Microsoft reportedly working on Chromebook competitor with Windows 11 SE

Surface Laptop 4 leak
(Image credit: Microsoft)

After failing to crack Chromebook's market share, Microsoft is seemingly taking the bat at the low-cost EDU market with a new lightened operating system and an affordable laptop.

The report comes from our sister-site Windows Central. Reporter Zac Bowden claims that Microsoft is currently working on a new laptop aimed at the K-12 education market. Bundled with it will be Windows 11SE, an operating system made for low-cost computers. According to Bowden, the new laptop might sell under the Surface brand, possibly being called the Surface Laptop SE. There's no intel on what SE could stand for, but it could possibly be an abbreviation for Student Edition. 

The new laptop, codenamed Tenjin, will not be cutting edge by any means. Bowden's sources claim that this new laptop will sport an all-plastic body, a 1377x768 resolution, an Intel Celeron N4120 processor and up to 8GB of RAM. While this configuration is not major by today's standards, it does spec higher than all the Chromebooks found on our best laptops under $500 list. Granted, that could also be because Windows is a heavier operating system than Chrome OS. Even then, it may give teachers and students more headroom to work with over Chrome devices. 

This is not the first time Microsoft has attempted to take on Google's dominance in the low-cost affordable laptop market. Windows RT was a brand of Windows 8 that ran on ARM processors. It was succeeded by Windows 10 S, which was phased out in March 2018. And then in 2020, Microsoft announced Windows 10X, which ultimately was cancelled. Many of the design elements of Windows 10X were integrated into Windows 11, however. 

Either way, this new Microsoft device will need to be priced aggressively. Many Chromebooks by HP, Acer and Dell target the sub-$400 price. And once school districts lock in to a new set of machines, they try and use those machines for as long as possible before migrating over. Microsoft's pitch to the education market will need to be functionally robust and value-focused. 

Imad Khan

Imad is currently Senior Google and Internet Culture reporter for CNET, but until recently was News Editor at Tom's Guide. Hailing from Texas, Imad started his journalism career in 2013 and has amassed bylines with the New York Times, the Washington Post, ESPN, Wired and Men's Health Magazine, among others. Outside of work, you can find him sitting blankly in front of a Word document trying desperately to write the first pages of a new book.

Read more
Surface Pro 11 with keyboard detached
Microsoft tipped to launch new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop this spring — with Snapdragon X
Microsoft image of the Surface 7 and Surface Pro 11 hybrid laptops
Microsoft introduces new Intel-powered Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 11 Copilot+ PCs
HP OmniBook
HP’s new OmniBook lineup looks set to smash AI laptop price barriers — that’s a good thing if the company keeps up its end of the deal
Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 open on table with flower and and orb next to it with Tom's Guide Lowest Price badge
Score! Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 gets a massive $500 price cut in Amazon Spring Sale deal
Chromebook deals
Best Chromebook deals and prices in March 2025
Best Chromebooks leading choice Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus on a desk
Best Chromebooks in 2025: our top picks
Latest in Laptops
Surface Laptop 7 from the front
Amazon just gave Surface Laptop 7 a 'frequently returned' label — here's what's going on
MacBook Air M4 vs MacBook Pro M4
MacBook Air M4 vs MacBook Pro M4 — I'll help you pick the best MacBook for your needs
Razer Blade
Nvidia's DLSS 4 demo in a Razer Blade 16 with RTX 5090 gives me hope again for next-gen gaming laptops
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 shown with game controller
I wanted an RTX 50-series gaming laptop, but $620 off this Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 broke me
The Razer Blade 16 (2025) on a couch
Razer Blade 16 with RTX 5060 spotted in new leak — with a pretty shocking $1,999 price tag
HP OmniBook
HP’s new OmniBook lineup looks set to smash AI laptop price barriers — that’s a good thing if the company keeps up its end of the deal
Latest in News
NYTimes Connections
NYT Connections today hints and answers — Friday, March 28 (#656)
Reddit logo and Reddit logo on phone
Reddit, X and MLB.TV were down — live updates on outage
Nintendo Switch 2 console, Joy-Con controllers and dock
The Switch 2's mysterious "C" button may have just been confirmed by Nintendo
Nintendo Switch virtual game card
Nintendo just announced 'Virtual Game Cards' ahead of Switch 2 launch
Apple TV Plus
Everything new on Apple TV Plus in April 2025
Gerard Butler as Detective Nick "Big Nick" O'Brien in "Den of Thieves 2: Pantera"
Netflix top 10 movies — here’s the 3 worth watching right now