Microsoft is taking pre-orders, starting today, October 1, for the newest members of its Surface PC family: Updated Arm-based Surface Pro X PCs and an Intel-based 12.4-inch Surface Laptop Go clamshell device[1]. Microsoft is touting the new Pro X models as appealing to those who want thin and light mobile devices with built-in LTE, and the new Surface Laptop Gos as affordable PCs for home, school and work.
Microsoft decided to forego a virtual fall launch event for its new Surface devices and instead unveiled them via a press release.
Microsoft did not announce updated versions of its Surface Pro, Surface Book, Surface Studio or Surface Go devices today, as some had been hoping and expecting. Last week, officials announced the 85-inch version of the Surface Hub 2S conferencing system[2], which goes on sale in the U.S. starting in January 2021.
The updated Surface Pro X configurations unveiled today, starting at $1,500 (minus the keyboard), add the new Microsoft- and Qualcomm-co-designed SQ2 processor, as well as a new Platinum finish option. Microsoft officials said all models of its Surface Pro X devices would offer longer battery life (Microsoft's claim is up to 15 hours) and increased performance as a result of "new app experiences." Among the new Windows-on-Arm apps Microsoft is highlighting are new versions of its Chromium-based Edge browser, Visual Studio Code and Microsoft Teams which are optimized for the platform and are faster and use less battery.
Microsoft execs also confirmed yesterday that Microsoft will run x64 apps with x64 emulation on Windows on Arm[3].