Why Microsoft Killed the Magnetic Charging Port on the New Surface Pro and Surface Laptop

Microsoft conscionable announced the new 12-inch Surface Pro and 13-inch Surface Laptop. I person not seen either caller Windows 11 machines successful person, truthful I person nary thought however they consciousness successful the hand. I don’t cognize if the smaller show connected the Surface Pro is simply a downgrade oregon not. I besides can’t accidental whether oregon not the little solution surface connected the Surface Laptop is visibly worse than past year’s model. Even so, I’m definite of 1 thing: People volition beryllium huffy that Microsoft removed the magnetic Surface Connect larboard from some PCs.

From the serial larboard to USB-A to the headphone jack, past is littered with outrage implicit the disappearance of longstanding ports. In the words of the omniscient Peter Griffin, this kinda happening “really grinds my gears.” Look, I recognize the choler echoing from the beforehand to the back—nobody wants to suffer a utile larboard unless there’s a morganatic crushed to nix it oregon there’s a amended replacement.

On a Teams telephone past week, Jit Hirani, pb decorator for Surface Devices, offered a pragmatic answer. To shave down the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop to beryllium the thinnest and lightest Surface Windows PCs ever created (the genuinely thinnest Surface devices spell to the ill-fated Surface Duo phones), Microsoft had to ditch the Surface Connect port, which was utilized for charging and connecting to accessories similar the Surface Dock.

“What you’ll announcement is [the 12-inch Surface Pro] comes with USB-C charging only,” Hirani told Gizmodo. “This is intentional. Why? Because if you look successful your container today, I’m beauteous definite determination are aggregate devices successful determination that are charged with USB-C.”

Hirani suggests that removing the Surface Connect larboard is consumer-friendly due to the fact that you’ll person 1 little proprietary charger to stow successful your bag. That whitethorn beryllium true, but it’s besides existent that you could complaint older Surface Pros and Surface Laptops utilizing their USB-C ports successful summation to the Surface Connect port. It wasn’t similar you were forced to usage 1 oregon the other—you had choice.

The brilliance of the Surface Connect larboard was its magnetic attachment to compatible Surface computers. Just similar Apple’s MagSafe chargers for its MacBooks, should you oregon anyone other ever travel implicit the Surface Connect cable, your Surface wouldn’t beryllium astatine hazard of faceplanting into the floor. The magnetic charging cablegram and larboard were a quality-of-life diagnostic that made it worthy paying a premium for a Surface. It’s saved my aged Surface Pro 7 from definite show harm much times than I tin remember. The outcry erstwhile Apple removed MagSafe and went all-in connected USB-C charging, starting with the 12-inch MacBook successful 2015, was truthful prolonged that the institution brought backmost the magnetic charging port successful 2020 erstwhile it dumped Intel chips for its ain silicon with the M1-powered MacBooks.

I besides wouldn’t beryllium amazed if Microsoft has survey information showing that Surface owners aren’t utilizing their Surface Connect ports to complaint their devices arsenic overmuch arsenic they’re utilizing USB-C, and possibly determination aren’t galore Surface Dock owners successful the existent world. No constituent successful including the magnetic dock (another added outgo to the BOM, aka physique of materials) if reported usage is low.

When I grilled for a much satisfying answer, Hirani suggested that thinness and lightness were greater priorities to marque the caller Surface Pro and Surface Laptop much modern and portable. I mean nary disrespect, but I thought aft Jony Ive near Apple, the pursuit of ever-skinnier computers with unnecessary tradeoffs (like removing utile ports) was over. It seems designers can’t discontinue thinner and lighter devices yet.

At 0.30 inches (7.8mm) heavy and weighing 1.5 pounds (686g), the 12-inch Surface Pro makes the previous, larger 13-inch Surface Pro (11th-gen) look downright bulky, adjacent though it’s 9.3mm heavy and weighs 895g.

It’s not similar I can’t admit thinner Surfaces. I can! I’ve reviewed capable gadgets, seen capable teardowns, and toured capable R&D labs astatine assorted tech companies (including Microsoft’s Surface plan studio) to cognize that modern laptops and tablets are packed highly densely. Every millimeter of a Surface is filled arsenic overmuch arsenic imaginable with electronics, and erstwhile some the footprint and illustration are reduced, there’s adjacent little country to location definite components—like the Surface Connect port—despite appearing to fit.

If you’re hoping that Microsoft mightiness lone beryllium investigating the waters present that erstwhile Surface main Panos Panay abandoned vessel for Amazon, I person immoderate atrocious quality for you. While Hirani didn’t outright corroborate they’ve buried the Surface Connect larboard successful the graveyard, there’s a bully accidental that aboriginal Surface refreshes to machines similar the Surface Laptop Studios oregon much budget Surface Go tablets volition ditch the magnetic port. “We privation [USB-C] to acceptable into your ecosystem and your manner … we volition spot much of this behaviour arsenic we deliberation beyond this generation.”