The most exciting new Surface features in years are now available on a PC with a Snapdragon X processor. The Surface Laptop 8 for Business can now be purchased with a Snapdragon X2 Plus or Snapdragon X2 Elite.

For those who prefer a 2-in-1 over a traditional laptop, the Surface Pro 12 for Business (13-inch) is also available with a Snapdragon X2 chip. Like its clamshell sibling, the Surface Pro for Business also had an Intel model launch earlier this year.

The official names of the new PCs are "Surface Pro for Business 12th Edition" and "Surface Laptop for Business 8th Edition" but I've referred to them as the Surface Pro 12 for Business and Surface Laptop 8 for Business in this piece for ease of reading.

The standout feature of this year's Surface lineup is the privacy screen seen in the Surface Laptop 8 for Business. That display can be set to obscure content on your screen when people try to view it at an angle. It's similar to Samsung's screen on the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

The built-in privacy screen of the Surface Laptop 8 for Business combats creeping eyes from all angles, as opposed to third-party privacy screen protectors that only work from the sides.

The Intel version of the Surface Laptop 8 for Business launched earlier this year and received high marks from our Editor-in-Chief. The vast majority of what makes that laptop great extends to the Surface Laptop 8 for Business with Snapdragon X2, which are now available to order.

The haptic trackpad of the Surface Laptop 8 for Business is also a key addition. Thanks to a recent update to Windows 11, you can now feel the operating system and supported apps as you interact with them. Haptic buzzes occur when you drag files in File Explorer or perform certain actions.

The Surface Laptop 8 for Business is one of few devices to support the new haptic experience.

The new Surface Pro 12 for Business is largely a spec bump when compared to its predecessor. The Snapdragon X2 chip inside delivers better graphics performance than the first-gen Snapdragon X.

The Surface Pro has matured over more than a decade of refinement, so it's hard to complain about Microsoft sticking with what works.

What's special about Surface for Business PCs?

When Microsoft first introduced Snapdragon X chips to its Surface hardware, a split was formed that saw Intel on business PCs and Snapdragon X on consumer hardware. That's no longer the case, since you can order Snapdragon X processors in consumer or business PCs.

Notably, there are no new Intel-powered Surface PCs for consumers in 2026.

There are several differences between the consumer and business models of the latest Surface devices. Here are the features seen only on the business side:

• Pre-installed Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise
• Integrated Privacy Screen option
• Advanced Exchange Warranty service
• Device Firmware Configuration Interface (DFCI) cloud management
• Windows Autopilot tenant pre-registration
• Access to the cloud-based Surface Management Portal
• Native corporate domain onboarding pathways during initial setup
• Intel models available

Most of the features seen in the Surface for Business PCs are options general consumers would never use. The exception being the privacy screen that I wish was available on consumer versions of the Surface Laptop.

One key difference between the Snapdragon X2-powered Surface Pro 12 for Business and its Intel counterpart is that you can only get 5G connectivity with the Intel model.

Anyone can purchase a Surface for Business device. You don't need to own a business or have some sort of special account. But again, you're likely paying for unneeded features compared to the consumer Surface PCs unless you really need a privacy screen.

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The highly anticipated upgrades to the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop just launched. Both PCs pack the latest Snapdragon X2 processors from Qualcomm, promising better performance while still delivering great battery life.

The biggest upgrade in the lineup is performance. Microsoft promises up to 53% faster graphics performance on the Surface Pro than the previous generation. The Surface Laptop sees an even larger bump of up to 58% when compared to the last generation.

Those improvements are thanks to the Snapdragon X2 processors inside the Surface Laptop and Surface Pro.

Now, Best Buy has a wide range of configurations available for the Surface Laptop and Surface Pro. I've included a mix of various colors, storage options, and processors. But there are plenty of other configurations up for grabs if you want to mix and match.

• Shop all Best Buy Surface deals

The new chips from Qualcomm perform well and let your PC last all day. Exact performance will vary based on the full specs of a PC, but the Snapdragon X2 Elite competes with Apple's M4 Pro. The Snapdragon X2 Plus stands toe-to-toe with Apple's M3 Pro.

Benchmarks and spec sheets aside, any Surface with a Snapdragon X2 chip will handle a wide range of workloads and tackle productivity tasks easily.

While the Snapdragon X2 chips are the stars of the show, they're not the only upgrades worth checking out in the new Surface Laptop and Surface Pro.

What's new with the latest Surface Pro and Surface Laptop?

There are more display options than ever across the Surface lineup. The new Surface Pro is available with either an OLED display or an LCD screen. The new Surface Laptop 15-inch has a screen with 262 PPI, which is much higher than the last generation offered.

But the new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop are more than a spec bump. While they share much of their designs with the last generation, both offer a new way to use haptics.

The Surface Laptop now features a haptic trackpad that allows you to feel Windows 11 and supported apps. The Surface Pro delivers a similar experience when paired with the latest Surface Slim Pen.

The new experience comes courtesy of Windows 11's new haptic feedback system. That system sends subtle vibrations when you perform certain tasks, such as dragging files in File Explorer or snapping windows.

The new Surface Laptop and Surface Pro build on over a decade of refinement by Microsoft. The overall form factor has matured, but Microsoft has figured out how to squeeze innovation from designs that were already almost perfect.

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When life closes a door, it tends to find a way to open a window. This week the tech industry may have tried a bit too hard to make that literally the case. Sony slammed the door shut on physical media while Microsoft extended the window of support for Windows 10.

Over the last seven days, we saw the Surface Go and Surface Laptop Go retired, PlayStation announced the end of discs, Sony revoked movies people paid for, and Xbox studios pushed toward a dissatisfying end. We also received new details on a potential disc-to-digital program for Xbox and gained another year of security updates for Windows 10.

A leaked video even gave us a glimpse of Copilot OS, though the door was never open for that AI-centered operating system to ship to consumers.

Biggest News of the Week

In a week full of things ending and rumors of shutdowns, it was refreshing to see that a disc-to-digital program could finally make its way to Xbox. Microsoft laid the foundation for that program with the Xbox One over a decade ago, but the company never rolled it out.

With Sony announcing plans to shut down its production of physical discs, Microsoft went in a different direction. While the next Xbox might not have a disc drive, it may support converting discs to digital licenses.

Microsoft has not made a final decision about the disc-to-digital program. With digital ownership under threat and Sony making such an unpopular decision, it would be a major miss if Xbox fails to take advantage.

Shopping with Sean

I'm happy to share that laptop deals remain strong and plentiful this week. Right now, you can get the Dell XPS 13 at a major discount. Both the Snapdragon X Elite and Intel Core Ultra 7 versions of that PC are on sale.

The HP OmniBook Ultra 14 is $650 off despite the laptop launching recently. It's one of the first PCs with the Snapdragon X2 Elite chip and is the prettiest laptop of the year, according to our review from Zac Bowden.

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It looks like Microsoft's popular Surface Go and less popular Surface Laptop Go are on the chopping block. According to my sources that are familiar with Microsoft's hardware roadmap, these devices are no longer being manufactured, and no successors are currently planned

Just like the Surface Studio, Surface Laptop Studio, Surface Duo, Surface Hub, Surface Book, Surface Headphones, and Surface Earbuds before them, the Surface Go and Surface Laptop Go are the latest Surface PCs to reach the Microsoft graveyard, and completes the Surface portfolio culling that began in 2023.

Now, the Surface portfolio consists exclusively of Surface Pro and Surface Laptop, with varying screen sizes and power capabilities spread between them. Surface Pro features a 12-inch and 13-inch model, and the Surface Laptop features 13-inch, 13.8-inch, and 15-inch models with a special Ultra model coming this fall.

Sources say that Surface Go and Surface Laptop Go stock may still exist at certain retailers and in certain regions, but once that stock has depleted, it won't be replaced. When asked for comment, a Microsoft representative pointed me to the new Surface website, which notably doesn't include Surface Go or Laptop Go anymore.

Surface Go is a particularly surprising device to be killed off, as I understood that it was very popular with enterprise customers.

In fact, it was so popular with enterprises that Surface Go became a device exclusively for commercial customers with its final generation. Surface Go 1-3 were available for both consumers and commercial customers, but Surface Go 4 only ever saw a release for commercial customers.

Fascinatingly, I'm told Microsoft had planned to ship a Surface Go 5 at some point in the last couple of years, and it was going to be powered by a low-end Snapdragon chip. Unfortunately, when the company asked its enterprise customers for feedback, it found that most of them weren't interested in an Arm version of the device, and so that plan was scrapped.

Surface Laptop Go was pretty much replaced with the 13-inch Surface Laptop, which addressed the Laptop Go's biggest flaws such as the lack of a backlit keyboard and low-resolution display. Surface Go on the other hand hasn't really seen a replacement, as the 12-inch Surface Pro is significantly more expensive (and much larger) than the Surface Go 4 was at $579.

Of course, Surface Go originally launched at an astonishingly affordable $399 in 2018, albeit with very low-end specs that made the device hard to recommend. The Surface Go 3 and Surface Go 4 were the first versions with enough power to handle daily tasks without any noticeable performance loss, but their prices were much higher as a result.

I'm told that the decision to kill off these devices wasn't influenced by the ongoing RAMpocalypse, as the decision was made many months before memory prices became a problem for the company.

Now, the Surface portfolio is left with just two devices, Surface Pro and Surface Laptop. Many would argue these devices are no longer interesting or innovative from a form factor perspective, serving only to compete with whatever Apple is doing on their side of the fence. With Surface Laptop Ultra coming in the fall as a clear MacBook Pro competitor, this has never been more true.

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Two more Surface devices were announced this week, at least technically. The ongoing RAM crisis forced Microsoft to follow in the footsteps of Apple and Acer by making laptops with 8GB of RAM in 2026.

During a week full of deals through Amazon and other retailers, Microsoft took a different approach to make its Surface devices more affordable, at least for certain models. The Surface Pro 12-inch and Surface Laptop 13-inch can now be bought with just 8GB of RAM.

Those versions with less memory start at $849 for the Surface Pro and $949 for the Surface Laptop. I'm happy to see more affordable options, but Microsoft's timing was poor. Raising Surface prices during Prime Day meant better hardware was at or near the same pricing as the cheaper Surface Pro and Surface Laptop. And with other retailers dropping prices to compete with Amazon, the new Surfaces are a bad value.

Dell’s XPS 13 with a Snapdragon X Elite, 32GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD is still $999.99, which means better hardware is sitting only $50 above Microsoft’s new “affordable” Surface models.

Deals, discounts, and rising prices were the focus of this week, but we also saw Windows 10 support extended and Bill Gates weigh in on AI. Here are the biggest stories from the week.

Biggest News of the Week

Microsoft is in a no-win situation with pricing. RAM and other components continue to go up in price, so manufacturers have to adjust to match. Even Apple, which was more insulated than most due to stockpiles of components, had to increase the cost of MacBooks, iPads, and other devices.

As a result of shortages, Microsoft has had to raise the price of hardware. Since people still need laptops at somewhat reasonable prices, models with 8GB of RAM can fill that gap.

8GB of RAM is better than many assume on a Windows 11 PC. Our Cale Hunt said using a device with that amount of memory is "Not only viable but quite enjoyable." Since that's the case, more affordable Surface devices are good news.

But announcing a Surface Pro and a Surface Laptop with lower price tags in the same week as one of the biggest shopping events of the year is a strange strategy.

A Surface Laptop with a Snapdragon X Plus, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage costs $949.99 through Microsoft's website. The Dell XPS 13 (9345) with a Snapdragon X Elite, 32GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage is on sale for $999.99 through Dell.

Maybe Microsoft should have rolled out its cheaper Surface devices a bit earlier or held off until other sales ended.

Shopping with Sean

The best deal of the week is still up for grabs despite Prime Day ending, and it's the laptop I just highlighted. Dell's discount on the XPS 13 with a Snapdragon X Elite drops that premium laptop to $999.99. That discounted price looks even better after Apple raised the prices of its MacBooks.

If you want something newer, the HP OmniBook Ultra 14 is $650 off. That gorgeous laptop is powered by the Snapdragon X2 Elite. I'm jealous of our Senior Editor Zac Bowden because he got to review it (the OmniBook 14 Ultra earned a perfect score in that review).

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