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Microsoft weighs spec cuts for cheaper Surface as Apple MacBook Neo pricing pressures margins

NicoGG 0 comments 2 min read

Microsoft may cut specs for a cheaper Surface device as Apple's MacBook Neo pricing pressures margins. AMD Sound Wave rumors also resurface for 2026.

Microsoft Surface
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Due to the new pricing of Apple's MacBook Neo and rising hardware costs, Microsoft is revisiting their Surface plan. Their profit margin is taking a hit. This has an effect on people looking to purchase an affordable Windows based device.

Microsoft considers reducing specs for a budget 12-inch Surface to compete with Apple

They could potentially remove aspects from the upcoming budget Surface (12-inch) in order to cut costs. We've been following Surface pretty closely (catch up with Microsoft Surface Pro 12-inch 'Cabo' here for the recent history of Surface hardware.)

The rumor is that Microsoft is rethinking a potential more affordable Surface. According to DigiTimes, Microsoft is considering cutting aspects by a significant amount in order to create this new budget Surface. This shows that they might be changing tactics when it comes to premium pricing for smaller form factors.

Another rumor is that and Arm processors are making a possible comeback for Surface hardware. KeplerL2 (a leaker) suggested that AMD was working on something called Sound Wave for Microsoft's 2026 plans. This processor has (6) Arm CPU's (2 performance and 4 efficiency).

It also contains an iGPU based on RDNA 3.5. There are (4) Compute Units and (16 MB) MALL cache. This is supposedly meant to be in the 5-10W power range and manufactured by TSMC on a 3nm process. It also supports LPDDR5X 9600.

Recently, Microsoft updated their current generation with Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus processors. Surface Pro 12 and Surface Laptop 13 were released on October 13th. Both with a starting price point of $1,149.99 and $1,199 respectively.

There's no guarantee this rumor will actually incorporate AMD hardware. It could just be another Qualcomm chipset. The current generation Surface Pro 12 and Surface Laptop 13 are currently available. There's no confirmation of a lower cost AMD option.

Microsoft is trying to maintain the cost of hardware and still have competitive Windows based options. It could mean they end up lowering specs for a new 12-inch option to compete with lower-cost Apple hardware. AMD potentially coming back for Surface hardware is just a rumor for now. There is no confirmation of when this could happen or what specific processor they might be talking about.

Source: NotebookCheck

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