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

Microsoft just announced the new 12-inch Surface Pro and 13-inch Surface Laptop. I have not seen either new Windows 11 machines in person, so I have no idea how they feel in the hand. I don’t know if the smaller display on the Surface Pro is a downgrade or not. I also can’t say whether or not the lower resolution screen on the Surface Laptop is visibly worse than last year’s model. Even so, I’m certain of one thing: People will be mad that Microsoft removed the magnetic Surface Connect port from both PCs.

From the serial port to USB-A to the headphone jack, history is littered with outrage over the disappearance of longstanding ports. In the words of the wise Peter Griffin, this kinda thing “really grinds my gears.” Look, I understand the anger echoing from the front to the back—nobody wants to lose a useful port unless there’s a legitimate reason to nix it or there’s a better replacement.

On a Teams call last week, Jit Hirani, lead designer for Surface Devices, offered a pragmatic answer. To shave down the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop to be the thinnest and lightest Surface Windows PCs ever created (the truly thinnest Surface devices go to the ill-fated Surface Duo phones), Microsoft had to ditch the Surface Connect port, which was used for charging and connecting to accessories like the Surface Dock.

“What you’ll notice is [the 12-inch Surface Pro] comes with USB-C charging only,” Hirani told Gizmodo. “This is intentional. Why? Because if you look in your bag today, I’m pretty sure there are multiple devices in there that are charged with USB-C.”

Hirani suggests that removing the Surface Connect port is consumer-friendly because you’ll have one less proprietary charger to stow in your bag. That may be true, but it’s also true that you could charge older Surface Pros and Surface Laptops using their USB-C ports in addition to the Surface Connect port. It wasn’t like you were forced to use one or the other—you had choice.

The brilliance of the Surface Connect port was its magnetic attachment to compatible Surface computers. Just like Apple’s MagSafe chargers for its MacBooks, should you or anyone else ever trip over the Surface Connect cable, your Surface wouldn’t be at risk of faceplanting into the floor. The magnetic charging cable and port were a quality-of-life feature that made it worth paying a premium for a Surface. It’s saved my old Surface Pro 7 from certain display damage more times than I can remember. The outcry when Apple removed MagSafe and went all-in on USB-C charging, starting with the 12-inch MacBook in 2015, was so prolonged that the company brought back the magnetic charging port in 2020 when it dumped Intel chips for its own silicon with the M1-powered MacBooks.

I also wouldn’t be surprised if Microsoft has survey data showing that Surface owners aren’t using their Surface Connect ports to charge their devices as much as they’re using USB-C, and perhaps there aren’t many Surface Dock owners in the real world. No point in including the magnetic dock (another added cost to the BOM, aka build of materials) if reported usage is low.

When I grilled for a more satisfying answer, Hirani suggested that thinness and lightness were greater priorities to make the new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop more modern and portable. I mean no disrespect, but I thought after Jony Ive left Apple, the pursuit of ever-skinnier computers with unnecessary tradeoffs (like removing useful ports) was over. It seems designers can’t quit thinner and lighter devices yet.

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

It’s not like I can’t appreciate thinner Surfaces. I can! I’ve reviewed enough gadgets, seen enough teardowns, and toured enough R&D labs at various tech companies (including Microsoft’s Surface design studio) to know that modern laptops and tablets are packed extremely densely. Every millimeter of a Surface is filled as much as possible with electronics, and when both the footprint and profile are reduced, there’s even less room to house certain components—like the Surface Connect port—despite appearing to fit.

If you’re hoping that Microsoft might only be testing the waters now that former Surface chief Panos Panay abandoned ship for Amazon, I have some bad news for you. While Hirani didn’t outright confirm they’ve buried the Surface Connect port in the graveyard, there’s a good chance that future Surface refreshes to machines like the Surface Laptop Studios or more budget Surface Go tablets will ditch the magnetic port. “We want [USB-C] to fit into your ecosystem and your lifestyle … we will see more of this behavior as we think beyond this generation.”