What you need to know
- Intel 12th-gen CPUs come to Surface Laptop with the new Surface Laptop 5.
- Curiously, there are no AMD Ryzen options present with this generation.
- Surface Laptop 5 features Thunderbolt 4 and a new Sage colorway.
- The overall design remains the same as the previous generation.
Microsoft has taken the wraps off its new Surface Laptop 5, featuring Intel 12th-generation U-series chips which offer a notable performance boost over the chips found in older Surface Laptop 4. These new processors go from quad-core to ten-cores with two 'P-cores' (performance) and eight 'E-cores' (efficiency), making Surface Laptop 5 significantly better at multitasking than the previous generation.
In addition to an updated processor, Surface Laptop 5 also features a new Sage colorway, Thunderbolt 4 for the first time on a Surface Laptop, and Secured-Core PC certification.
Microsoft also touts improved camera performance with Surface Laptop 5, which offers enhanced camera experiences that can automatically adjust to lighting conditions, skin tones, and subtle changes in your head and facial position.
Surface Laptop 5 is also Dolby Vision IQ and Dolby Atmos certified, delivering deep blacks, popping visuals, and excellent spatial surround sound. (Dolby Vision IQ uses a sensor and encoded metadata to adjust HDR properties based on your ambient lighting conditions. It's rare to see in laptops.)
Of course, Surface Laptop 5 is available in 13.5-inch and 15-inch variants, just like previous generations. The entire external design of Surface Laptop 5 is identical to the Surface Laptop 4.
For the first time since 2019, Microsoft is not offering this generation of Surface Laptops with AMD Ryzen options. Surface Laptop 3 and Surface Laptop 4 have special "Surface Edition" Ryzen processors in addition to Intel, but these are not present with the new Surface Laptop 5.
When asked, Microsoft issued the following statement regarding this year's change:
"With every product and with the goal of delighting customers, we select the right components for the form, scenarios, and customer we envision. It is a deliberate process whereby we work closely with our partners to tune and perfect the overall experience. For this product, we are excited about the 12th Gen processors from Intel. Built on the Intel® Evo™ platform, this chipset will help Surface Laptop 5 to achieve the perfect balance of style and power. This balance has consistently led to Surface Laptop being our most loved Surface device."
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Row 0 - Cell 1 |
| OS | Windows 11 Home (Consumer) |
| Row 2 - Cell 0 | Windows 11 Pro (Commercial) |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-1235U (Consumer) |
| Row 4 - Cell 0 | Intel Core i7-1255U (Consumer) |
| Row 5 - Cell 0 | Intel Core i5-1245U (Commercial) |
| Row 6 - Cell 0 | Intel Core i7-1265U (Commercial) |
| RAM | 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, LPDDR5x RAM |
| Graphics | Intel Iris Xe Graphics |
| Storage | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB SSD |
| Display | 13.5-inch 60Hz PixelSense Display, 2256 x 1504 (201 PPI) |
| Row 11 - Cell 0 | 15-inch 60Hz PixelSense Display, 2496 x 1664 (201 PPI) |
| Ports | 1x USB-C with USB 4.0 / TB4, 1x USB-A 3.1, 3.5mm jack, 1x Surface Connect |
| Audio | Dual far-field Studio Mics |
| Row 14 - Cell 0 | Omnisonic Speakers with Dolby Atmos |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 6E: 802.11ax, Bluetooth 5.1 |
| Camera | 720p HD front facing camera |
| Security | Windows Hello facial recognition |
| Row 18 - Cell 0 | TPM 2.0 |
| Row 19 - Cell 0 | Secured-Core PC certified |
| Battery | 13.5: Up to 18 hours |
| Row 21 - Cell 0 | 15: Up to 17 hours |
| Dimensions | 13.5: 12.1" x 8.8" x 0.57" (308 x 223 x 14.5 mm) |
| Row 23 - Cell 0 | 15: 13.4" x 9.6" x 0.58" (340 x 244 x 14.7 mm) |
| Weight | 13.5: 2.80lbs (Alcantara) or 2.86lbs (Metal) |
| Row 25 - Cell 0 | 15: 3.44lbs |
| Color | 13.5: Platinum with Alcantara, Sage, Matte Black, Sandstone |
| Row 27 - Cell 0 | 15: Platinum, Matte Black |
| Availability | October 25 |
| Price | $999 starting |
Surface Laptop 5 is expected to start shipping in select markets on October 25, with a starting price of $999 for the 13.5-inch model and $1,299 for the 15-inch model. Pre-orders are live now!
Available in the same great 13.5- and 15-inch flavors, the Surface Laptop 5 gets a modest update this year with new Intel chips, a slight bump in battery life, and a fresh colorway.
