- Rumor has it that next-gen Surface devices have been delayed by a month
- Another suggestion is that “the prices are probably going to be so bad” that no one will be able to afford them.
- Big price hikes on existing Surface devices have already sparked fears that the new hardware will be very expensive
Since the recent leak of Microsoft’s next-generation Surface Pro and Surface Laptop, there has been concern that the devices are too expensive, and a new rumor won’t be much comfort to those suffering from this fear.
It’s worth clarifying that the hardware itself is still just a rumor, but another well-known leaker believes these refreshes are incoming, but they’ve apparently been slightly delayed and could be very expensive.
Notebookcheck.net spotted Roland Quandt posting on Bluesky: “So it looks like Surface has been pushed back about a month. I wonder why. It doesn’t matter because the prices are probably going to be so bad, no one will be able to afford these things anyway…”
Article continues below
The most recent rumor about these Surface devices is that hardware featuring Intel processors is expected to arrive in the US in the spring, followed by Snapdragon (Arm) models over the summer (starting in June). So, given that May is the last month of spring and what appears to be the targeted launch month at this point, the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop will now arrive in June. And that would correspond to a reveal during Microsoft Build 2026, earlier this month.
Of course, this is all theoretical, as is the pricing information, so sprinkle seasoning generously.
Analysis: increasingly worrying
A response to Quandt’s post on Bluesky wonders if this means Microsoft is about to launch both Arm and Intel variants of these devices at the same time. This could be the case, and Quandt recognizes it, even if he doesn’t know it.
All he’s heard at that point are probably more vague whispers about the release schedule, and nothing concrete about how the timeline between the Arm and Intel releases might fall.
That prices should be “so bad” that no one can afford the new Surface Laptop or Pro seems worrying to say the least. Unfortunately, expensive next-gen devices make sense given what’s happened recently with current-gen models.
Microsoft just significantly increased prices on the existing Surface line, with some versions marked up by as much as $500 in the US. And while I wouldn’t trust retailers’ anticipated prices — because they’re usually guesses — the clues we’ve gathered from European websites suggest that the price tags will indeed be hefty.
If true, that would be a shame, because Surface products themselves tend to be good, but their pricing could greatly spoil their appeal if they ended up being very expensive. Especially if prices are pushed to the extreme, with MacBooks ending up looking relatively affordable.
These rumors – and the very real price hikes for existing Surface products – highlight how Microsoft is struggling with the RAM crisis and, what I can only assume, the weakness of its hardware supply chain. The supposed delay in the launch of the new Surface Laptop and Pro would also make sense in this light.
Apple seems much more robust in this regard, especially since it managed to successfully launch a new budget laptop in this climate, the MacBook Neo.
It’s no secret that Apple has more hardware influence than Microsoft, but the extent to which the latter now appears to be struggling is perhaps worrying. Microsoft can argue that its software is much more important than the hardware anyway – and of course it is, and the focus is naturally on the great desire to fix Windows 11 – but that’s not a good idea if the company’s laptop lineup starts to fall apart, which seems to be the rumor mill’s suggestion.
The best laptops for every budget
Follow TechRadar on Google News And add us as your favorite source to get our news, reviews and expert opinions in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can also follow TechRadar on YouTube And TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form and receive regular updates from us on WhatsApp Also.
