Introducing Surface Laptop SE for Education

[Frank Buchholz]

We're delighted to announce the arrival of the Surface experience to the Education space bringing the simplicity and premium design of our classic laptop form-factor at the most affordable price point ever, starting at $249. Surface Laptop SE runs Windows 11 SE, a new cloud-first operating system, and comes pre-loaded with widely used apps¹ like Microsoft Teams, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneNote, Edge, Minecraft Education edition and Flipgrid. On first use, core education apps are already on the taskbar. Available to commercial EDU customers only, Laptop SE begins shipping early next year in the US, Canada, UK and Japan.

Get a first look here: 

 

Optimized

How can a Surface cost only $249? Well, for starters, Windows 11 SE requires less memory and uses a smaller footprint than all our other devices running Windows 11 Pro, allowing it to perform well using more affordable components. Bringing down costs can mean trade-offs like using hard plastic instead of Alcantara fabric on the keyboard.  Still, now that blended and hybrid learning has become a more lasting part of education, it's more important than ever for students to have an engaging, affordable device. Surface Laptop SE delivers a secure, premium experience for students and easy deployment and management¹ for IT at an approachable cost.

But make no mistake. Surface Laptop SE will still turn heads. It's a beautiful, light, and thin laptop featuring a high-res display that comes to life on an 11.6-inch screen. Students will like the standard size keyboard, the Surface typing experience, 3.5 mm audio jack, and no "floating trackpad." Plus, Laptop SE comes with USB-C and USB-A ports for connecting to displays, docking stations and more, as well as accessory charging. With up to 16-hours ² of battery life, students can be confident in carrying Surface Laptop SE to power their creativity and learning through a whole school day.​ When it's time to plug in, charge Surface Laptop SE with the included barrel-type DC connector or use a USB-C power delivery charger³ (60 watts or greater).

Windows 11 is the most inclusively designed OS to date, with greater accessibility and built-in learning tools and user controls. Specifically, Windows SE is built to empower students to access materials independently, while teachers can personalize learning for all — regardless of ability or learning style. Features like color filters, high contrast modes or the Microsoft Immersive Reader can help students of all abilities achieve more.

 

Easy to deploy and manage

IT admins and teachers can quickly deploy Surface Laptop SE to students and remotely manage apps and policy settings. With schools relying more on remote connections, students need devices that help them stay engaged even when they're not in the classroom — and that offer a learning experience tailored for their individual needs and learning styles. IT must provision and deploy devices remotely and manage updates throughout the school year. And security risks are more prevalent than before, requiring more advanced responses across devices, users, apps and data. To help address these challenges, Surface Laptop SE delivers flexibility and engagement at an affordable cost enabling IT admins to use familiar tools including Windows Autopilot and Intune for Education for zero-touch deployment and management. Plus, with the new Surface Management Portal admins can view health and warranty information for all Surface devices and easily open bulk device replacement - without the need to engage a support agent.

Windows 11 SE is limited in the apps that IT admins or teachers can install. This curated experience is by design, based on feedback from teachers who want a simple, distraction-free environment for their students and IT admins who need devices to be easy to manage and perform well all year. So, we selected apps to meet key education scenarios such as joining a class, submitting assignments and taking notes. Windows 11 SE supports most applications that students and educators need, including Win32 apps and modern applications, such as Universal Windows Platform (UWP) and Progressive Web Apps (PWA).

A key difference from standard devices such as Surface Go 3:  On Surface Laptop SE, only IT admins can install apps, configure advanced features or manage settings. For example, IT admins can:

• Remotely wipe and reconfigure devices.
• Install additional apps like Zoom, Chrome, Class Policy, Light Speed, ScreenBeam and more.
• Enable BitLocker on all devices.

 

Protected

Surface Laptop SE comes with the same security protections as our other devices.

• Chip to cloud security. Surface Laptop SE fully integrates in-depth, layered security from the UEFI firmware layer to the Azure Cloud.
• Automatic updates. We work closely with Windows and the Microsoft 365 Teams to ensure that Surface Laptop SE not only meets stringent security standards but is also capable of automatically receiving updates.
• Microsoft UEFI.  IT admins can have peace of mind knowing that Surface firmware is tightly controlled by Microsoft and stays current through automatic updates.

Surface Laptop SE includes a Kensington Nano Security Slot™ to address physical security and a simple and effective lid-lock to lock the operating system when the laptop is closed.

Easy to repair

If needed, schools can repair Surface Laptop SE on-site⁵ and enable students to be up and running again without unnecessary data loss quickly. From replaceable display assemblies to enclosures and most components in between, IT admins can:

• Easily replace core components like screen, motherboard, keyboard, and battery. ⁶
• Reduce waste with unique scannable Surface packaging for easy identification and bulk packaging options to reduce waste.

Learn more

• Surface Laptop SE for Education
• Surface for Education
• Imagining a new era of education | Microsoft EDU

References

1. Requires qualifying Microsoft 365 or Office 365 license; sold separately.
2. Battery life varies significantly based on usage, network and feature configuration, signal strength, settings and other factors. See aka.ms/SurfaceBatteryPerformance  for details. ​
3. Sold separately.
4. Available in the US only at this time.
5. Components can be replaced by customer self-service (as commercial spare parts), by Authorized Service Providers (available in some markets), or by Microsoft. All replaceable components should be serviced by a skilled technician following a Microsoft-provided service guide. The device and components will be available in the US, UK, Japan and Canada.
6. Most components will be available as commercial spare parts or through our Authorized Service Providers shortly after launch. Availability date for some components (such as motherboard and battery) as a commercial spare or for Authorized Service Provider repair may vary.