Microsoft is gearing up to unveil its next-gen Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6, featuring notable upgrades including a new OLED screen for the Surface Pro tablet, as per a recent report.
According to Windows Central, a trusted source for Surface leaks, the launch of these two Surface devices is slated for March 21. Expectedly, they will come equipped with new Core Ultra processors, alongside an optional Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite variant, which is set to be available for both the Surface Laptop 6 and Surface Pro 10, marking a significant change. (Update: However, The Verge has conflicting information, suggesting that the March Surface update will target commercial versions first, with the consumer refresh to follow later.)
Notably, both devices are expected to undergo several other changes. The Surface Laptop 6 is rumored to feature a pair of presumably Thunderbolt ports, in addition to a USB-A port, while the Surface Pro 10 will sport the new OLED screen, a feature increasingly common among new laptops. Furthermore, the Surface Pro 10 is expected to include an NFC reader and an improved webcam. OLED displays are renowned for their deep blacks and per-pixel contrast, potentially enhancing battery life.
Surface devices have typically seen minimal hardware changes over the years, often differentiated primarily by internal processor upgrades. However, with the last Surface Laptop, the Surface Laptop 5, debuting two years ago alongside the Surface Pro 9 in 2022, these upcoming changes mark a departure from this trend. The Surface Pro X introduced a significant shift, moving away from traditional x86 architecture to an Arm chip. While this move initially faced compatibility challenges and sluggish app performance, Microsoft’s efforts to optimize key apps for Arm have improved the user experience.
Looking ahead, Microsoft is expected to incorporate Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chips into its new Surface hardware, likely in the summer. This development is particularly exciting, given that benchmarks have demonstrated the Snapdragon X Elite’s performance capabilities. However, Intel’s 14th-gen Meteor Lake hardware promises exceptional battery life, setting the stage for a compelling comparison between the Core Ultra (Meteor Lake) and Snapdragon X Elite platforms.
Additionally, Windows Central’s report hints at advancements in AI, with Microsoft likely integrating an enhanced version of Windows Copilot that leverages Timeline features to provide users with smarter assistance in accessing past work. The extent to which this feature will run natively on Surface hardware remains to be seen.
