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The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 may destroy its predecessor

Monica J. White
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A new leak suggests that the next version of the Microsoft Surface Laptop may be vastly improved as it may finally feature the latest modern AMD processors.

The addition of Ryzen 6000 CPUs was a much-needed step, and if proven true, it could potentially elevate the Surface to a whole new level of performance.

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 13.5-inch touchscreen laptop in four colors.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The information comes from what seems to be the official specification sheet for the Surface Laptop 5, which was leaked by a website called Windows Prime. The document is the only thing to be found on the website, so although it looks to be legit, it’s important to treat it with a hint of skepticism until we hear from Microsoft itself.

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According to the leaked spec sheet, the Surface Laptop 5 will come in two sizes, 13.5 inches and 15 inches. Customers will be allowed to pick between an AMD and an Intel processor in both configurations. Unlike the previous generations of the Surface, the processors included are all modern models, including 12th-gen Intel Alder Lake and the latest AMD Ryzen 6000 CPUs.

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The processors in question include the Intel Core i5-1240P and Core i7-1280P, as well as the AMD Ryzen 5 6680U and the Ryzen 7 6980U. The higher-end CPUs are only available in the 15-inch Surface Laptop 5. The AMD offering in the 13.5-inch Surface comes with six cores, while the variant found in the 15-inch has eight cores.

Ther should also be an improvement where graphics are concerned. The Intel-based Surface comes powered by Intel Iris Xe graphics, and its AMD counterpart also features unnamed AMD Radeon graphics. While the Surface is still not going to be one of the best gaming laptops, it could prove to be enough for a undemanding casual gamer thanks to Ryzen 6000’s improved integrated graphics.

The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go in sandstone.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The spec sheet details another improvement over the Surface 4 — more ports. The new laptop is said to feature an extra USB-C port and it will provide USB 4.0/Thunderbolt 4 capabilities. It will retain its USB-A port, as well as Surface Connect. Other specifications include up to 32GB LPDDR4x RAM and up to 1TB of SSD storage. The laptops boast up to 21 hours and 19 hours of battery life for AMD and Intel, respectively, but it’s hard to judge whether the battery life will really be that extreme when the laptop hits the market.

We reviewed the current-gen Surface Laptop 4 just last year, and one of our only gripes with the notebook was the fact that it was held back by the use of older AMD chips. Despite launching well after the release of Ryzen 5000 processors, it was stuck on Ryzen 4000. If Microsoft plans to use modern hardware this time around, it’s possible it could hit the jackpot with the new Surface. While the Surface 4 is still a solid laptop in its own right, the leak suggests that major improvements are on the horizon.

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Monica J. White
Monica J. White
Computing Writer
Monica is a UK-based freelance writer and self-proclaimed geek. A firm believer in the "PC building is just like expensive…
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