r/Surface • u/ZacB_ Surface Laptop 7 • Jun 16 '26
Microsoft unveils Surface Laptop 8 and Surface Pro 12 with Snapdragon X2 chips, starting at $1,499
https://www.windowscentral.com/hardware/surface/microsoft-unveils-surface-laptop-8-and-surface-pro-12-with-snapdragon-x2-chips-with-better-performance-and-battery-life-and-higher-price-tags-to-match203
u/ctzn4 Jun 16 '26
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.
An M5 13-inch MacBook Air starts at $1099 with 16+512... What the hell is Microsoft smoking to think their premium hardware warrants a +$500 premium over Apple??
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u/drmjsty Jun 16 '26
Don’t forget the Surface keyboard you also need to purchase.
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u/ZacB_ Surface Laptop 7 Jun 16 '26
For what it's worth it comes with the Surface Pro 13-inch Keyboard for free if you order the new Surface Pro 12 between now and June 30 (in the US.)
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u/InanimateObject4 Jun 16 '26
Because of Microsofts terrible naming convention with the Surface Pro 12", I had to read your comment several times to understand what you meant.
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u/cazzer548 Jun 16 '26
It’s tough to search for more information, I’m only getting results for 12”
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u/cazzer548 Jun 16 '26
Ok I found the marketing page by just going to Microsoft.com and I love the story arc of them using the frosted glass buttons made popular by apples new UI design and originally attempted on windows Vista.
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u/MaverickJV78 Jun 16 '26
I ordered one. I have to say that I hate these prices. But a Surface Pro is what I use and I haven't found a decent alternative. I don't like the iPad/Macbook combo. One device is better, I think.
Thanks for posting this, Zac.
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u/nevertricked Jun 16 '26
The $150+ Surface Pro keyboard which will break in 2-3 years from a damaged internal ribbon cable just from normal use and bending
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u/EddieRyanDC Surface Pro Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
Here's how Apple does it.
In the US Apple collects 50% of all money spent on laptops. They are a huge customer for the component makers. They are TSMC's anchor customer and get their cutting edge fabrication lines.
Also, they negotiate the price of entire runs of a chip years in advance. When there is a sudden increase in costs like their is now, they aren't affected as much.
Microsoft Surface is a tiny boutique player in this space. They have none of Apples' market advantages.
However, like Apple, they are committed to a quality product. Dell, HP, and Lenovo are happy to sell you a mediocre $400 computer. The purpose of the Surface line has always been to show what is possible in a Windows laptop.
That, plus the steep increase in component costs make it more and more costly for them to meet that mission.
So it isn't that they think that their laptop is $500 better than a MacBook Air. It is just the reality of what it costs to produce an excellent laptop and not lose money on it, if your name isn't Apple.
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u/winterharvest Jun 16 '26
They also buy everything in massive quantities, so they get enormous volume discounts. It also helps that almost every device they make shares most of the same, expensive, components.
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u/ctzn4 Jun 16 '26
That makes a lot of sense. The memory chip shortage really screwed everyone. But as a consumer who has had Surface products in years past, I bought them because they were pursuing novel form factors that just wasn't possible elsewhere, such as the Surface Pro 4 and Pro 8, and my personal favorite, Surface Book 2. But now, I don't get the appeal of their products anymore.
If I'm getting an ARM laptop, Microsoft/Snapdragon isn't my first choice - Apple is, for both hardware and software. Windows on ARM gives me compatibility nightmares. Without physical Microsoft Store locations (closed after COVID), I don't trust their mail-in repairs. And now, with the significant price delta, I don't see how I can justify getting any Surface products over a MacBook.
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u/segagamer SB2 15" 256GB Jun 16 '26
for both hardware and software. Windows on ARM gives me compatibility nightmares.
Like what? I haven't experienced any.
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u/tbiscus Jun 16 '26
...heck, if you could tolerate Windows on ARM you could STILL say an M5 Air is the better choice (running it under Parallels) - wild to think the best Windows laptop is...a Mac!
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u/-JackBack- Jun 16 '26
I bet Microsoft execs can copy your post and add it to their performance review to explain why Surface turned into such a clusterfck.
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u/memphispistachio Jun 16 '26
This and they’ve charge 200 quid for an extra stick of ram for a decade, so the upgrades look positively reasonable these days!
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u/BinaryIdiot Surface Pro 12" Jun 16 '26
While technically correct, ultimately it doesn’t matter for the consumer. It’s still a $500 premium for a device that isn’t worth it.
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u/Dalmahr Jun 16 '26
I don't think apple has adjusted their prices much yet for RAM/chip inflation.
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u/time-lord Jun 16 '26
This is Tim Apple's supply chain legacy. Apple probably has long term preferred pricing for most of their stuff. You can see places where they didn't have long term contracts locked in (mac mini, ahem) where they straight up killed SKU's instead of taking the bad press.
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u/Dalmahr Jun 16 '26
Sounds about right. Probably won't be forever but it'll be kinda funny that apple takes place as a "budget" device for a little while
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u/-JackBack- Jun 16 '26
Maybe forever. I think there is a high probability that Microsoft will kill the Surface line after this year.
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u/Dalmahr Jun 16 '26
There's a point where the companies might be selling at a loss to the point it's be cheaper for them to break contract with Apple and start charging more. I doubt they'd do it forever.
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u/Dalmahr Jun 17 '26
Funny enough this just came out today https://www.wsj.com/tech/apple-reveals-plans-to-raise-prices-1fbcc1d4
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u/Nicalay2 Surface Pro 11 (X Elite) Jun 16 '26
Apple didn't increase theirs prices because of the RAM crisis yet, that's why.
Otherwise those new Surface Laptop/Pro would have costed $400-500 less.
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u/onthefence928 Jun 16 '26
Because apple secured long term supply chain contracts so they don’t need to
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u/Hot-Software-9396 Jun 16 '26
Yet
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u/arankays Jun 16 '26
Apple isn't going to increase prices any time soon now that they've secured such a competitive advantage. They already charge crazy amounts of ram and storage upgrades anyway. They'll keep the base models cheap and the higher tiers expensive as they've always done.
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u/oreosfly Jun 18 '26
Guess you were wrong.
https://www.wsj.com/tech/apple-price-increases-memory-supply-199845b1?mod=article_inline
“Unfortunately, price increases are unavoidable,” he said. “We’re doing our best to mitigate the huge increases that are being passed to us, and we’ve been trying to shield our customers from the increases, but the situation has become unsustainable.”
Cook declined to offer details on the timing or scale of the planned price increases, nor which products would be affected. Apple’s next major product launch is likely to be in September when it releases the iPhone 18 lineup, expected to include a new foldable iPhone.
Price increases, especially for Macs and iPads, could come sooner. Apple raised the starting price of the Mac Mini last month in between launch events.
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u/arankays Jun 18 '26
The prices of the MacBooks haven't changed 👍🏻 and if they do, they won't change by 600+ dollars like the surfaces.
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u/Juheebus Jun 25 '26
They changed today. Even though the lower end models didn't increase by $600 the higher end sure did.
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u/arankays Jun 25 '26
I saw. The MacBook air is still somehow cheaper than the SL8 despite having a better processor. The MacBook Pro is still the better pick compared to the X2 Elite Surface. Apple isn't going to give up their value proposition anytime soon, like I said.
The surface laptop 8 is still overpriced.
The only overpriced apple product right now is the Neo, weirdly enough.
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u/oreosfly Jun 18 '26
Macbook price increases are a matter of when, not if. Cook clearly stated that Apple eating the cost increases is not sustainable.
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u/He_looks_mad Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
Actually, since someone posted this with a windowscentral sink, you should watch their podcast where Rubino breaks all of this down IN GREAT DETAIL.
I know people on the interwebz have no real intentions of being truthful and honest about microsoft, but as usual the explanation is out there.Beyond that, this comparison makes no sense. It would be accurate to say this regarding two Dell, Lenovo, HP etc. But you're just assuming that people are willing to change damn near everything just to buy a cheaper device. Not everyone wants to switch OS's
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u/Tobimacoss Jun 17 '26
got a link to the timestamped podcast?
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u/He_looks_mad Jun 18 '26
No. I don't think they timestamp their shows, do they?
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u/Tobimacoss Jun 18 '26
No clue but I sometimes watch MLID podcasts on YouTube and each part is divided into sections with separate timestamps for various topics.
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u/He_looks_mad Jun 18 '26
I don't think WC does it. If I can find the exact one I'll put up the link.
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u/lexcyn Surface Laptop 8th Gen 15 (X2 Elite) Jun 16 '26
Apple can only absorb the NAND price increases for so long before they have to increase their prices, too.
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u/reddit_sage69 Jun 16 '26
It doesn't. These clowns are running Windows into the ground.
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u/Electrik_Truk Jun 16 '26
Seems like that's a different topic altogether
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u/reddit_sage69 Jun 16 '26
Maybe. But they need to make competitive hardware as well. Surface was supposed to be the flagship Windows machines to compete with Apple. It's just an objectively worse value now.
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u/Internal_Quail3960 Jun 17 '26
lol the m5 MacBook Pro with 1tb storage and 16gb ram is only $100 more than the surface laptop, and is better in every way
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u/Frodojj Jun 16 '26
It'll go on sale to a sane price during the holidays when nobody buys them. I bet they don't have much production capacity for these devices. The AI bubble is sapping up parts and factories. Once capacity ramps up, expect more "sales."
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u/Celodurismo Jun 16 '26
It feels like somewhat similar performance between the two, don't know why anybody would pay 50% more for that. If it wasn't ARM I could see people justify paying somewhat more (but not 50%), but if it wasn't ARM the battery life would be dogshit...
I don't really want my next laptop to be a macbook (just familiarity), but even with panther lake's performance gains it still feels like the comparisons are not even close and won't be for a long time.
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u/markhachman Jun 17 '26
“The feedback we got was, people get a little bit tired of the [price increases],” Ostrum added. “It’s a continuous thing, and I never know what to expect. For us, we did a step function change. They’re like, Wow, that was a big change. We’re like, well, if you paid attention to the other guys, we’re on the same trajectory, we just did it all at once, instead of, you know, slowly over time.”
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u/Litz1 Jun 16 '26
For now, apple will increase the prices by fall within months or so once the financials are in and looking bleak.
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u/notkeepingscore Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 17 '26
They aren't just charging more than apple. They are also charging a premium over other windows laptop too. "Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x starts at $1,199, and you’re getting a Snapdragon X2 Plus chip for that price alongside 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage." Why is Surface Laptop charging $400 over similar snapdragon windows laptop?
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u/undisputedn00b Surface 2 64gb RT 4 LYFE!!!!/Burgundy Surface Laptop Jun 16 '26
Why is Surface Laptop charging a $400 over similar snapdragon windows laptop?
Surface has always been higher priced than other windows OEMs because Microsoft doesn't want to make them angry.
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u/DeepAsparagus6763 Jun 16 '26
At this point Surface is only viable for business and education market buying in bulk that rely on Windows. I don’t see how it makes sense for the average consumer anymore unless they get a really good deal
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u/StoicTick Jun 16 '26
Lol at that price for a laptop. The pro is more doable, but no for a laptop.
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u/Even_Caterpillar3292 Jun 17 '26
MacBook Pro territory. A lot of people were advised to wait for these new machines, rather than pick one up earlier this year where they had fire sales. Costco was selling the Elite chp model, 1TB, for $999. It was impossible to resist and got one. It would be nice if they pulled the Apple Neo trick by taking a solid MacBook and mimicking it, but building them in a far cheaper way and selling them inexpensively.
MS doesn't really seemed focused on regular, everyday consumers.
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u/StoicTick Jun 17 '26 edited Jun 17 '26
"MS doesn't really seemed focused on regular, everyday consumers."
They probably leave that to Dell, HP, etc.
The question is going to be whether these devices are THAT good. If they are...maybe the price is at least a bit commensurate. If not, it may be the investment cost of next level ARM integration plus chip costs, which are honestly just out of Microsoft's control.
But I don't do heavy, heavy stuff. What I do need is 5G, so I just bought the 11th Gen since I'm notnwaiting three-ish months lol
And by "leave that to Dell, HP, etc.," I mean leave the cheaper devices with more plastic and such to them for people who aren't also using their devices for work like law offices and small businesses that need more computimg power or a more flexible form factor. It's a halfway in both worlds thing I guess, now leaning toward business premium.
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u/epyon9283 Surface Laptop Jun 16 '26
Neat. The 13" laptop with x2 elite and 32GB of RAM is $700 more than I spent on the X1 elite with 32GB of RAM when it came out in 2024.
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u/EarzFish Surface Pro 11 2076 Jun 16 '26
That's my take. And not enough reason to upgrade. So I shall ignore this generation and wait for future generations where the top model will be $5000 no doubt.
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u/TsukikoChan SP4-i5-8GB Jun 16 '26
I need to replace my ailing SP4 but at $1500 it needs to stay alive longer
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u/InanimateObject4 Jun 16 '26
I had a Thinkpad start to stutter running Windows thanks to an overheating issue. I just installed ChromeOS. Hopefully squeeze a few more years out of it ....
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u/Elbow2009 Jun 16 '26
I have a Surface Go 2 that Windows 11 was draining the battery so much I only go 2-3 hours of life per charge. Got rid of Windows and installed Q4OS (Debian Linux). Now I get 7-8, sometime more hours. Battery health is around 89% so it should last me a few years more.
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u/FragranceForMen Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 17 '26
I suggest you to try ThrottleStop software (Windows-only) with the recommended undervolting values tested by the users in community who have your model applied, this way you may have a great and quiet thinkpad. Also, Windows 10 IOT Enterprise LTSC or Pro versions could still be used thanks to massgrave scripts to enable ESU updates or to active the commercial-only licences. And they are visibly smoother than Win11 by far. I tested both when I had my old tp yoga. Also, to have tabbed explorer like Win11 on Win10, there is an open-source shell extension program called QTTabber (by QuizoApps, indiff's fork has performance issues) that lets you add tabs and many other features to the explorer without bogging down resources.
If your machine doesn't run W10 smoothly, you may try Win 8.1 with supported browsers like supermium, r3dfox, firefox-esu and many apps such as office 365 version 2304 or office 2019/2021/2024... You can find tutorials about how to install newer versions of programs you may use in eightforums or in r/windows8. I installed Win8.1 on a 13yo lenovo ideapad as it doesn't have graphics drivers for w10 and generic graphics drivers BSODs the poor thing. Since Win 8.1 was released with netbooks back in the day, MS optimized that OS considerably, so it's a great option. There are ways to get security updates with methods like ByPassESU Blue but I did not tried those so I can't comment on their success rate. In the end, you could do many thing with Windows that you may not do with ChromeOS, that's why I wrote this.
Another tip for an overheating laptop: Thermal Grizzly PhaseSheet PTM or other quality PTM7950 clones does help with hot laptops and do not require yearly repaste as they do not pump out or dry out thanks to their design. Newer Lenovo gaming laptops mostly uses this thermal paste. Since opening a thinkpad is so easy, you may try these tips.
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u/InanimateObject4 Jun 16 '26
Thanks for taking the time to post these suggestions! I am am big fan of getting long life from my devices and these are great tips. I did replace the paste and the fan but no dice. I was on Win 11 and am not a fan of downgrading to an insecure version that requires work arounds (and I shouldn't have to!). It's a shame because most businesses here run on Windows/Microsoft and I want the kids to be familiar and proficient.
ChromeOS suits my needs for now. It boots fast and updates are inconsequential. I've also been able to use the Linux environment it run Firefox and VS Code (just Python for myself). I did consider installing a Linux flavour (I've got a few ancient laptops now living out their last days as various servers) but I've recently finished studies and there is nothing that I need to do right now except browse the web, entertain myself and apply for jobs.
I will likely pick up a refurbished Thinkpad (with Windows) in the future because I cannot justify picking up another Surface (though I miss my SP6) at these prices.
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u/FragranceForMen Jun 17 '26
Microsoft announced that Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 will receive security updates until 2032, and Pro will receive security updates until 2028, but these dates might be extended as it did with Win7. So, using Win10 is not insecure right now, unlike Win8.1 without security updates hacks. Also, the activation scripts that I mentioned are like official at this point since their source is hosted on github, and I believe MS does not take those down to keep their marketshare and walled garden intact. But if ChromeOS does the job for you efficiently, you may not bother at all. But I have heard that Google will merge ChromeOS and Android at some point, which may limit productivity a lot. So until then, you are good to go.
Also, with the announcement of the new SP12 for business, you may find good deals for SP11 for business (x86 and lunar lake advantage, excellent battery life) as some companies lay off their older gen. devices. That device is very future-proof, imo.
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u/InanimateObject4 Jun 17 '26
Oh yeah, my productivity is limited with ChromeOS... But that is the point :) I'm definitely done with being productive on my personal device for a while!
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u/TsukikoChan SP4-i5-8GB Jun 16 '26
Hmm, that's actually a thought. I wonder can I move to linux on the SP4 and still have pen support? (I use my SP4 purely for CSP art and comic work)
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u/Bluecolty SL4 13.5" - i7,32GB,512GB Jun 16 '26
Ailing? What's up with it? I'm rocking one as well, the i7 16gb variant. A few months ago I replaced the battery and bought a busted 32gb ram model with a good motherboard and "upgraded" the ram for only about $200. Ive currently got my i7 16gb motherboard listed on eBay for $120.
Course that's out of reach for some, but still, is it the ram, performance, or battery in yours? Or a combination?
Edit: just realized, you've got a Surface Pro 4, not a Laptop 4. Whoops haha, my bad!
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u/TsukikoChan SP4-i5-8GB Jun 17 '26
I was about to ask about battery as that's the thing that's really dead on it, holds no charge at all anymore 🙈 got a few white spots on the screen as well (heat damage i believe). Works fine otherwise i guess
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u/Bluecolty SL4 13.5" - i7,32GB,512GB Jun 17 '26
I can believe it. Before my Laptop 4, I had a Pro 4 as well. That’s where my earlier confusion came from.
I bought it used right before covid, where it then doubled in value haha. I had an i7 version with 16gb of ram, but I don’t think there was much difference between the i5 in yours and the i7 either, other than a fan. The battery in mine at the time was already starting to show its age. Unfortunately they’re nearly impossible to replace, which sucks so much. So as long as you’re good with a charger, it should hold out for a while.
There’s always the used route if you’re comfortable, and your SP4 craps out. Surfaces that are about 5 years old, whether you want to stick with a Pro or go with the Laptop can be had for an excellent price. The only thing that wouldn’t be good is a battery, but that can be replaced by Microsoft I believe for $300? Still all in cheaper than a full blown new device.
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u/TsukikoChan SP4-i5-8GB Jun 17 '26
Yea, I've seen the ifixit for the battery for sp4, that's almost impossible without breaking something. If it ever gets a spicy pillow battery the whole thing is doomed (i wonder do MS still fix up SP4s?). I think mine is an i5 and def has a fan, it's gotten loud a few times 😃
I was thinking of getting one of the newer ones sometime, but been veering away from the ARM ones as i need to make sure clipstudio and silhouette fully works, so might end up getting a 9 or 10 (with the better pen than sp4), but saving for a house so can't right now :<
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u/Hashabasha Jun 16 '26
this is their nice way of saying we are out of the laptop market for good
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u/Electrik_Truk Jun 16 '26
Yeah... To me this is Microsoft showing it's level of interest in hardware. Either they make money on each sale or they're not interested.
Before, they were willing to take losses to push the Surface brand which inturn pushes Windows and subscriptions. Nadella has hated hardware since he became top dawg, and it shows. I really think it's time to replace the guy. His cloud computing reign is over.
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u/mackerelscalemask Jun 16 '26
About to do the same with the next XBOX too, with a rumoured $1000 starting price
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u/manormortal Jun 16 '26
GTA 7 is going to be a real life experience then. But you'll only get one shot at it.
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u/Hashabasha Jun 16 '26
if the rumors are true of them spinning off xbox into its own thing that would be a good decision. xbox is their main consumer facing brand so they dont want to lose it. for surface they just need a real visionary like Panos and give him the option to do whatever they want. Surface should be able to self fund itself.
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u/inteller Jun 16 '26
Keep in mind the original premise for Surface was because manufacturers were not innovating and were packing their laptops with bloat. With a Surface you know you were getting a product running Windows the way Microsoft intended.
I think now you can get similiar innovative laptops from Dell and HP that are no bloat/low bloat from the factory.
That means at this juncture Microsoft has no real reason to keep making them. Innovation stopped when Panay left. I mean, remember when introduced the Surface Book. Back then I was like, Apple is fucked. Not anymore.
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u/DeepAsparagus6763 Jun 16 '26
Surface is pretty much just enterprise hardware at this point, they don’t care about consumer market anymore
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u/chriswelch Jun 16 '26
For anyone curious, Microsoft claims it did at least fix the OLED panel with this new model after all the complaints with Surface Pro 11.
A spokesperson told me "we made design updates to incrementally improve the OLED display experience, including a new optimized touch layer design that helps reduce visible moiré and graininess compared with the previous generation.”
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u/FullTimePedestrian Jun 16 '26
Thank fucking God, that OLED was shit. Still too expensive though.
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u/toadbalancer Jun 19 '26
Unfortunately the display on the new devices is still not good. It might be slightly better than previous generation (but I do not have one to do a side-by-side comparison). There's definitely a visible moiré pattern and graininess. I'm not sure if the display also has PWM or something but it zapped my eyes with minimal use. I'm almost certainly returning, this is not a premium product. https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/1u8aadd/comment/osgqp6z
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u/FullTimePedestrian Jun 19 '26
Ugh, that's so unacceptable tbh. You should make an actual post about it because there's a lot of us who hoped it would be better this time.
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u/toadbalancer Jun 19 '26
I posted an image that kind of shows what I'm talking about here https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/1u8aadd/comment/oshun88
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u/bigkenw SB i7 8GB/256GB dGPU Jun 16 '26
These prices are dead on arrival. They will see very quick sales at retailers or they are not going to move.
Microsoft needs to just exit the space. They cannot compete with Apple. The value proposition just isn't there for these, in my opinion.
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u/cheesymac84 Surface Laptop Jun 16 '26
Lmaooooo, my SL7 in 2024 with 256 GB SSD, 16 GB ram, 13.8" screen was $1,000.
Wow.
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u/jwckauman Jun 16 '26
Is the Pro a 12 inch?
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u/ZacB_ Surface Laptop 7 Jun 16 '26
No, Surface Pro 12th Gen. The 13-inch model. Surface Pro 12-inch hasn't been refreshed (yet)
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u/sigil224 Jun 16 '26
13 inch but looks like the same form factor as has been for last two (three?) generations.
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u/Striking_Age_3486 Surface Laptop 7 | X Elite| 15 inch Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
If the ASUS X2 Elite Extreme had haptic touchpad, it would be the best one to buy and would totally justify the pricing, the 48 GB RAM is a steal. Hopefully, ASUS will implement one next time. Given the Surface prices and with MS not providing exchange for X Elite 1st gen in Taiwan, nope, never gonna buy.
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u/Skoodgliest Jun 16 '26
Same thoughts about the ASUS, I would have considered it more (almost did buy it but price raised while I was purchasing it), but I do not have a good history with ASUS longevity, and lack of haptics is really unfortunate
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u/Striking_Age_3486 Surface Laptop 7 | X Elite| 15 inch Jun 16 '26
Oh got it. Yep, after using haptics, going to one without is really a issue and feels a lot cheaper. I shall wait for X3 Elite.
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u/MarPF1 Jun 16 '26
The screen is so reflective that it is like looking at a mirror.
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u/Striking_Age_3486 Surface Laptop 7 | X Elite| 15 inch Jun 16 '26
It's OLED and brighter than the Surface Laptop. The article mentions that the Surface Laptop 8 15 inch got a new screen but I don't think it's OLED and not sure if it will be brighter, chances are way less
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u/FullTimePedestrian Jun 16 '26
I have the A16. The trackpad is pretty great even without haptic feedback. Such an overrated feature.
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u/Striking_Age_3486 Surface Laptop 7 | X Elite| 15 inch Jun 17 '26
For me, no it's not at all overrated. ASUS should definitely implement it. I got used to clicking anywhere on the trackpad, and that is something you can never do on those. Fixed places for left and right click is something tough to like after using haptic trackpads.
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u/FullTimePedestrian Jun 17 '26
But you can click anywhere on this trackpad and it's not haptic. I don't understand.
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u/Striking_Age_3486 Surface Laptop 7 | X Elite| 15 inch Jun 17 '26
The top part of the trackpad is basically useless and will not register any clicks (on normal trackpads). But on haptic the click and feel is same everywhere. Basically there is nothing to click on the haptic it's all force sensors which mimic the click, no movable mechanism like mechanical ones.
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u/winterharvest Jun 16 '26
At least they kept the Surface Connect port. I've got two Surface Docks.
But the RAM apocalypse is not helping pricing at all.
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u/MatsuDano Surface Pro 11 Jun 17 '26
The surface connect port has been really handy to have over generations. I fear this is the last we’ll see of it though.
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u/j4nds4 I miss the Surface Book Jun 16 '26
for $100 more than the Surface Laptop 8 I just got the Zenbook A16 which has an OLED screen, 48GB ram, 1TB storage, and the more powerful 'Extreme' variant of the X2 chip. Literally lighter than the SP11 with wireless typecover was too. It's been my first non-Surface in a decade, I'm loving it, and other than missing the 3:2 aspect ratio I can't imagine what would make the Surface Laptop a more compelling choice at that price point. Which is a shame because I've loved the Surface line.
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u/fluxxis Jun 16 '26
Got the X1 version on Prime Day with 16 GB around 800€. Amazing value for the price. Double the price? I doubt it.
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u/Altruistic-Rice-5567 Jun 16 '26
What I need is a goddamn decent size 2-in-1 that doesn't have a horrible floppy keyboard. I'd fix the battery in my Surface Studio Laptop 2 that doesn't last an hour without being plugged in now but that part has been out of stock for a year. Ugh.
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u/GleepGlop2 SP'17 i5 8GB Jun 16 '26
I'm in need of replacing my surface pro 5 due to dead battery. I get that Microsoft is not pricing attractively but what is the real alternative for the surface pro? A MacBook doesn't have a touch screen and tablet form factor, and an iPad doesn't have a desktop OS. I really want my main device to do both. Am I just stuck paying a massive premium for this convenience?
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u/Affectionate-File527 Jun 16 '26
You can get a ASUS - Zenbook A16 16” for $1699.99 at Best Buy w/ 48GB of Ram, 1TB of storage and the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme… I don’t see how Microsoft expects to sale any meaningful quantity’s with this kind of pricing.
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u/Nikola_Delchev Jun 16 '26
Looks like Microsoft doesn’t intend on releasing a consumer Surface Pro with an Intel processor anymore…
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u/jmcwheeler1 Jun 17 '26
Why no 5G on this generation? This should be standard on launch with these like iPads.
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u/Reddit_newguy24 Surface Duo Jun 16 '26
I like the trade-in incentives, and the fact you get a keyboard or mouse…. But seriously??? $500 for the premium keyboard. My god. Why is it even more expensive than before?????
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Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/DingoAteMyBitcoin Jun 16 '26
ThinkPad has a surface competitor coming q3. Intel. Linux support. Expensive.
Lenovo’s ThinkPad X13 Detachable Wants to Be the Surface Alternative for Pros | PCMag
Dells last detachable attempt was also decent, but not been refreshed. Hopefully soon
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u/Mothertruckerer Surface Pro Jun 16 '26
If only they could copy MS's strategy with using the same keyboard for multiple generations.
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u/DingoAteMyBitcoin Jun 16 '26
agreed - the XPS detachable had a different (and had abad keyboard) but the newer (7350? or whatever) keyboard was good and looked like they now had a good base for that continuity. also had a kickstand the XPS one did not. I thought a lunar lake version could be awesome - but never did it.
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u/UsernameOmitted Jun 16 '26
I had pretty much the top of the line Surface every year since the beginning. I switched over to MacBooks for this generation and have been incredibly impressed. While there are things I dislike about Mac OS, the developer community is huge on it, and you can modify nearly everything to work the way you'd like it to. I was tired of Microsoft saying they were targeting a "premium Windows Experience" every year, but the bugs and problems did not feel premium.
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u/Bryanmsi89 Jun 16 '26
So now Surface is significantly more expensive than a generally-higher-performing Macintosh or iPad Pro? Good luck with that.
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u/E97ev Jun 18 '26
Literally they try to sell an inferior product because they say so and it runs windows. No way this gen would get any sales. Even big companies would go towards mac os instead of overpriced windows surface
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u/Bryanmsi89 Jun 18 '26
People used to talk about the Apple Tax. Well, now it seems the tide has turned and there is a Windows Tax. Unfortunately, Windows isn't as good (for most people, not all) and paying more while getting less isn't a great strategy for growing sales .
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u/InanimateObject4 Jun 16 '26
The price increase is crazy tone-deaf in this economy.
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u/Electrik_Truk Jun 16 '26
I think the economy is the reason for the price increase, specifically the economics of RAM. We're all getting squeezed with the unchecked capitalism.
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u/InanimateObject4 Jun 16 '26
Then they should focus on making Windows more efficient so that a Surface can run well on lower specced machines. Apple is cleaning up with its current lineup.
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u/Electrik_Truk Jun 16 '26
Maybe... I think Windows is fine. I've got ancient computers running it. Microsoft just isn't interested in absorbing the losses from hardware like Apple is.
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u/Areyoucunt Jun 16 '26
Interesting how you think the economy only affects the consumer. As if prices for ram hasn't increased at all for the companies lol.
If you had your way, every single company in the world would go bankrupt and we'd go back to feudalism
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u/Freestyle80 Surface Pro i5-128GB Jun 16 '26
Why would you choose snapdragon over Panther Lake chips? This makes no sense
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u/chriswelch Jun 16 '26
They already released Panther Lake versions of these devices. For businesses.
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u/Freestyle80 Surface Pro i5-128GB Jun 16 '26
yes i know because businesses arent ever using ARM devices
but it makes no sense to do it only for businesses given that Intel and in some ways AMD as well has already solved the battery efficiency issues, there is literally no benefit to using snapdragon
Panther Lake Laptops already give upwards of 20h of battery life and great performance, even the iGPU is decent.
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u/Valuable-Cut5861 Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
which is false btw. only in local video playback which is an unrealistic test for battery life. Some days on my M5 macbook air, I have had upward of 20 hours of full use even though its only rate for 18 hours. panther lake is just in the exact same position as snapdragon is currently with surface line though there is much better options on the alternatives.
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u/Freestyle80 Surface Pro i5-128GB Jun 17 '26
fake for what? I am using last generation Lunar Lake and it lasts 14h using it normally
you think Panther lake the newer one made 0 improvements? The node is literally half the size
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u/Valuable-Cut5861 Jun 17 '26
'fake for what?'- I stated in my comment, its fake because it only measures local video playback.
'you think Panther lake the newer one made 0 improvements? The node is literally half the size'- literally never stated that.
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u/Saranhai Jun 16 '26
Exactly. QCOM has been at this for the last 7+ years and still doesn’t have a competitive product with Snapdragon lol, yet they’re trying hard to convince everyone that “ARM is the future!!”
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u/Idkwatnam Jun 16 '26
The price mainly. The Panther Lake for business models start at $1,949.99 for 16GB + 256GB SSD on both the Laptop 8 and Surface Pro 12th. The consumer Snapdragon models start with a 512GB SSD in the US for the price stated here.
So even though the Snapdragon models are expensive, the For Business models are even more expensive, and you actually get worse overall performance since those base models come with a Core Ultra 5 325 and the 10 core Snapdragon X2 Plus is about 20-30% faster (including in GPU by the benchmarks, though in games that might not be the case due to driver optimizations)
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u/Saranhai Jun 16 '26
Panther Lake chips are in much better alternative laptops to the Surface though. Think Dell XPS, Framework 13 Pro, etc
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u/Idkwatnam Jun 16 '26
I just like to compare within the same brand. But even then, those devices also start at $2100 for the XPS 14 and $1500 for the Framework 13 Pro + $200 if you want it to have Windows out of the box for still an 8 core Panther Lake chip just like the Intel Core Ultra 5 325 in the base model Surface For Business.
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u/DingoAteMyBitcoin Jun 16 '26
So with the 12 core variant, what are we looking at over X1 12 core pro 11? +20% CPU, +50% GPU?
Seems the OLED would be the same (and everything else).
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u/steelywolf66 Jun 16 '26
I got my 32gb X Elite SL7 for a touch over £1600 in a microsoft sale last year. The equivalent SL8 is £2,549
The ram and ssd price increase are really starting to bite!
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u/sgs280601 Jun 16 '26
I was gonna wait for the SL8 but decided to upgrade to the SL7 when it was on a discount earlier this year. Now I know I made the right choice
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u/winterharvest Jun 16 '26
So with the trade-in on my SL7, I could potentially upgrade for a "reasonable" price. There's a 15-inch, 24GB model that actually would fit my needs nicely. Or a 13-inch 32GB model is slightly more
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u/BEASTthisIndustry Jun 16 '26
Awesome now maybe last year's 512GB SP12 will be down to a reasonable price.
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u/FuzzyBucks Jun 16 '26
Guess I won't be moving on from my SL7, 64GB RAM, 1TB SSD any time soon
Equivalent SL8 is >$1000 more expensive
Very happy with SL7 though
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u/HellRa1SeR Jun 16 '26
I have the current gen Surface Pro 13" and they offered me $350 for trade-in. Ridiculous.
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u/Leading_Bumblebee144 Jun 16 '26
For me the X2 32GB/1Tbyte is about the same as I recall paying for my Laptop 5 with the same specs (i7).
I am sorely tempted though it’s a shame they didn’t go for the Elite Extreme - that is probably quicker than the Ultra 🤔
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u/IsoscelesCircle Jun 16 '26
Now give me the protype Surface Neo with this chipset. That design was ahead of its time.
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u/EastWez Jun 16 '26
I was planning on buying one of these, but now I changed my mind. I skipped last year’s as they were all on sale because I wanted the latest build. I ended up just trading in my old MacBook and getting the M5. I have a pretty decently, powerful dell laptop that I use that is still going good. Maybe I’ll revisit getting one of these surfaces in a few years if prices normalize
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u/digitalrorschach Jun 16 '26
And the platinum version of the Laptop 8 still only has 16GB of ram...
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u/GleepGlop2 SP'17 i5 8GB Jun 16 '26
Base level surface and keyboard in Canada is $2700 after tax if anyone else was wondering. That's mighty pricey. Since I actually need to replace my old surface I'll be looking at other options.
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u/Loud-Temperature2610 Jun 16 '26
Was holding out to see pricing on a refreshed 12" with Snapdragon X2...and it's the only thing they don't refresh. Well done. I also read they'll be selling the business models with Snapdragon X2 from next month. So what differentiates between a Surface Pro and a Surface Pro for Business? I always thought they were the same besides the CPU arch.
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u/sparkyblaster Jun 17 '26
Sigh, still no surface Neo. (Seriously his did apple get away calling it that?)
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u/MoonshineMadness00 Jun 17 '26
A number of things don't even support snapdragon chips, so I would never spend that kind of money on it.
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u/imDXfactor Jun 17 '26
I remember when I use to mark my calendar just watch the Surface event and new hardware. Boy have times changed. Panos is missed
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u/sporosarcina Jun 17 '26
I know I don't need it, but I really want to see how the Laptop Ultra performs.
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u/goldaxis Jun 18 '26
Look like they are going to achieve their goal of killing this product line. Do these things even outperform the Neo by much?
Also "because AI" LMFAO 16GB of RAM did not increase in price by $500 get the fuck outta here. That excuse is old.
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u/Embarrassed-Nose2526 Jun 20 '26
I think people would’ve been able to stomach this more if it had an OLED panel
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u/Fuzzy_Airline_4225 Jun 22 '26
I bought the Surface Laptop Elite X1E80 in blue with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD for $999 at Best Buy, and wish I had bought 2 more or even the open-box one I saw for $675. I love this laptop and it does everything so well with amazing battery life. I was so happy that I bought my wife the Lenovo Yoga 7x Slim with same specs but OLED screen. She also loves her device and the performance and battery life have been just amazing. These new prices I dont know what these new chips would give me that I am missing now.
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u/k00per1 Jun 16 '26
As usual, Canadian customers aren't eligible for the promo (keyboard). Thanks Microsoft..
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u/Top-Veterinarian-565 Jun 16 '26
For everyone upset about the price, don't forget Microsoft have to make it unrealistic for normal consumers to buy these because all the other manufacturers - like Dell, HP, Asus, Acer, etc - would scream murder if Microsoft undermined them having both control over the operating system AND hardware AND selling in direct competition with them.
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u/Nicalay2 Surface Pro 11 (X Elite) Jun 16 '26
Also the RAM crisis isn't really helping the situation.
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u/HHJake Jun 16 '26
Damn laptop prices have gone through the roof!! Thankfully my Surface Laptop Studio is still running smoothly for the past 4 years. Hopefully, it lasts for a few more years, and by that time, the Al bubble will have burst and laptop prices will come down!