Microsoft announces the Surface Laptop SE, the first of many Windows 11 SE laptops pitched to lure schools and students away from Chromebooks
Microsoft has unveiled the Surface Laptop SE, its cheapest Surface product to date. The Surface Laptop SE is also the first device to launch with Windows 11 SE, a slightly-stripped back version of Windows 11. Microsoft describes its new OS as:
Windows 11 SE was built for teachers who need a simple, distraction-free environment for their students and for school IT admins who need devices that are secure, easy to deploy and manage, and perform well all day across the changing conditions of a school year.
As The Verge discusses, Windows 11 SE is not to Windows 11 as Windows 10 S is to Windows 10. By contrast, Windows 11 SE supports third-party apps, but Microsoft has simplified Snap Layouts and has disabled Widgets. Additionally, Microsoft Edge comes with Chrome extensions enabled by default, the opposite of the browser's behaviour in Windows 11.
The Surface Laptop SE itself has an 11.6-inch display that operates at 1,366 x 768 pixels in a 16:9 aspect ratio. Accordingly, the device measures just 283.70 x 193.05 x 17.85 mm, but it weighs 1.1 kg. In other words, it is slightly smaller than the Surface Laptop Go while being just as heavy.
The budget laptop will also be available with 4 GB or 8 GB of DDR4 RAM, 64 GB or 128 GB of eMMC flash storage and a Celeron N4020 or Celeron N4120 processor. The Surface Laptop SE lacks a Surface Connect port; Microsoft has equipped it with USB Type-A, Type-C, and a DC barrel ports, instead.
The Surface Laptop SE will be available in multiple markets from early 2022. The laptop will start at US$250, but Microsoft will only sell it to schools and students.
