Microsoft reveals major price increases for all Surface PCs as RAM crisis continues: Flagships now $500 more expensive than at launch

Microsoft has raised prices across the board on its Surface PCs at the Microsoft Store, with other retailers expected to follow soon. Both its midrange and flagship Surface lines are now significantly more expensive than they were just a few weeks ago, with the flagship Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 11 now starting at $500 more than they launched at in 2024.

These price increases are significant, and come as RAM supply constraints impact the industry. Sources tell me that Microsoft's price increases are driven by recent spikes in RAM and component costs, but that doesn't make them any less tough to swallow.

The Surface Pro 12-inch, which was previously Microsoft's cheapest modern Surface PC at $799, now starts at $1,049. The flagship Surface Pro 13-inch, which originally launched for $999, now starts at an eyewatering $1,499.

It's the same story for the Surface Laptop lines, with the entry-level 13-inch model originally priced at $899, now starting at $1,149. The 13.8-inch flagship Surface Laptop launched at $999, but now costs $1,499, with the 15-inch model now starting at $1,599.

This means that Microsoft's midrange devices now cost more than the flagships did when they launched in 2024. I originally called Microsoft's Surface Laptop 7 a better value for money over the MacBook Air, which at the time was $100 more than the Laptop 7's $999 price point. Now, the new MacBook Air is $400 cheaper than the Surface Laptop 7. That's insane.

Microsoft has raised prices for all SKUs on offer, meaning the high end models are now more expensive too. A top end Surface Laptop 15-inch with Snapdragon X Elite, 64GB RAM and 1TB SSD storage now costs a staggering $3,649. To compare, the 16-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 Pro, 64GB RAM, and 1TB SSD is $3,299, and that comes with a significantly better display and much more power under the hood.

This is also likely bad news for Microsoft's upcoming wave of refreshed Surface PCs, which are likely to maintain or even increase these starting prices if component pricing doesn't improve. Microsoft is biting the bullet and raising prices now before announcing their next wave of hardware, which I hear will take place over the spring and summer season.

Of course, sales should help make these price hikes more tolerable, though that will depend on just how good the deal is. If you've been hoping to grab a new Surface Laptop 7 or Surface Pro 11 for cheap now that the next-gen models are around the corner, unfortunately it looks like you're going to have to wait for prices to come down once again.

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