As Apple seems to be preparing an update or more models of its Mac computers, Microsoft is trying to do something similar with Surface Laptop SE 2, which would appear a year and a half after the first generation. For those lost, it’s a budget laptop model from the Redmond giant that looks like it’ll be refreshed in 2023 with Intel’s N-series processors.

According to Zac Bowden, a journalist focused on Microsoft, the Surface Laptop SE 2 would be almost ready for launch. Although a specific date has not yet been specified, it is known likely to include an Intel Alder Lake N-series processor. For the rest, the profile of the device doesn’t seem to have changed, so it would keep students and teachers as its target audience and sell cheaply. The original model was launched in the United States at a reference price of $279, an amount that will inevitably rise when it is officially available for the Eurozone.

Hearing that a Surface Laptop SE 2 with Intel’s new Alder Lake N processor is on the horizon.

—Zac Bowden (@zacbowden) January 16, 2023

To get an idea of ​​what the Surface Laptop SE 2 will be like from a technological point of view, we recall that Intel presented the N series of its processors at the last CES 2023. These models stand out have only effective cores (E-core) in the amount that can be four or eight, which will be accompanied by a corresponding integrated graph. No, there are no high-performance cores (P-cores) here, so computers that contain them will have a rather modest profile and at best will only be able to run very old and/or very basic video games.

Of course, despite the “modest” approach, the Intel N-200 processor represents a up to 28% performance improvement compared to the previous Celeron Silver, while the Core i3-N3xx will offer another CPU performance boost that the company says is 42%. In turn, integrated graphics will improve performance by 64% in casual games and another 55% in the case of Core.

In short, the Surface Laptop SE 2 will be more of the same, but more powerful despite using a fairly modest processor. Obviously, this would not be a product oriented towards gaming and demanding tasks, but it should be fine when it comes to performing functions such as office and playing multimedia content.

PLEASE NOTE: The cover image shows the first generation Surface Laptop SE.