- On Wednesday, Microsoft announced the Surface Pro X, an ultra-light, ultra-slim member of the Surface family.
- The Surface Pro X will be the first Microsoft-made laptop to run Windows 10 on an ARM processor, marking a big change for the company.
- The Surface Pro X starts at $1,000. It’s available to preorder on Wednesday and will be widely available on November 5.
Microsoft on Wednesday announced a new member of the Surface family, called the Surface Pro X, that’s ultra-light and ultra-slim.
Microsoft’s new Surface Pro X isn’t black magic. For the Pro X, the company is using an ARM processor that’s significantly more power-efficient than anything from Intel. It’ll be the first Microsoft-made laptop that runs Windows 10 on an ARM processor, marking a big change for the company.
The new Surface Pro X, starting at $1,000, is available to preorder on Wednesday and will be widely available on November 5.
ARM chips are the power behind portable devices like the iPad and smartphones – in fact, the chip in your smartphone or tablet is most likely based on ARM processors. They’re the key to lengthy battery life on the Surface Pro X.
With that in mind, it's natural to question what kind of performance you'd be giving up in exchange for such a slim design and long battery life. It's hard to tell without actually using the devices, but Microsoft's hardware boss, Panos Panay, said during the event that it has "three times more power per watt than the Surface Pro 6."
For most people, Microsoft's new ARM-based laptop promises to combine the immense power of devices like the iPad Pro with the Windows 10 operating system and your typical Windows 10 apps, like Microsoft's Office suite, for things like web browsing, writing emails, and anything else you'd do on a tablet.
ARM chips have been compatible with the Windows 10 operating system and apps only since late 2017. It's a big bet for Microsoft, and it's beating Apple to the punch, at least for laptops that run full desktop operating systems. If it can pull off a good ARM-based Windows 10 laptop, Microsoft would be able to boast devices with designs and battery life that the competition would struggle to match.