Microsoft is gearing up to ship two new versions of the Surface Laptop and Surface Pro that have smaller displays, designed to be lighter and more portable for people looking for a more travel-friendly PC. Both devices will be premium products, and feature display sizes roughly around 11- or 12-inches, my sources say.
I first reported on Microsoft’s smaller Surface Pro way back in December 2023, and last month I was able to confirm that the company was also working on a smaller Surface Laptop as well. I hear both devices are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
I understand that Microsoft intends to begin shipping these smaller Surface PCs in the April/May timeframe. The company is already expected to unveil new Surface for Business hardware on January 30, but I'm unsure if that's when the smaller devices will be announced, or if they'll be saved for a more consumer-facing event.
These smaller Surface devices are said to feature similar premium designs to their larger siblings. My sources say the smaller Surface Pro has been built as a direct competitor to the 11-inch iPad Pro, meaning it should have a high refresh rate display, support for pen input, and its own detachable keyboard accessory.
I believe the smaller Surface Laptop is likely to replace the Surface Laptop Go, and will include a backlit keyboard, higher resolution touchscreen, and an all-metal chassis like its larger Surface Laptop sibling. I’m unsure if the smaller Surface Pro is supposed to replace the cheaper Surface Go.
I'm told that the new smaller variants will be powered by Snapdragon X/Plus SoCs, which should allow Microsoft to price these devices competitively in the $800-$900 price range while still delivering good performance and battery life. Both devices will be sold alongside the current Snapdragon-powered Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 11 lineup.
Microsoft is also planning to launch Intel Lunar Lake variants of the Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 11 next month, but these are expected to be for business customers only and just available in the larger existing screen size configurations. The Intel-powered Surface Laptop 7 will be configurable with 5G for the first time.
The company's current focus appears to be almost entirely on the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop, its two most popular product lines. Microsoft will have refreshed both models three times within the span of 12 months this March, which is a crazy number of updates in such a short period of time.
My sources say the Surface Pro 12 and Surface Laptop 8 are also currently in development and will be powered by the upcoming Snapdragon X2 SoC, which is expected to debut later this year.
Microsoft officials declined to comment on these plans.
