Microsoft’s ever-expanding list of Surface PCs now covers a broad range of hardware portions and price points — and each model is Windows 11-ready.
Microsoft’s ambitious strategy to expand its line of personal computers had an uncomfortable beginning.
Today, you can pick from a half-dozen different portable PCs under the Surface brand. However, it doesn’t include related products like the corporate-focused Surface Hub, the Surface Studio desktop, the Android-powered Surface Duo 2, and multiple keyboards, docking stations, mice, other peripheral devices.
In an online ceremony on September 22, 2021, Microsoft tossed out arguably its most notable upgrades to the Surface line ever, with a sweeping refresh of the flagship Surface Pro and a brand-new model, the Surface Laptop Studio. Most of the new models sporting 11th Generation Intel Core CPUs are ready to ship with Windows 11 when the new operating system is released to the public on October 5.
Let’s take a close look at each of the six current members in the Surface family of portable PCs to help you decide which, if any, should be on your shortlist when it’s time to purchase a new PC. Here’s a field guide for classifying out which Surface PC should be on the shortlist.
Surface Pro 8
- The most traditional surviving member of the Surface family
- Visible design remarkably consistent
- Microsoft’s wise resolution not to tamper with a design
- It gets three noteworthy design tweaks
- Bigger screen with smaller bezels to fit in the same housing
- New Signature keyboard designed
- New Surface Slim Pen 2
- Second USB-C port in place of the USB-A port
- Both ports support Thunderbolt 4.
Surface Laptop Studio
- The hybrid device replaces the Surface Book
- Logical option for demanding PC users like graphic designers and developers
- Maximum performance with discrete GPU support
- Mode to draw and outline with a Surface Pen
- Innovative fabric hinge in the Surface Laptop Studio
- Supports the display to slide forward
- No detachable Type Cover of the Surface Pro
- It covers the keyboard at an angle
- Built for presentations or gaming with an external controller
- Display slides into studio mode for use
- New Slim Pen 2
- The pen possesses its own holder/charger under the front of the keyboard.
- Holds 11th Generation Intel Core processors i5 and i7
- Pair of USB Type-C ports
- Support Thunderbolt 4
- 14.4-inch touch display
- Work at a 120Hz refresh rate
- Configuration options allow
- To hit the standard 16 GB of RAM to 32 GB
- 2 TB high-performance SSD
- Include Nvidia’s GeForce RTX3050 Ti laptop GPU
- 4 GB of dedicated GDDR6 memory
- I7-equipped Surface Laptop Studio models
Surface Pro X
- Look at the Surface Pro X
- Design inspiration
- Has same larger screen
- Slimmer package with rounded edges on the tablet
- Hold two USB Type-C ports
- No Thunderbolt support
- Pen still optional, still an extra cost
- Pen the same shape as the new Surface Slim Pen 2
- Own dedicated slot in the Type Cover
- Custom Microsoft-Qualcomm Arm CPU
- Powered by Windows on Arm
- Microsoft combined a new, lower-cost model without Gigabit LTE support
Surface Laptop 4
- At first glance, it is an awkward fit in Microsoft’s hardware lineup
- Not a two-in-one design, like its brandmates
- Conventional laptop design
- Has the Surface logo attached to it
- 13.5-inch and 15-inch display sizes
- 11th-generation Intel Core
- AMD Ryzen Mobile processors.
- A fine piece of hardware
- Alcantara keyboard enhancements
Surface Go 3
- Tiny, like shrunken Surface Pro
- It has the same kickstand, albeit slightly smaller
- Has a similar Type Cover
- Fit the 10.5-inch, Full HD display
- It has a smaller price tag than the Surface Pro
- No cheap knockoff
- Identical to its predecessor but possessing a new, faster CPU option
- A full complement of premium features
- The infrared camera supports Windows Hello facial recognition
- The backlit keyboard on the Type Cover and LTE options
- Value portability and mobility above all
- Connect a dock with a mouse, full-size keyboard, & monitor
- Downsized package is just reasonable for kid-sized hands
Surface Laptop Go
- Smaller, lighter, and less expensive
- Has the same build quality
- More extensive members of the family
- Body alternatives include Platinum, Sandstone, and Ice Blue
- Models incorporate a 10th Generation Core i5 CPU
- A 12.4-inch display including a native resolution of 1536 x 1024
- Higher-priced models
- The fingerprint reader blended into the power button
- It utilizes the same Surface Connect port as other models
- Includes a USB Type-C port
- The choice for connecting the laptop to a desktop docking station
Conclusion Surface PCs are, without a doubt, premium products marketed at a premium price. Go to a nearby showroom and try to go through every model in the lineup and attest to the quality of design and construction. But the ever-expanding catalog of products under the Surface brand parasol can make it tricky to sort out which one is a fit for your work demands and budget.