Microsoft announced the Surface Laptop 8 and Surface Pro 12 this week, but thanks to a confusing naming scheme and the lack of an event or stream, the new PCs have not drawn the attention they deserves.

Those who paid attention and saw the announcements may have experienced sticker shock, since the new Surface devices are at least $500 more expensive than their predecessors. Microsoft will include a free keyboard to ease the pain, but still.

This week marked the third time this year that Microsoft announced new Surface PCs, and I feel cheated. This isn't how Surface week is supposed to feel.

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Microsoft has announced a whopping six Surface devices this year. But information trickled out in a series of press releases. No on-stage event. No live stream. No buzz.

I can understand Microsoft skipping a Surface event when there's little to announce. In a couple of previous years, there's been little to talk about. But in just the first half of 2026, Microsoft unveiled:

• Surface Laptop Ultra powered by NVIDIA RTX Spark
• Surface Pro 12 for Business and Surface Pro 12 for consumers
• Surface Laptop 8 for Business and Surface Laptop 8 for consumers
• Surface RTX Spark Dev Box

Those PCs aren't just spec bumps. They include two new form types of PCs for the Surface family (a true clamshell workstation and a mini PC), and the latest components from Intel, NVIDIA, and Qualcomm.

The Surface Laptop 8 for Business has an innovative privacy screen that should make non-business users jealous. The new consumer Surface hardware runs on the Snapdragon X2 Elite. The Surface Laptop Ultra runs NVIDIA's RTX Spark superchip and Windows on Arm.

Microsoft had the partners, internals, form factors, and unique features to fill a keynote. Instead, inboxes were filled with emails of spec sheets and basic information.

Shopping with Sean

The new Surface Pro 12 and Surface Laptop 8 are beautiful machines, but I think it's hard to justify their price. Instead, I suggest a Dell XPS 13 with a Snapdragon X Elite and 32GB of RAM.

If you do get a Surface Pro, the discounted Surface Pro Flex Keyboard is worth grabbing. It can be used wirelessly or when physically attached and features a large haptic trackpad.

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Sean Endicott is a news writer and apps editor for Windows Central with 11+ years of experience. A Nottingham Trent journalism graduate, Sean has covered the industry’s arc from the Lumia era to the launch of Windows 11 and generative AI. Having started at Thrifter, he uses his expertise in price tracking to help readers find genuine hardware value.

Beyond tech news, Sean is a UK sports media pioneer. In 2017, he became one of the first to stream via smartphone and is an expert in AP Capture systems. A tech-forward coach, he was named 2024 BAFA Youth Coach of the Year. He is focused on using technology—from AI to Clipchamp—to gain a practical edge.