Microsoft has announced the Surface Pro X, a new ARM-based Surface laptop.
The Surface Pro X is the first ARM-based Surface from Microsoft since the Surface 2 launched back in 2013. It’s a very different sort of device.
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 always-connected 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.
