Microsoft shrinks its Surface Laptop down to 13 inches, priced at $899

Microsoft is announcing a somewhat smaller mentation of its fashionable Surface Laptop today. The $899 Surface Laptop 13-inch is Arm-powered similar the larger Surface Laptop 7, and shares a akin plan with immoderate changes to the specifications and ports. I got to walk immoderate clip with the caller Surface Laptop 13-inch exemplary astatine Microsoft’s office past month, and portion determination aren’t immoderate immense changes here, the smaller signifier origin is simply a batch much tempting than the 13.8- oregon 15-inch Surface Laptop models.

The Surface Laptop 13-inch volition vessel with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Plus 8-core processor, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. This spot is Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon X bid variant that’s designed to propulsion down the prices of laptops, and it includes 8 cores alternatively of the 10 usually recovered connected the X Plus. That should effect successful astir 16 hours of artillery beingness during progressive web usage. There volition besides beryllium a exemplary with 512GB of retention that’s priced astatine $999.

The astir evident quality with this smaller Surface Laptop is the 13-inch display. Microsoft presently uses a 13.8-inch show successful the larger Surface Laptop 7, with a higher solution of 2304 x 1536 (201 ppi), but the Surface Laptop 13-inch exemplary volition usage a 13-inch sheet with a solution of 1920 x 1280 (178 ppi). This smaller sheet besides lone runs astatine 60Hz, alternatively of the 120Hz recovered connected the Surface Laptop 7. There’s besides nary HDR enactment connected the Surface Laptop 13-inch.

I concisely tried retired the show and it didn’t look noticeably worse than the larger models, but if you’re utilized to the smoothness that the 120Hz sheet provides past the driblet to 60Hz volition surely beryllium noticeable.

Much similar the caller Surface Pro 12-inch, Microsoft has besides removed the Surface Connect charging larboard from this device. There are present 2 USB-C 3.2 ports for charging, information transfer, oregon DisplayPort 1.4a support, arsenic good arsenic a azygous USB-A 3.1 larboard and a headphone jack.

Disappointingly, Microsoft has besides ditched Windows Hello facial designation enactment connected this smaller Surface Laptop, truthful you’ll person to usage a fingerprint scholar that’s positioned connected the powerfulness fastener if you privation to log into this laptop without a password oregon PIN code. Microsoft has kept Windows Hello facial designation connected its smaller Surface Pro 12-inch exemplary though, and there’s inactive a 1080p front-facing camera connected the Surface Laptop 13-inch.

Another disappointing facet is that the Surface Laptop 13-inch is inactive not fan-less. Microsoft made the power to a fan-less plan connected the caller Surface Pro 12-inch, but it’s keeping a instrumentality wrong the smaller Laptop variant to assistance support it moving cool. This should mean that the Surface Laptop 13-inch volition throttle little than the Surface Pro 12-inch, but we’ll person to trial that during reviews.

The Surface Laptop 13-inch qualifies arsenic a Copilot Plus PC with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Plus spot inside, truthful you get entree to the caller Recall diagnostic arsenic good arsenic AI-powered Windows search, Click to Do, and a fig of different Windows AI features wrong Paint, Photos, and different apps.

You tin preorder the caller Surface Laptop 13-inch contiguous astatine Microsoft’s ain store oregon astatine Best Buy, with pricing starting astatine $899. Microsoft is shipping the caller Surface Laptop and a smaller 12-inch Surface Pro connected May 20th to consumers, and businesses volition beryllium capable to acquisition these devices connected July 22nd.