Important Takeaways
- It looks like a Microsoft Surface laptop running Intel’s Lunar Lake has surfaced.
- Despite having a Core Ultra 7 268V CPU, it looked a lot like the Surface Laptop 7.
- According to reports, the portable won’t be formally introduced until 2025.
According to a leak, Microsoft may be hedging its bets by launching a Surface Laptop 8 that contains Intel’s Lunar Lake.
On the Chinese website Goofish, Reddit user Akaza_Durian noticed what appeared to be an Intel-powered prototype Surface laptop for sale. Although it was marketed as a Surface Laptop 7, it was actually running an Intel Core Ultra 7 268V, which isn’t anticipated to come until 2025 and didn’t arrive until September, months after the Surface Laptop 7 shipped. With a 1TB SSD and 32GB of RAM, it was an expensive setup.
Although Microsoft is apparently testing Lunar Lake-based versions of the new portable, Windows Central sources are unsure if this is a Surface Laptop 8 or simply a variation of the Snapdragon X-powered model from last year. Additionally, it is possible that Microsoft is being careful and may release both ARM-based and Intel-based versions of the Laptop 8, with the Intel edition likely aimed at business users, similar to the original Core Ultra Series 1 Surfaces.
Microsoft has been contacted by Techopedia for comment; we’ll keep you updated if we hear back.
Since Microsoft released the Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 11 as ARM-only computers for their AI-focused Copilot+ PC program, they may go to Intel or offer it as an alternative. They had problems with app compatibility with ARM-based Windows computers, including inadequate x86 emulation, beta code requirements, or native program capability, despite their lengthy battery life and performance.
Theoretically, an Intel-powered Surface Laptop 8 provides the best of both worlds. In addition to providing good battery performance and on-device AI acceleration, the Core Ultra Series 2 should run almost all Windows apps without any problems.
For Intel, Microsoft, and its partners, the possible shift occurs at pivotal times. In addition to Microsoft, Google, Meta, Linus Torvalds, a co-creator of Linux, and other PC manufacturers, including Dell and Lenovo, Intel and AMD have established an x86 advisory committee. The organization may be essential to catching up to or surpassing Apple and Qualcomm, as there are genuine worries that x86 is lagging behind ARM in AI and overall performance.
Additionally, there are reports that Qualcomm may purchase Intel, at least when it learns the results of the US presidential election and whether a deal will pass regulatory approval. Additionally, Apple is about to release M4 Macs, which could significantly outperform comparable x86 computers.
