Microsoft announces three new Surface PCs with Intel Core Ultra 300 processors

Microsoft is expanding its Surface device portfolio with three new devices. Today, the company announced new Intel-powered Surface for Business computers—the Surface Pro for Business 13-inch, the Surface Laptop for Business 13.8/15-inch, and the Surface Laptop for Business 13-inch. All these devices are powered by Intel's latest Core Ultra 300 Series processors.

The new computers retain the now-classic Surface design, and Microsoft is not making any major leaps with exterior changes, focusing on internal upgrades. The biggest upgrade is the Intel Core Ultra 300 processors, which offer better performance, improved NPUs, and more powerful graphics, with the Surface Laptop optionally equipped with the Core Ultra X7 processors and Intel Arc B390 graphics.

Microsoft says that the new Surface Laptop is 90% faster than the Surface Laptop 5, while the new Surface Pro doubles the speed of the Surface Pro 9. The company also claims that these computers, particularly the Surface Laptop with the Intel Core Ultra X7, is 35% faster in graphical performance than the M5-based MacBook Air.

In addition to improved performance, the new Surface computers feature better battery life. The Surface Pro is quoted for up to 17 hours, the Surface Laptop 13.8/15-inches up to 23 hours, and the Surface Laptop 13-inch up to 22 hours.

Microsoft also improved trackpads in the new Surface Laptops. Haptic trackpads now feature physical feedback when you perform certain actions across the operating system, such as hovering the cursor over the window close button, snapping apps, interacting with sliders, and more. Third-party app developers can also integrate this feature into their apps.

Given that Microsoft aims these computers at business customers, some specs have business-focused features, such as an optional privacy screen with an anti-glare coating for privacy-sensitive environments. This feature is available in the 13.8-inch Surface Laptop, allowing users to limit the display viewing angle with a single button press, while keeping it readable and bright enough for the person in front of it. When adjusting readability, the algorithm uses additional data like ambient light level, brightness target, and display contrast, while also supporting features like HDR.

The new Surface Laptop 13.8/15-inch and Surface Pro for Business can be configured with up to 64GB of memory and a 1TB PCIe Gen4 SSD (user-removable). The Surface Pro 13-inch is available in only one CPU configuration, while memory options include 16GB or 24GB RAM and 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB SSD. Also, the new Surface Pro can be configured with 5G connectivity.

The Surface Laptop for Business 13-inch starts at $1,299, while the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop 13.8/15-inch start at $1,949. Microsoft does not plan to sell these to regular consumers, but the company confirmed that it would release new Surface devices with Snapdragon X2 processors later this year.