Microsoft is preparing a compact Surface with Snapdragon X Plus processor
By ForGeeks Microsoft is reportedly working on compact versions of its popular Surface laptops with a screen diagonal of about 12 inches, smaller than the current 13.8-inch and 15-inch models. Judging by the listing in Geekbench, the company is betting on qualities other than pure performance.
The company’s focus is on performance.
The new compact laptops will likely replace Microsoft’s 12.4-inch Surface Laptop Go 3. However, while the Go 3 used an Intel processor, the listing for the new laptop lists a Snapdragon X Plus chipset.
Features of the new processor
Microsoft already uses Snapdragon X processors in its Surface laptops, but all current models feature more powerful versions than the processor revealed in this listing. While not as powerful, this Snapdragon X Plus chipset is more power efficient and offers better battery life.
The use of this chipset makes sense if Microsoft really plans to replace the Surface Laptop Go 3. The lightweight, compact and ultra-portable laptop definitely needs great battery life to attract consumers. A target audience that wants a smaller, more power-efficient laptop typically doesn’t require extreme performance.
Technical specifications and positioning
The device listed runs Windows 11 Pro and is equipped with 16GB of RAM. With a single-threaded performance score of 1462 and multi-threaded performance score of 9251, the laptop will have enough power to meet the needs of its target audience.
The laptop will have enough power to meet the needs of its target audience.
If this laptop stays roughly in the same price range as the Surface Laptop Go 3 (around $800 at the moment), it could be a competitive product in the laptop market. However, it will have to compete with models like the Acer Nitro V and MacBook Air M2.
The Surface Laptop Go 3 could be a competitive product in the notebook market.
Acer’s Nitro V, in particular, is a very attractive option, as you can find it cheaper even in a version with an RTX 4050 GPU. However, the Nitro V loses out on battery life and won’t suit people who need to use the laptop all day without finding an outlet.
Acer Nitro V is a very attractive option, as you can find it cheaper, even with the RTX 4050 GPU version.
The laptop found in this listing must be close to release, considering the listing dates back to last year. One can only hope that Microsoft understands the need to keep the price affordable to make it a serious competitor to its rivals.
