New Microsoft Surface Devices, AI Experiences Weeks Away

Navjot Virk, Microsoft Windows experiences corporate vice president, calls Copilot+ PCs ‘the fastest, most intelligent and most secure Windows PCs ever built.’

Microsoft is releasing Surface laptop and Surface Pro two-in-one laptop-tablet Copilot+ PCs, with new 13-inch Surface Laptops and 12-inch Surface Pros available starting May 20 and more artificial intelligence-enabled and powered tools and features coming for Windows Insider members throughout the month.

July 22 is slated as the date the devices join Surface for Business Copilot+ PC in select markets, according to the Redmond, Wash.-based GenAI, cloud and operating systems vendor.

The new devices give Microsoft solution providers more options to meet any increased device demand from customers getting ready for the October end-of-support deadline for Windows 10, prompting moves to Windows 11.

“Beyond a sleek and portable design, great performance and all-day battery life, Surface Copilot+ PCs unlock AI tools that work alongside you to make your tasks easier and workflows more efficient,” Brett Ostrum, Microsoft corporate vice president for Surface, said in a statement. “With incredible Copilot+ PC experiences available now, and more continuing to roll out, the new Pro and Laptop help you meet your productivity and creativity demands with AI-powered solutions.”

Microsoft Surface Devices

Navjot Virk, Microsoft corporate vice president for Windows experiences, called Copilot+ PCs “the fastest, most intelligent and most secure Windows PCs ever built.”

“Whether you’re a student juggling a full course load, an early-in-career professional trying to get ahead or a creative looking for professional-grade design tools built in free with your PC, Windows has something for you,” she said in a statement.

The business-grade versions of the devices coming in July will have Windows 11 Pro, anti-reflective displays and near-field communication readers among their enhanced security and management features.

Copilot+ users can opt into the preview for Microsoft’s Recall capability, which takes snapshots of a user’s active screen every few seconds and leverages those screenshots so that users can find something they previously searched for.

Microsoft released Recall—along with other AI capabilities such as Click to Do—to the preview channel in April. The new Copilot+ PCs also allow users to leverage a new Windows search to find files by describing them in plain English.

The devices are powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus eight-core processors and leverage 45 trillions of operations per second neural processing units to give users AI experiences, according to the vendor.

Both devices also keep the dedicated Copilot key on the keyboard. For Windows Insiders, they can use Press to Talk and hold down the Copilot key to activate voice control with Copilot. Microsoft has plans to allow users to invoke Copilot by saying “Hey, Copilot” aloud. The vocal invocation is still in the testing phase and will be fully opt-in, according to Microsoft.

Emphasis On Surface Thinness, Lightness

The 13-inch Surface Laptop starts at $899 and is the thinnest, lightest of the brand, according to Microsoft.

The laptop is smaller than standard notebooks, has a premium anodized aluminum chassis and comes in ocean, violet and platinum colors. The new Surface Laptop is 50 percent faster than Surface Laptop 5.

The new Surface’s battery enables up to 23 hours of video playback and up to 16 hours of active web browsing, marking the longest battery life of any Surface device.

The laptops have AI-enhanced built-in cameras with auto video high dynamic range and noise reduction. The power button has a fingerprint reader built in for more secure signing in. The laptops keep the dedicated Copilot key.

The new 12-inch Surface Pro has a starting price of $799, according to Microsoft. It has a detachable keyboard, adjustable kickstand and Surface Slim Pen that now attaches to the back of the tablet magnetically for charging and storage.

The Pro is the lightest and thinnest Copilot+ PC made so far, weighing 1.5 pounds. Its keyboard folds back flat against the Surface Pro when users want to hand-write or draw. The Pro comes in slate, ocean and violet colors.

Upcoming AI Experiences

One of the experiences rolling out for Windows Insider members over the next month, with plans to expand access in the future, is an agent in settings. Users can describe an issue with the device to the settings agent in plain English and receive recommendations for fixing the issue. Users can also give the agent permission to complete the fix on its own or use agents to simply find where a new setting has gone after upgrading to Windows 11.

Settings agent will come to Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs first, then to machines powered by Intel and AMD.

Later this month, Windows Insiders will receive the ability to use Click to Do to schedule a meeting with Teams, send a message with Teams, convert to table with Excel and draft with Copilot in Word.

Windows Insiders will also gain the ability to leverage the improved Windows search to find Windows settings and find and install applications from Microsoft Store. Members will also gain the ability to leverage the search in the Photos application for finding specific images.

Photos Relight is another AI experience coming for Copilot+ PC users, enabling Microsoft Photos users to position up to three light sources, set their color and move a focus point that all lights automatically follow.

Users can further fine-tune photos with brightness and intensity controls. And built-in presets offer lighting styles with a single click. Photos Relight will come for Windows Insiders Snapdragon X Series Copilot+ PC users first, with AMD and Intel device support set for later in the year.

Copilot Vision on Windows is now available to Windows Insiders who want to share any browser or app window with Copilot for analysis and getting questions answered. The feature will come for U.S. users first, with general availability planned for the future.

Snipping Tool is getting two new capture methods, with text extractor allowing for users to copy text directly from images and screenshots. Color picker will allow for users to get color values from anywhere on screen.

Microsoft is also innovating Notepad, adding a new write function that creates text from a prompt. Summarize will allow for shortening of longer content, and lightweight formatting will allow for bold, italics, simple lists and headings.