EXCLUSIVE: Microsoft readies 'next-gen' AI-focused Surface Pro and Surface Laptop with Arm chips and design upgrades for 2024
Microsoft is making major updates to its Surface Pro and Surface Laptop lines with improved designs, new features, and next-gen silicon.
The last few months have been a rocky time for Surface fans. With Panos Panay's departure still on people's minds, nobody is sure if Surface will continue as it has or fade into irrelevancy as Windows Phone did before it.
Microsoft has said publicly that it remains committed to Surface, and the departure of Panay doesn't change things. But we already know that Microsoft has slimmed the Surface portfolio down to its core mainstream products, which explains why we saw so little from the Surface team this past year.
In 2023, Microsoft shipped updates to the Surface Hub, Surface Laptop Studio, Surface Laptop Go, and Surface Go lines, primarily consisting of minor spec bumps and price hikes across the board. But curiously, Microsoft didn't ship a new Surface Pro or Surface Laptop this year, so what's next for Surface?
According to my sources, Microsoft is working on significant updates to its Surface Pro and Surface Laptop lines, which sources say will feature significant upgrades with improved designs, new features, and next-gen silicon in the form of 2024 Intel processors (not yet sure if these will be 14th-gen or Core Ultra) and Qualcomm X Series chips. I hear the new devices will be announced in the spring and will be marketed as Microsoft's first true next-gen AI PCs.
Intel and Arm, with an emphasis on Arm
For the first time, both Surface Pro and Surface Laptop will be available in Intel and Arm flavors, and both will have next-gen NPU (neural processing unit) silicon. Sources are particularly excited about the Arm variants, which I understand will be powered by a custom version of Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X Series chips.
Internally, Microsoft is calling next-generation Arm devices powered by Qualcomm’s new chips “CADMUS” PCs. These PCs are purpose-built for the next version of Windows coming in the second half of 2024, and will utilize many of the upcoming next-gen AI experiences Microsoft is building into this next release of Windows.
Specifically, Microsoft touts CADMUS PCs as being genuinely competitive with Apple Silicon, sporting similar battery life, performance, and security. The next Surface Pro and Surface Laptop are expected to be some of the first CADMUS PCs to ship next year in preparation for the next version of Windows in 2024.
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Surface Laptop 6
So, what’s changing with the Surface Laptop 6? I’m told this new Surface Laptop will finally have an updated design with thinner bezels, rounded display corners, and more ports. This will be the first time that Microsoft’s Surface Laptop line is getting a design refresh, which is well overdue.
The Surface Laptop 6 will again be available in two sizes. However, I’m told the smaller model will have a slightly larger 13.8-inch display, up from 13.5 inches on the Surface Laptop 5. Sources say the larger model remains at 15-inches.
I’m told Surface Laptop 6 will also have an expanded selection of ports, including two USB-C ports and one USB-A port, along with the magnetic Surface Connect charging port. Microsoft is also adding a haptic touchpad (likely with Sensel technology) and a dedicated Copilot button on the keyboard deck for quick access to Windows Copilot.
Overall, the Surface Laptop 6 is shaping up to be a significant refresh for the product line, designed to compete head-to-head with the MacBook Air.
Surface Pro 10
The next Surface Pro is also shaping into a big update, although not as drastic as the Surface Laptop 6. According to my sources, the most significant changes coming to Surface Pro 10 are mostly related to its display, which sources say is now brighter with support for HDR content, has a new anti-reflective coating to reduce glare, and now also sports rounded display corners.
I’ve also heard that Microsoft is testing a version of Surface Pro 10 with a slightly lower-resolution display, down from the 2880x1920 screen found on previous Surface Pro models. Sources say this lower-resolution panel is only being considered for lower-tier models, meaning the more expensive models will continue to ship with the higher-resolution display.
Lastly, I also hear Microsoft is equipping the next Surface Pro with an NFC reader for commercial customers and a wider FoV webcam, which will be enhanced with Windows Studio Effects. It should also be available in new colors. I’ve also heard we may get an updated Type Cover accessory with a dedicated Copilot button for quick access to Windows Copilot.
It shouldn’t be understated that thanks to the upcoming Arm chip, this next Surface Pro will be leaps and bounds better than the previous one in terms of performance, likely coming close to or even matching the likes of the MacBook Air and iPad Pro.
What else is Surface working on?
So, the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 will be the stars of the show for 2024. I have heard that Microsoft may also ship another Surface Laptop Go next year (see our recent Surface Laptop Go 3 review), but I do not have any concrete details about that product yet.
I also heard whispers that Microsoft is considering a commercial-only version of the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop that maintains the current designs of the Surface Laptop 5 and Surface Pro 9, but with updated Intel 14th-gen chips and other minor improvements. I'm unsure if these will actually ship, however.
Beyond 2024, my sources say that Microsoft is working on a more significant design update for the Surface Pro line that targets a late 2025 release window. It’s too early to know what exactly will be different with it, but sources say the company is toying with an 11-inch Surface Pro model that would ship alongside the standard 13-inch one.
Microsoft is also working on the next Surface Laptop Studio (read our Surface Laptop Studio 2 review for context), which targets a similar late 2025 release window. Not much is known about the Surface Laptop Studio 3 yet, though I understand that Microsoft is considering both Intel and Arm flavors for the first time.
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kroty @Zac Bowden will the ARM versions have fans? It would be great if at least the laptop had the fans.Reply -
WindoesTwelf @Zac Bowden Do you know if switching to a mini LED or OLED display panel is on their roadmap for the near future?Reply -
naddy69 "Intel and Arm, with an emphasis on Arm"Reply
Good god, it's about time. MS seriously needs to move on from Intel. Everyone else already has.
My current work laptop with a 12 core i7 gets hot 10 minutes after booting up. Before I even do anything. Just running Windows 10, the fan comes on.
OTOH, this MacBook Pro with a 12 core M2 Pro is currently running MacOS on 6 CPUs and Windows 11 Pro on the other 6 CPUs. For about 2 hours now. It is still cool.
THAT is what Arm brings to the table. Trust me, once you experience Arm performance/battery life/cool running, you will never care about Intel again. I saw LOTS of crazy deals here on Intel Windows laptops over the holidays. Like a $2500 laptop going for $800.
Expect more of this - and worse - when Arm Windows laptops become real. The same thing happened to Intel Macs. You can't give them away today.
If you still own any Intel stock, now is the time to dump it. Assuming you can find anyone willing to buy it. -
bradavon YES!Reply
I've wanted a Surface Laptop on ARM for years and the current design is so dated it's embarrassing. Love my Surface Pro X but have wanted to go back to a clamshell.
Glad I held off getting a Huawei Matebook X Pro.
3:2 is so good. It's a shame only MS and Huawei really use it. -
bradavon We just need Google to get behind Windows on ARM now.Reply
MS should be doing more to make this happen, deals are done all the time. -
ShinyProton This is VERY interesting but, if Microsoft sticks to its current pricing strategy with Surface, that is premium pricing, it will continue toward its irrelevancy spiral.Reply
In my household, we all abandoned the Surface lineup - we had several over time - because of the bad price/value ratio.
Without a major shift in this area, they will never see me back. -
timwhite
What did you move to after abandoning the Surface lineup?ShinyProton said:This is VERY interesting but, if Microsoft sticks to its current pricing strategy with Surface, that is premium pricing, it will continue toward its irrelevancy spiral.
In my household, we all abandoned the Surface lineup - we had several over time - because of the bad price/value ratio.
Without a major shift in this area, they will never see me back. -
bradavon
They compete with MacBook. They're no more or less expensive.ShinyProton said:This is VERY interesting but, if Microsoft sticks to its current pricing strategy with Surface, that is premium pricing, it will continue toward its irrelevancy spiral.
There are plenty of excellent midrange and budget laptops.
How is Surface irrelevant?
They don't compute in the gaming space, neither does Apple, but are seen are the Windows MacBooks. -
naddy69 "They compete with MacBook. They're no more or less expensive."Reply
Well, they compete on price only. Surface is really no competition to Macs.
"There are plenty of excellent midrange and budget laptops."
"How is Surface irrelevant?"
Your question is answered by the preceding sentence. There are loads of laptops available with equal specs at way lower prices, from well-established and well-known vendors. Meanwhile, Apple is the #4 vendor while Microsoft is buried way down in the "Other" category. Again, Surface is no competition for Apple.
"They don't compute in the gaming space, neither does Apple, but are seen are the Windows MacBooks."
No, Surface is seen as expensive Windows PCs. Which is why they sell in such low volumes. Which makes them irrelevant.
Remember when Macs were overpriced and underpowered? Hello, Surface. -
bradavon
That is the whole point of the excitement 😆. 2024 is expected when Windows on ARM.naddy69 said:Well, they compete on price only. Surface is really no competition to Macs.
Even putting that to one side, it's Intel who're not competitive not Surface. The Surface Laptop failing is Intel and Design.
It's otherwise considered Surface competes with MacBook.
Regardless MacBook has never been particularly competitive. Taking that word literally. Lenovo, HP, Dell sell more PCs in a week than Apple do in a year.
No you can't. They don't have the same build quality. There's more to a pc than under the hood specs.naddy69 said:There loads of laptops available with equal specs at way lower prices, from well-established and well-known vendors.
One minute you make a MacBook comment, the next you compare Surface to regular laptops. Which is it?
For starters your core argument doesn't hold up when you consider Apple also sold Core i3 laptops for an inflated price like Microsoft do.
Incidentally it's a silly comparison because MacBook like Surface aren't regular PCs.
Secondly you're conflating Surface lines. You start off speaking of a bad price/value ratio when it's no different to what Apple does.
Secondly you then consider Surface irrelevant because they're more expensive than regular laptops when Microsoft don't compete with those anyway.
And you claim Surface is irrelevant but make exceptions for Apple's inflated pricing.
The Surface Laptop Go is well overpriced agreed but you're just not going to get a Surface Laptop for under a grand when that's the market value.
Laptops under a grand can be great but they don't have Surface or MacBook build quality.
It's perfectly acceptable to place internal specs higher than build quality. There's a laptop for that.
Microsoft have never tried to be particularly competitive spec wise. That's not new.
So what. Microsoft have the likes of Lenovo, HP, Dell. Apple can only dream of selling those numbers.naddy69 said:Meanwhile, Apple is the #4 vendor while Microsoft is buried way down in the "Other" category.
You're not comparing like for like. Surface has never been about numbers.
That's your argument? Surface is expensive so it's irrelevant. Okay.naddy69 said:Surface is seen as expensive Windows PCs. Which is why they sell in such low volumes. Which makes them irrelevant.
There are PCs from 200 to 2000 and there a market for all of them.
Like I said so what numbers are lower. You're comparing wildly different business models.