Surface Laptop 5: Release date, specs, and everything you need to know

It's been a year and a half since Microsoft launched the Surface Laptop 4, but finally, the company has unveiled its successor, aptly called Surface Laptop 5. After many months of speculation, the latest premium laptop from Microsoft is here, and it comes with some changes you might not have expected.

AMD processors are no longer an option, and some of the upgrades we were expecting didn't end up making the cut. Still, there are some exciting upgrades with the Surface Laptop 5 that potentially make it one of the best Surface PCs around, so let's take a closer look at everything that's new.

Surface Laptop 5: Specs

	Surface Laptop 5
Operating system	Windows 11 Home (Consumer) Windows 11 Pro (Business) Windows 10 Pro (Business)
Processor	13.5-inch Consumer 12th-generation Intel Core i5-1235U 12th-generation Intel Core i7-1255U Business 12th-generation Intel Core i5-1245U 12th-generation Intel Core i7-1265U 15-inch: Consumer 12th-generation Intel Core i7-1255U Business 12th-generation Intel Core i7-1265U
Graphics	Intel Iris Xe graphics
RAM	8GB, 16GB, or 32GB LPDDR5x
Storage	256GB, 512GB, or 1TB SSD (removable)
Display	13.5-inch 13.5-inch PixelSense display, 3:2 aspect ratio, 2256 x 1504 (201 PPI) Dolby Vision IQ 10-point multi-touch 15-inch 15-inch PixelSense display, 3:2 aspect ratio, 2496 x 1664 (201 PPI) Dolby Vision IQ 10-point multi-touch
Audio	Omnisonic speakers with Dolby Atmos Dual far-field Studio Mics
Webcam	Front-facing 720p HD camera
Biometric authentication	Windows Hello facial authentication camera
Battery	13.5-inch: Up to 19 hours of typical device usage 15-inch: Up to 18 hours of typical device usage
Ports	1 x Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 (Type-C) port 1 x USB 3.1 Type-A 3.5mm headphone jack Surface Connect port
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax Bluetooth 5.1
Colors	13.5-inch Platinum with Alcantara Matte Black (metal) Sage (metal) Sandstone (metal) 15-inch Platinum (metal) Matte Black (metal)
Size (WxDxH)	13.5-inch: 308 x 223 x 14.5 mm (12.1 x 8.8 x 0.57 in) 15-inch: 340 x 244 x 14.7 mm (13.4 x 9.6 x 0.58 in)
Weight	13.5-inch (Alcantara): 2.8lbs (1.272 kg) 13.5-inch (metal): 2.86lbs (1.297 kg) 15-inch: 3.44lbs (1.56 kg)
Starting price	$999

Surface Laptop 5: Price and release date

Microsoft unveiled the Surface Laptop 5 during its Surface event on October 12th, 2022, alongside devices like the Surface Pro 9 and Surface Studio 2+. The Surface Laptop 5 is available for pre-order right now.

Pricing has changed a bit, though, because the specs have changed. The cheapest models of the Surface Laptop 4 used to be the ones with AMD processors, and since we only have Intel models now, the pricing structure is different now. However, the cheapest model still starts at $999, so that hasn't changed. Here's the pricing for all the available SKUs.

Model	Audience	Processor	RAM	Storage	Price
Surface Laptop 5 13.5-inch	Consumer	Intel Core i5-1235U	8GB	256GB	$999.99
			8GB	512GB	$1,299.99
			16GB	512GB	$1,499.99
		Intel Core i7-1255U	16GB	512GB	$1,699.99
	Commercial	Intel Core i5-1245U	8GB	256GB	$1,099.99
			8GB	512GB	$1,399.99
			16GB	256GB	$1,499.99
			16GB	512GB	$1,599.99
		Intel Core i7-1265U	16GB	256GB	$1,699.99
			32GB	512GB	$2,199.99
			32GB	1TB	$2,399.99
Surface Laptop 5 15-inch	Consumer	Intel Core i7-1255U	8GB	256GB	$1,299.99
			8GB	512GB	$1,499.99
			16GB	512GB	$1,799.99
			32GB	1TB	$2,399.99
	Commercial	Intel Core i7-1265U	8GB	256GB	$1,399.99
			8GB	512GB	$1,599.99
			16GB	256GB	$1,799.99
			16GB	512GB	$2,199.99
			32GB	1TB	$2,499.99

What's new in the Surface Laptop 5?

As you would expect after a year and a half, the Surface Laptop 5 comes with a few upgrades over its predecessor, particularly when it comes to the internals. On the outside, it's remained mostly the same, but let's take a closer look at everything that's changed.

New Intel processors, no more AMD

Perhaps the most unexpected change with the Surface Laptop 5 compared to its predecessor is that it no longer gives you the option to get an AMD Ryzen processor as an option. This is something Microsoft has offered since the Surface Laptop 3, but after two generations, that option is gone, and the company hasn't said why. It's possible that it no longer made sense to make them considering Microsoft consistently used last-generation AMD processors right next to current-generation Intel ones.

With the Surface Laptop 5, we only have Intel models, and they've been upgraded to 12th-generation processors. These new processors have a hybrid architecture that mixes high-performance cores with efficiency cores, for a total of 10 cores and 12 threads, a big upgrade over the four cores and eight threads of the past model. You can get Intel Core i5 or Core i7 processors in the 13.5-inch models, while the 15-inch variants only come with Core i7 CPUs.

Along with that, of course, the RAM has also been upgraded to LPDDR5x RAM, so it should be a bit faster overall. The amount of RAM is unchanged, though, maxing out at 32GB.

Thunderbolt 4 support

A long-awaited addition to the feature set with the Surface Laptop 5 is support for Thunderbolt 4 through the USB Type-C port. Thunderbolt 4 is a proprietary Intel technology that's been requested on Surface products for some time, and it finally made its debut in 2021 with the Surface Pro 8 and Surface Laptop Studio. Now, it's also available in the Surface Laptop 5, so you can use Thunderbolt docking stations, or even an external GPU to turn it into a gaming laptop.

Unlike the Surface Pro 8, however, this addition didn't come with a major change in the rest of the ports. There's only one Thunderbolt 4 port, and you still get one USB Type-A port, a headphone jack, and the Surface Connect port. In some ways, you might consider this an even more versatile machine thanks to that legacy USB Type-A port. Plus, the new Surface Pro 9 also lacks a headphone jack, so that's another potential benefit of this device.

New Sage color (13.5-inch)

The Surface Laptop 5 comes with a small change to the lineup of available colors, too, particularly for the 13.5-inch model. The classic Platinum, Matte Black, and Sandstone options remain, but Ice Blue has been replaced with a new Sage color, which we first saw on the Surface Laptop Go 2. This is a dark shade of green that's admittedly a bit more unique than Ice Blue, which was somewhat close to Platinum.

Surface Laptop 5 on top of stacked rocks

A potential downside (or advantage, depending on your taste) is that the Sage colorway comes with an all-metal chassis. The Ice Blue option had an Alcantara fabric cover for the keyboard base, but now, if you want that finish, you have to get the Platinum color. The colors for the 15-inch model remain the same - Platinum and Matte Black, both with all-metal finishes.

Dolby Vision IQ display

One last improvement in the Surface Laptop 5 is support for Dolby Vision IQ, which should deliver a better HDR experience on the laptop's screen. Dolby Vision IQ allows the screen to use the ambient light sensor to optimize the HDR experience for a given situation, so you always get the best viewing experience possible.

Where can I buy the Surface Laptop 5?

Like most Surface products, the Surface Laptop 5 is going to be available from the majority of electronics retailers, including Best Buy, Amazon, and the Microsoft Store. Some configurations may be harder to find at specific retailers, but for the most part, you shouldn't have trouble finding the configuration you want. You can pre-order the Surface Laptop 5 right now using the link below.