# Microsoft's smaller Surface devices get pricier with new chips

> The refreshed Surface Pro 12-inch and Laptop 13-inch pack faster Snapdragon X2 Plus processors and longer battery life, but prices jump significantly.
- Title: Microsoft's smaller Surface devices get pricier with new chips
- Summary: The refreshed Surface Pro 12-inch and Laptop 13-inch pack faster Snapdragon X2 Plus processors and longer battery life, but prices jump significantly…
- Keywords: microsoft, surface pro 12-inch, surface laptop 13-inch, qualcomm snapdragon x2 plus, price increase, battery life, windows 11, ai inferencing, technology, culture, Microsoft's, smaller
- Source: The Verge — https://theverge.com/news/999195/microsoft-surface-pro-12-inch-surface-laptop-13-inch-qualcomm-x2-plus
- Author: Tom Warren
- Published: 2026-09-23T20:30:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: microsoft, surface pro 12-inch, surface laptop 13-inch, qualcomm snapdragon x2 plus, price increase, battery life, windows 11, ai inferencing, technology, culture
## Microsoft refreshes smaller Surface devices
The Surface Pro 12-inch and Surface Laptop 13-inch now feature Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 Plus chips, delivering faster performance and improved battery life.
## Prices jump significantly
The Surface Pro 12-inch jumps from $799.99 to $1,149.99, while the Surface Laptop 13-inch rises from $899.99 to $1,199.99. Both now start with 16GB RAM instead of 8GB.
## Battery life gets a boost
The Surface Pro 12-inch gains an extra hour of web browsing for up to 13 hours total. The Surface Laptop 13-inch adds two extra hours, reaching 18 hours total.
## Performance gains across the board
The Snapdragon X2 Plus delivers 60 percent faster graphics and 95 percent faster AI inferencing on the built-in NPU, improving real-world performance.
## Displays and ports stay mostly the same
Both devices keep their existing port selection and display resolutions, but brightness improves from 400 to 500 nits. Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 are now standard.
## No haptic trackpad upgrade yet
Microsoft didn't add haptic trackpads to these smaller models, despite Windows 11 supporting haptic feedback and the Surface Laptop Ultra already having it.
## Key takeaway

Microsoft's smaller Surface devices now cost $350-$300 more than last year's models, driven by mandatory 16GB RAM minimums and new Snapdragon X2 Plus chips that deliver modest performance gains.