Microsoft is preparing an Intel Core Ultra 200V "Lunar Lake" variant of its Surface laptops, and a prototype model has surfaced in China.
While we saw several other manufacturers, such as ASUS, Lenovo, and MSI, unveiling their laptops based on Intel's Core Ultra 200V "Lunar Lake" CPUs, for Microsoft, well, the firm didn't showcase much, which did put consumers in doubt, given that Microsoft was proactive when Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite SoCs entered in the markets.
Now, in a new report by WindowsCentral, it is disclosed that a Surface laptop has come onto the scene through a listing on the Chinese retail platform Goofish, apparently utilizing Intel's Core Ultra 7 268V SoC.
Microsoft has started testing out the new Surface laptops, mainly the "Surface Laptop 7" featuring Intel's Core Ultra 200V "Lunar Lake" SoCs, with no design changes apart from the CPU architecture onboard. The new laptop is said to be released under the Surface Laptop 7 lineup, similar to what Qualcomm's chips debuted with, so in terms of the overall structure, there aren't many changes to be expected.
In terms of the Goofish listing, the Surface Laptop 7 is listed for around $2,600, with a 32GB / 1TB configuration, along with Intel's Core Ultra 7 268V chip onboard.
In terms of the processor itself, the Core Ultra 7 268V features eight cores (4P+4E), eight threads, 12 MB of L3 cache, and clocks rated at a 3.30 GHz base, up to a 5.0 GHz boost. The SoC features an Arc 140V iGPU with up to 8 Xe2 cores clocked at 2.0 GHz, and the chip will have TDPs configured at 17W PL1 and 30W PL2, providing decent graphical performance but not too hardcore to consider high-end gaming on the laptop. The mobile SoC is regarded as a mid-tier entry in Intel's lineup, making it suitable for integrating into Microsoft's Surface 7 series.
While the Goofish listing isn't conclusive regarding pricing and system configurations, it verifies that Microsoft is indeed preparing a Surface laptop based on Intel's Lunar Lake architecture, adding more competition to the segment. We don't expect the laptop to retail with the price tag the same as what the device is listed for at Goofish, and a likely estimate would be around $1500 for this particular model.