Microsoft has presented the first Surface computing devices with Snapdragon Windows a la arquitectura ARM and everything that has to do with new artificial intelligence capabilities.
And the Redmond firm has started its annual event with developers very strongly, BUILD 2024, which officially begins this afternoon, but which had extraordinary progress yesterday at the Microsoft event where we were able to see great news. Prominence for AI, without a doubt, but also with a focus on ARM. And the bet represents a big change considering that Microsoft has been the main defender of Intel’s x86 architecture. The new priority was and is known: beat Apple and its Silicon Macs.
Surface con Snapdragon X
Microsoft partnered with Qualcomm to promote a new attempt at the ‘Windows on ARM’ platform and here we have the first teams. Although all the major PC manufacturers have taken advantage of the Microsoft event to announce the launch of their laptops, the company has also presented its own. We review the main news.
Surface Pro
It was clear that the star device of Microsoft’s entire line of own-brand hardware and one of the best sellers in the ‘2 in 1’ category, was going to be one of the designs used to launch this new generation. The big news is the processor Snapdragon X Elite that it mounts, which without being the most advanced from Qualcomm, promises to rival the Apple MacBook Air laptops with the M3 SoC. You can choose with 16 or 32 GB of RAM and with a removable SSD of 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB capacity.
There is another great novelty to mention, the 13-inch HDR OLED display with Dolby Vision IQ, which – always thinking of Apple – thinks about combating the new iPad Pro tablets with OLED panel. It has a native resolution of 2,880 x 1,920 pixels, a refresh rate of 120 Hz and Gorilla Glass 5 protection.
It must be said that the LCD screens of previous Surface Pros were already impressive in terms of color accuracy and sharpness, but Microsoft always stuck to traditional backlighting, which limited things like the depth of blacks. Now, with the per-pixel control enabled by the OLED panel, the Surface Pro’s display looks great. The firm will also market versions with IPS panels to maintain the Price.
Other notable features include support for the latest version of the wireless standard. Wi-Fi 7 and option for 5G broadband. We also have a QHD front camera with Windows Studio effects and support for fast battery charging that promises a level of autonomy “excellent, maintaining high performance”.
The 2 in 1 will have new accessories like the Surface Pro Flex Keyboard which now works wirelessly, allowing you to place it separately from the tablet where it’s convenient. It also features additional layers of carbon fiber for added stability and durability and a new customizable haptic touchpad. It has a hole to place the integrated pencil, which also works as a charger.
The new Surface Pro pre-installs Windows 11 and will be available in four colors (black, platinum, gold and blue) with prices starting from $999 with IPS LCD screen and $1,499 for the version with OLED panel. They can now be reserved in the Microsoft Store in some regions with delivery in June.
Surface Laptop
The second of the Surfaces with Snapdragon This “Copilot Plus Surface Laptop” as the company calls it, is available in two sizes: 13.8 inches and 15 inches. Both variants use 3:4 IPS touchscreens with respective native resolutions of 2,304 x 1,536 pixels and 2,496 x 1,664 pixels. The refresh rate has been increased to 120Hz and they now support high dynamic range, HDR.
They are equipped with the Snapdragon “it’s 86% faster than the Intel-powered Surface Laptop 5”. The 13.8-inch version can be configured with Snapdragon X Elite or Plus processors, while the larger variant will only be available with the more advanced Snapdragon X Elite. The main configuration is completed with 16 GB or 32 GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 2 TB solid state drives for internal storage.
In addition to improving performance, Qualcomm’s new processors promise to significantly increase the battery duration. The 13.8-inch Surface Laptop can play up to 20 hours of video, while the 15-inch variant can play up to 22 hours.
In terms of connectivity, they have been updated with Wi-Fi 7 y Bluetooth 5.4. Includes two ports USB-C/USB4 to charge your device, transfer data, power external displays (up to three 4K displays) or connect accessories. There’s also a USB-A 3.1 port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and the old Surface Connect port. The 15-inch variant also features a microSDXC card reader.
The Surface Laptop also debuts a new haptic trackpad and has a 1080p webcam with Windows Hello and Windows Studio effects, Dolby Atmos speakers and Studio microphones. With Windows 11 and in black, platinum, gold, and blue color options, pricing starts at 999 dollars (13.8 version?) and 1299 dollars (15?). From there up because configured at its maximum it reaches a price of 2,500 dollars. They can now be reserved in the Microsoft Store.
No doubt. Microsoft’s very ambitious bet with Surface with Snapdragon, with some ‘PC Copilot Plus’ that all its partners will market with the aim of combating Apple’s Macs. New attempt at Windows on ARM, with improved Qualcomm chips and support for artificial intelligence technologies.