Microsoft puts Intel Core Ultra Series 2 in Surface Laptop 7 and Pro 11

microsoft surface laptop 7
Surface Laptop 7. Source: Microsoft

Microsoft is relaunching its Copilot+ devices Surface Laptop 7 and Pro 11 with Intel Core Ultra processor. Those who prefer Intel to Qualcomm may pay handsomely, as the Intel versions are four hundred dollars more expensive.

Microsoft announces the Surface Laptop 7 and Pro 11. Are you having a déjà-vu? That’s possible, because Microsoft already released these devices last spring. The difference is that the new versions are not powered by a Qualcom Snapdragon X processor, but by an Intel Core Ultra Series 2.

With the Surface Laptop 7 and Pro 11, Microsoft officially kicked off the Copilot+ era last year. The Surface Laptop 7 impressed, but not necessarily because of its mandatory AI label. The Surface Pro 11 2-in-1 was not flawless. The Qualcomm devices now get a counterpart with Intel processors from the Lunar Lake generation.

Different hardware, same promises

The Surface Laptop 8 and Pro 11 both come in configurations with Intel Core Ultra 5 or 7 Series 2. To these, Microsoft adds 16 or 32 GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 1 TB of M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD storage. Earning the Copilot+ label requires the presence of an NPU with sufficient TOPS. The Intel Core Ultra 5 achieves 40 TOPS, the Ultra 7 48 TOPS. As we have pointed out several times, there are currently few if any workloads that make effective use of the NPU.

The Qualcomm laptops especially excel with their battery life. The Intel devices must deliver on that promise as well. Microsoft promises up to 22 hours of battery life for the Surface Laptop 7 and up to 14 hours for the Pro 11.

microsoft surface pro 11 intel
Surface Pro 11. Source: Microsoft

The processor is not the only difference between the Qualcomm and Intel versions. The Surface Laptop 7 and Pro 11 with Intel come with an anti-glare screen to reduce reflections. Microsoft also adds built-in NFC functionality in the Surface Pro 11, while the Laptop 7 comes with a new card reader and 5G compatibility.

High price

The most striking difference is the price. Windows Central writes that the Intel versions are up to four hundred dollars more expensive in the United States than the same devices with Qualcomm chips, $1,499 versus $1,099. Still, that’s a big difference for a custom screen and a CPU that doesn’t perform objectively better. An Intel processor makes the chance of compatibility problems with x86 software non-existent, but that’s not worth an extra four hundred dollars.

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We have asked Microsoft whether these prices also count for the European market and will complete this article as soon as we receive a response. The devices have already surfaced on Microsoft’s Belgian website, but prices are not listed.

With us, the Surface Laptop 7 and Pro 11 with Qualcomm Snapdragon X are available from 999 euros excluding VAT for the basic configuration. The Surface Laptop 7 and Pro 11 with Intel Core Ultra Series 2 appear exclusively for the business market and will be available only through authorized resellers of Microsoft products.