Microsoft Surface Laptop 5: Microsoft’s flagship Surface Laptop portfolio received a major boost at the end of 2021 with the release of the Surface Laptop Studio, the most powerful Surface to date. Then there was the Surface Laptop 4, which was released in April. Now that we’ve entered a new year and are approaching the spring hardware season, it’s time to consider its genuine forerunner.
The Surface Laptop 5 is one of the most anticipated laptops of 2022, but Microsoft has yet to make any formal announcements about it. Nonetheless, in light of the most recent round of speculations and leaked specs sheets, we’ve compiled a wishlist of features we’d want to see, as well as a comprehensive overview of everything Surface Laptop 5-related.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 Price and release date
Surface Laptops are typically released in the fall, but Microsoft has a strange release schedule. The initial Surface Laptop was released in June 2017, and the Surface Laptop 2 was released in October 2018. In the meantime, the Surface Laptop 3 and Surface Laptop 4 will be released in October 2019 and April 2021, respectively.
Because of the pandemic’s effects, it’s now far more frequent to see Surface gadgets released in the fall. According to Windows Central’s Zac Bowden, a Surface Laptop 5 release in the second half of 2022 may be a better choice. However, based on recent Windows Prime specifications leaks, it could arrive even sooner than that.
In terms of pricing, we anticipate a variety of alternatives based on previous versions. The Surface Laptop 5 will be available in a few different configurations: AMD, Intel, Alcantara, and aluminum models are available in 13-inch and 15-inch sizes.
The AMD version of the 13-inch Surface Laptop is usually less expensive than the Intel version, while Alcantara models are less expensive than metal models. We believe this is the case once more.
The AMD 13-inch Laptop 4 started at $900, and we expect the Surface Laptop 5 to be priced similarly. The AMD 15-inch laptop could possibly cost around $1,300. Intel devices with a 13-inch display might cost $1,200, with the 15-inch model costing a few hundred dollars more.
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Microsoft Surface 5 Design
Aside from a transition to a metal keyboard deck option, the Surface Laptop’s fundamental design has remained untouched since its initial release in 2017. Microsoft, on the other hand, ultimately cut down the bezels on the Surface Pro 8 in 2021. We hope this also applies to the Surface Laptop 5, even if there’s no evidence that it’s in the pipeline.
We say this because laptops with narrow bezels are becoming increasingly popular. The Dell XPS 13 started the trend, therefore the bezels on the Laptop series are outdated. In comparison to competing laptops, such as Apple’s MacBook Pro, the Surface Laptop Studio features bigger bezels. Smaller bezels and greater screen real estate will be welcomed, as they will aid productivity.
Looking at other design characteristics, Thunderbolt 4 ports are another feature we’re hoping to see on the Intel version of the Surface Laptop 5 from the rest of the Surface series. These are available on the Surface Pro 8 and Surface Laptop Studio and would be a nice upgrade for the Surface Laptop 5.
Leaked specifications from the Windows Prime site seem to confirm our suspicions that the forthcoming Surface Laptop 5 will include this functionality. Microsoft appears to be including an extra USB-C port with USB 4.0 and Thunderbolt 4 capability. That would make this a machine with a lot of connections. Thunderbolt 4 is an Intel-only feature, so don’t expect to see it on AMD laptops.
Students who frequently game or perform other media-intensive tasks are likely to use Surface Laptop devices. These individuals benefit from Thunderbolt 4 because it allows for faster data transfers with USB drives and support for external GPUs. Given that Microsoft’s newest notebook with a dedicated GPU is the Surface Laptop Studio, adding external GPU support to the Surface Laptop 5 with Thunderbolt 4 might give it a whole new level of power.
We’re also curious if Microsoft can come up with a new pen storage mechanism for Laptop 5. The Slim Pen 2 is hidden beneath the device’s lip on the Laptop Studio. This would be wonderful to see on an ordinary Surface Laptop, but due to the charging mechanics, it might require a lot of work.
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Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 Display
Both of Microsoft’s Surface devices announced at the end of 2021 included 120Hz displays. The technology benefits the Surface Laptop Studio and Surface Pro 8, making online browsing much more fluid. Now, based on the reported specs of Windows Prime, it appears that this could also apply to the Surface Laptop 5.
Given the Laptop 5’s exorbitant price, 120Hz would make it much more practical. 60Hz displays are excellent for basic tasks, but as we mentioned in our Surface Pro 8 review, Windows 11 has a lot of wonderful animations, and a 120Hz display would bring them all to life.
The Surface Laptop 5 is said to be coming with Intel and AMD’s latest processors, according to Windows Central and a leaked specs sheet. This should be a refreshing change. The Surface Laptop 4 came with Intel’s latest 11th-generation processors, which were a year behind custom-tuned AMD Ryzen 4000 series processors. Now, it appears that the Surface Laptop 5 will finally have improved performance and will be equipped with the latest Intel and AMD processors.
The new AMD Ryzen 6000 processors provide a significant performance gain. The Zen 3+ core design, which is based on TSMC’s 6nm technology, is used in the CPUs. It comes with RDNA 2 onboard graphics, DDR5 and LPDDR5 memory, and Wi-Fi 6e and USB 4 compatibility. These new CPUs boast a CPU speed boost of up to 30% and an integrated GPU that can exceed even the lowest-end Nvidia MX450 graphics.
That’s a lot of power, and the AMD Ryzen 5 6680U and Ryzen 7 6980U are the specific CPUs we’re looking for, according to the leaked specs sheets. However, the 13.5-inch Surface Laptop 5 may contain six cores, and the 15-inch edition appears to have eight cores.
The new Intel 12th-generation mobile processors promised enthusiast-level performance in thin and light notebooks, according to Intel. Despite the introduction of new H-series chips in gaming laptops, the Surface Laptop 5 is more likely to use Intel P-series chips. These consume 28 watts of power and integrate P- and E-cores to improve multithreaded performance. Again, that’s a good performance bump, and the Intel Core i5-1240P and Core i7-1280P are on our radar.
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Repairability and Webcams
With the pandemic forcing people to rely more on webcams and microphones, we’re hoping for better cameras and mics in the Surface Laptop 5. We’re especially interested in seeing if the webcams are 1080p or FHD, as suggested by the leaked specs sheets.
The webcam on the Laptop 4 was 720p, but Microsoft has proved that it can improve webcam quality on its devices. Both the Laptop Studio and the Pro 8 contains studio microphones and 1080p cameras.
Though it’s unlikely, it’ll be interesting to see if Microsoft decides to use an ARM-based processor in the Surface Laptop 5. For devices with ARM-based CPUs, Windows 11 made significant progress in in-app emulation. Qualcomm, Microsoft’s partner, improved the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 SoC from the inside out. It’s more than likely that Microsoft’s next-generation ARM CPU will be built on this and will be used in the Surface Pro X (which is the company’s flagship ARM-based tablet), but it doesn’t stop us from fantasizing.
What about the ability to be repaired? A removable SSD was first introduced with the Surface Laptop 3, and it was carried over to the Surface Laptop 4. With Microsoft demonstrating how the education-focused Surface Laptop SE is incredibly repairable — and modular — we’re hoping for more of the same from the Surface Laptop 5. Replaceable SSDs and RAM, as well as easy access to crucial elements such as the motherboard and other system components, would be fantastic — especially at a time when Dell and other firms are investigating the possibility.
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