What you need to know
- Announced last month, Microsoft's new Surface Keyboard for desktop PCs is now available.
- The keyboard features the new Copilot AI key and Windows 11 shortcuts to apps like Snip & Sketch, Widgets, and Emoji.
- It's a minor refresh over the older $99 Surface Keyboard for desktops, but now costs an eye-watering $129.
Microsoft's new Surface Keyboard for desktop PCs is now available to purchase directly from the Microsoft Store and features a number of subtle changes over the older Surface Keyboard, including a new Copilot key, shortcuts for accessing Windows 11 features like Snip & Sketch, Widgets, and call muting, and the Emoji panel.
Rather shockingly, the new Surface Keyboard (simply dubbed 2nd Edition) is quite a bit more expensive than the previous model. You could (and still can) buy the older Surface Keyboard for around $99 new from Microsoft, but the new Surface Keyboard is an eyewatering $129. What do you get for $30 extra? Just those new key shortcuts, by the looks of things.
Taking a quick look at the spec table, not much else has changed with the new Surface Keyboard. It's still only Bluetooth 4.0 LE compatible, rated for 12 months of battery on two AA batteries, and is dimensionally exactly the same as the old one. It even weighs the same, suggesting nothing has changed internally too.
It's not all bad news though. The Surface Keyboard actually is one of the more premium wireless keyboards on the market, giving the Apple Magic Keyboard for Mac a run for its money. It features metal chassis that's premium and cold to the touch, along with quiet keys that also have deep travel. Unfortunately, it doesn't feature a backlight, something that I think really should be included at this price point.
In the last year, Microsoft gutted its line of Surface PC accessories, stripping its offering back to bare essentials that complement its Surface Pro and Surface Laptop lines. It looks like the Surface Keyboard for desktops is one of few Surface accessories that survived the culling, alongside the Surface Arc Mouse and Surface Dock.
