I’m the first born in my family, so I haven’t experienced this feeling directly, but my younger brother tells me it wasn’t all that fun when I would get a gift that he was too little to receive along with his big brother (like the time I got my first bike for my 6th birthday while he was still circling our cul-de-sac on a Big Wheel). On Wednesday, Microsoft granted upgrades to its littlest Surface models, which lets them two-wheel around the neighborhood with the bigger models.
The 12-inch Surface Pro and 13-inch Surface Laptop have each been upgraded to Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 series processors, bringing them in line with the larger 13-inch Surface Pro and 13.8- and 15-inch Surface Laptops that received the Snapdragon X2 jolt a few months ago.
The second-generation Qualcomm processors offer a tick up in application performance and battery life, a larger leap in graphics performance and a giant jump in local AI capabilities, according to Microsoft. My tests with other laptops based on Snapdragon X2 series processors support Microsoft’s estimates.
Along with the two new Surface models, Microsoft also announced a new Surface Mouse that offers haptic feedback. Let’s have a look at the two Surface updates and new mouse.
12-inch Surface Pro (2nd Edition)
The second-gen 12-inch Surface Pro trots out the same design as the inaugural model, but inside it has moved to a six-core Snapdragon X Plus X2P-42-100. You are actually giving up two cores from the previous Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100 but getting a more advanced X2-45 integrated GPU and neural processing unit. The NPU is designed for the integer math required for AI tasks, and the Snapdragon X2’s NPU is capable of 80 trillion operations per second. That’s nearly double the 45 TOPS of the NPU of the first-gen Snapdragon X Plus.
The 12-inch Surface Pro (2nd Edition) also ups the memory, giving you the choice of 16GB or 24GB of RAM. That’s an increase from the previous 8GB and 16GB options. Storage remains the same and rather uninspired: 256GB or 512GB.
The display also stays the same: a 12-inch PixelSense touch LCD with a 3:2 aspect ratio, a resolution of 2,196×1,464 pixels and 90Hz refresh rate. The only difference is it’s 25% brighter, pushing the max brightness from 400 to 500 nits.
And there’s a new color option, but it might not excite you. In addition to platinum and violet, the new 12-inch Surface Pro comes in black. The bluish-gray ocean color has been discontinued.
The new 12-inch Surface Pro comes preinstalled with Microsoft Ink Canvas, a new AI-powered app for sketching, annotating, generating images and summarizing text directly on the screen with the Slim Pen.
The 12-inch Surface Pro (2nd Edition) will be available on Oct. 13, starting at $1,150. As with all Surface Pro pricing, the starting price is misleading because Microsoft charges extra for accessories, including the keyboard. Microsoft hasn’t divulged accessory pricing, but the keyboard for the first-gen 12-inch Surface Pro, which is very much needed, adds $150 to the bill. Still, it’s nice that the entry-level model starts at 16GB of RAM, saving you from having to spend extra to move up from the meager 8GB.
13-inch Surface Laptop (2nd Edition)
The 13-inch Surface Laptop has two big brothers in the 13.8-inch Surface Laptop and 15-inch model. They have each offered Snapdragon X2 series processors since May or June, and now the smallest Surface Laptop gets its Snapdragon X2 upgrade. It offers the same configuration options as the new 12-inch Surface Pro:
- Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100 CPU
- 16GB or 24GB RAM
- 256GB or 512GB SSD
There’s no change to the display other than the same bump in brightness as the second-gen 12-inch Surface Pro got. It’s a 13-inch PixelSense touch LCD with a 3:2 aspect ratio, a pixel resolution of 1,920×1,280 and a 60Hz refresh rate, but it is now rated for 500 nits of brightness. It also comes in the same three colors as the new 12-inch Surface Pro: platinum, violet and black.
Microsoft says you can expect up to 22.5 hours of battery life from the second-gen 13-inch Surface Laptop. That would actually be slightly shorter if our tests bear that out. The previous 13-inch Surface Laptop lasted more than 24 hours in testing.
The 13-inch Surface Laptop (2nd Edition) will be available on Oct. 13 starting at $1,199.
Surface Mouse (2nd Edition)
If you’re more of a mouser than a touchpad user, Microsoft has a new mouse it’s hoping you’ll pick up with your next Surface purchase. The most interesting part about the second-generation Surface Mouse is the inclusion of haptics that offer tactile feedback across its entire surface. These pulses can confirm clicks, drags, alignment and other actions in apps including PowerPoint, Concepts, Affinity by Canva and Filmora.
The Surface Mouse also adds a customizable action button that sits in front of the scroll wheel. The Bluetooth 6.0 mouse will be available in black and platinum for $80. Like the new Surface computers, the Surface Mouse (2nd Edition) will start shipping on Oct. 13.
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