Microsoft launches Surface Pro X and previews folding phone
Microsoft has launched the Surface Pro X, a redesigned thin and light two-inone Windows 10 PC running on custom ARM chips rather than traditional Intel processors, plus the Surface Pro 7 and Surface Laptop 3, and previewed a folding phone and dual-screen tablet.
The products were unveiled at an event in New York on Wednesday, where Microsoft sought to grab attention from rivals including Apple and Samsung.
The Surface Pro X is Microsoft’s next-generation mobile tablet-laptop hybrid. It fits a larger high-resolution 13in screen into the 12in frame of the existing Surface Pro, is only 5.3mm thick at its thinnest point and weighs 762g. It retains the detachable Type Cover keyboard from Microsoft’s existing line, but introduces a new Surface Slim Pen stylus that fits between keyboard and tablet for charging and storage.
The biggest change is the use of the Microsoft SQ1 chip instead of Intel chips. The new custom ARM-based processor has an integrated AI engine and was developed with Qualcomm based on mobile device technology but running full Windows 10. Microsoft said the chip is three times more powerful per watt than the processor in the existing Surface Pro 6.
“What does that mean? Better battery life, faster, thinner, lighter with unprecedented performance, all while running the full power of Windows, Office, Edge and Chrome,” said Panos Panay, the chief product officer of Microsoft.
The new tablet PC also has alwaysconnected 4G, similar to a smartphone, and promises battery life far in excess of traditional Intel computers.
The Surface Pro X will start at £999 in the UK and $999 in the US, where it will ship in early November.
Surface Pro 7 and Surface Laptop 3
Alongside the new ARM-powered Surface, Microsoft also announced an updated version of its traditional Windows tablet, the Surface Pro 7. It will use Intel’s 10th generation Core chips, making it more powerful than the outgoing Surface Pro 6. But the addition of USB-C connectivity to the tablet and a new fast-charging technology that will mean the battery can reach 80% in under an hour, are the biggest changes.
The Surface Pro 7 will cost from $749 in the US and will ship on 22 October. It will cost £799 in the UK.
Microsoft also unveiled updated traditional laptops with a refreshed 13.5in and brand new 15in Surface Laptop 3.
The 13.5in Surface Laptop 3 has a 20% larger trackpad, comes in either aluminium or Microsoft’s fabric Alcantara finish, and has USB-C for the first time. It also uses 10th-generation Intel Core chips, which Microsoft said are twice as fast as those found in the outgoing Surface Laptop 2 and three times more powerful than those found in Apple’s MacBook Air.
The larger 15in Surface Laptop 3 bucks the trend with options for an Ryzen Surface Edition processor made by Intel’s longtime rival AMD, which Microsoft said has the fastest graphics of any laptop in its class.
Geoff Blaber of analysts CCS Insight said: “Broadening its silicon partners to include AMD and Qualcomm will inevitably raise eyebrows and cause Intel to look over its shoulder.
“The reality is that this is about choice, control and flexibility as Microsoft widens the Surface portfolio to address a growing range of devices and use cases.”
Both laptops feature all-day battery life and Microsoft’s new fast-charging technology. They are also repairable, with removable hard drives and other components designed to be easily taken apart.
In a clear dig at rival Apple, which has had problems with its laptop keyboards that are difficult to repair, Panay said: “Being able to repair and service a product without impacting the beauty and elegance is critical. Serviceability, repairability, we did things so we can replace the screen or the keyboard without affecting the beauty.”
The 13in Surface Laptop 3 costs from $999 and the 15in version costs $1,199 in the US, shipping on 22 October. In the UK it will cost £999 and £1,199.
Surface Earbuds
Microsoft also announced a new set of true wireless earbuds, called the Surface Earbuds, which are direct competitors to Apple’s AirPods and Samsung’s Galaxy Buds and join its existing Surface Headphones.
The Bluetooth earbuds feature oneclip pairing, multi-device compatibility – meaning they can be used with PCs, phones and tablets from all brands – and have up to 24-hour battery life with a charging case. A dual-mic array in each ear is designed to pick up the user’s voice and cancel the background noise, which was demoed though voice dictation in Office for real-time captions and translation.
They also have direct Spotify integration for starting playback without having to reach for the phone on Android, and gesture controls for playback and volume – something missing on many wireless earbuds.
The Surface Earbuds will cost $249 later this year in the US.
Surface Duo and Neo
Alongside products due to go on sale this year, Microsoft also took the wraps off two products it is working on for Christmas 2020.
The Surface Duo is a two-screen folding phone, which has two 5.6in screens bolted together with a hinge that folds a full 360 degrees. The phone opens like a book then folds all the way round.
Microsoft pitched the Surface Duo as having the benefits of a phone, but also a computer on which you can do more because it has two screens. However, with folding devices such as Samsung’s Galaxy Fold, which have one continuous flexible screen that opens like a book instead of two screens bolted together, the Duo may be out of date before it ships.
Panay said the firm had partnered with Google to bring Android apps and the Play Store to the Duo, “bringing the absolute best of Microsoft with the absolute best of Google”.
“You’re more productive on two screens, much more than one screen can ever be, but it has to be elegant, it has to be robust,” he said, in a vague reference to Samsung’s Galaxy Fold, which has had problems with the robustness of its flexible screen.
Microsoft also unveiled the Surface Neo, which it said would be the evolution of its Surface computer line. It too has dual screens, with a hinge in the middle, but will run a new version of Microsoft’s operating system called Windows 10X.
The firm said the new device will have a detachable keyboard and can be opened like a book, used as two screens or one, used like a laptop with a virtual trackpad on one screen, or folded all the way over. It also supports the Surface Thin Pen, which attaches to the back of the device, and uses a new Intel chip designed to support dual-screen devices. The Surface Neo will be 5.6mm thick and weigh 655g.
“I believe this is the next category to adapt to you in form and function, creating unlimited and interrupted flow,” said Panay.
However, neither the Surface Duo or Neo will be available until Christmas 2020. More than a year is a long time in technology.
Blaber said: “Surface Duo is a bold new category of device and will take time to build developer and carrier support.
“The launch of Surface Duo will inevitably draw comparison with its doomed Windows Phone investments. Duo is not without risk, but Microsoft isn’t trying to repeat history and reinvent the wheel. It’s using an established platform to deliver a new category that is optimised for a Microsoft experience.
“This is the start of a journey for Microsoft and expectations should be set accordingly.”