Microsoft's Smaller Surface Pro and Laptop Are Getting Faster, and Pricier
Microsoft is putting a new Qualcomm chip, the six-core Snapdragon X2 Plus, into two smaller Surface computers: the 12-inch Surface Pro and the 13-inch Surface Laptop.
The new Surface Pro 12-inch Second Edition comes out on October 13 and starts at $1,149.99. The new Surface Laptop 13-inch Second Edition starts at $1,199.99, according to details reported by The Verge.
That is more than before. The old 12-inch Pro started at $799.99. The old 13-inch Laptop started at $899.99.
Both new models start with 16GB of RAM. Think of RAM like desk space for running apps. You can pay for up to 24GB. There is no 8GB basic model now.
Microsoft says the new chip brings three gains: up to 18 percent better battery efficiency, more than 60 percent faster graphics, and up to 95 percent faster AI work done on the device itself. That AI work runs on the NPU, a helper part of the chip made for AI jobs.
For battery life, the new Pro promises up to 13 hours of web browsing. That is one hour more than the old Pro. The new Laptop promises up to 18 hours. That is two hours more than the old Laptop.
The screens are different. The Pro has a 2196 x 1464 LCD screen at 220 PPI, which means pixels per inch, or sharpness, and runs at up to 90Hz, which means smoother motion. The Laptop has a 1920 x 1280 screen at 178 PPI and 60Hz. Both screens are brighter than before, moving from 400 nits to 500 nits. Nits measure brightness.
Both have two USB-C 3.2 ports, Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. The Laptop also has a USB-A 3.2 port and a regular headphone jack. So older plugs and wired headphones work without extra adapters.
Both come in black, platinum silver and violet. Both will be sold to business customers. The Pro will also have an optional 5G version that can connect to mobile networks.
The broader context here is choice, not one model replacing all others. In June, Microsoft released a 13-inch Surface Pro with Snapdragon X2 for $1,499, claiming up to 53 percent faster graphics than the model before it. At CES in January, Microsoft said other companies would sell laptops with Snapdragon X2 Plus, X2 Elite and X2 Elite Extreme chips. These new 12-inch and 13-inch models are smaller than that larger Pro and, for the Pro, cheaper to start, and they bring the X2 Plus name to smaller sizes.
Stepping back, buyers pay more at the start but get more memory to start, brighter screens, longer battery life and more room for on-device AI work. For tech teams and developers making apps for Copilot+ PCs, which are PCs made for AI features, removing the 8GB model makes testing simpler. They do not need to check a low-memory version that would slow down background helpers, small AI models on the device or recall-style search.
In my view, the simple upgrades will help most. Wi-Fi 7, 16GB as standard, screens that are easier to see outside and an extra hour or two of battery matter more each day than top graphics scores. If lab tests confirm the faster NPU, these small machines can do more AI work on the device, save battery and rely less on the cloud.
