Microsoft is going head teacher to head with Chromebooks with a new $249 Surface Laptop SE, its just about affordable Surface yet. While the software program giant has unsuccessful to contend with the popularity of Chrome OS in US schools for years, the Show u Laptop SE is the accompany's first true Chromebook competitor.

Surface Laptop SE will be sold solely to schools and students, starting at $249. It's part of a much broader effort with Windows 11 SE, a new student edition studied to compete with Chrome OS that will transport on a rate of low-priced laptops in the future months. You can read all about Windows 11 SE right-wing here.

The Surface Laptop SE is all plastic.
Image: Microsoft

Surface Laptop Se is every bit the ground-hugging-cost Windows device you'd gestate to see for $249. While IT retains the Lapplander keyboard and trackpad establish on Microsoft's Surface Laptop Go, the all-shaping body houses an 11.6-inch display running at just a 1366 x 768 resolution. This is the prototypical 16:9 Surface device in more seven geezerhood, after Microsoft switched to 3:2 for its Surface line with the Surface In favor of 3 launch in 2014.

The screen looks equivalent the biggest drawback on this device, particularly as we weren't fans of the low-solvent screen (1536 x 1024) found on the $549 Surface Laptop Go. Lenovo's Chromebook Duet ships with a better 10.1-edge in (1920 x 1200) presentation for the same $249 price American Samoa the Surface Laptop SE.

Intel's Celeron N4020 or N4120 powerfulness the Surface Laptop Sou'-east, concerted with 4GB / 8GB of RAM and 64GB or 128GB of eMMC storage. Microsoft is including a 1-megapixel front-facing camera that offers 720P support, so it should live on okay for Teams meetings. The Aboveground Laptop computer Southeast besides includes a single USB-A port, unitary USB-C port, a regular barrel-type DC connector, and a 3.5mm earpiece mariner. That means this is as wel the first Surface laptop to ship without Microsoft's magnetic Surface charging port.

The Surface Laptop SE ships with Windows 11 SE.
Image: Microsoft

That's not the simply first for the Surface Laptop SE, though. Microsoft is committing to a big repairability effort with the Surface Laptop SE, allowing schools to replace components inside the laptop computer. The root of the Surface Laptop SE has standard screws that bequeath allow IT admins to put back the display, stamp battery, keyboard, and even the motherboard.

Microsoft has played out the past 18 months lecture IT admins about the pain points of managing laptops in schools, and repairability was one of the top concerns. Microsoft will sell spare parts through its authorized service providers, and it should mean schools bottom replace components along site or else of having to send devices for repair and wait days or weeks for them to atomic number 4 rigid.

We're expecting to see look-alike repairability in other Surface laptops in the future, as Microsoft has committed to make its devices easier to reparation by the end of 2022.

Microsoft is first appearance its Surface Laptop SE in early 2022 in the US, UK, Canada, and Japan. The base model with 4GB of Crash and 64GB of memory will make up priced at $249, with the 8GB of Cram and 128GB of storage interlingual rendition priced at $329. A range of Windows 11 SE laptops will also be available from Acer, Asus, Dell, Dynabook, Fujitsu, HP, JK-Information processing, Lenovo, and Positivo.

Update, November 9th 4:40PM ET : Article updated with extra pricing information for Aerofoil Laptop SE.

Microsoft's new $249 Surface Laptop SE is its first true Chromebook competitor

Source: https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/9/22771778/microsoft-surface-laptop-se-features-price-release-date