Microsoft updates new Surface Pro, Laptop with Intel inside

Microsoft has launched business versions of its Surface Laptop (7th Edition) as well as the Surface Pro (11th Edition) with Intel’s Core Ultra 200 (Lunar Lake) processors inside, offering business customers a choice between x86 and Windows on Arm.

Microsoft also said it will release a version of the Intel-powered Surface Laptop with 5G capabilities later this year. Finally, Microsoft announced a new Surface USB4 Hub, which was designed around the Surface aesthetic but can be used with any laptop with a USB4 port.

Essentially, the new Laptop and Pro are third versions of the latest Surface Pro and Laptop, with similar specs and dimensions. In May 2024, Microsoft originally announced the Surface Laptop (7th Edition) as well as the Surface Pro (11th Edition), both in a consumer as well as a “for Business” version. Both of those offerings included Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chips.

Now, Microsoft is adding a second version of the Surface Laptop (7th Edition) for Business as well as the Surface Pro (11th Edition) for Business, but with a Snapdragon rival: the Intel Core Ultra 200 / “Lunar Lake” chip. Both Surfaces will be available on the same day, February 18, for the same starting price: $1,499. As before, the Pro will be offered as a 13-inch tablet, while the Surface Laptop ships in both 13.8-inch and 15-inch versions.

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(Microsoft’s naming scheme isn’t totally coherent, as its documentation refers to the latest Surface Pro as both the Surface Pro for Business with Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2) as well as the Surface Pro 11th Edition for Business. Microsoft refers to its Snapdragon version as the Surface Pro for Business, 11th Edition.)

Copilot+ PCs, but from Intel

The important thing to know about these two new devices is that they’ve both received the Copilot+ designation. Both the new Pro and Laptop use the Core Ultra 5 236V and Core Ultra 5 238V processors, with an NPU capable of 40 TOPS; and the Core Ultra 7 266V and 268V, which offer 48 TOPS. Microsoft defines 40 TOPS as the minimum requirement for a Copilot+ designation, which allows users to use Microsoft’s AI-specific Windows functions.

Nancie Gaskill, the general manager of the Surface business at Microsoft, said the new Pro and Laptop would be “variations” on the existing Surface for Business devices. “For business, we want to make sure that we’re bringing customers choice, and that’s why you see us bringing both the Arm architecture and the x86 platform to those customers,” she told reporters in a conference call.

Microsoft first rolled out its Copilot+ program for Snapdragon PCs, then later supported AMD and Intel.

Though laptops using Copilot+-qualified chips like Intel’s Core Ultra 200 and AMD’s Ryzen AI 300 have already shipped, the three platforms aren’t equal; PCs with Snapdragon chips inside can use or at least test all of Microsoft’s announced AI features, including the controversial Recall feature as well as generative AI-enhanced composition and editing features for Windows apps like Paint and Photos. Recall was made available to Snapdragon PCs on November 22. Copilot+ PCs with AMD and Intel chips inside have been forced to wait for an update, and gained Recall and Click-To-Do capabilities in early December. The other features are still not available.

Instead, Microsoft is leaning more on Microsoft 365, rather than Windows itself, to take advantage of the local NPU. For example, with Microsoft 365 Copilot, users can dictate and/or ink on the Surface Pro, and Copilot will analyze and transcribe the notes, executives said.

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The differing timetables between the two processor platforms is something that Microsoft’s Gaskill said would be addressed. “The first-party experiences we showcase today are coming to all silicon platforms,” she said. “That said there will initially be some differences in the timing availability of these features as we work to optimize the experience for each silicon. We’re working closely with our silicon partners to accelerate this development with the goal of bringing parity of these features to devices going forward.”

What’s in the new Surface Laptop and Surface Pro for Business?

The new Surface Laptop delivers 26 percent faster performance for multitasking, twice the graphics performance, and up to 22 hours of battery life, Gaskill said, compared to the Surface Laptop 5, a 2022 device. That laptop was based upon the 12th-gen Core series of processors.

According to Microsoft’s specifications, the new Surface Pro (11th Edition) for Business includes the same specifications as the existing Surface Pro. You can buy two models, either one with an LCD display and the other with an OLED display. The OLED option ships with an additional HDR display mode that is not available in the LCD model.

The Surface Pro ships with a 2880×1920 13-inch display that outputs 600 nits (900 peak nits in HDR mode) with Gorilla Glass 6 protecting it. Memory options include 16GB or 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and 256GB/512GB/1TB of removable PCIe Gen 4 SSD storage. The 1.92-pound tablet measures 11.3 x 8.2 x 0.37 inches and includes an undisclosed battery that supplies up to 14 hours of video playback. The tablet has a 1440p front-facing camera, a 10Mpixel rear camera, and a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports that complement its Bluetooth 5.4/Wi-Fi 7 connectivity. Remember Microsoft killed the headphone jack in the Surface Pro 9.

Microsoft is also promoting its integrated Pluton security coprocessor, which complements the Trusted Platform Module. Pluton isn’t new; the security logic has secured the most recent Xbox Series X and S. What’s new, however, is that it’s Pluton rather than Intel’s own vPro technology which is being used.

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Both the 13.8-inch and 15-inch version of the Surface Laptop (7th Edition) do include the 3.5mm jack, however, as well as two Thunderbolt 4 ports plus a 10Gbps USB-A port. There’s a more generic 1080p webcam. Wireless connectivity is supplied by Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.

The larger 15-inch Surface Laptop weighs 3.66 pounds and measures 12.96 x 9.41 x 0.72 inches; the smaller 13.8-inch version weighs 2.97 pounds and measures 11.85 x 8.67 x 0.69 inches. Physically, there are a few differences between the two: The 13.8-inch screen’s resolution is 2304×1536, while the larger 15-inch display is 2496×1664. Otherwise, the displays share the same characteristics: 1300:1 contrast ratio, Gorilla Glass 5, and Dolby Vision IQ support.

There’s one other small difference between them: The larger Surface Laptop contains a microSDXC Express card reader and an optional integrated smart-card reader.

Microsoft didn’t address a question regarding the future of its Surface Connector, the small magnetic connector that can pass power alongside data. Microsoft has chosen to use the connector for power only, transferring data across the Thunderbolt 4 port.

Thunderbolt 4 is simply the Intel-certified name for the otherwise identical USB4 port, which is why Microsoft named its new USB4 Dock just that. The dock connects to any laptop with a USB4-compliant port (which excludes the Surface Laptop Studio and Surface Studio 2+, Microsoft says) supplying 65W of power. It supports two 4K60 displays, with either one of two USB4/Thunderbolt 4 ports built in, as well as an HDMI 2.1 port. The 4.7×2.4 inch dock also includes a gigabit Ethernet port and a 10Gbps USB-A port.

Microsoft’s USB4 Dock will be priced at $199.99 and ship on February 18.