which takes a good 30 seconds or so. That's not a lot if it happens one time, but in our time with the device, well, it's been quite a bit more than one time.

When the Surface Duo 2 works, it works wonderfully, and starts to make us see exactly what Microsoft was going for. However, it is still way too buggy to really sell anyone that isn't immediately sold on the idea of the device. And then combined with the lack of RAM on the device, which honestly probably contributes to the bugs, thanks to the two screens, it really shows the flaws in Microsoft's approach to hardware design. 

And this goes for the entire Surface lineup – from the Surface Duo 2 to the Surface Studio – please stop underestimating how much power your users may need, especially for enterprise products like the Surface Duo 2.

Battery life

Microsoft is claiming up to 15.5 hours of video playback and 28 hours of talk time, which definitely sounds impressive. However, we took it out over the weekend, and really put it to the test.

We took it on a day trip upstate, where we were taking a lot of photos, browsing the web and doing a lot of messaging. And, well, it falls short of Microsoft's claims a bit. 

In our experience, the Surface Duo 2 only lasts around 10-12 hours before dying. This is more than a standard workday, but if you're going to be out and about like we are, it's simply not enough. Luckily, we travel with other people, so it's not like the dead battery would leave us stranded, but this is some seriously lackluster battery life. 

Should I buy the Microsoft Surface Duo 2?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

If you're wondering which portable Surface device is the right one for you, the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 vs Microsoft Surface Pro 8, you're not alone. 

With the release of the Surface Pro 8, there are a lot of Surface Pro 7 owners who might be looking at their devices and wondering if its time for an upgrade. 

Others might not have either device and want to know if the discounts we're likely to see on the last-gen Microsoft Surface Pro 7 make it a more attractive purchase than the latest and greatest that Microsoft has to offer.

Whatever the reason, there are some important differences between the two devices that might not be obvious if you're just looking at the basic spec sheet in the store or online. 

Fortunately, we're here to help you make sense of the the pros and cons of each device so you can pick between the two tablet computers and get the right model for your needs and budget.

Price and specs

When it comes to the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 vs the Microsoft Surface Pro 8, the biggest difference you are likely to see is the price, which shouldn't surprise anyone. 

The Surface Pro 7 is an older model, which means that this is going to be the model that's less in-demand than the Surface Pro 8 so the price will come down even further from its starting price of $749 / £799 / AU$1,249 for the base model. As the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 starts hitting shelves, there is going to be a lot of pressure to move that old inventory, so the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 might be an absolute bargain come Black Friday 2021 and Cyber Monday 2021.

The entry-level configuration comes with a tenth-gen Intel Core i3 i3-1005G1, 4GB RAM, and 128GB storage. The prices on the Surface Pro 7 steadily go up as you climb the spec tree. The other available configurations are as follows.

• Intel Core i5 (8GB, 128GB) – $899/£899/AU$1,499
• Intel Core i5 (8GB, 256GB) – $1,199/£1,169/AU$1,999
• Intel Core i5 (16GB, 128GB) – $1,399/£1,399/AU$2,349
• Intel Core i7 (16GB, 256GB) – $1,499/£1,449/AU$2,449
• Intel Core i7 (16GB, 512GB) – $1,899/£1,849/AU$3,149
• Intel Core i7 (16GB, 1TB) – $2,299/£2,249/AU$3,749

These were the specs that were available at launch, so availability of a particular model might vary from region to region or even city to city.

The Surface Pro 8 starts off higher, at $1,099 (around £810, $1,500), but it comes with an Intel Core i5-1135G7, 8GB, and a 128GB SSD, which is a major step up in price but the specs definitely justify it, and quite frankly, this should be considered the bare minimum of what you're need to run Windows 10/11. 

The Surface Pro 7 and Surface Pro 8 both run full versions of Windows, not S-mode, so it's going to be more resource hungry than an S-Mode laptop or tablet, and while 4GB is considered the minimum standard amount of RAM you need for Windows 11, this is not going to be enough RAM, pure and simple.

For the Surface Pro 8, you can upgrade all the way up to an Intel Core i7, 32 GB RAM and 1TB SSD, which will cost $2,599 in the US. The top UK model is the same, only it tops out at 16GB RAM instead of 32, and that's priced at £2,059. We haven't heard about Australian availability or pricing yet, but we'll update all our guides once we hear something, even unofficially.

Design

The other major change between the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 vs Microsoft Surface Pro 8 is the design. When we reviewed the Surface Pro 7, we felt that the bezels were simply too big for a tablet-hybrid device in 2019, and thankfully Microsoft listened. The bezels aren't eliminated, buy they are at least more pleasing to look at.

The Surface Pro 7 measured in at 11.5 x 7.9 x 0.33 inches (292 x 201 x 8.5mm) and weighing 1.7lbs (0.77kg), and the Surface Pro 8 comes in at 11.3 x 8.2 x 0.37 ins (287 x 208 x 9.3 mm) and weighing a bit more at 1.96 lbs (0.9 kg).

The Surface 8 also has an extra 11% of screen real estate thanks to the slimmer bezels, making the whole device look much bigger than the Surface Pro 7. 

There have also been updated ports with the new Surface Pro 8, including two new Thunderbolt 4 ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack and the Surface Connect port. It does lose the USB 3.0 Type-A port, which the Surface Pro 7 has, but this is first and foremost a tablet, so dropping the USB Type-A if the natural choice.

Display

The slimmer bezels on the Surface Pro 8 help make the screen absolutely pop with a 2,880 x 1,920p  resolution, sitting right between 4K and 1440p. The screen also has a 120 MHz refresh rate, so everything on the Surface Pro 8 is going to look great and run smoothly.

The Microsoft Surface Pro 7, meanwhile, is slightly less sharp at 2736 x 1824p. This is still a gorgeous screen, though, and both the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 and Microsoft Surface Pro 8 feature a 3:2 aspect ratio.

The screens on the Microsoft Surface Pro have always been one of the major wow factors for the product line, so you can rest assured that whichever model you ultimate decides on, you're going to get a fantastic looking screen.

Peripherals

So our biggest pet peeve of the Surface Pro line is that when you buy it, you're only buying the tablet. The Type Cover ($129, £149, AU$249) and Surface Pen ($99, £99, AU$139) are not included, and all mice are all sold separately as well.

This applies to both Surface Pro 7 and Surface Pro 8, so whichever way you go, you'll have to spend some extra money to get an actual computer, rather than just an overpowered tablet.

The Surface Pro 7 doesn't have Thunderbolt 3 support, unfortunately, while the Surface Pro 8 has Thunderbolt 4 support, which means it will have access to a whole host of peripherals like external GPUs that the Surface Pro 7 won't be able to use.

Microsoft Surface Pro 7 vs Microsoft Surface Pro 8: which one should you buy?

Ultimately, all of the Surface Pro 7 vs Surface Pro 8 talk can be boiled down to a pretty simply flow chart.

If you don't need an especially powerful tablet-hybrid device and you want to save yourself a good bit of money, then the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is definitely worth a look (except the entry-level Core i3, 4GB model, definitely avoid this model and go for an i5 with 8GB minimum.

If you're looking for some more modern hardware that can start really taking on some of the kinds of creative and business oriented tasks traditionally reserved for full laptop systems, then the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 is definitely worth the investment.

Fortunately, both models are still available, so wherever you fall on the Surface Pro 7 vs Surface Pro 8 spectrum, there's likely to be a Surface Pro product that will satisfy your needs and budget. 

• If you're looking for something more robust check out our best Windows laptops

Microsoft has always been unwavering on its repair policies in the past. However, the tech giant is considering supporting more research and policies so users can more easily repair devices like the Surface Pro 8 and its other Windows tablets, after receiving pressure from an investors group.

In June 2021, the company held an investor’s meeting with investor advocacy nonprofit As You Sow. The results of that meeting cemented Microsoft’s commitment to researching the “environmental and social benefits” making it easier for users to repair their own devices. This would include making parts, information, and other resources more readily available to consumers.

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This is the first time a US manufacturer has agreed to such conditions after investor pressure, but most likely won’t be the last if recent patterns are any indication. For example, back in September mutual fund company Green Century filed two right-to-repair resolutions. The first was with Apple and the second was with Deere & Co., an agricultural equipment manufacturer.

What does this mean?

Microsoft agreed to look into how 'right to repair' would affect its contributions to climate change and electronic waste, with the study evaluating the social impacts and serving to “determine new mechanisms to increase access to repair, including for Surface devices and Xbox consoles," as stated by a recent news release from As You Sow. Microsoft will then be required to share a summary of those findings by May 2022 and act on them by the end of 2022. 

In statements given to both Grist and Tom’s Hardware, a Microsoft spokesperson stated “We believe customers are entitled to repair options that are safe and reliable. We currently provide customers with repair services that ensure the high quality of repairs, safeguard customers’ privacy and security, and protect customers from injury.”

It's too early to say whether this will mean Surface devices will be easier to upgrade in the future, but it's looking good. The Surface Pro 8 has a user-replaceable SSD that's pretty easy to access, so hopefully it's a step in the right direction for Microsoft.

Via PC Gamer

Microsoft is going to make its hardware, such as Surface devices or Xbox consoles, easier to repair in the future, making repairs by a third-party independent repair shop – or maybe even consumers themselves, at least those who are techy (and confident) enough – an alternative to an authorized servicing outfit.

This is good news, obviously, when it comes to making repairs to Microsoft devices more widely available, and more competitively priced no doubt – with the move being made following pressure from As You Sow, a non-profit shareholder advocacy group which aims to promote environmental responsibility.

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Grist reported that Microsoft has come to an agreement with As You Sow to make spare parts for its devices more available, as well as tools for repair jobs, and instruction guides.

Microsoft has promised it’ll investigate how to progress along those lines (in conjunction with a third-party), and evaluate the environmental impact of making devices easier to repair, further determining “new mechanisms to increase access to repair, including for Surface devices and Xbox consoles”. The firm will act on these findings by the end of 2022.

Analysis: A necessary move realistically – but still welcome

As You Sow noted that rival hardware manufacturers Dell and HP are already getting ahead of US repair legislation by “complementing their authorized repair services with the provision of some instructions, parts, and tools to independent repair shops”, and that “Microsoft has received substantial negative publicity for our products being more difficult to repair than those of these competitors and others.”

Therefore to some extent, this is pretty much a necessary move for Microsoft, given that legislation; not to say that it still isn’t welcome, and indeed it’s good to hear a commitment to realizing all this in not much more than a year’s time.

To be fair to Microsoft, it has already been improving the repairability of some of its more recent Surface products, like the Surface Pro X. And of course a fair bit changed with the introduction of the Surface Laptop 3, which finally allowed for (relatively) easy replacement of the SSD for example – moves like this can extend the longevity of hardware.

With Microsoft making further strides along these lines, perhaps Apple will start to come round more to this way of thinking – you never know. As Tom’s Hardware, which spotted this story, observes, Apple has already seen a similar shareholder resolution filed with it.

It’s worth noting that Microsoft reminded Tom’s that customers who go ahead and perform work on their devices themselves are voiding their warranty, and this wouldn’t change with these further reforms to the accessibility of repairs. Punters would still have to use a third-party repair shop if they want to keep their warranty intact.

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The new Surface Laptop Studio is, in a lot of ways, the direct follow-up to the Surface Book 3, one that, with a refreshed form factor and slightly more powerful hardware, is leading Microsoft's Windows 11 hardware push. But instead of simply taking the popular removable keyboard from the Surface Book 3 and iterating on it, Microsoft looked to another of its products for inspiration – the Surface Studio 2, and not exclusively in a good way. 

That means you get this amazing easel-like display that you can bring down at an angle or even lay down flat to draw, and it also has an H-series processor for the first time in a Surface mobile device – but there's a catch. 

Instead of using a full-fat H-series chip, like, say, the Intel Core i7-11850H, which would put it on the same level as the Dell XPS 15, Microsoft instead opted for the Intel Core i7-11370H, one of its Tiger Lake-H35 processors. This is a shaved down, low-power hybrid chip that's supposed to give decent performance without sacrificing portability. 

For a laptop that's targeting creative professionals that need multi-core performance more than anyone else, limiting it to a 4-core processor instead of a full 8-core chip is going to be a hindrance, especially if you do a lot of video editing or heavy coding. 

But, on the other hand, this is probably the nicest piece of hardware Microsoft has ever put out. It has a lovely display, one of the best keyboards we've ever used and a trackpad that is finally on par with what you'll find on a MacBook Pro 16. It's a device we haven't been able to put down in the week we've spent with it so far, and it's not one we're looking forward to moving on from any time soon. 

And so the Surface Laptop Studio is kind of in a weird spot. The hardware on offer is seriously lackluster for the audience it's aiming for, but at the same time, it is genuinely one of the nicest-looking pieces of tech we've used so far. But, we suspect, for professionals that care more about actually getting through their workloads efficiently, that attention to detail isn't going to matter much when they can get more work done on another laptop – for less money. 

Because, just like the Surface Book 3, this is an expensive device. You're going to have to spend $2,699 (about £1,980, AU$3,700) to get the configuration we reviewed here, and you can definitely get the same hardware elsewhere for less money – just without the fancy eye-catching chassis – for most people, that's probably the better move.

Price and availability

The Surface Laptop Studio is available today, October 5, starting at $1,599 (around  £1,200, AU$2,200) at least in the US. In both the UK and Australia, the Surface Laptop Studio isn't coming until early 2022, and you can't preorder yet it, either. 

That intro price will get you an 11th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. You can bump up every component in the device for a price, and the top-end spec has an eye-watering price of $3,099 (about £2,270, AU$4,260).

That will get you an Intel Core i7-11370H, 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD, along with dedicated Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti graphics, but it's a hard price to swallow, especially when you consider you can get the Dell XPS 15, with basically the same specs, for a lot less. And, with Dell's 15-incher, you get an 8-core processor that is way faster. 

The only thing the Dell XPS doesn't have that the Surface Laptop Studio does is that easel-like display. But that may be worth the exchange, depending on your workflow. 

This laptop is likely only worth the price you're paying for it if you're an artist that really needs that easel-like display, because the hardware on offer just is not worth the price you're paying for it.

Design

It's pretty obvious that the Surface Laptop Studio takes a lot of inspiration from, well, the Surface Studio. The entire design of the laptop revolves around its easel-like display, which is exactly what has made the Surface Studio such an iconic PC for artists.  

The Surface Laptop Studio takes that design and translates it over into a laptop form factor, and while it's definitely not the first laptop to do this, it's one of the best one's we've used so far. 

The closest comparison that comes to mind is the Acer ConceptD Ezel, which has a very similar design, but where that laptop has a hinge that stands out on the back of the display, the Surface Laptop Studio takes a lot of cues from the Surface Pro line of tablets, and the easel mechanism and hinge looks a lot like those device's stands. That means that when the laptop is closed, the lid of the laptop is totally smooth. 

Couple that with the gorgeous gray colorway, and you have a laptop that is just as beautiful as any laptop in Microsoft's Surface lineup, but with unique functionality that will be extremely useful for artists on the go, especially if they're working on bigger projects that will require the extra horsepower the Surface Laptop Studio brings to the table. 

But it's more than just a fancy hinge. The keyboard is just as comfortable to type on as ever, with deep travel and nearly perfect spacing. Microsoft has also improved on the trackpad over the Surface Book 3, and not only is it bigger, but it uses a haptic engine, similar to something you'd find on the MacBook Pro. 

That means you can press down anywhere on the trackpad and have it register as a click with the same amount of feedback and accuracy. And, you can even go into the settings and tweak how much haptic feedback the trackpad gives off when you click, depending on your own preference. What makes it even better than the trackpad on a MacBook Pro is that the classic Windows tap to click functionality is still there, meaning you get the best of both worlds. 

Just like the Surface Laptop 4, the speakers here are located under the keyboard, which usually isn't ideal, but is still better than having them mounted on the bottom of the device. The Surface Laptop Studio has four speakers in total: two tweeters under the keyboard, then two woofers on the bottom of the laptop, to the left and the right.

Thanks to the Surface Laptop Studio being one device, rather than a separate display and keyboard docking station thing, sound quality is so much better, even if the speakers aren't in an ideal location. The speakers are loud enough to fill a room, and have enough range to make most music sound pretty decent – though it's still obviously no match for dedicated speakers or headphones. 

Listening to Kanye West's God Breathed, the bass is nice and deep, while the occasional sound effects still come through with minimal distortion. Honestly, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio has some of the best laptop speakers we've tested. Things fall apart a bit when listening to Type O Negative's Christian Woman, where the heavy bits have too much bass for the bottom-mounted subwoofers to handle at full volume. 

Speaking of things on the bottom of the laptop, there's ventilation all around the sides, and located underneath this sort of ridge around the edge. Microsoft tells us that this is some of the best ventilation in its laptops to date, which it'll need. This is the most powerful processor Microsoft has put in anything but the Surface Studio, after all. 

We can't help but wonder that with ventilation this extreme (not to mention how much thicker this laptop is than most other laptops in its class), why Microsoft couldn't fit a more powerful chip, but that's a topic for another day.

There's a terraced effect around the edge of these vents, with a small overhang. This is magnetic, and you can stash your Surface Pen under it, and it'll stay in place. Of course, you'll have to fork over extra cash for the Surface Pen. For a laptop that's already incredibly expensive, having to add an extra $99 / £99 / AU$139 is a bit ridiculous, especially when it's so central to the device.

In one of the biggest breaths of fresh air that the Surface Laptop Studio brings, however, it finally supports Thunderbolt 4. The laptop has two Thunderbolt 4 ports on the left side of the laptop. On the right there's the Surface Connect port and a headphone jack. It's super cool that Microsoft opted to include Thunderbolt support after years of refusing to, but it also means that all the legacy ports that were on the Surface Book 3 are gone. 

As for the display, it's absolutely gorgeous, as always. The 14-inch PixelSense display has a resolution of 2,400 x 1,600, which is a perfect fit for the hardware on offer.

It's one of the most beautiful displays in its class, with incredible color accuracy and brightness. It hits an amazing 105.3% of the sRGB spectrum, and has a peak brightness of 504 nits. That puts it in the same territory as the MacBook Pro, and the only thing that stops it from exceeding it is the slightly better color accuracy of Apple's display – but the MacBook doesn't have a touchscreen, so who really wins here?

And unlike a lot of other laptops in its class, it has a 120Hz refresh rate, which makes navigating through Windows 11 feel incredibly smooth and responsive. 

Fast refresh rates like this are typically associated with gaming, but it's going to be great for artists, as it should cut down on the delay between drawing something on the display and having it appear on screen – not that there really was much of delay in the first place. 

If that wasn't enough, Microsoft also drastically narrowed the bezels, making it look like a laptop from this decade for the first time. The bezels on the sides of the laptop are more in-line with current laptops, but they're still not going to match the thinnest out there, which is a good thing. The Surface Laptop Studio does have a tablet mode, so having non-existent bezels would be a nightmare from a usability perspective. 

The top bezel is quite a bit thicker than the ones on the sides, but for good reason. The laptop has a 1080p webcam, which can be used for Windows Hello facial login, as well as a light sensor that will adjust the color temperature to match ambient lighting. Luckily you can turn that feature off if you don't like it.

Performance

Microsoft is billing the Surface Laptop Studio as its most powerful mobile Surface yet. And, it's right, but only just barely – and that comes down to its choice of processors. 

Microsoft has opted to pack this laptop with the Intel Core i7-11370H, which is barely faster than a U-series chip, even though the laptop is significantly thicker than the Surface Pro 8, which uses the Intel Core i7-1185G7 – an Ultrabook part. Usually, an H-series chip will absolutely destroy a U-series chip, but that doesn't happen here. Instead, the Surface Laptop Studio only barely tops the Surface Pro 8 in CPU-dependent workloads like GeekBench and CineBench. And the kicker is that the Surface Pro 8 is literally half the price for similar specs – though with less RAM. 

Where the Surface Laptop Studio does pull away, though, is in graphics workloads. The Surface Laptop Studio we have in for review is the business SKU, which means instead of an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti it instead has an Nvidia RTX A2000, but it's basically on the same level either way – it's just not as good at gaming. 

And, in graphics-heavy workloads like Blender, it doesn't have the best performance, thanks to its paltry 4GB of VRAM, which simply isn't enough and feels like the graphics were added in as an afterthought. And it's not for gaming either, because with its 1600p resolution, even the RTX 3050 Ti isn't going to have much luck at the native resolution – you're going to have to lower games down to Medium or High settings at 1080p, which will look kind of pixelated on the high-res display. 

The area where the Surface Laptop Studio is strongest is in its memory configuration, and we aren't seeing any system hangs, even when we have 50 Chrome tabs open while messing around in the Command Prompt trying to poke at every corner of Windows 11. 

But it just seems like the configuration for the Surface Laptop Studio doesn't match what Microsoft is going for. Microsoft wants to give creators the freedom to make whatever they want without inhibition, but we still haven't seen it launch a laptop that can handle creative workloads as well as even a gaming laptop. If you have to do any video or 3D work, seriously just buy a Razer Blade instead and you'll have a similar level of workmanship with a more appropriate set of hardware that won't slow you down. 

At the end of the day, this is a set of hardware that's going to be excellent for illustrators and other similar artists, but Microsoft already has a ton of hardware that specifically targets those people, and the Surface Pro 8 is probably a better choice for them.

Battery life

It's actually kind of silly, but the Surface Laptop Studio actually has the best battery life out of Microsoft's most recent run of mobile devices, and will easily last you all day without a charger in most workloads. 

It lasts nearly 11 hours in the PCMark10 battery benchmark, which simulates a bunch of real-world scenarios, which is more than enough to get you through your workday, with some juice left over for the commute home. It struggles a bit more with video playback, lasting just 7 hours and 29 minutes, but that is likely due to the fancy display. 

Because this is a bright display – even at the 50% setting we run battery tests at – and high resolution, it will consume more juice when playing a lot of video content. Couple that with the high refresh rate, and it's not great for all-day Netflix binges in bed, even though everything looks incredible on the display. 

We'd still encourage you to binge Netflix on this thing – especially if you're going to watch Midnight Mass – but maybe keep it plugged in. 

Camera and microphone

Let's face it, over the last couple of years, we've all spent way more time than usual in video calls on our computers, and it has become one of the main ways we use our devices. That means webcams are more important than ever, so it's good that Microsoft knocked it out of the park. 

We use a lot of laptops here at TechRadar, but none of them have webcams that are nearly as good as what is found on the Surface Laptop Studio. The quality is similar to what we get in our standalone webcams on our desktop PC, as you get a full 1080p lens. And to make it better – it supports IR for Windows Hello. 

The microphone isn't quite as incredible, but it's more than good enough that you don't need to rush for a headset just to take that last-minute meeting. For a device aimed at professionals who are probably going to be taking more meetings than most people, we're happy that Microsoft paid attention here, where most laptop manufacturers put in sub-par cameras in the name of thinner bezels. 

Software and features

One of the things we love most about Surface devices is how pure of a Windows 11 experience you get. There is absolutely no bloatware to be found here, which means the newly-launched operating system is basically a blank canvass for you to configure to your liking. 

Should I buy the Surface Laptop Studio?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Microsoft is gearing for the launch of its Surface Pro 8 and Surface Laptop Studio, which will both ship just in time for Windows 11’s own release. But if you’re still using an older device, Microsoft just released firmware for the Surface Laptop Go, Surface Pro 7, Surface Book 3 and Surface Go 2. 

The new firmware updates, spotted by Wccftech, are meant to beef up the Windows 10 OS by improving system performance and system stability, along with addressing critical security vulnerabilities. Each device will be getting its own update addressing unique security issues. 

• Here are the best laptops
• Check out the best Macs instead
• We'll show you how to build a PC

For instance, those with a Surface Pro 7 are getting firmware update 13.0.1763.7, while those with Surface Laptop Go are getting version 13.0.1763.7. Both the Surface Book 3 and Surface Go 2 are getting several firmware updates that will fix a multitude of Windows 10 problems.

In order to install a firmware update, simply go to Settings, then select Update and Security, then finally Windows Update. After that, restart your device in order to complete the installation. Note, however, that once an update has been installed on any of these devices, it cannot be reverted back to an older build or uninstalled altogether.

Meanwhile, the Surface Pro 8, Surface Laptop Studio, and the upcoming Windows 11 are all set to launch on October 5th, and you can preorder them today. Windows 11 will feature plenty of quality of life changes and improvements including layout, better security, more app availability, 40% smaller updates, improvements to gaming, and more.

Surface Laptop Go: Two Minute Review

When the Surface Laptop Go first launched in October 2020, it really impressed us. As with other products in the Surface Go lineup, this is an affordable laptop that comes with some premium touches found in the more expensive Surface Pro range.

While the new Surface Laptop 5 is aimed at people who want a more powerful device – and have the budget for it – the Surface Laptop Go proves that if you want a solid Windows laptop, you don't have to spend a huge amount of money to do so.

In fact, because the Surface Laptop 5 sets its sights higher, its failings are more apparent. The Surface Laptop Go, in contrast, exceeded our expectations, offering excellent value for money for students and everyday users.

The entry-level Surface Laptop Go gets you an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD, alongside a gorgeous display and excellent build quality for a low asking price. And, it’s far better than any other laptop you're going to find at this price range. 

Even in its high-end configuration, it remains unbelievably affordable. The absolute top-end version, which we tested here, launched at $899 (£899, AU$1,549). We’d consider it a bargain for the specs listed on the right, especially since most other laptops in this size class and price range are going to be the best Chromebooks, which are way more restrictive in what you can do than the Laptop Go’s Windows 10 in S Mode. Bonus? You can easily switch out of that Mode these days, and the hardware on offer is more than capable of being a fully functioning Windows 10 computer. 

Even in 2022, it’s still a great choice, especially if you're comfortable storing most of your extraneous files in OneDrive. Prices have continued to drop in the two years since the launch of the Surface Laptop Go, and in mid-2022 Microsoft finally launched a follow-up, the Surface Laptop Go 2.

While this means that the original Surface Laptop Go is no longer the most recent model, it does mean that with new lower prices, it's even better value.

Surface Laptop Go: Price and availability

• Starts at $549 (£549, AU$999)
• Can be hard to find these days
• Surface Laptop Go 2 offers good alternative

The Surface Laptop Go went on sale on October 1, 2020, starting at $549 (£549, AU$999). That entry-level configuration got you an Intel Core i5-1065G1, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of eMMC storage. At the time, that was an OK specs list for super lightweight work, but we recommend the middle tier, which bumps the RAM up to 8GB and the storage up to a fully-fledged 128GB SSD for $699 (£699, AU$1,249). 

If you want to max out the device, you can bump the storage to 256GB to match the configuration we have for review, and back in 2020, that would have set you back $899 (£899, AU$1,549). We wouldn't recommend going for this version, however. An extra $200 for 128GB of SSD space is just silly, and is a massive rip-off. You're better off buying an external SSD at that point, trust us. 

The only Windows laptop that even comes close to this is the HP Envy x360 13, which you can get for $799 (£799, AU$1,799) for a configuration that is remarkably close to the highest-end Surface Laptop Go. However, it's $100/£100/AU$200 cheaper with the same amount of SSD storage, so that might be the better buy if you need that extra 128GB of space. Though, with OneDrive and services like Google Drive, we suspect many people using this kind of device don't need an absolute ton of storage space. 

These days, when the Surface Laptop Go is in stock, it can be had for quite a bit less. However, retailers are understandably keen to push the Surface Laptop Go 2 instead, so you may struggle to find the original. If you do, however, you'll find it selling for around $200/£200/AU$400 less than it first launched for.

Microsoft itself considers the Laptop Go now obsolete for regular users, but it does sell it for business use.

Meanwhile, the Surface Laptop Go 2 is readily available, and starts at $599.99 / £529 / AU$1,099, which isn't too far off the price of the original (and actually a bit cheaper in the UK).

The base model comes with a newer 11th gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor, and now starts with a 128GB SSD. Considering the performance boost and much larger storage space for the base Surface Laptop Go 2, we recommend going for the newer model unless you find the original Surface Laptop Go selling for a much lower price.

• Value: 5 / 5

Surface Laptop Go: Design

• Thin and light
• Stylish
• Decent selection of ports

The Surface Laptop Go is one of the most adorable little laptops we have ever used here at TechRadar. It's incredibly thin and light – measuring just 0.62 inches thick and 2.45 lb, respectively. This is definitely a laptop that's an absolute dream to carry around while you're commuting or traveling between classes - once that's a thing you can regularly do again, at least. 

It's also incredibly solid for the price. Though the bottom of the laptop is plastic, the keyboard deck and display are an incredibly solid aluminum, which results in a premium-feeling device. 

Even the display is incredibly solid. This is the kind of build quality we expect out of laptops that cost twice as much. No flimsy plastic laptop chassis here, and the Surface Laptop Go is something you can get away with tossing in your bag without worrying about it breaking. 

There are also no compromises when it comes to style. The Surface Laptop Go we got for review has an attractive Ice Blue finish. It also comes in a Sandstone finish, along with the classic Platinum color option that pretty much every other Surface device comes with. 

The closest comparison we can think of here is the 12-inch MacBook that Apple has unceremoniously ignored for the last few years. The build quality and good looks are here, at a cheaper price, to boot. Apple's super-ultra-portable device might have the Surface Laptop Go beat on thinness, but it's way more restrictive on what you can actually plug into it. 

Rather than being stuck with one USB-C port like the Apple MacBook, the Surface Go is rocking Microsoft's Surface Connect port for charging and expansion, one USB-C port, a USB-A port and a 3.5mm combo headphone/mic jack. That's still not a ton of ports, but it's way more than we would expect a laptop like this to feature, especially given the small size. 

For a laptop that's inevitably going to be used for school a lot, input also has to be on point, and, well, it definitely is. The Surface Laptop Go keyboard is one of the best we've ever used in any laptop, even much more expensive ones, and the trackpad does an excellent job, and is even pretty large, considering the footprint of the laptop. 

Unfortunately, the Surface Laptop Go keyboard doesn't have backlit keys, which is definitely a shame for anyone that likes to work in dim lighting. We don't think it's a deal breaker, though, especially at this price. Plus, there's a fingerprint reader here, which does have backlighting, which is definitely not something we would expect from most laptops in this price range. 

The display is also a work of art. Sure, it's a bit less than Full HD, coming in with a resolution of 1,536 x 1,024. That is a bit disappointing, but because we're talking about a 12.4-inch display, we didn't even notice it wasn't Full HD until we looked at the specs sheet. It still looks incredible. A lot of that comes down to the 102.6% sRGB coverage and 300 nits of brightness that the 3:2 display manages to hit. 

Pretty much everything is going to look incredible on this laptop, and the display is yet another area where the Surface Laptop Go hits way above its weight class. 

Finally there's the speakers. Unlike pretty much any other budget laptop, the speakers are actually under the keyboard, which is definitely weird, but it manages to produce sound that's way better than a lot of laptops out there. While going on a Dorian Electra binge, music sounds incredibly clear, even if the low-end is a bit muffled. 

Pretty much everywhere you look, the Surface Laptop Go does things that way more expensive laptops do. If you're on the market for an affordable laptop for either school or work - especially if you just do a lot of emails and word processing - the Surface Laptop Go is honestly the best Surface device you can buy, even if other entries in the lineup are more "premium". 

• Design: 4/5

Surface Laptop Go: Performance

• Weak performance
• Only good for basic tasks

While we do have the highest-end Surface Laptop Go here, it's important to temper expectations when it comes to raw performance. All we have here is an Intel Core i5-1035G1, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. That's definitely not going to be a benchmark dominator, and it isn't.

This processor is just a single step above a Core i3 chip, and has one of the weakest integrated GPUs in the Ice Lake lineup, which is why this laptop falls on its face whenever you do any kind of graphics workload. Basically, don't expect to do much gaming or video editing on this thing. That's totally fine, however, because this laptop is definitely not built to handle that kind of workload.

Instead, this laptop shows its strength when it comes to lightly threaded web browsing and word processing workloads, while the bright, colorful display and decent speakers make it a good choice for watching Netflix in your downtime. That's all the Surface Laptop Go really sets out to do, and it excels. Even when we have 12 Chrome tabs open, with Slack and Spotify running in the background, this laptop continues to soar. 

Just like with any laptop purchase, you need to decide what you want to do with this laptop before you choose it. If you are going to be doing heavy photo and video editing workloads, you're going to be better off with something with more horsepower. 

If you're just a student that wants something affordable to get through your schoolwork without weighing you down, however, the Surface Laptop Go should absolutely be at the top of your list.

• Performance: 2 / 5

Surface Laptop Go: Battery Life

• Lasts up to 11 hours in our benchmarks
• Can go through a whole work or school day

With just an Intel Core i5 processor, no backlit keyboard and a 1,024p display, the Surface Laptop Go should have some pretty tremendous battery life. And, in our experience it does - to a point. In the PCMark 10 battery test, the laptop lasted a whopping 11 hours and 15 minutes. That's impressive. 

And, in our local video playback test, the laptop lasted 8 hours and 9 minutes, which is obviously much shorter. 

Microsoft claims that the Surface Laptop Go can last up to 13 hours, so it falls a bit short there. You should also be aware that some of our colleagues experienced much lower battery life than we did. Your mileage may vary.

Surface Laptop Go: Buy it if...

Surface Laptop Go: Don't buy it if...

Surface Laptop Go: Also Consider

• First reviewed September 2021

How We Test

We pride ourselves on our independence and our rigorous review-testing process, offering up long-term attention to the products we review and making sure our reviews are updated and maintained - regardless of when a device was released, if you can still buy it, it's on our radar.

Read more about how we test

Two minute review

The Surface Book 3 is proof of how far laptops have truly come over the last few years. Its predecessor, the Surface Book 2, was not only a strong contender to the MacBook Pro, but also practically unrivaled in its elegance and quality. 

The laptop market has changed since then, with quite a number of premium machines with impressive components and cutting-edge features vying for attention. However, the Surface Book line has managed to stay competitive thanks to the Book 3. 

Although it has massive shoes to fill and a lot of ground to cover – Book 2 came out in 2017 – it’s managed to pack in the kind of generational upgrades and specs to put it on par with its contemporary competitors. Couple that with its portability, a stunning display, and a keyboard that easily puts even Apple’s new Magic Keyboard to shame, and the Surface Book 3 is nearly there. 

However, in this day and age, many premium portables could easily leave it in the dust when it comes to specs and price. Unfortunately, much like the Surface Pro tablet, it doesn’t quite meet expectations. 

At $2,799 (₤2,699, AU$4,439), the Surface Book 3 we reviewed here is fitted with a U-series Ice Lake Core i7 processor, 32GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. That kind of pales in comparison to the 16-inch MacBook Pro, which you can get at the same price point with comparable specs – but with a full-fat H-Series Intel Coffee Lake Refresh processor. That gets you two more processor cores, along with higher clock speeds. This makes the MacBook Pro the better choice when it comes to creative workloads. 

That makes the Surface Book 3 a bit hard to recommend, especially to creators who require a powerful machine. Hopefully, the newly-announced Surface Laptop Studio, which follows directly in the footsteps of the Book line, will give consumers a much better-valued prospect. 

Price and availability

The Surface Book 3 is available right now, and starts at $1,599 (£1,599, AU$2,649). For that price, you'll get the 13.5-inch model with an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. To put that into perspective, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with 10th Gen processors starts at $1,799 (£1,799, AU$2,999) and comes with double the RAM and SSD storage. The only difference is the lack of a removable display on Apple's device. 

You have to add an extra $200 (£200, AU$750) if you want to get a 13.5-inch Surface Book 3 with the Core i7 and 16GB of RAM, which makes it a worse value than the latest MacBook Pro – which is kind of an achievement if you think about it. 

If you want to get the model we reviewed (listed to the right), you're looking at a price tag of $2,799 (₤2,699, AU$4,439). This is probably in the realm of what most creatives will be going for, but if you don't quite need 32GB of RAM – and most people don't – the $2,299 (£2,199, AU$3,699) model will be sufficient, even if you have to go down to 256GB of storage. 

Design

It shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that the Surface Book 3 is a beautiful device. Everything about it screams quality, from the rigid feel of the keyboard half of the laptop, along with the chrome Microsoft logo on the back of the device. 

This is the flagship product in Microsoft's Surface lineup after all, so a certain level of quality is to be expected. The best part of the Surface Book 3 design however, stemming from the fact that it hasn't changed much from last time, is the availability of ports on offer. 

The keyboard deck of the Surface Book 3 has two USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A ports, a USB 3.1 Gen 2 USB-C port, a Surface Connect port, which is used for charging and connecting an expensive dock, and if you disconnect the Surface Book 3 from the keyboard dock, you'll find another Surface Connect port on the side of the device, along with a 3.5mm jack on another side of the Surface Book 3. What's really nice to see, however, is the full-sized SDXC card reader – something you can never take for granted in 2020. 

On the top of the screen, or the side of the device when in tablet mode, you'll see two buttons. The smaller of which is a power/lock button and the long button is simply a volume rocker.

If you want to remove the screen from the keyboard, there's a dedicated button for doing so right next to the delete key. Thankfully, a quick accidental press of the button won't disengage the tablet, but instead you'll have to hold it down for a couple of seconds until you get the message telling you the device is ready to be removed. 

In fact, it's actually very impressive how solid the Surface Book 3 feels when in laptop mode. There is some screen wobbling, like in any 2-in-1 laptop, but unlike say, the Samsung Galaxy Book Flex, the screen won't move too drastically if you move the device. The fact that it's able to do this at all with a removable display just speaks to the quality of Microsoft's engineering. 

The keyboard is without a doubt one of the highlights of the Surface Book 3, and is far and away one of the most comfortable keyboards we've used on a laptop. The spacing is on point, and the actuation and travel make for an extremely comfortable typing experience. However, we would have liked to see a numpad. There is so much empty space, that we feel like a numpad would be a no-brainer. Especially because Microsoft didn't capitalize on this empty space with better speakers.

That brings us to the tiny trackpad. We get that a lot of things on the Surface Book 3 can be done with the touch screen, but the size of the trackpad here reminds us of a laptop from 2009. Maybe we've been spoiled with the MacBook Pros and Razer Blades of the world, but this is a laptop that is directly going up against those laptops. Microsoft should have been able to do better here. 

Don't get us wrong, the trackpad gets the job done, and is smooth and responsive, but when you're paying this much for a device, nitpicking is definitely called for. 

Perhaps the best part of the Surface Book 3, however, is the PixelSense display. We reviewed the 15-inch model, which comes in with a 3,240 x 2,160 display resolution. This 3:2 aspect ratio is a godsend for working, and even when you're consuming 16:9 video in your off-time, it still looks fantastic, though you will have to live with some pesky black bars. 

And, with an average screen brightness of 402 nits and covering 100% of the sRGB color gamut, everything looks amazing on this device. We stayed up late several nights and binged some Sailor Moon Crystal, and we can attest that colors just pop on this display. 

We can't say the same about the speakers, though. They're adequate to watch some Netflix on your break, or the odd YouTube video, but the bass doesn't live up. Listening to Sisters of Mercy's This Corrosion, the iconic bassline is nearly inaudible, even with the volume all the way up. Again, this would be an easy inclusion in the keyboard, just add a subwoofer that will add dimension to the music when the tablet is connected, and have the standard tablet speakers take over when in tablet mode. 

For as big as it is, the Surface Book 3 is more portable than we initially thought. When in tablet mode, the Surface Book 3 we reviewed here weighs just 1.8 lb (0.8kg), making it a breeze to carry around your apartment to watch media when you're restless and need to pace around. When you attach the keyboard to the device, however, the weight more than doubles, coming in at 4.20 lbs (1.9 kg).

The difference in weight is a bit staggering at first, but it falls within what you can expect from a 15-inch laptop in 2020. You'll definitely feel it in your backpack, but it's not so much that you're going to injure yourself on your daily commute. 

Performance

The Surface Book 3 is held back, unfortunately, by the lack of H-series processors. Instead, it's equipped with an Intel Core i7-1065G7 that you'd typically find in something like the Dell XPS 13. 

And, for the most part, in CPU-heavy workloads, that's exactly how it performs. For instance, in Cinebench R20, the Surface Book 3 got 1,697 points, which is within margin of error of the Dell XPS 13's 1,700 points. Keep in mind, that the Surface Book 3 is a much more expensive device. 

A large part of that increase in pricing, however, comes from the discrete GPU. The model we reviewed features an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti. Now, this is definitely a gaming-capable GPU, but not really something we'd recommend for gaming at the native resolution. The GTX 1660 Ti, paired with the low-power U-series processor, only manages 36 fps in Metro Exodus at 1080p, let alone what gaming at the 4K native resolution would require. 

Microsoft does claim that this is a gaming-ready device, and for the most part it's not wrong. There's a caveat though - you're going to have to lower resolution to 1080p to get a good experience, unless the games you're playing were all released a decade ago. 

Meanwhile, the Surface Book 3 is strapped with 32GB of RAM, which is absolutely overkill for most everyday users. However, photo and video editors will absolutely eat that memory up - something that the included GTX 1660 Ti will also undoubtedly help with. 

It's just unfortunate that the Surface Book 3 is stuck with a U-series processor. It's likely that including a more beefy chunk of silicon would call for a more robust (and heavy) cooling solution, but this is ultimately a device aimed at creative professionals, so more power would definitely be worth the extra heft. 

Battery life

The Surface Book 3 has one battery in the tablet itself, and another battery in the keyboard base. Microsoft claims that when the tablet is connected to the keyboard it will get 17.5 hours of continual use, but the laptop doesn't quite make it that far. 

In the PCMark 10 battery test, which measures battery life in a series of different workloads like word processing and video calling, the Surface Book 3 lasted about 7 hours and 9 minutes - just shy of a full work day. 

In our movie test, where we loop 1080p video until the laptop dies, we got about 7 hours and 15 minutes. 

No matter how you look at it, if you're looking to spend an 8-hour workday with the Surface Book 3, you're likely going to have to pack your charger. The 4K display and the GTX 1660 Ti are definitely what causes battery life to fall behind comparable laptops, but you should be aware of it. 

Software and features

One of the biggest benefits of buying a Surface device like the Surface Book 3 is that you get a completely pure version of Windows 10. No bloatware, no weird update tools, nothing. You get Windows 10 as it is when you install it on a computer you build yourself. 

Beyond that, the Surface Book 3 also has a Windows Hello-ready webcam. And, while having this form of biometric login is definitely nice, Microsoft's facial login doesn't work well enough, especially for anyone with glasses or even people who wear makeup. With a flagship device like the Surface Book 3, and again, one with a ton of empty space around the keyboard, it would have been nice to see a fingerprint scanner. 

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