Microsoft's Surface Laptop 6 was announced during the company's live stream on March 21

Microsoft announced the Surface Laptop 6 as part of its "New Era of Work" event This live streaming presentation showcased new products (including the Surface Pro 10) and services for corporate and business customers

That's why the first Surface Laptop 6 we've ever encountered is actually the Surface Laptop 6 for Business, a commercial model that Microsoft hopes to sell in volume to business and enterprise customers

However, I have been covering laptops for many years, and I don't think I see any significant difference between the Surface Laptop 6 for Business and the otherwise ordinary Surface Laptop 6 This is because these laptops will be priced for volume purchases and will be offered for larger companies with more business-friendly features, such as an optional NFC card reader for corporate security

With that in mind, here's a quick rundown of everything we know about the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6

Like the previous generation, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 6 will be available in two sizes: a 135-inch model and a 15-inch version Like the previous generation, the 13-inch Surface Laptop 6 will start at $999 and the 15-inch model will start at $1299

It is still unclear when the Surface Laptop 6 will hit store shelves, but it is very likely that it will be available by the end of May

Surface Laptop 6 looks very similar to Surface Laptop 5, which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you feel about Surface Laptop design

I have reviewed the last two models (Surface Laptop 4 and Surface Laptop 5) in both 13-inch and 15-inch sizes and have always liked the simple design of these Windows 11 laptops [The 135-inch model measures 121 x 88 x 066 inches and weighs roughly 306 pounds, while the 15-inch Laptop 6 is heavier at 134 x 96 x 067 pounds, 37 pounds more than befits its larger size

These will also be some of the first Surface computers with Copilot keys on the keyboard, but since Copilot is not yet available worldwide, these keys will be optional [ie, a 135" or 15" touchscreen with 201 pixels per inch (PPI)

This corresponds to a display resolution of 2256 x 1504 on a 13" and 2496 x 1664 on a 15", which in my experience is sufficient to get the job done

However, after reviewing the last two generations of Surface laptops, I find myself wishing that Microsoft would increase the brightness of these screens While the older Surface models were easy to use indoors, they were very difficult to see outdoors in direct sunlight, with strong glare, even with the brightness turned up to maximum

Microsoft claims that the new Surface Laptop 6 model has an anti-reflective coating that can reduce reflections by up to 50%, so perhaps this latest laptop will be easier to use outdoors We won't know for sure until we actually review it

Surface laptops, like many ultraportables, have always had few ports This is because the Surface Laptop has USB-C, USB-A, and a headphone jack, while the Air has USB-C and no headphone jack

This trend continues unabated with the Surface Laptop 6, which has essentially the same port arrangement as the previous model

The 135-inch Surface Laptop 6 once again features Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 ports (for fast charging via USB-C and support for up to one 8K external monitor via DisplayPort 2) 1), a USB-A 31 port, a 35mm headphone jack, and a Surface Connect port for chargers and Surface accessories

The 15-inch Surface Laptop 6 has all of these plus an additional Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 port Corporate customers may also order the 15-inch Laptop 6 with a built-in smart card reader for added security

Surface Laptop 6 for Business is available with two CPU options: Intel Core Ultra 5 135H or Intel Core Ultra 7 165H

These are part of the more powerful Intel Meteor Lake chips, which is good news for those who value performance and AI These are Intel's latest laptop CPUs, with a new (for Intel) "chiplet" design that includes a dedicated NPU (neural processing unit) optimized for the kinds of tasks that are increasingly being asked of "AI"

Since Microsoft's Copilot "AI" chatbot is a big part of the company's ongoing business strategy, it is good to see the NPU on these Surfaces It remains to be seen if there will be a lot of software in the coming year that will take full advantage of this new chip

Microsoft's Surface Laptop 6 will offer Omnisonic speakers with Dolby Atmos and Bluetooth audio support The laptop will also feature a studio microphone for video calls and voice commands

The Surface Laptop 6 will feature a redesigned Surface Studio Camera embedded in the top bezel that can capture 1080 images and videos It also allows users to log in using facial recognition if Windows Hello is enabled

The Surface Laptop is a fine, serviceable Windows laptop that looks great on a desk and is not too expensive; the Surface Laptop 6 for Business seems to be following in its footsteps, offering a solid, no-frills Windows laptop at a not-so-expensive price While this may be good news for companies that need to modernize their laptops, it is a bit disappointing to me [because I liked the first Surface Laptop I reviewed in 2022 and thought it would be a killer productivity laptop with just a few improvements [But the Surface Laptop 5 was such a disappointing return that I can't believe Microsoft is interested in designing interesting or attractive laptops these past few years, aside from the unique sliding display of the Surface Laptop Studio 2, we haven't seen much innovation from Microsoft laptops

Microsoft is the company that Windows built, and it has a large enough hardware business that it should be able to produce the best Windows laptops on the market Sadly, that is generally not the case, and looking at the Surface Laptop 6 for Business, there is no hope that will change anytime soon