Microsoft has increased the prices of its Surface laptops, making the least expensive option now twice as costly as the MacBook Neo.

      Jeremy Kaplan/Digital Trends / Jeremy Kaplan/Digital Trends

      Microsoft appears to have concluded that its Surface PCs were not sufficiently priced and has quietly increased prices across its entire current lineup at the Microsoft Store. These increases are significant, ranging from $200 to $500 depending on the model, and other retailers are likely to follow soon.

      The flagship devices have reached outrageous pricing levels.

      The entry-level option for Microsoft’s Surface range has seen a dramatic rise. The 12-inch Surface Pro, previously the most affordable modern Surface at $799, now begins at $1,049. The 13-inch Surface Laptop, which used to cost $899, now starts at $1,149. To illustrate the absurdity, Microsoft's mid-tier devices now have a higher price point than its flagship models had upon their launch in 2024. This is a statement that should not make sense, yet it is the current reality.

      Microsoft

      At the highest end of the lineup, the pricing becomes even more difficult to justify. Both the flagship Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 11 now start at $1,499, an increase of $500 from their launch prices in 2024. Meanwhile, a fully equipped 15-inch Surface Laptop featuring the Snapdragon X Elite, 64GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage will set you back $3,649. For comparison, Apple's 16-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 Pro chip, the same RAM, and storage is priced at $3,299, offering a noticeably superior display and significantly better performance. Microsoft is commanding a premium for offering less.

      Rising RAM costs are being blamed.

      Microsoft has cited increasing memory and component costs as the rationale behind the price hikes, with a spokesperson noting “recent increases in memory and component costs” as the primary reason. The company asserts it remains committed to providing value, but this claim is challenging to uphold while pricing a mid-tier laptop over $1,000. The entire PC industry is grappling with RAM supply pressures, so Microsoft is not the only one facing these cost increases. However, it stands out as one of the few companies passing on these costs so aggressively.

      Microsoft

      A particularly telling indication of how skewed this situation has become is that the latest MacBook Air is now $400 less expensive than the Surface Laptop 7. This is making it increasingly difficult to justify Microsoft's value proposition. So, if you were waiting for a good deal on a Surface Laptop 7 or Surface Pro 11 ahead of the next generation's release, that strategy has backfired. New Surface devices are expected later this spring and summer, but with Microsoft locking in these higher prices ahead of those announcements, it’s unlikely the updated models will be priced any lower. Sales may mitigate some of the impact, but that will depend entirely on the depth of the discounts. As it stands, if you're looking for a Windows laptop and prefer not to pay Microsoft's current prices, there are plenty of alternative options that now seem significantly more attractive.

      Shimul is a contributor at Digital Trends with over five years of experience in the tech industry.

      Microsoft has significantly increased the prices of Surface laptops and tablets.

      Purchasing a new Surface has become considerably costlier across Microsoft's product lineup.

      Microsoft is the latest brand to impose a major price increase on its computing devices, and the rise is noticeable. The highly sought-after Surface laptops are experiencing price increases across the board. As previously mentioned, the shortage of memory and rising component costs are cited as the reasons. The updated pricing is already reflected in the Microsoft Store for the current generation of hardware.

      How substantial are the price increases?

      You can create a custom two-tone MacBook Neo, provided you have the DIY tools.

      Interested in a two-tone MacBook Neo? Apple's repair store may allow you to do just that.

      While the MacBook Neo may be Apple's most affordable laptop, it has also become one of the strangest DIY projects the company has inadvertently enabled in years. As noted by Macworld, Apple has opened up MacBook Neo parts through its Self Service Repair program, and it seems that the store allows for some creative color combinations. The store does not restrict replacement part purchases based on the original color of your device. This means that you can order a Citrus bottom case for a silver MacBook Neo or Indigo keycaps for a blush-colored model.

      Beware of this fraudulent Windows update support site that spreads password-stealing malware.

      A counterfeit Windows update site is deceiving users into downloading malware.

      If you encounter a website instructing you to manually install a "Windows update" via a prominent blue download button, close that tab immediately. Malwarebytes has recently discovered a fake Microsoft support site (microsoft-update.support) that pretends to offer a cumulative update for Windows 24H2 while actually distributing password-stealing malware. The entire webpage is designed to appear official and even employs proper KB-style references, while it downloads an 83MB MSI file named Windowsupdate