Microsoft has just lifted the covers from the brand-new Surface Pro 12-inch and Surface Laptop 13-inch, both of which retain the same design as their respective predecessors, but add a new color to the mix and get updated innards as well. And oh, did I mention that they are also pricier? Yeah, that too. You can blame that on the ongoing industry-wide memory crisis, all thanks to AI. Duh!
Starting with the upgrades, the most notable change is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 Plus processor, which is said to deliver up to a 17% speed boost at Office productivity workloads, 60% faster graphics performance, and 95% faster local AI inferencing courtesy of the NPU. The updated Qualcomm chip will also be easier on the battery uptake, with Microsoft touting energy efficiency gains of up to 18% on its latest machines. Importantly, the baseline memory capacity has climbed up to 16GB, and there’s no 8GB RAM option available this time around, though the storage still starts at 256GB.
On the second-generation Surface Pro 12-inch tablet, Microsoft is serving a 25% brighter display, which now climbs all the way up to 500 nits of peak brightness. Microsoft says it also lasts an extra hour per charge, and optional 5G support has been thrown into the mix, as well. The tablet now comes in a new black shade, and ships with a new (and pre-installed) Microsoft Ink Canvas app for sketching, annotating, and a few AI-powered tricks in tow.
Here’s a quick look at the specs of the Surface Pro 12-inch:
| Starting Price | $1,149.99 |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon® X2 Plus (6-core) |
| NPU | Qualcomm® Hexagon™ with 80 TOPS |
| Graphics | Qualcomm® Adreno™ GPU |
| Memory (RAM) | 16 GB, 24 GB LPDDR5x |
| Storage | 256 GB, 512 GB (UFS) |
| Display | 12-inch PixelSense™ LCD Touchscreen |
| Display Resolution & PPI | 2196 x 1464 (220 PPI), 3:2 aspect ratio |
| Refresh Rate & Brightness | Up to 90 Hz dynamic refresh rate (60 Hz default); up to 500 nits SDR brightness (typical) |
| Battery Life | Up to 15.5 hours of local video playback; up to 13 hours of active web usage |
| Battery Capacity | 38 Wh nominal (37 Wh minimum) |
| Dimensions | 10.8″ (274 mm) × 7.47″ (190 mm) × 0.30″ (7.8 mm) |
| Weight | 1.5 lbs (686 g) |
| Cameras | Front: 1080p Full HD Surface Studio Camera with Windows Studio Effects
Rear: 10 MP Ultra HD camera |
| Authentication | Windows Hello facial recognition with Enhanced Sign-in Security |
| Audio & Mics | 2W stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos®; Dual Studio Mics with voice focus; Bluetooth® LE Audio support |
| Ports & Connectivity | 2 × USB-C® / USB 3.2 (supports charging, data, DisplayPort 1.4a up to dual 4K @ 60Hz); Surface Pro 12-inch Keyboard connector |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth® 5.4 (commercial models also offer optional 5G) |
| Pen Compatibility | Surface Slim Pen (2nd edition) with magnetic storage and wireless charging on the back; haptic feedback support |
| Available Colors | Platinum, Black, Violet |
| Operating System | Windows 11 Home |
The Surface Laptop 13-inch (2nd Edition), on the other hand, also gets a brighter screen, up to 22.5 hours of battery life, and a new black color option to go with the peppy lavender shade. The second-gen Surface Laptop starts at $1,199, while the 12-inch Surface Pro will now set you back by $1149.99, hitting the shelves starting October 13 in the US. Check out the full deets of the new 13-inch Surface Laptop below:
| Starting Price | $1,199.99 |
| Processor | Snapdragon® X2 Plus (6-core) |
| NPU | Qualcomm® Hexagon™ with 80 TOPS |
| Graphics | Qualcomm® Adreno™ GPU |
| Memory (RAM) | 16 GB, 24 GB LPDDR5x |
| Storage | Removable 256 GB, 512 GB (UFS) |
| Display | 13-inch PixelSense™ touchscreen LCD |
| Resolution & PPI | 1920 × 1280 (178 PPI), 3:2 aspect ratio |
| Display Features | Up to 60 Hz refresh rate; 1000:1 contrast ratio; up to 500 nits SDR brightness (typical); sRGB and Enhanced color profiles; Adaptive color & contrast; 10-point multi-touch; strengthened glass |
| Battery Life | Up to 22.5 hours of local video playback; up to 18 hours of active web usage |
| Battery Capacity | 50 Wh nominal (48 Wh minimum) |
| Dimensions | 11.25″ (285.65 mm) × 8.43″ (214.14 mm) × 0.61″ (15.6 mm) |
| Weight | 2.7 lbs (1225 g) |
| Camera | 1080p Full HD front-facing Surface Studio Camera with Windows Studio Effects (automatic framing, portrait blur, creative filters, eye contact, portrait light, cinematic framing) |
| Authentication & Security | Fingerprint Power Button with Enhanced Sign-in Security; Microsoft Pluton TPM 2.0; Windows 11 Secured-core PC |
| Audio & Mics | Omnisonic® speakers with Dolby Audio™; Dual Studio Mics with enhanced voice focus; Bluetooth® LE Audio support |
| Ports | 2 × USB-C® / USB 3.2 (supports charging, data, DisplayPort 1.4a up to dual 4K @ 60Hz, Surface Thunderbolt™ 4 Dock)
1 × USB-A 3.2 3.5 mm headphone jack |
| Wireless Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth® Core 5.4 |
| Touchpad & Keyboard | Moving (mechanical) keys, full row of function keys (F1–F12), keyboard backlight, dedicated Copilot key; Surface precision touchpad with adaptive touch mode |
| Casing & Colors | Anodized aluminum casing in Platinum, Black, and Violet |
| What’s in the Box | Surface Laptop 13-inch, USB-C® charging cable, Surface 45W USB-C® Wall Charger, Quick Start Guide, safety and warranty documents |
| Operating System | Windows 11 Home |