Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 11 will soon be based on Intel instead of ARM
Microsoft has initially limited the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop for companies to ARM processors. However, these business devices will soon receive Intel CPUs
Surface Pro for Business
(Image: Microsoft)
Microsoft has announced new versions of the Surface Laptop 7 notebook and the Surface Pro 11 tablet PC. These devices have been available exclusively with ARM processors from Qualcomm since the middle of last year, but will also be available with Intel's Core Ultra 200V CPUs (codename: Lunar Lake) next month. Microsoft is marketing these laptops and tablets with keyboards as Copilot Plus PCs for companies, as the Intel processors support artificial intelligence methods through an integrated AI unit.
Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 11 have been available since June 2024, but so far only with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X processors. Anyone who wanted Intel-based devices of this type last year had to opt for Surface Laptop 6 and Surface Pro 10 as business versions. These are still based on Intel's Meteor Lake processors, also known as Core Ultra 100, and the new Intel basis means that the current generation of devices is also being brought up to date. However, Microsoft continues to offer Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 11 with ARM processors, so customers now have a choice.
Externally, there are no differences between the Intel and Qualcomm versions of Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 11, but there are differences in price. Surface Pro and Surface Laptop are available from 1179 and 1199 euros respectively, but according to Microsoft, the prices of the Intel versions only start at 1759 and 1849 euros. The new Surface devices will be available from February 18.
Videos by heise
Battery life with Intel hardly weaker than with ARM
The "Surface Laptop for Business" will also be available on an Intel basis in two screen sizes: 13.8 and 15 inches. Microsoft offers four CPU models to choose from, from the Core Ultra 5 processor 236V to the Core Ultra 7 processor 268V. The differences lie mainly in the clock rates; all of the CPUs available have four efficiency and four performance cores. However, the performance of the integrated NPU (Neural Processing Unit) for AI tasks and the Intel Arc graphics unit varies.
The Microsoft notebooks can be equipped with either 16 or 32 GB of LPDDR5x RAM and SSDs from 256 GB to 1 TB. The manufacturer promises up to 22 hours of battery life for the 15-inch model when playing videos and 12 hours of active Internet use. The Surface Laptop 7 with 13" display has two hours less. This means that the Intel models are only one hour behind the ARM versions, according to the manufacturer's specifications.
Empfohlener redaktioneller Inhalt
Mit Ihrer Zustimmung wird hier ein externes YouTube-Video (Google Ireland Limited) geladen.
Ich bin damit einverstanden, dass mir externe Inhalte angezeigt werden. Damit können personenbezogene Daten an Drittplattformen (Google Ireland Limited) übermittelt werden. Mehr dazu in unserer Datenschutzerklärung.
The screens of both these notebooks and the "Surface Pro for Business" with Intel's Core Ultra processors are identical to the Snapdragon models. The tablet PC therefore continues to rely on a 13-inch touchscreen, an OLED or LCD as desired, and the choice of Intel processors is the same as the Surface Laptop 11. The RAM and SSD configuration is also the same. According to Microsoft, the battery life is 14 hours of video playback and 10 hours of active web use. This corresponds to the battery life of the version with Snapdragon X processor.
USB4 docking station for Surface devices
At the same time as the new Intel versions of Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 11, Microsoft is also launching a matching USB4 docking station. This Surface adapter, which costs 269 euros, can be used to control two 4K screens at up to 60 Hz, charge the Surface device with up to 65 watts and connect it to a local network via Ethernet. In total, the USB4 dock offers three USB-C ports, one USB-A port, one HDMI port and one Ethernet port.
Both the USB4 Dock and the Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 11 can be ordered by business customers in just under two and a half weeks. The devices will be delivered from February 18, 2025.
(fds)
