Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 and Surface Pro 12 Introduce Snapdragon X2 Chips

Microsoft has unveiled its latest Surface Laptops and a Surface Pro, now powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 processors. These new devices are direct successors to the 2024 models that featured Snapdragon X1 chips, which helped kick off Microsoft’s Copilot Plus PC initiative with Windows on Arm.

The new X2 Surfaces are available now. The Surface Pro 12th Edition convertible tablet sports a 13-inch display and comes equipped with either a 10-core X2 Plus or a 12-core X2 Elite chip. Meanwhile, the Surface Laptop 8th Edition is offered in both 13.8-inch and 15-inch sizes, with the same X2 Plus and X2 Elite configurations. The Pro model starts at $1,499 for 256GB of storage (excluding keyboard or stylus), while the Laptop begins at $1,599 with a 512GB SSD, both featuring 16GB of RAM, with options for higher configurations.

The starting prices for both the new Surface Laptop and Surface Pro are $100 more than the previous generation, which saw a significant price hike in April due to rising RAM costs. Additionally, Microsoft is set to release commercial versions of the X2 Surface Laptop 8 and Surface Pro 12 later on. The Surface for Business X2 models are expected to launch on July 14th, starting at $1,649.99, which is slightly higher than the consumer models but less than the recently announced Intel Panther Lake Surface for Business models, starting at $1,949.99.

Microsoft claims that the new X2 Surface generation delivers notably improved graphics performance while preserving impressive battery life, with up to 15.5 hours of local video playback on the Surface Pro and up to 20 hours on the Laptop. Aside from the new color options—jade and dune for the 13.8-inch Surface Laptop and just dune for the Surface Pro (which includes a matching Flex Keyboard)—most features remain consistent with the previous generation.

The Surface Laptop 8th Edition continues to use an LCD display, while the Surface Pro 8th Edition offers an optional OLED screen. Both devices maintain the 3:2 aspect ratio for enhanced vertical screen space. The port selection mirrors that of the last generation, including the Surface Connect magnetic charging port, which will not be included in the upcoming Surface Laptop Ultra. There’s also no optional privacy screen available like the one offered with the new 13.8-inch Surface Laptop for Business.

With the introduction of the X2 Plus and X2 Elite chips in these new Surfaces, and the Nvidia RTX Spark in the upcoming Surface Laptop Ultra, Microsoft has opted not to include Qualcomm’s flagship X2 Elite Extreme chip, which impressed in the $1,700 Asus Zenbook A16. While I enjoyed using the more affordable Surface Laptop 13-inch last year, that model now starts at $1,150, up from its original $900. Surface hardware is among the best in the Windows laptop market, but these increased prices make them less competitive, especially with minimal changes from two years ago aside from the chip upgrade and some appealing new colors.