Microsoft’s ever-expanding lineup of Surface PCs now covers a wide range of hardware factors and price points — and every model is Windows 11-ready. Here’s a field guide for sorting out which Surface PC should be on your shortlist.<\/b>
\nMicrosoft’s ambitious plan to develop its own line of personal computers had an awkward beginning, but the division hit its stride with the launch of the Surface Pro 3 in 2014 and has not looked back since then. Today, you can choose from a half-dozen different portable PCs under the Surface brand, and that doesn’t include related products like the Surface Studio desktop, the corporate-focused Surface Hub, the Android-powered Surface Duo 2, and an assortment of keyboards, mice, docking stations, and other peripheral devices. In an online event on September 22,2021, Microsoft rolled out arguably its biggest upgrades to the Surface line ever, with a sweeping refresh of the flagship Surface Pro and a brand-new model, the Surface Laptop Studio. The new models, most of them sporting 11th Generation Intel Core CPUs, are all ready to ship with Windows 11 when the new operating system is released to the public on October 5. Also: Microsoft refreshes its Surface PC portfolio including Android-based Duo 2 In its Fiscal Year 2020 annual report, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said the company is \u00ab\u00a0committed to designing and marketing first-party devices to help drive innovation, create new device categories, and stimulate demand in the Windows ecosystem.\u00a0\u00bb That is all undoubtedly true, but it’s also turned into a steady source of revenue in Redmond. In the fourth quarter of calendar year 2020, for example, Gartner estimates that Microsoft shipped more than 1 million Surface PCs in the United States alone, and the company reported more than $2 billion of worldwide revenue from the Surface division. That should safely set aside any concerns that the company is going to get out of the PC business anytime soon. Surface PCs are, without a doubt, premium products, sold at a premium price. We’ve tried every model in the lineup and can attest to the quality of design and construction. But the ever-expanding roster of products under the Surface brand umbrella can make it difficult to sort out which one is a fit for your work requirements and budget. That’s where this guide comes in. We’ve taken a close look at each of the six current members in the Surface family of portable PCs to help you decide which, if any, should be on your short list when it’s time to purchase a new PC. Note this post concentrates on the portable PCs in the Surface lineup. It doesn’t include the desktop Surface Studio, the Surface Hub, or the Android-powered Surface Duo.<\/p>\n