Microsoft just put up an updated slate of Surface computing machines on the pre-order shelves, offering a fresh design language and a lower asking price with its new tablet and laptop. While at it, the company has also pulled the entry-level Surface Pro and Laptop models from its website.
Right now, the Microsoft online store only shows the Snapdragon X Plus and X Elite variants starting at $1,199. Likewise, the price of the Surface Pro now sits at $1,199.99 on the Microsoft Store for its cheapest configuration.
For the 15-inch Surface Laptop, the cost of entry has climbed to $1,499. Microsoft’s storefront currently lists the starting price at $1,299 for this one, but the 256GB storage variant is currently out of stock.
In fact, you can no longer buy a 256GB storage variant of the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop (13.8-inch and 15-inch) from Microsoft’s website. When these two devices were introduced last year, both carried a starting price worth $999 in the US market.
What’s changing?
This is not a price hike, per se, as Microsoft has merely yanked a low-storage option from its storefront. The price barrier for buyers has gone up, nonetheless. In a statement shared with Engadget, the company says you can still buy the $999 models from third-party sellers.
The outlet, however, notes that the price of charging accessories has gone up by 33% under the Surface label. The 127W charger now goes for $175, up from its $125 hit not too long ago. The 65W charger has climbed from $60 to $90 on the official store.
It is unclear how long the supplies of the $999 Surface Pro (13-inch) and Laptop (13.8-inch) will last and whether Microsoft will restock the 256GB models on its online shop.
What are your options?
The latter seems unlikely, as Microsoft is offering the new 12-inch Surface Pro and 13-inch Surface Laptop at a lower asking price. For the 13-inch Surface Laptop, do keep in mind that the choice is between SSD and UFS storage, and the modules are not user-replaceable, either.
The new Microsoft tablet starts at $799, which gives it a lot of breathing space against the larger Surface Pro. It introduces a fresh design language for the slate as well as the keyboard. This one offers Qualcomm’s mid-tier Snapdragon X Plus silicon, 16GB of RAM, and a new magnetic charging system for the stylus.
Coming to the 13-inch Surface Laptop, it’s a MacBook Air wannabe with a similar design, the same memory and processor situation as its 12-inch tablet sibling, and a price tag worth $899 in the US. It, however, misses out on a fast refresh rate screen and doesn’t stray too far from its rival’s limitations.