Microsoft Surface Prices Remain Steady — Contrary to Popular Belief

Recent articles have indicated that Microsoft has increased the prices of certain Surface devices, following a trend of raising tech prices which is partly due to tariffs implemented during President Donald Trump’s term. Nonetheless, a deeper examination suggests that this perception may be misleading.

This week, the $999.99 entry-level versions of Microsoft’s 13.8-inch Surface Laptop 7 and 13-inch Surface Pro 11 vanished from the Microsoft Store. In their stead, Microsoft rolled out new flagship Copilot+ PCs starting at $1,199.99. This shift prompted a number of tech publications to announce a 20% price hike on the Surface range.

However, Microsoft clarifies that this price increase is a misconception.

“Microsoft has not elevated the prices of Surface Pro or Surface Laptop,” stated Nancie Gaskill, General Manager of Microsoft’s Surface Business, in a statement to Mashable. “Microsoft merely eliminated the Surface Laptop and Pro $999 base models from Microsoft.com. Customers can still acquire base models of Pro and Laptop at the introductory price of $999 from other prominent retailers.”

In fact, as of this writing, those base models were available for an even lower price — $200 off — at Best Buy.

So, what accounts for the seemingly increased prices on Microsoft’s site? It boils down to specifications. The $1,199.99 Surface Laptop and Surface Pro currently featured on Microsoft.com come with enhanced specifications, including a 10-core Snapdragon X Plus processor, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of SSD storage. The previous $999.99 models had only 256GB of storage. Essentially, Microsoft is no longer offering the lower-spec versions via its own store, while the prices for the higher-end models have not changed since their introduction in June 2024.

Simultaneously, Microsoft has also unveiled two new, budget-friendly Surface devices: a 13-inch Surface Laptop starting at $899.99 and a 12-inch Surface Pro initiating at $799.99. These options are available for preorder at the Microsoft Store and various retailers.

While some tech firms, like Asus, have raised their prices in response to tariffs on imports from China — with Asus reporting increases of up to 9% — Microsoft’s Copilot+ PCs seem to be unaffected for the moment.

Nevertheless, not all Microsoft products have avoided price changes. On May 1, the company declared that it would raise the suggested retail prices of Xbox consoles and controllers. Furthermore, new first-party Xbox titles will debut at $79.99 later this year, with Microsoft attributing these adjustments to “market conditions and the rising cost of development.”

In conclusion: Microsoft has not raised Surface prices — it has simply stopped selling the base-level configurations on its own website. The more advanced models now featured have always been priced higher, and the base models are still accessible (and even discounted) through other retailers.