- The Surface family is getting the Surface Laptop SE.
- It’s a $249 laptop designed specifically for K-8 students.
- Surface Laptop SE will run the new Windows 11 SE OS to compete with Chromebooks in the education market.
Microsoft has introduced the Surface Laptop SE, a new laptop running Windows 11 SE to compete again with Chromebooks. This isn’t a laptop for gaming, professionals, or creators. Instead, it’s a low-cost device designed for the education market, which means that it will only be available for schools. It won’t be a device that you or businesses will be able to get.
The $249 laptop carries the Surface brand, but there’s nothing premium about it. The body is made of plastic, and the base model has an 11.6-inch 1366 x 768-pixel resolution TFF display. It features an Intel Celeron processor, 4GB of memory, 64GB of eMMC storage (slower than NVMe drives), and it has a custom UEFI that Microsoft claims can hold up to 16 hours of battery life.
Surface Laptop SE full tech specs
| Surface Laptop SE | |
|---|---|
| Display | 11.6 inches. 16:9 aspect ratio. 1366x768 resolution. Panel type TFT. |
| Processor | Intel Celeron N4020 Intel Celeron N4120 |
| Graphics | Intel UHD Graphics 600 |
| Memory | 4GB DDR4 8GB DDR4 |
| Weight | 2.45 lbs (1112.4 grams) |
| Storage | 64GB SSD eMMC 128GB SSD eMMC |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 5: 802.11ac Bluetooth Wireless 5.0 LE technology |
| Ports | 1 x USB-C (no thunderbolt support) 1 x USB-A 1 x 3.5 mm headphone jack 1 x DC port |
| Battery life | Up to 16 hours |
| Colors | Glacier |
| Security | TPM 2.0 |
| Cameras, video, and audio | 1-megapixel 720p camera (front-facing) 2W stereo speakers |
| Sensors | NA |
| Casing | Plastic |
| Dimensions | 283.70 x 193.05 x 17.85mm |
| OS | Windows 11 SE |
Perhaps one of the features that stands out is how easy the Surface Laptop SE is to repair. According to the marketing material, the device uses regular screws to take the device apart to troubleshoot, fix, or replace components, such as hard drive, memory, battery, and more.
Also, this device includes all the essential ports, including USB-C, A, 3.5mm headphone jack, and while you won’t get the Surface power port, you will be getting the standard DC charge port.
Although the Surface Laptop SE does not have all the bells and whistles you come to expect on a Surface device, it includes all the minimum specs for kindergarten through eighth-grade students to get the work done.
Surface Laptop SE will launch later in 2021 and early 2022 for $249 for the base model. You can get more details at the Microsoft Store.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].