Windows Central Insider
Last month, Microsoft unveiled the Surface Laptop 8 and Surface Pro 12, powered by Intel Core Ultra series 3 chips and made available exclusively for business customers for a very high price. Today, the company is announcing the Surface Laptop 8 and Surface Pro 12 again, but this time with Snapdragon X2 chips and more consumer-friendly pricing.
While the Snapdragon models are cheaper than the Intel ones, they're still significantly more expensive than the Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 11 were when they first launched in 2024.
The new Surface Laptop 8 with Snapdragon X2 starts at $1,599, and the Surface Pro 12 starts at $1,499. The entry-level SKUs include a Snapdragon X2 Plus with 16GB RAM and 512GB of SSD storage. To compare, the Surface Laptop 7 launched in 2024 with a Snapdragon X Plus with 16GB RAM and 256GB SSD storage for just $999.
So the new devices are $600 and $500 more expensive respectively, owing to the ongoing component pricing crisis caused by AI. The good news is Microsoft is offering incentives to upgrade to these new models. Between now and June 30, if you buy the new Surface Pro 13, it comes with a Surface Pro keyboard for free! If you order the Surface Laptop, you'll get a free Surface Arc Mouse, and a 50% off offer for Microsoft Complete.
Microsoft is also offering more money for trade-ins currently, so if you have an existing device that you don't need or want to swap for a new model, you can now save up to $900. It's clear the company is hoping that these deals will encourage users to upgrade to the newer models.
So what's actually new outside of the silicon? Well, Microsoft is touting 53% faster graphics performance compared to the last gen models, along with longer battery life on the Surface Pro, now coming in at 15.5 hours, and up to 20 hours on Surface Laptop.
The Surface Pro Flex Keyboard is now available in Dune, and the Surface Laptop 8 itself now comes in a beautiful new Jade green colorway. The Surface Laptop also has a new display on the 15-inch variant with a much higher resolution, coming in at 262PPI. The Laptop also has a new haptic trackpad, which provides subtle feedback when interacting with Windows.
The devices are now also available with more RAM configurations. The last-gen models could only be configured with either 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB RAM. The new devices now have a 24GB RAM option for those who find 16GB too little but 32GB too much, similar to what Apple does with the Mac.
Overall, these are nice quality of life upgrades for the Surface Laptop and Surface Pro. Whether they are worth the higher starting prices will be up to buyers to device. The devices are available to order today for consumers, with business variants of the Snapdragon X2 devices coming on July 14 which will include the same privacy screen features as found on the Intel variants.
Surface Pro 12 and Surface Laptop 8 specifications
If you're interested in the full specification breakdown on these new Surface PCs, we've compiled all the information into handy spec tables that you can view below.
Category | Specification |
Processor | Snapdragon® X2 Plus (10 Core) Snapdragon® X2 Elite (12 Core)
|
NPU | Qualcomm® Hexagon™ with 80 TOPS |
Graphics | Qualcomm® Adreno™ GPU |
Memory Options | 16GB, 24GB, 32GB or 64GB LPDDR5x RAM |
Storage Options | Removable solid-state drive (Gen 4 SSD): 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
OLED Display | Touchscreen: 13-inch PixelSense™ Flow display Resolution: 2880 x 1920 (267 PPI), 3:2 Aspect ratio Contrast ratio: 1M:1 Dynamic refresh rate: up to 120Hz Brightness: SDR 600 nits maximum (typical) / HDR 900 nits peak luminance Color Profiles: SDR mode (sRGB and Vivid), HDR mode (HDR) Features: Individually color-calibrated, Adaptive color, Adaptive contrast, Auto color management, 10-point multi-touch, Dolby Vision IQ™ support, Strengthened glass
|
LCD Display | Touchscreen: 13-inch PixelSense™ Flow display Resolution: 2880 x 1920 (267 PPI), 3:2 Aspect ratio Contrast ratio: 1300:1 Dynamic refresh rate: up to 120Hz Brightness: SDR 600 nits maximum (typical) / HDR 600 nits peak luminance Color Profiles: SDR mode (sRGB and Vivid), HDR mode (HDR) Features: Individually color-calibrated, Adaptive color, Adaptive contrast, Auto color management, 10-point multi-touch, Dolby Vision IQ™ support, Strengthened glass
|
Size and Weight | Length: 11.3 inch (287 mm) Width: 8.2 inch (209 mm) Height: 0.37 inch (9.3 mm) Weight: 1.97 lbs (895 g) (not including Keyboard)
|
Battery Life | Up to 15.5 hours of local video playback Up to 11.5 hours of active web usage
|
Security | Windows 11 Secured-core PC Microsoft Pluton security processor / TPM 2.0 Windows Hello facial recognition with Enhanced Sign-in Security Microsoft Defender for enhanced identity and privacy protection Smart App Control
|
Cameras | Front: Quad HD front-facing Surface Studio Camera (1440p) with ultrawide field of view Front Features: Support for Windows Studio Effects (automatic framing, portrait blur, creative filters, eye contact, portrait light) Rear: 10 MP Ultra HD rear-facing camera
|
Audio | Dual Studio Mics with voice focus 2W stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos® Support for Bluetooth® LE Audio
|
Ports and Charging | 2 x USB-C® / USB4® (supports Charging, Data transfer, and DisplayPort 1.4a up to three 4K monitors at 60Hz) Surface Connect Port / Surface Pro 13-inch Keyboard port Fast charging supported (minimum 60W charger via Surface Connect or USB-C)
|
Network & Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth® Core 5.4 technology |
Exterior & Colors | Casing: Anodized aluminum Colors: Platinum, Black, Dune Physical Buttons: Volume, Power Kickstand: 165 degrees full friction hinge
|
Specification | Surface Laptop, 13.8-inch (8th Edition) | Surface Laptop, 15-inch (8th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
Processor | Snapdragon® X2 Plus (10 Core) | Snapdragon® X2 Plus (10 Core) |
NPU | Qualcomm® Hexagon™ with 80 TOPS | Qualcomm® Hexagon™ with 80 TOPS |
Graphics | Qualcomm® Adreno™ GPU | Qualcomm® Adreno™ GPU |
Memory | 16GB, 24GB, 32GB or 64GB LPDDR5X RAM | 16GB, 24GB, 32GB or 64GB LPDDR5X RAM |
Storage | Removable Gen 4 SSD: | Removable Gen 4 SSD: |
Display | 13.8-inch PixelSense Flow™ touchscreen | 15-inch PixelSense Flow™ touchscreen |
Dimensions & Weight | Length: 11.85" (301 mm) | Length: 12.96" (329 mm) |
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