Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 release date, price and specs

Microsoft’s October 2022 Surface event was relatively low-key by usual standards, but the company still launched three new devices.

The Surface Studio 2+ all-in-one arrived four years after its predecessor, joined by the Surface Pro 9 and Surface Laptop 5 updates. But unless you want an ARM-based tablet, the only noticeable changes on the last two have been updated. processors.

That’s more of a concern for the Surface Laptop, which has retained an almost identical design since the 2017 original. Will that change on the upcoming sixth-gen, or will it be the same? Here’s everything we know at this point.

When will Surface Laptop 6 be released?

Microsoft hasn’t confirmed the existence of the Surface Laptop 6 (usually not before launch) and there are no rumors about a potential release date.

However, the schedule of previous Surface Laptop launches offers a helpful guide:

• Surface Laptop 5 – October 2022
• Surface Laptop 4 – April 2021
• Surface Laptop 3 – October 2019
• Surface Laptop 2 – October 2018
• Surface Laptop – May 2017

Besides the pandemic-hit year 2020, Microsoft has announced a new Surface Laptop every year since its debut in 2017.

If this trend continues, we’ll be considering an official reveal at Microsoft. end of 2023 event – ​​it usually takes place in September or October. If there are any major updates, that’s when we’ll likely see the Laptop 6.

But if the company sticks to the recent 18-month update cycle, a new version could be postponed to 2024. Microsoft usually announces at least one new Surface device in April or May, but there’s a small chance it won’t be until later in the year.

Could its release coincide with a potential launch of Windows 12 in 2024? Only time will tell.

How much will the Surface Laptop 6 cost?

Pricing is usually one of the last things to be revealed, so our best guess once again comes from previous Surface Laptop generations:

• Surface Laptop 5 – from $999/£999 (13.5in), from $1,299/£1,299 (15in)
• Surface Laptop 4 – from $999/£999 (13.5in), from $1,299/£1,299 (15in)
• Surface Laptop 3 – from $999/£999 (13.5in), from $1,199/£1,199 (15in)
• Surface Laptop 2 – from $999 / £979 (13.5in)
• Surface Laptop – from $799 / £649 (13.5in)

The 15-inch model was only introduced with the Surface Laptop 3. There’s no sign it’s going anywhere, but that doesn’t mean we’ll see similar pricing next time around.

Any substantial upgrade (as opposed to the iterative ones we’ve seen recently) is likely to drive the price up. Then there’s the current rate of inflation in many countries, which has seen almost everything become more expensive.

With that in mind, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a Surface Laptop 6 more expensive than its predecessor.

What about the Surface Laptop 6 specs and design?

There have been no Surface Laptop 6 rumors or leaks yet, but we already have a good idea of ​​what to expect.

An almost guaranteed upgrade is the new Intel processors. It will probably be new 13^e-gen, with Core i5-1335U and Core i7-1355U likely to be options. Both chips belong to the less powerful U-series, but day-to-day performance should still be solid.

Options for 8, 16 or 32 GB of RAM are likely again, alongside Intel’s Iris Xe integrated graphics. Discrete Nvidia GPUs will likely remain exclusive to the Surface Laptop Studio among Microsoft laptops.

Microsoft dropped the option for AMD processors with the Surface Laptop 5, and there’s no indication the company is bringing it back. We might see an ARM-based chip (such as the SQ3 on the Surface Pro 9) instead, but that seems unlikely at this point.

Even if that doesn’t materialize, hopefully there will be support for mobile internet. It doesn’t have to be 5G, but the Surface Laptop has never had 4G before. Considering how portable the Laptop 5 is (starting at 1.26kg), that would make a lot of sense.

Although Surface Pro and Surface Laptop Studio now have 120Hz displays, the standard Surface Laptop is still stuck at 60Hz. Bringing it in line with its other devices would make a lot of sense, and the 13.5-inch and 15-inch displays n don’t need any further upgrades. To help accommodate this, a bigger battery or faster charging would be nice.

Thinner bezels would be appreciated, provided there’s still room for an upgraded version of the 720p webcam. At least Full HD 1080p would be great, with the separate IR sensor retained for Windows Hello face unlock.

But the fingerprint sensor is a notable omission, and that could easily be added. The same goes for more ports – despite being just 14.7mm thick, there’s still room for another USB-A (there’s only one currently) or full-size HDMI.

Windows 11 already runs well on both Surface Laptop sizes, and a few big updates are likely ahead of the Surface Laptop 6 launch. We’ll update this article once again revealed.

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