Microsoft and Qualcomm Launch New Era of Copilot Plus PCs
The new Surface Laptop and Surface Pro join systems from Lenovo, Dell, and Asus for better battery life, advanced AI features, and new Windows 11 tools.News

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has announced a new lineup of Windows laptops powered by the Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus chips during Microsoft's May 20 AI PC keynote. Headlining the new systems, which will be called Copilot Plus PCs (or as Microsoft spells it, Copilot+), is a new generation of Microsoft's Surface PCs, including 13-inch and 15-inch Surface Laptops and a new Surface Pro 2-in-1. Also new are Snapdragon-powered Copilot Plus PCs from Dell, Asus, Lenovo, and Acer. Copilot+ PCs will require a minimum of 16GB of RAM, 256GB of SSD storage, and a built-in NPU (neural processing unit).
Besides new Windows-on-Arm hardware, a new version of Windows 11 will bring AI-ready tools to these new Copilot Plus PCs. Those new software tools are expected to come to Intel and AMD PCs later in 2024. Of the shift to local AI, Nadella said, "We’re going beyond the cloud, to the device. Reducing latency and ensuring privacy."

The Snapdragon X advantage
Built on a 4nm process, the Snapdragon X chips incorporate either 10 or 12 high-performance cores as well as a dedicated NPU capable of performing 45 TOPS (tera operations per second), which is the fastest NPU rating among current laptop chips.
Having an onboard NPU is part of the evolution of AI PCs, and allows intensive AI tasks to be processed directly on the system. That can mean faster results, and better data security than relying on cloud-based AI. That can include creating AI images, translating text and audio into different languages on the fly, or even creating AI music and video from text prompts.
Qualcomm says the chips can consume 54% less power than similar Intel CPUs, delivering similar or better performance while eating up less battery life. Reported early battery life numbers indicate that some laptops may see their battery life nearly double vs. non-Snapdragon X versions of similar hardware.
New in Windows 11
These Copilot Plus PCs will include an updated version of Windows 11 that adds new features built around on-board AI capabilities.
One of the most interesting is Recall, a tool that lets users find anything on their PC by describing it, even if they don't remember the filename or exact details. It has an explorable timeline for scrolling back across time to get to older apps, docs, or messages. It solves a longstanding issue with PCs where searching for information on the web, via a search engine, works well, but searching for specific content on your computer isn't nearly as seamless. Microsoft points out that the data used by Recall remains on your local PC and isn't shared online or used to train AI models.
Live Captions will provide automated on-screen captions, including translations to or from 44 different languages. Cocreator is the name of the built-in generative AI tool for text and images, while Auto Super Resolution can simulate the effect of higher screen resolutions and refresh rates in games, even without a high-end dedicated GPU. Windows Studio Effects, already available in many windows systems, gets new filters and improvements to lighting and noise reduction for video calls.
Meanwhile, Microsoft is calling the overall Copilot tool "your everyday AI companion," and is making it easily accessible via a dedicated keyboard key. In partnership with OpenAI, the latest GPT-4o model will also be coming to Copilot in the near future.

Prices and availability
These new Copilot Plus PCs from Microsoft Surface, Dell, Asus, Lenovo, and Acer will cost between $999 and $1,999, depending on the exact configuration, including the number of cores, screen size/resolution, and RAM/storage options. Some models will be available to pre-order in May, with on-sale dates in late June and early July.
This is a developing story, so check back for updates.
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Micro Center Editor-in-Chief Dan Ackerman is a veteran tech reporter and has served as Editor-in-Chief of Gizmodo and Editorial Director at CNET. He's been testing and reviewing laptops and other consumer tech for almost 20 years and is the author of The Tetris Effect, a Cold War history of the world's most influential video game. Contact Dan at dackerman@microcenter.com.