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We knew Qualcomm had big plans for its Snapdragon X2 processors, and now we're seeing it. Microsoft this week unveiled its latest Surface Pro and Surface Laptop devices, and they are powered by the Snapdragon X2, giving them better graphical performance and huge battery life.
The Surface Pro 13-inch (12th Edition) is the bigger upgrade of the two on paper. Powered by either the Snapdragon X2 Plus (10-core) or X2 Elite (12-core), it delivers up to 53% faster graphics than its predecessor.
Battery life pushes to 15.5 hours of video playback and 11.5 hours of active web browsing, which puts it comfortably in all-day territory.
The display stays at 13-inch with a 2880 x 1920 resolution and 3:2 aspect ratio, but there's now an optional OLED panel that brings the contrast ratio up to 1,000,000:1 and peak HDR brightness to 900 nits, all at up to 120Hz.
Surprisingly, the SSD in this model is removable, which is rare for the form factor.
Along with Microsoft's new Surface Repair Tool, which guides you through component replacements with step-by-step instructions, the new Surface Pro promises to be much more serviceable than previous generations.
The front camera gets a bump to 1440p Quad HD with an ultrawide field of view. And for the first time, Surface Pro 13-inch supports haptic feedback through the Slim Pen 2nd Edition and the Flex Keyboard's precision touchpad, making interactions feel more deliberate.
The Surface Laptop also gets the Snapdragon X2 treatment in both 13.8-inch and 15-inch sizes.
The 15-inch model gets a notable display upgrade, jumping from 201 PPI to 262 PPI.
Battery life is rated at up to 20 hours on the 13.8-inch and 19 hours on the 15-inch.
Microsoft also says its camera ranks number one among laptops tested by DXOMARK, which is a strong claim for video call-heavy users.
A new Jade colourway joins the 13.8-inch alongside the existing Platinum, Black and Dune options.
Both devices ship with Affinity design apps pinned to the Start menu, and both are built on 100% recycled aluminium enclosures.
| Spec | Surface Pro 13-inch (12th Edition) |
|---|---|
| Processor | Snapdragon X2 Plus (10-core) or X2 Elite (12-core) |
| NPU | Qualcomm Hexagon, 80 TOPS |
| RAM | 16GB, 24GB, 32GB or 64GB LPDDR5x |
| Storage | 256GB, 512GB or 1TB Gen 4 SSD (removable) |
| Display | 13-inch PixelSense Flow, 2880x1920 (267 PPI), up to 120Hz, LCD or OLED |
| OLED contrast | 1,000,000:1 (LCD: 1300:1) |
| Peak brightness | 900 nits HDR (OLED), 600 nits HDR (LCD) |
| Battery | Up to 15.5hr video, 11.5hr web browsing |
| Front camera | 1440p Quad HD ultrawide |
| Rear camera | 10MP Ultra HD |
| Ports | 2x USB-C/USB4, Surface Connect port |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 |
| Weight | 895g (without keyboard) |
| Colours | Platinum, Black, Dune |
| OS | Windows 11 Home |
Pricing and availability
The Surface Pro 13-inch starts at $2,699 in Australia, available now in Platinum, Black, and Dune, though the Dune colour is exclusive to the Microsoft online store.
The Surface Laptop 13.8-inch and 15-inch starts at $2,799, with the new Jade colourway for the 13.8-inch available at select retailers. Surface for Business configurations are available from 14 July.
Both devices are available now via the Microsoft Australia store.
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