Based on a brand new report, the newly revised mannequin of Microsoft’s Floor line of laptops can barely deal with fundamental, important operations akin to having a number of tabs open, reside video streaming, and even utilizing Google Docs—and each Home windows 11’s poor optimization and the AI knowledge heart–induced RAM shortages, which Microsoft is partly at fault for, are guilty. Mentioned report comes by way of The Verge’s Antonio G. Di Benedetto, who lately reviewed the most cost effective retail model of Microsoft’s newest mannequin of 13-inch Floor Laptops. Nonetheless, to totally put Antonio’s assessment into context, it’s vital to elucidate that the newly revised mannequin in query barely differs from the earlier model that The Verge reviewed final 12 months. So what’s the primary distinction between the 2025 model of the 13-inch Floor Laptop computer, which, on the time, retailed for $900, and the 2026 revision of the identical mannequin, which sells for $950? 8GB of RAM. In an try to proceed providing a funds model of its Floor Laptop computer vary, Microsoft diminished the RAM within the most cost-effective 13-inch Floor Laptop computer from 16GB to 8GB. If you would like an additional 8GB, that’ll set you again an additional $200. OK, however how unhealthy might the 8GB model actually be? Based on Antonio, who beforehand revealed a glowing assessment of the 2025 mannequin of the most cost effective model of 13-inch Floor Laptops (which, once more, got here with 16GB of RAM as customary), fairly unhealthy. Final 12 months, Microsoft’s $900 13-inch Floor Laptop computer shortly turned one in every of my favourite thin-and-light Home windows notebooks. This 12 months, because of RAMageddon, that very same laptop computer prices $950, and now that worth will get you half as a lot RAM. Learn extra from @superantonio64.bsky.social: — The Verge (@theverge.com) 2026-07-17T13:35:22.514Z “I used to be on a Microsoft Groups name (utilizing the app, not a browser) when the host streamed a short video, which made the entire laptop computer dangle for a number of seconds,” acknowledged Antonio. “On the time, I had about 10 Chrome tabs open throughout two desktops, alongside Slack and Sign — not an obscene stage of multitasking. And we didn’t even have our webcams on.”
“The Floor Laptop computer would dangle for a number of seconds like this a number of instances a day, even once I thought I wasn’t pushing it too laborious,” he continued. “I’ve had these momentary freezes whereas simply working in some Google Docs — no Groups name operating or something streaming within the background.” So what precisely is the wrongdoer of all this freezing and stuttering? Antonio acknowledged that after “a recent reboot with naked minimal startup apps operating,” Process Supervisor displayed that the 8GB Floor Laptop computer was “utilizing 4.2GB of RAM.” In case you’re curious why that’s vital, it’s virtually precisely the quantity of RAM required to run Home windows 11.
And the worst half is, Home windows 11’s poor optimization is just half guilty for this. One of many explanation why RAM is so bloody costly is because of all the info facilities being constructed, one thing Microsoft itself is closely invested in. Microsoft has introduced, and that is no exaggeration, a whole bunch of billions of {dollars} price of investments into constructing AI knowledge facilities. Mentioned investments additionally don’t embody the opposite a whole bunch of billions of {dollars} they’ve invested into serving to construct the likes of OpenAI and Copilot. However hey, I suppose they managed to save lots of a couple of dollars by firing hundreds of Xbox staff and gutting a bunch of studios earlier this month. Perhaps with these financial savings they’ll produce even worse, costlier variations of {hardware} that no person can afford anyway.
