People other than rich execs need quality cellular connectivity built into laptops too.
Microsoft didn’t launch its 2025 lineup of Surface devices with a 5G option. Instead, it waited a few months for interest to die down enough to release its business-end version with a starting price nearly twice that of the one built for the average joe. It shows that if users want a laptop that can connect to the internet without relying on spotty public or Starbucks Wi-Fi, they need to pay through the nose. Hopefully Microsoft’s new tech will get cheaper later, though only if laptop makers recognize users want a mobile PC to actually be usable while on the move.
As revealed last week, the 14-inch Surface Laptop for Business with a mere 512GB storage goes for $1,600. If you want the version with 5G, those start at $1,800. But that’s if you go for the version with the least viable specs. All the Surface Laptops are using Intel Core Ultra Series 2 chips, but a version with an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD will cost $2,700 before tax. That’s before add-ons like a Microsoft 365 subscription or a protection plan. Any 5G laptop will also require you to pay for a wireless internet plan, which only puts the cost of the Surface Laptop for Business beyond prohibitive and into the stratosphere, where only silly business execs would ever consider it.
