The Surface Pro 11 is real, and it’s a big deal. From specs, release date, and everything else, here’s what you need to know.
It’s been over a year and a half since Microsoft introduced the Surface Pro 9, and back in March, the company introduced the Surface Pro 10 for Business. But now, the Surface Pro 11 is here, and it’s very exciting. This is one of the very first laptops to ship with the Snapdragon X Elite chipset, and as such, one of the first real AI PCs.
But there’s a bit more to it than just the new processor, including the option for OLED displays and a new wide-angle webcam. Here’s a closer look at evertything new in this model.
Microsoft’s latest tablet is a business-oriented product, featuring Intel Core Ultra processors and a new HDR display
Pricing and availability
The Surface Pro 11 was unveiled on May 20th, 2024. alongside a deluge of other laptops powered by the Qualcomm Snadragon X series of processors. Like all the other laptops announced that day, the Surface Pro 11 is now available for pre-order, with proper availability starting on June 18th.
Pricing for the Surface Pro 11 starts at $999.99, but will go up depending on the configuration you choose.
Specifications
CPU – Up to a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite
GPU – Qualcomm Adreno
Display type-IPS or OLED, up to 120Hz, touch and pen support
Display (Size, Resolution)13-inch, 2880×1920
RAM Up to 32GB LPDDR5x
Storage Up to 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD
Ports 2x USB4, 1x Surface Connect
Operating System Windows 11
Webcam 5MP + IR front-facing camera, 10MP rear-facing camera
Cellular connectivity Yes, optional 5G
Wi-Fi connectivity Wi-Fi 7
Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.4
Form factor Tablet (2-in-1)
Price From $1,000
Battery Up to 14 hours of video playback (Wi-Fi model)
Charge speed 65W fast charging
Dimensions 287x203x9.3mm
Weight 1.97 pounds
Speakers Dual 2W stereo speakers
Colors Platinum, Black, Sapphire, Dune
The Qualcomm Snapdragon X series
There’s no power greater than X, after all
The biggest news with the Surface Pro 11 is that it’s one of the very first Windows PCs to feature the Qualcomm Snadragon X series of processors, including both the Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus. These are extremely exciting processors from Qualcomm, featuring brand-new Qualcomm Oryon cores, which are designed from the ground-up to run on Windows PCs. Performance on these processors is unlike anything we’ve seen on Arm PCs in the past, but they’re still incredibly efficient compared to Intel and AMD processors, so you can expect much better battery life than we’ve had with typical laptops so far. You can think of it as the Apple Silicon of the Windows world, and when you consider how big of an impact Apple Silicon had on Macs, it’s easy to see why this is exciting.
One of the core enhancements of Snapdragon X, however, goes beyond the CPU and GPU (which are also much better). The real news is the NPU, which is responsible for running AI features on-device and enables a new set of capabilities Microsoft is calling Copilot+. This is an umbrella term for Window 11 features like Recall, which is a new Timeline-like feature that lets you look back through things you were working on previously and search for them using natural language. For example, you can find a document you were working on about finances by just looking for that word, and Windows will be able to surface documents that have that word.
There are other AI features, too, like Auto Super Resolution, which upscales games so they look better without a significant performance hit, or Live Captions, which can add captions to videos in real time, and even translate them on the fly.
The Snapdragon X Plus and the Snapdragon X Elite will finally reach laptops very soon, and here’s everything you need to know about the X series.
If you’re worried about compatibility, Microsoft has also improved the emulation quality on Arm, and more developers than ever are developing apps to run natively on Arm, including every major web browser and even DaVinci Resolve. This won’t be like Arm laptops of the past.
Finally, an OLED display
It’s about time
The Surface Pro 10 for Business already made a very welcome change to the display by adding an anti-reflective coating that makes outdoor visibility much better. But the consumer version of the Surface Pro 11 goes even further and adds an optional OLED display with HDR support, providing a visual experience that’s way better than previous models. Whether you’re playing games or watching movies, or even just using the tablet as usual, this makes a huge difference. Premium laptops have had OLED displays for a while now, so Microsoft making the jump is great to see.
What does OLED mean? Well, in a typical LCD display, the pixels and the backlight are different layers, and the backlight typically illuminates the entire screen at once. Even if the screen is showing black, the backlight is on, so the black can appear brighter than intended, and that applies to dark colors in general. With OLED, each pixel is its own source of light, and so the intensity of the light can be adjusted on the fly for what each pixel is showing, so black pixels can be turned off entirely. This means you have a virtually infinite contrast ratio and more vivid, punchy colors compared to LCD. The higher contrast not only looks great, but it may also improve visibility under bright lighting.
A new webcam
Just like the business model
The Surface Pro 11 for consumers should also include some improvements we saw in the business model. This includes a new webcam, which now supports 1440p video instead of just 1080p. Plus, the new webcam has a wider field of view, at 114 degrees. Plus, with the power of AI, you get features like portrait blur, eye contact, and noise reduction. The rear camera likely won’t change much from previous models, though.
The Surface Pro Flex Keyboard
Now it works wirelessly
Image credit: Microsoft
One big upgrade Microsoft has made to the Surface Pro 11 is in the optional keyboard accessory. Microsoft is replacing the Type Cover with the new Surface Pro Flex Keyboard, and as the name indicates, it’s all about adding flexibility. In addition to connecting physically with the Surface Keyboard connector, the new Surface Pro Flex Keyboard now works wirelessly over Bluetooth, too, so you have more options for how you set up your PC.
An NFC reader
For business users
If you’re in a business with physical security keys, the Surface Pro 11 also comes equipped with a new NFC reader for a new authentication option. If you have an NFC-capable security key like the YubiKey 5C NFC, you can now tap it on the Surface Pro 11 to sign in more securely.
Windows 11 version 24H2
Welcome to the era of Copilot+
Aside from the big hardware changes, though, the Surface Pro 11 also comes with some big software news as well. This is one of the showcase devices for Windows 11 version 24H2, and its new AI PC branding, Copilot+. This is a set of features that rtuns locally on your device thanks to the powerful NPU in the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite.
One of those features is Recall, which was referred to in early reports as “AI Explorer”. Essentially, this is an AI-infused version of the Windows 10 Timeline, allowing you to search through documents and files you were working on previously, but now making them searchable with natural language. For example, you can ask about a document you were working on about dinosaurs, and Recall will surface documents you had open that had the word dinosaur.
There are other capabilities, too, like Auto Super Resolution, an AI upscaling feature similar to Nvidia’s DLSS, but now built into Windows directly. Live Cpations is being upgraded with the ability to not only caption, but also translate captions in real time, and Cocreator, which is used to design images from a text prompt, can now run locally on your device, too. Of course, as long as it supports Copilot+.
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It’s one of the most exciting Surface devices yet
With all of these changes, the Surface Pro 11 is poised to be not only the best Surface Pro yet, but the best Windows tablet on the market. With powerful performance and efficiency combined with a stunning new display and a lightweight design, this is the new standard for what a Windows tablet should be. And if you want a taste of it, you can check it out below.
Surface Pro 11
The Surface Pro 11 is Microsoft’s best tablet yet, powered by the al-new Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chipset and featuring an optional OLED display for the first time ever, resulting in a stunning visual experience. It also comes with new AI features as part of Copilot+.
