Microsoft's Surface Laptop 8 launched this summer, sporting new Snapdragon X2 chips. The flagship laptops promise a premium experience, better battery life than the previous generation, and improved graphics performance.

The bump in performance is expected considering the Surface Laptop 8 has a brand-new chip inside, so a different improvement is more noteworthy. The Surface Laptop 8 is one of the only devices to support Windows 11's new advanced haptics feature. It's the only laptop to support the feature.

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Advanced haptics sends a subtle bump through a touchpad, mouse, or stylus to let you feel Windows 11. For example, rearranging windows on your screen through Snap Layouts gives a clear indication of when you've hovered over a different layout.

Our Senior Editor Zac Bowden said "Windows 11's new 'Haptic Signals' feature is a quality of life upgrade [he] didn't realize the OS needed until [he] tried it." Now, you can experience the same thing since the Surface Laptop 8 is available for purchase.

Why should I care about advanced haptics?

As a quick point of clarity, the Surface Laptop 8 with Snapdragon X2 is what recently became available. Microsoft launched the Surface Laptop 8 for Business earlier this year. The business model runs on an Intel processor and comes with features you likely do not need as a general user.

Both the consumer and business versions of the Surface Laptop 8 support advanced haptics, but I recommend the consumer model to most people.

Advanced haptics is one of those small touches that makes Windows 11 feel polished. I appreciate UI changes and other Windows 11 improvements, but I'm more interested in features like advanced haptics because it changes the hands-on experience with a PC — quite literally.

"The new advanced haptic touchpad is a joy to use. It provides subtle tactile cues that confirm your actions," said our Editor-in-Chief Daniel Rubino in our Surface Laptop 8 review.

Our friends at Tom's Guide came away similarly impressed when reviewing the Surface Laptop 8:

"I’m also fond of the touchpad, which delivers satisfying haptic feedback when pressed. With some apps, you will even feel haptics when hovering over the X button on a window, which is quite fun and intuitive."

Right now, Windows 11 is the main way that you'll experience advanced haptics. But there's an API for the feature, so third-party developers can leverage it. Filmora, Affinity, and other third-party apps either already support the feature or will soon.

The only other way to use Windows 11's advanced haptics feature is to have a Logitech MX Master 4 or a supported stylus like the Surface Slim Pen 2. Over time, more devices should support the feature, but the Surface Laptop 8 beat everything else to the punch.

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The most exciting new Surface features in years are now available on a PC with a Snapdragon X processor. The Surface Laptop 8 for Business can now be purchased with a Snapdragon X2 Plus or Snapdragon X2 Elite.

For those who prefer a 2-in-1 over a traditional laptop, the Surface Pro 12 for Business (13-inch) is also available with a Snapdragon X2 chip. Like its clamshell sibling, the Surface Pro for Business also had an Intel model launch earlier this year.

The official names of the new PCs are "Surface Pro for Business 12th Edition" and "Surface Laptop for Business 8th Edition" but I've referred to them as the Surface Pro 12 for Business and Surface Laptop 8 for Business in this piece for ease of reading.

The standout feature of this year's Surface lineup is the privacy screen seen in the Surface Laptop 8 for Business. That display can be set to obscure content on your screen when people try to view it at an angle. It's similar to Samsung's screen on the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

The built-in privacy screen of the Surface Laptop 8 for Business combats creeping eyes from all angles, as opposed to third-party privacy screen protectors that only work from the sides.

The Intel version of the Surface Laptop 8 for Business launched earlier this year and received high marks from our Editor-in-Chief. The vast majority of what makes that laptop great extends to the Surface Laptop 8 for Business with Snapdragon X2, which are now available to order.

The haptic trackpad of the Surface Laptop 8 for Business is also a key addition. Thanks to a recent update to Windows 11, you can now feel the operating system and supported apps as you interact with them. Haptic buzzes occur when you drag files in File Explorer or perform certain actions.

The Surface Laptop 8 for Business is one of few devices to support the new haptic experience.

The new Surface Pro 12 for Business is largely a spec bump when compared to its predecessor. The Snapdragon X2 chip inside delivers better graphics performance than the first-gen Snapdragon X.

The Surface Pro has matured over more than a decade of refinement, so it's hard to complain about Microsoft sticking with what works.

What's special about Surface for Business PCs?

When Microsoft first introduced Snapdragon X chips to its Surface hardware, a split was formed that saw Intel on business PCs and Snapdragon X on consumer hardware. That's no longer the case, since you can order Snapdragon X processors in consumer or business PCs.

Notably, there are no new Intel-powered Surface PCs for consumers in 2026.

There are several differences between the consumer and business models of the latest Surface devices. Here are the features seen only on the business side:

• Pre-installed Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise
• Integrated Privacy Screen option
• Advanced Exchange Warranty service
• Device Firmware Configuration Interface (DFCI) cloud management
• Windows Autopilot tenant pre-registration
• Access to the cloud-based Surface Management Portal
• Native corporate domain onboarding pathways during initial setup
• Intel models available

Most of the features seen in the Surface for Business PCs are options general consumers would never use. The exception being the privacy screen that I wish was available on consumer versions of the Surface Laptop.

One key difference between the Snapdragon X2-powered Surface Pro 12 for Business and its Intel counterpart is that you can only get 5G connectivity with the Intel model.

Anyone can purchase a Surface for Business device. You don't need to own a business or have some sort of special account. But again, you're likely paying for unneeded features compared to the consumer Surface PCs unless you really need a privacy screen.

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The highly anticipated upgrades to the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop just launched. Both PCs pack the latest Snapdragon X2 processors from Qualcomm, promising better performance while still delivering great battery life.

The biggest upgrade in the lineup is performance. Microsoft promises up to 53% faster graphics performance on the Surface Pro than the previous generation. The Surface Laptop sees an even larger bump of up to 58% when compared to the last generation.

Those improvements are thanks to the Snapdragon X2 processors inside the Surface Laptop and Surface Pro.

Now, Best Buy has a wide range of configurations available for the Surface Laptop and Surface Pro. I've included a mix of various colors, storage options, and processors. But there are plenty of other configurations up for grabs if you want to mix and match.

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The new chips from Qualcomm perform well and let your PC last all day. Exact performance will vary based on the full specs of a PC, but the Snapdragon X2 Elite competes with Apple's M4 Pro. The Snapdragon X2 Plus stands toe-to-toe with Apple's M3 Pro.

Benchmarks and spec sheets aside, any Surface with a Snapdragon X2 chip will handle a wide range of workloads and tackle productivity tasks easily.

While the Snapdragon X2 chips are the stars of the show, they're not the only upgrades worth checking out in the new Surface Laptop and Surface Pro.

What's new with the latest Surface Pro and Surface Laptop?

There are more display options than ever across the Surface lineup. The new Surface Pro is available with either an OLED display or an LCD screen. The new Surface Laptop 15-inch has a screen with 262 PPI, which is much higher than the last generation offered.

But the new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop are more than a spec bump. While they share much of their designs with the last generation, both offer a new way to use haptics.

The Surface Laptop now features a haptic trackpad that allows you to feel Windows 11 and supported apps. The Surface Pro delivers a similar experience when paired with the latest Surface Slim Pen.

The new experience comes courtesy of Windows 11's new haptic feedback system. That system sends subtle vibrations when you perform certain tasks, such as dragging files in File Explorer or snapping windows.

The new Surface Laptop and Surface Pro build on over a decade of refinement by Microsoft. The overall form factor has matured, but Microsoft has figured out how to squeeze innovation from designs that were already almost perfect.

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