Microsoft has announced some long-awaited updates to its Surface Laptop and Surface Pro devices, both of which are being refreshed with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 chips. Microsoft hasn’t given specific names to this new generation of devices, but this is technically the 8th-generation Surface Laptop and 12th-generation Surface Pro.
These new Qualcomm chips have been slowly rolling out on various Windows laptops throughout this first half of the year. Microsoft says the new chips provide “up to 53 percent faster graphic performance than the previous generation,” as well as 15 and a half hours of battery life.
While these chips are certainly impressive in the testing I’ve done myself (whether that’s the Snapdragon X2 Elite or Snapdragon X2 Plus) the real story here is the accompanying price hike.
The new Surface Laptop starts at $1,599, which is a $600 increase over the $999 starting price of the previous generation, which was known as the Surface Laptop 7th Edition when it launched in 2024. That initial $999 price was then officially increased a couple of months ago, bringing it up to $1,499. That increase was shocking enough at the time, but the new price feels even worse, as the new Surface Laptop is not only more expensive, but it comes with just 256 GB of storage—half as much as the previous generation. Microsoft discontinued the 256 GB version of the Surface Laptop late last year, but apparently, now it’s back.
All the models do still come with 16 GB of RAM. But with the new Dell XPS 13 returning to 8 GB as a starting configuration, I wouldn’t be surprised if Microsoft follows suit on its budget-tier Surface Laptop later this year.
The Surface Pro’s new pricing is just as hard to swallow. That machine also started at $999 last year, then went up to $1,199 in early 2026 when Microsoft cut the 256 GB model. The new starting configuration costs $1,499 while the storage has dropped back down to 256 GB. And of course, that doesn’t include the price of the detachable keyboard.
Microsoft isn’t alone. Other Windows laptops sporting the latest silicon from Intel or Qualcomm have been priced quite high, while previous-generation laptops have stuck around in retail channels. The prices provide a snapshot of how strong of an effect the component supply shortage continues to have on the PC industry, where RAM and storage prices remain dramatically inflated.
Many of my favorite things about the Surface Laptop are still in place, whether that’s the taller 3:2 aspect ratio display shape or the supreme detachable keyboard. But the only other changes in this year’s Surface devices are some new colors. There’s a new greenish color option called “Jade” for the 13.8-inch Surface Laptop, while the Surface Pro now comes in a goldish “Dune” color.
The new Surface Laptop and Surface Pro are both available starting today.
These new Surface devices are the follow-up to Microsoft’s flashier announcement earlier this month, the Surface Laptop Ultra. That one is based on the anticipated Nvidia RTX Spark chip, which is coming out later this year and will serve as the company's proper MacBook Pro alternative.
