Release date, specs and more

We could be set for the biggest upgrade to the Surface line ever in 2024. Rumours are pointing towards some big changes for the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 and Surface Pro 10. Here are all the key details on the incoming laptop.

Let’s face it, the Surface Laptop has been a bit of a disappointment over the last several years. It launched with a lot of promise and felt like a true Windows rival to the MacBook Air. But, it’s look has barely changed since its inception, leading it to fall behind. That could all be about to change, with Intel Core Ultra and the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite looking like they may play a big part. Let’s dive into the rumours and reports.

Release Date

The new Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 looks set to launch over the next couple of months, with conflicting reports over which models will drop and when. Windows Central reports that Surface Laptop 6 will be announced this month (March) and it will feature both Intel and Qualcomm Snapdragon options. Further, the release date for the Intel model will be April then the Snapdragon following in June.

However, The Verge reports a slightly conflicting view on the release dates. It states that a Microsoft event in March won’t reveal the new updated models but rather commercial versions. There’s agreement on April and June release dates for the consumer version, but there is no stated announcement date.

Specs and Design

The Microsoft Surface line is no stranger to offering multiple chip options from different brands, with Intel and AMD being an option on previous version of its laptops while Intel and Qualcomm have shared the Surface Pro range of late.

But, for the first time, the Surface Laptop 6 is set to sport options from Intel and Qualcomm Snapdragon. Windows Central and The Verge report that the new models will offer an Intel Core Ultra option and a custom Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite variant.

There’s currently no word on the wider specifications of the laptop, whether that could be a boosted display, as with the new expected OLED option for the Surface Pro 10, or key information on storage and RAM sizes.

The new Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 looks set to finally modernise the design of the Surface clamshall, with slimmer bezels, more rounded corners, a new haptic trackpad, two USB-C and one USB-A ports.

Expectedly, the device is also expected to feature a Microsoft Copilot key too. Windows Central reports the new Surface devices are set to feature “on-device Copilot functionality”, in contrast to the cloud version of Copilot currently available as part of Windows 11. Part of this AI push is set to include real-time live captions and translations, video game upscaling, frame rate smoothing, enhanced Windows Studio Effects and a new “AI Explorer” (described as “advanced Copilot“).