Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 and Surface Pro 12, specifications, technical sheet, images, price

Microsoft just presented the new generation of Surface Laptop and Surface Pro, which now come equipped with Qualcomm processors Snapdragon X2. With a really solid technical proposal and real improvements compared to the last generation, the problem comes from the price and, above all, who they are aimed at. Below these lines we tell you all the details.

Surface Laptop 8 and Surface Pro 12, technical sheet

More powerful, more expensive, almost the same design

The new Surface Pro (12th edition) and Surface Laptop (8th edition) arrive with 10-core Snapdragon X2 Plus and 12-core X2 Elite chips, replacing the X1 that they equipped 2024 models. Microsoft claims that Graphics performance improves up to 53% in the case of the Surface Pro and up to 58% in the Surface Laptop, according to tests carried out by the company itself.

In terms of autonomy, the company promises up to 15.5 hours of local video playback on the Surface Pro and up to 20 hours on the 13.8-inch Surface Laptop. Figures that, if confirmed in real use, are very competitive in the Windows market.

The Surface Pro starts at 1,599 euros and the Surface Laptop at 1,699 euros, both with 16 GB of RAM. There are also new features in terms of colors, as the 13.8-inch Surface Laptop debuts in the Jade color (a very pretty light green), and the Surface Pro arrives in Dune (something like bronze) with a matching keyboard. The problem is that, at the moment, through the Microsoft website we can only choose black and silver colors.

On the other hand, the 15-inch model makes the jump from 201 to 262 pixels per inch on its screen. In addition, haptic feedback is added to the trackpad, a 24 GB RAM option which did not exist before, and the Surface Pro maintains the OLED screen as a premium option.

Other than that, the design is essentially identical to the previous generation, with the same ports, same form factor, same 3:2 aspect ratio, and the Surface Laptop remains LCD-only, while the Pro offers OLED as an option.

The price hit

The Surface Laptop 7 was sold in 2024 for 1,199 euros in its entry configuration; The new Surface Laptop 8 starts 500 euros more expensive. The same happens with the new Surface Pro 12, which represents an increase of 400 euros compared to the Pro 11 at the time of its launch.

Part of that rise has to do with the current component crisisespecially RAM shortage which has made the production chain of the entire industry more expensive (a situation to which Microsoft has partly contributed by putting its foot on the accelerator to build more AI data centers). To this we must add that the previous generation models had already suffered a price increase in April of this year, which means that the new generation comes out with an even higher starting point on that already corrected bar.

To try to soften the blow, Microsoft is offering temporary promotions, such as a free keyboard with the Surface Pro, Arc Mouse with the Surface Laptop, and up to 250 euros off per device in exchange for an old computer. They are reasonable incentives, but in Spain, for example, we do not have them available, so they are subject to specific markets. And we must not forget that the 65 W charger is paid separately (+89.99 euros).

What Microsoft has decided not to do

Over all these years, Microsoft has oriented the Surface range to the business sector, a completely different level than the one aspired to by the MacBook Neothe team Apple that has broken all the molds precisely because of its price, which starts at 700 euros (600 euros with a student account). In this case we are not talking about the most powerful machine that exists, far from it, but it is more than enough for the vast majority of users, whether they are students, office workers, home users, etc.

The new Surfaces go in exactly the opposite direction. Apple is expanding its potential buyer base downwards, while Microsoft narrows its upwards. The Surface Laptop 8 and Surface Pro 12 are products for professionals with a comfortable budget, not for the user looking for the best equipment at the best possible price.

This wouldn’t be a problem in itself if the Surface range covered both extremes. But it doesn’t, at least not yet. Microsoft’s bet on 2026 has been a Surface Laptop Ultra very high-end for developers and creatives (for which the date or price is not yet known), a line of business with Intel Panther Lake for businesses (which starts at $1,949.99), and these new versions for consumers with Snapdragon X2. At the moment There is no Surface that competes in the segment in which the MacBook Neo He has planted his flag.

A positioning decision, not a capacity one

It is advisable to be fair, since Microsoft it does have tools to competeespecially next to Qualcomm that offers chips like the Snapdragon X2 Elite and even the X2 Elite Extreme in the high range. There is enough silicon to build ambitious proposals in different price ranges. Now, the ball is in Microsoft’s court as to whether it intends to use it in that orientation. For now, the answer seems to be no.

Regardless of everything, the new equipment is now available for purchase, both through the Microsoft website and through authorized channels.

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