The End of an Era: Saying Goodbye to the Surface Connect Charger

Is it overly sentimental to mourn the passing of a laptop charger? Perhaps. But for those of us who have faithfully used Microsoft’s Surface devices for years, the retirement of the Surface Connect port feels like a genuine loss. With the latest 13-inch Surface Laptop and 12-inch Surface Pro, Microsoft has finally embraced the ubiquitous USB-C, leaving behind the iconic Surface Connect connector.

For newcomers to the Surface ecosystem, this change might seem insignificant. However, for long-time users, the Surface Connect was more than just a charging port; it was a defining characteristic of the Surface experience.

The Surface Connect made its debut a decade ago with the Surface Pro 3. This tablet, arguably the first Surface device to truly capture the potential of a Windows tablet, also introduced a new charger that, while incompatible with previous models, offered significant advantages. It provided a convenient and safe way to charge Surface devices, and it heralded an era of charger consistency that lasted for 11 years.

The Surface Connect was Microsoft’s answer to Apple’s MagSafe charger. MagSafe, introduced with the MacBook Pro, used a magnetic connector that prevented accidental laptop crashes by safely detaching the power cable if someone tripped over it. The Surface Connect offered the same benefit, albeit a few years later.

Beyond safety, the Surface Connect fostered a sense of charger reliability. For years, the IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad ecosystem was praised for its charger compatibility. Users could rely on their existing chargers to power successive generations of ThinkPads, accumulating a collection of chargers for home and travel. The Surface Connect offered a similar advantage. Over years of Surface use, I only experienced a single Surface charger failure. Only the Surface Book 2’s infamous power management issues ever made me question Microsoft’s charging solution. In recent years, Microsoft transitioned to lower-power 45W and 65W chargers, ensuring that older, more powerful chargers could still be used as reliable backups.

One aspect of the Surface Connect that Microsoft never fully capitalized on was the hidden USB-A port embedded in the power brick. Initially intended for powering early smartphones, this port became outdated as technology advanced. Microsoft could have replaced it with a more versatile USB-C connection, but likely opted to promote the sales of their Surface Docks instead.

Ironically, the 2023 Surface Thunderbolt Dock was the first Microsoft product to abandon the Surface Connect port. As the world embraced Thunderbolt, driven by regulatory pressures from organizations like the European Union to adopt universal standards like USB-C, Thunderbolt, utilizing the USB-C connector, emerged as the preferred solution.

In recent years, Surface devices offered charging flexibility, supporting both the proprietary Surface Connect and the universal USB-C or Thunderbolt. This versatility gave Surface users an advantage that many other laptop owners lacked.

However, the demise of the Surface Connect evokes a sense of what could have been. Like Thunderbolt, the Surface Connect was designed to handle both power and data transmission. This capability hinted at possibilities that Microsoft never explored. We never saw an Xbox gaming PC from Microsoft, nor did they release a Surface laptop with an external Xbox-branded eGPU that could transform a business machine into a gaming powerhouse. Microsoft never pursued these possibilities, nor did they enable third-party developers to do so.

Now, the only reason to hold onto old Surface chargers is to power the legacy Surface devices that still linger in my office. As time passes, USB-C chargers will gradually replace them, especially as specialized gaming-optimized USB-C chargers become more prevalent.

I’m unsure if the Surface Connect charger deserves a place in the museum of obsolete Microsoft hardware, but I will undoubtedly miss it. It was a reliable and recognizable companion for many years. Farewell, old friend.

For the past decade, I’ve covered technology for PCWorld, drawing on my 30 years of experience. I’ve written over 3,500 articles for PCWorld alone, focusing on PC microprocessors, peripherals, and Microsoft Windows. My work has also appeared in publications such as PC Magazine, Byte, eWEEK, Popular Science, and Electronic Buyers News, where I shared a Jesse H. Neal Award for breaking news. I recently had to give away a collection of dozens of Thunderbolt docks and USB-C hubs, as my office simply couldn’t accommodate them all. The march of technology continues, but some memories, like those of the Surface Connect, linger.