Microsoft Surface and Copilot Event: Everything announced including new Surface laptops, Copilot+ PC and more
Microsoft just couldn’t wait until its Build developer conference properly starts tomorrow to drop some knowledge bombs. If you missed the event, we rounded up everything Microsoft announced at its Surface and Copilot event.
AI isn’t the star of Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC push — improved Arm support is
Did you think today’s event was all about AI? Senior editor Devindra Hardwar — who you may remember from live blogging this event an hour ago — argues that the most important thing to come out of the Copilot+ event was the news that Windows for Arm has been rebuilt.
Microsoft says that more apps than ever before will run natively on Arm-based chips. Crucially, though, it’s also reworked its solution for running x86 apps, and says that the new emulator under the hood is faster than Apple’s Rosetta 2.
Here are all of the just-announced Copilot+ PCs with Snapdragon X Chips
We knew more computers were coming that would feature a native version of Microsoft’s AI Copilot toolset, but we didn’t quite know how many were set to be announced. It’s practically an AI avalanche. Companies like Dell, Acer and HP have all just announced computers that have adopted Microsoft’s AI software and NVIDIA’s AI hardware. The age of the AI PC is upon us.
We’ve broken down the many, many AI-infused PCs launched at and around Microsoft’s big event right here.
The Yoga Slim 7x is Lenovo’s attempt at a MacBook Air
Last but not least is Lenovo, which has a pair of Copilot+ PCs using Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chip. Our own Sam Rutherford got a chance to check the Yoga Slim 7x out in person before Microsoft’s event, though it was a pre-production version that didn’t have any of Microsoft’s new Copilot+ features enabled. Still, if you’re interested to read his thoughts on that new machine, you can find his article here.
HP Omnibook X hands-on: Vintage branding in the new era of AI
Next up is HP, which is reviving its Omnibook brand for its first Copilot+ PC. Deputy Editor Cherlynn Low got a chance to check one of these out before the show (and before we knew they were called Copilot+ PCs!). You can read her writeup of it here, or watch the video below:
Acer joins Microsoft, Dell and others in announcing a Copilot+ PC
Next up is Acer, which just announced a new laptop that takes full advantage of Microsoft’s Copilot AI technology, the Swift 14 AI. The Acer Swift 14 AI ships in a light metal chassis and boasts a Qualcomm Snapdragon X processor, an integrated NPU that promises up to 45 trillion operations per second and a 14.5-inch WQXGA touch display. Acer also promises all-day battery life, despite the added power. The laptop will be available in July, with a starting price of $1,100.
Here are Dell’s five new Copilot+ PCs
Now that the event is over, it’s time for Microsoft’s partners to wrestle for your attention. To get in on the Copilot+ PC action, Dell is releasing one of the biggest portfolios of compatible laptops with a total of five devices. However, unlike other notebook manufacturers, all of Dell’s new devices are revamps of existing models instead of all-new systems, so here’s a rundown of what the company has to offer.
For enterprise customers, Dell will have the Latitude 5455 and the Latitude 7455, which are offshoots of the current Latitude 5450 and 7450 notebooks. Just like their x86-based siblings, the 5455 is a 14-inch clamshell while the 7455 features a 360-degree 2-in-1 design. The big change is that both new models will be powered by Snapdragon X Plus chips, with only the 7455 capable of moving up to Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon X Elite processor.
Unless there’s a surprise… but I don’t expect one.
That’s it for now folks, we’re off for hands on time!
“Today it’s just the beginning,” Mehdi says.
You’ll find Copilot+ PCs on Microsoft.com as well as leading global retailers, starting at $999. You can pre-order them today and they’ll be available on June 18th.
Lenovo is launching a Yoga Slim 7X and ThinkPad 14S, and Samsung is launching two devices that can work across Galaxy phones.
We’re looking at devices now. The Acer Swift 14a, the ASUS Vivobook S15, and several Dell models, including a new XPS 13. HP also has new OmniBook Copilot+ PCs.
Microsoft’s new Surface Pro has an OLED screen and a redesigned keyboard
Microsoft’s Surface Pro strategy has been, shall we say, a little odd lately. The 2022 Surface Pro 9 came in both Intel and Arm configurations, but the Arm-powered device was both slower and significantly more expensive. Then, earlier this year, Microsoft announced and Intel-powered Surface Pro 10, a fine but boring device focused on IT professionals.
Finally, Microsoft has a new Surface Pro that may get the average person in the market for a laptop to sit up and pay attention. The new Surface Pro Copilot+ PC (no more model numbers!) is another Arm-powered device, but Microsoft says that performance will not be compromised this time. In fact, thanks to a re-architected version of Windows 11, Microsoft claims these machines are 58 percent faster than “the fastest MacBook Air” with an M3 processor.
He says soon Microsoft is going to welcome Intel and AMD chips into the Copilot+ platform. And once again, we can expect Copilot+ machines from all of the leading OEMs.
Yusuf Mehdi is back to wrap things up.
Now we’re watching how CapCut takes advantage of Copilot+ NPUs. It can remove the background from a video clip and add a fresher looking dynamic background. Surface Pro can tackle this almost 3x faster than the Pro 9.
