New Surface Laptop could be smaller, more affordable

(Image credit: Laptop Mag)

Last year, the Surface Laptop family introduced the Surface Laptop 3 (15-inch) to accompany the Surface Laptop 3 (13.5-inch), but if recent rumors are accurate, it sounds like the family might be adding one more member to the Surface Laptop 4 refresh this fall.

According to Windows Central's sources, Microsoft is planning to release a smaller and more affordable 12.5-inch Surface Laptop model (via The Verge).

Pre-order Surface Laptop Go

The new laptop is going to be more geared toward the remote learning and education markets with a price somewhere between $500 and $600. This should make it an appealing upgrade option for those who want something a bit more powerful than the Surface Go 2, but aren't looking to spend $1,000 or more on the larger Surface Laptop models or the upcoming Surface Pro 8.

Beyond the screen size, other cost-cutting measures are reportedly being made. The base model will include 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, which will presumably be upgradeable. 

The 10th Gen Core i5 Ice Lake processor should be sufficient for the market this laptop is geared toward, but with Intel 11th Gen Tiger Lake arriving in laptops this fall (including the other Surface Laptop 4 models), it would be nice if it was at least an option. We would also welcome AMD's Ryzen 4000 CPUs.

While Microsoft has yet to schedule its fall Surface event, it has reliably been in October each year, so hold out just a few more weeks for additional info.

Sean Riley

Sean Riley has been covering tech professionally for over a decade now. Most of that time was as a freelancer covering varied topics including phones, wearables, tablets, smart home devices, laptops, AR, VR, mobile payments, fintech, and more.  Sean is the resident mobile expert at Laptop Mag, specializing in phones and wearables, you'll find plenty of news, reviews, how-to, and opinion pieces on these subjects from him here. But Laptop Mag has also proven a perfect fit for that broad range of interests with reviews and news on the latest laptops, VR games, and computer accessories along with coverage on everything from NFTs to cybersecurity and more. 

Latest in 2-in-1 Laptops
The Asus Vivobook 16 Flip convertible laptop on a black and white desk, against a gray background.
Asus Vivobook 16 Flip (TP3607) review: A gorgeous OLED and great battery life make for a compelling convertible
Blue Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 9 2-in-1 laptop with Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU against blue gradient background with epic deal sticker.
Laptop Mag's beloved Lenovo Yoga 9i with Intel Core Ultra 7 just dropped $450
Asus ROG Flow Z13 vs. Surface Pro 11
Asus ROG Flow Z13 vs. Surface Pro 11: Which detachable 2-in-1 is the best?
Framework Laptop 12 open on a white table with hands typing on the keyboard.
Framework's new 12-inch laptop is budget-friendly — but it may have one very tiny problem
A split image of the HP Spectre x360 14 (2024) on a pink gaming chair and the MSI Summit 13 AI+ Evo (A2VM) on a white desk with a blue background.
MSI Summit 13 AI+ Evo vs. HP Spectre x360 14 (2024): Which 2-in-1 is worth your time?
Silver HP Envy x360 15 against blue gradient background
The convertible HP Envy x360 15 with Intel Ultra 7 gets $400 price slash in early Presidents' Day sale [Update]
Latest in News
A close-up of a light-colored computer keyboard shows the keys T, Y, G, and H replaced by the logos of OpenAI, DeepSeek, Grok, and Gemini, the leading competitors in the artificial intelligence market. This serves as a visual metaphor for the intense rivalry and innovation in the AI industry. (Photo by Matteo Della Torre/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Is generative AI inadvertently reducing the voices of many to the banality of one?
WWDC 2025 could mark the beginning of the end for certain iPhone users
Error when installing Google Chrome on the Asus Vivobook 16 Flip, on a white desk against a blue background.
"This app can't run on your PC": Google's Chrome Installer broke on Windows, but there's a fix
Nintendo Switch 2 handheld gaming console
Nintendo Switch 2 preorder date: It might be a lot closer than you think, say tipsters
Microsoft Surface Laptop (7th Edition, 2024)
Windows-on-Arm woes: Amazon warns customers about Surface laptop returns
Apple Watch Series 8
Siri is the biggest obstacle to making the Apple Watch an AI hit