Everything Microsoft announced at its March Surface event

Microsoft’s event was devoted to business customers, but it gave us a look at what’s to come in the new consumer Surface Pro 10 and Laptop 6.

We finally know what the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 look like. Well, sort of. After making it through 2023 without introducing successors to the Surface Pro 9 or the Surface Laptop 5, Microsoft revealed the Surface Pro 10 for Business and Surface Laptop 6 for Business at a digital event targeted at the company’s commercial customers and partners on Thursday, March 21, 2024.

While the new tablet or laptop might not be exactly the same as the consumer versions of the Surface Pro and Laptop Microsoft is expected to introduce before its Build developer conference in May, they should still be a pretty good indicator of what’s in store. Here’s what Microsoft showed off, when it will become available, and what else could be coming in the next few months.

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What Microsoft announced at its March event

Microsoft largely opted not to fuss over what was already working about the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop. These “Business” versions in particular don’t even betray the typical year-over-year design tweaks you might expect out of a new batch of personal electronics, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t better.

Surface Pro 10 for Business

The Surface Pro 10 still features a fluid kickstand, support for stylus input, and an optional Surface Keyboard for more of a traditional laptop experience. This year’s tablet is using Intel’s Core Ultra chips, and both Core Ultra 5 135U and 7 165U versions feature the AI Boost neural processing unit (NPU) for even better on-device AI performance, with anywhere from 8 to 64GB of LPDDR5x RAM.

Which is all the better to launch Copilot, which Microsoft imagines you’ll be calling up far more often with the dedicated Copilot key on the new Surface Keyboard. Inside the Surface Pro 10, its parts are now marked with “intent markings” that indicate how many screws hold components in place and QR code labels that can be scanned to pull up installation and repair guides.

Outside, the most noticeable difference is likely to be the new anti-reflective display Microsoft is using on the Pro 10. Not only does Microsoft claim the 13-inch touchscreen is 33% brighter, its anti-reflective coating means it’s also much easier to use outside. Paired with a new Ultrawide Studio Camera which offers 1440p resolution on video calls, a 114-degree field of view, and support for Windows Studio Effects for blurring your background or adjusting your framing mid-call, it should offer a much better overall remote work experience.

Surface Laptop 6 for Business

Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 6 still comes with a great keyboard and trackpad, but this year’s laptop gets many of the same updates as the Pro 10. That includes Intel Core Ultra 5 135H or Intel Core Ultra 7 165H chips with the AI Boost NPU, up to 64GB of RAM, either a 13.5-inch or 16-inch touchscreen display, and new QR codes inside the laptop that act as shortcuts to repair and installation guides. The new screens have the same anti-reflective coating as Microsoft’s tablet, though a lower maximum brightness, and an improved 1080p webcam (the Surface Laptop 5 only had a 720p camera).

Like every other Windows 11 laptop coming out this year, the Surface Laptop 6 has a Copilot key for easy access to Copilot. If you’re purchasing the Surface Laptop 6 in the US or Canada, you can get the 16-inch model with a dedicated smart card slot for added security.

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Microsoft Adaptive Accessories

Microsoft’s Adaptive Accessories consist of an additional Adaptive Mouse, Adaptive Dual Button, Adaptive D-pad Button, and even an Adaptive Joystick Button that can be used in place of or addition to a traditional keyboard and mouse, just like the company’s Xbox Adaptive Controller.

They were available previously for normal customers, but now Microsoft is making them available for their commercial partners too. The company is also introducing a new version of the Surface Keyboard in a bold keyset (with bold font and a brighter backlight) that should be easier to read, making a Surface Pro 10 critical accessory more accessible to a wider audience.

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When can you buy Surface Pro 10 and Laptop 6?

Microsoft says that the Surface Pro 10 for Business and the Surface Laptop 6 for Business are available to pre-order now and will start shipping out to commercial customers on April 9.

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How will the consumer versions be different?

Until Microsoft Build 2024 in May we likely won’t know all the differences, but the one that seems certain is the option to purchase a Surface Pro 10 or Surface Laptop 6 with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chip. Qualcomm announced it was working with Microsoft in 2023, among other partners, and Microsoft has offered an Arm version of at least the Surface Pro for the last few years.

Windows Central previously reported that the Surface Laptop 6 could launch with smaller, more rounded bezels, and both the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 might gain a new AI feature called “AI Explorer” for calling up information about anything you’ve done on your computer, but we don’t know if those will actually be introduced on the consumer version of the new Surfaces.