When Microsoft first started selling the Surface Laptop last summer, the entry-level model was a $999 version with an Intel Core i5 Kaby Lake processor, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage.

Now Microsoft has added a lower-cost option: you can pick up a Surface Laptop with a lower-power Intel Core M3-7Y30 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage for $799.

That price would probably be more exciting if Microsoft hadn’t already run sales bringing the price of the Core i5 model down to $799 several times in the last few months. But hey, this probably means that the next time there’s a sale the starting price for the Surface Laptop could drop even lower than that.

It’s worth noting that if you opt for a Core i5 or Core i7 model you can pay more to upgrade the memory and/or storage. The Core M3 model, on the other hand, seems to top out at 4GB/128GB, at least for now.

The portable computer weighs about 2.8 pounds, has a 13.5 inch, 2256 x 1504 pixel display, support for finger or pen input, 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, USB 3.0, headset, and mini DisplayPort jacks. There’s a 720p webcam and support for Windows Hello face recognition.

Microsoft ships the Surface Laptop with Windows 10 S, but you can switch to Windows 10 Pro for free.

Are there cheaper laptops with better specs on the market? Probably… but it’s hard to make a comparison, since there are few other models with a high-resolution 3:2 aspect ratio display or a keyboard area covered in Alcantara fabric.

Meanwhile, if you want something more powerful (and versatile), Microsoft has also dropped the starting price of the Surface Book 2 2-in-1 laptop from $1499 to $1199… by introducing the option of picking up a 13.5 inch model with a Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. Previously the cheapest option came with 256GB of storage.

via Windows Central

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4 replies on “Microsoft adds a $799 Surface Laptop with Core M3 to its lineup”

  1. Have to admit, the laptop line looks pretty sweet. I just can’t stand the operating system powering it Getting a privacy-respecting OS on these things still isn’t easy. There’s also the flickergate issue which I just came across. Add the comments about the entire thing being essentially unserviceable (comments here) makes purchasing a Surface Laptop a gamble.

  2. First the 128GB on the SurfaceBook 2 and now this.
    It looks like Microsoft is trying to save its hardware line. Their earnings release yesterday shown that the hardware division sales only grew by 1% last quarter despite all the new products and the X-Box X.
    On this particular product line they’re going for a m3 instead of the Qualcomm. If I were a gambler I’d put money on Microsoft getting out of the hardware business by this time next year if things don’t improve.

  3. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. If you’re selling a premium laptop with soldered RAM, 8 GB should be the minimum. If you’re running several browser tabs or have multiple programs running, you’re going to be struggling with 4 GB. Also, at the rate browsers (and Windows 10) are increasingly needing more RAM, I doubt 4 GB will even be enough for light usage in a few years. I feel like if you’re going to sell a premium laptop, it should have premium specs.

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