Language Settings
Select Website Language

GDPR Compliance

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service.

Microsoft's Smaller Surface Pro and Laptop Get Snapdragon X2 Plus

11 hours ago

8

0

Microsoft's 12-inch Surface Pro and 13-inch Surface Laptop return October 13 with six-core Snapdragon X2 Plus chips, 16GB minimum RAM and steep price jumps.

Microsoft is updating its two most compact Surface machines, the 12-inch Surface Pro and the 13-inch Surface Laptop, with Qualcomm's six-core Snapdragon X2 Plus processors. Both models keep the same chassis, screens and ports as their predecessors and gain new silicon inside, along with noticeably steeper starting prices.

The 12-inch Surface Pro goes on sale on October 13th, starting at $1,149.99. A year ago the same tablet opened at $799.99. The 13-inch Surface Laptop follows a similar path, climbing to $1,199.99 from its earlier $899.99 entry point.

Part of that increase comes down to memory. Microsoft has dropped the entry-level 8GB configuration entirely. Every unit now ships with at least 16GB of RAM, and buyers can order up to 24GB.

What the X2 Plus delivers

Microsoft frames the Snapdragon X2 Plus mainly around efficiency and speed. Compared with the previous generation, the company says the chip offers up to 18 percent better battery efficiency, more than 60 percent quicker graphics, and as much as 95 percent faster on-device AI processing through the built-in neural processing unit.

In practical terms, those figures translate into longer runtimes. Microsoft brands the updated tablet the Surface Pro 12-inch Second Edition and rates it for roughly 13 hours of web browsing, an hour more than before. The Surface Laptop 13-inch Second Edition gains two hours, reaching about 18 hours of browsing on a charge.

Screens and connections stay familiar

The displays carry over almost unchanged. The Surface Pro 12-inch uses a 2196 x 1464 LCD panel at 220 pixels per inch, refreshing at up to 90Hz. The Surface Laptop 13-inch keeps its 1920 x 1280 screen at 178 pixels per inch and a 60Hz refresh rate. The one meaningful tweak is brightness: both panels now peak at 500 nits, up from 400 nits.

Connectivity is also a repeat of last year. Each device carries two USB-C 3.2 ports, and the Surface Laptop 13-inch adds a USB-A 3.2 port plus a 3.5mm headphone jack. Both machines support Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.

One omission stands out. Neither smaller Surface received a haptic trackpad, even though Windows 11 has added subtle haptic cues and the Surface Laptop Ultra already includes the feature. Separately, Microsoft is releasing a second-generation Surface Mouse with built-in haptics.

Colors and configurations

Buyers get a familiar palette with one addition: black returns for both models, joining platinum silver and violet. Microsoft is selling both devices to commercial customers as well, and the Surface Pro 12-inch can be ordered with an optional 5G configuration for cellular connectivity.

The result is a straightforward internal upgrade. The look, the screens and the port layout are the same as the outgoing versions, while the new Qualcomm chips push battery life and performance forward and the higher memory floor pushes the price up with them.

Microsoft Surface, Snapdragon X2 Plus, Surface Pro 12-inch, Surface Laptop 13-inch, Qualcomm, Windows 11 laptop, Surface price, Surface Second Edition

Click here to Read More
Previous Article
US Cancels 315,000 Obamacare Plans, Citing Fraud
Next Article
England Still Carry World Cup 'Scar', Says Saka

Related Technology Updates:

Are you sure? You want to delete this comment..! Remove Cancel

Comments (0)

    Leave a comment