A smaller Microsoft Surface Pro and Surface Laptop with Snapdragon X may be coming
Microsoft could be planning to release smaller versions of its Surface lineup powered by the Snapdragon X
💰 Both devices will have premium designs similar to the current models
📲 Display size could be around 11 or 12 inches
🍎 Microsoft is going directly after the 11-inch iPad Pro
🗓️ Could launch around April or May
❎ Both variants should be powered by the Snapdragon X/Plus chips
🤑 Price could be competitive, around $800-900
Microsoft’s Surface lineup could be getting smaller in the next few months, with two new additions to the family.
The new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop will feature smaller displays and will be running Snapdragon X and/or Plus processors, according to Windows Central. The smaller Surface Pro 2-in-1 is aiming squarely for the 11-inch iPad Pro, hoping to claw away at least a few customers from the dominant tablet maker.
Reports of smaller Surface devices have been floating around for over a year now, but it looks like they could finally be getting closer to release. The report says the expected ship date is around April or May, but they could be announced as early as next week at Microsoft’s business-focused Surface event, where the company is expected to announce new business-only devices with Intel Lunar Lake processors.
Do we get new processors to go with the hardware?
If the reports are accurate, both devices will be running some variant of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X and Plus processors, which makes sense considering the hype the company received after launching the first Snapdragon PC’s last summer. The processors – and the PCs housing them – were both well received for the decent power output, great battery life, and more affordable price (compared to Intel PCs).
Assuming it’s true, that could make these pint-sized computers a very compelling value proposition.
Expect a lot more Copilot+
Regardless of what happens, you can expect to hear a lot more about Copilot and how magical and wonderful it is inside these new Surface devices. The first Snapdragon PCs from last year were launched exclusively as Copilot+ PCs, so expect more of the same this year.
It will be interesting to see what Microsoft does with the rest of the lower-end of the Surface lineup, currently branded the Surface Go. Windows Central expects the new, smaller Surface Pro to replace the cheaper Surface Go but is unsure if the same will happen to the Surface Laptop Go. Neither device has been updated in a while, yet the Surface Pro and Surface Laptops have been updated twice just in the last year, so clearly, we know where Microsoft’s priorities are.
Up next: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 review: more graphics card power in a smaller GPU
Jason Cockerham is a seasoned technology journalist reporting on the latest tech trends for The Shortcut as well as CNET and Top Ten Reviews. You can follow him at @jasonthejasonc on X and LinkedIn.