Microsoft updates Intel-based Surface PCs, but regular people still can’t buy them

All the devices offer one of four possible Core Ultra CPUs (the 236V, 238V, 266V, and 268V); integrated Intel Arc graphics; 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of storage; and either 16GB or 32GB of RAM. Some of the Qualcomm Surface devices offer as much as 64GB of RAM, but the Lunar Lake chips top out at 32GB.

Per usual for its business-specific Surface devices, Microsoft isn’t including pricing as part of its announcement today; these will probably vary based on the kind of organization that is buying them and how many devices they’re buying.

Microsoft is also launching a $200 Surface USB4 Dock for all Surface devices. It appears to be a slightly streamlined, somewhat less-capable version of the Surface Dock 2, with up to 65 W of power delivery, two USB-C ports, one USB-A port, an HDMI port, and an Ethernet port. The dock can connect to up to two external 4K displays using its USB-C and HDMI ports.

Why make x86 Surface PCs just for businesses?

Microsoft’s x86-to-Arm app translation layer, now called Prism, is capable of running many legacy apps, and it has become much more common for developers to release both x86 and Arm-native versions of their Windows apps. But Windows and x86 processors were closely intertwined for decades, and lingering compatibility issues remain. Companies and other large organizations are more likely to have made large investments in obscure software or hardware that uses specialized drivers, things that can’t be translated automatically by Prism and whose developers are less incentivized to prioritize niche features like Arm compatibility.

If Microsoft is going to continue to design, manufacture, and sell Intel-based Surface devices anyway, we’d prefer that they be offered to the general public—surely there are Surface-curious PC enthusiasts who need or would prefer an x86 machine to an Arm one for various reasons.