Microsoft has announced the Surface Laptop SE. The affordably priced notebook will rival laptops running on Chrome OS. The Surface Laptop SE runs on the all-new Windows 11 SE, which is mainly designed for students. Hence, the Surface Laptop SE will be sold exclusively to schools and students.

Surface Laptop SE specifications

The Microsoft Surface Laptop SE has an 11.6-inch TFT LCD display that produces an HD resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels and a 16:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by the modest Intel Celeron N4020 or N4120 processor.

The notebook comes with 4 GB / 8 GB of RAM and eMMC storage choices like 64 GB / 128 GB. It features a 1-megapixel HD camera for video calls.

On the connectivity front, the Surface Laptop SE offers a USB-A port, a USB-C port, a DC port, and a 3.5mm audio jack. It features stereo speakers and promises up to 16 hours of standby time. The notebook weighs 1.11kg.

Microsoft will sell spare parts of the Surface Laptop SE to schools through its authorized partners. This will allow schools to replace components on-site without the need of sending them to the repair center.

Surface Laptop SE pricing and availability

The Surface Laptop SE is scheduled to release in markets like the US, the UK, Canada, and Japan by early 2022. The 4GB + 64GB base model will be priced at $249, whereas the 8GB + 128GB variant will cost $329. In future, brands like Acer, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Fujitsu, Positivo, and JK-IP will also release laptops powered by Windows 11 SE.

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Microsoft has announced a new version of the Windows 11 operating system which is designed to run on low-cost laptops — Microsoft Windows 11 SE. It is specially designed for students and schools.

Windows 11 SE is a stripped-down version of the regular Windows 11 operating system and is targeting K-8 students. The laptops powered by this new edition of the OS will be coming from companies like Dell, HP, Acer, and ASUS, and others.

Microsoft is attempting to focus on simplicity and is optimized to run on slower or low-cost hardware. There’s no Microsoft Store for installing apps but Win32 and Universal apps can be deployed on the device.

Administrators have exclusive control over what apps are installed and run on Windows 11 SE laptops via Microsoft Intune for Education. It has removed several features from the standard Windows 11 for creating a more streamlined and distraction-free experience.

This isn’t the first time Microsoft has launched a stripped-down version of the regular Windows operating system. Earlier, the company had launched Windows 10 S which is streamlined for security and performance, while providing a familiar experience.

The Redmond-based tech giant was also working on a new modern version of the Windows OS, dubbed as Windows 10X with a focus on dual-screen devices but the product was eventually canceled.

Aaron Woodman, Microsoft’s General Manager of Windows, says that this latest Windows 11 SE is more focused on solving a specific problem — How can Microsoft create the ideal OS experience for students and teachers?

With this new version of the operating system, Microsoft is directly competing against the Chrome OS that is powering the Chromebooks which have been adopted for many schools and are offered to students.

Do note that the Windows 11 in S Mode is still a thing and allows users to switch to the normal Windows 11 system while the Windows 11 SE is meant to be run strictly in schools on hardware managed by school administrators.

The Surface Laptop SE, costing $249, is the first device to come running this new Windows 11 SE operating system. But there will be devices from other companies starting as low as $219 and will be launched through the remainder of this year and into 2022.

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Chromebooks‘ popularity, especially among those looking for low-cost computers, can’t be ignored. While Microsoft has tried to offer affordable computers under its Surface Go line, it hasn’t seen wide adoption. A new report says it is having another attempt with the launch of a new lightweight OS called Windows 11 SE that will make its debut on a new affordable Surface Laptop aimed at K-12 students.

Microsoft wants to take on Google’s Chrome OS with Windows 11 SE according to Windows Central. The operating system will be specially made for affordable computers starting with Microsoft’s own affordable computer which should launch as Windows SE. It is not yet known what SE stands for but this trimmed-down version of Windows will have features tailored for educational purposes. However, there are a bunch of details about the upcoming computer.

The source reports that the laptop is codenamed Tenjin and it will have a plastic body. Considering it will be designed for K-12 students, it should be able to survive kids’ not-so-careful handling.

The Surface Laptop SE (tentative name) will have an 11.6-inch 1366 x 768 display, an Intel Celeron N4120 processor, and up to 8GB of RAM. There is no mention of the storage capacity but we won’t rule out the possibility of the base model having just 32GB of storage like many HP Stream laptops.

Other features revealed by the source are a full-sized keyboard and trackpad, a single USB-A and USB-C port, a headphone jack, and a barrel-style power port. We certainly would have preferred if it supported USB-C Power Delivery. The estimated battery life is currently unknown.

There is no mention of when Windows 11 SE and Surface Laptop SE will be announced but the latter is expected to be priced under $400 so it can compete with Chromebooks from Acer, HP, and Lenovo.

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