Microsoft commits to 6 years of firmware updates for new and some older Surface PCs
Surface PCs shipped in 2021 onward are getting two extra years of firmware updates.
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What you need to know
Microsoft has quietly updated itsSurface support documentationwith new information about how the company plans to support its Surface PCs with firmware updates. Originally, Microsoft had only committed to supporting Surface PCs with firmware updates for four years, but that now appears to be changing.
The updated documentation states that any Surface PC shipped after January 1, 2021 will receive six years of firmware updates. Surface devices shipped before that date will remain on four years of firmware updates. This meansSurface Pro 7+,Surface Go 3,Surface Laptop 4,Surface Laptop Go 2,Surface Studio 2+,Surface Laptop Studio 1and newer have all had their support cycles extended by two additional years.
Here’s what the documentation says:
Firmware updates for Surface PCs are designed to make the device work better with Windows. These updates can consist of battery life and performance improvements, and sometimes even add or enable new features in Windows. So, the longer your Surface PC is supported with firmware updates, the better.
With that said, these are not the same as OS updates. While firmware updates can aid in the transition to a new version of Windows, they are not always required. So even on a Surface PC that no longer receives firmware updates, you may still be able to install the latest version of Windows.
Microsoft does say it reserves the right to extend the firmware support cycle for any device where necessary, an example of this is with the Surface Studio 2 which shipped in 2018 but will be supported until 2024. Generally, most Surface PCs shipped before 2021 will stop receiving firmware updates by the end of next year.
Surface support cycles
You can view the support dates for each Surface device that’s still in support below. Notably, this doesn’t include theSurface DuoandSurface Duo 2, as they do not count as Surface “PCs.”
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A good sign or bad sign?
It’s good to see Microsoft committing to longer support timeframes for its Surface portfolio. The optimist in me sees this as Microsoft doubling down on its hardware business, which is exactly what we want to see.
On the flipside, the pessimist in me thinks this change is happening because the company is planning to reduce how often it releases updated hardware. One of the reasons why the Surface Studio 2 had its support cycle extended to 5 years was because Microsoft took so long to ship a successor.
Of course, we won’t know for sure what this means until we see what Surface’s new leadership team is able to bring to the table now that ex-CVP Panos Panay is out the door. Notably, Surface Pro and Surface Laptop didn’t receive a refresh this year, marking the first time in a while that Microsoft hasn’t updated those lines on an annual basis.
Zac Bowden is a Senior Editor at Windows Central. Bringing you exclusive coverage into the world of Windows on PCs, tablets, phones, and more. Also an avid collector of rare Microsoft prototype devices! Keep in touch onTwitterandThreads
