Microsoft unveils Copilot+ PCs Surface Pro, and Laptop with AI features
American technology major Microsoft unveiled the new generation of Surface Pro and Laptop series.
Microsoft calls them 'Copilot Plus PCs'. They come with a deeper integration of generative Artificial Intelligence (gen AI) and are touted to be the most powerful and efficient Windows devices to date.
"Copilot Plus PCs provide a quantum leap in computing, with power, performance and breakthrough AI experiences. Debuting with Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus processors, Copilot+ PCs are tuned to deliver optimal processing and response times – and are faster than the latest Macbook Air," said Microsoft.
They boast a new generation Neural Processing Unit that can perform more than 48 trillion operations per second. The new devices promise faster and more efficient performance than their predecessors. Also, they can deliver smoother performance on Adobe Creative Cloud, Microsoft 365 and other productivity and creativity apps.
They support on-device gen AI features such as Cocreator on the Paint app. With this, the PC can generate creative digital artwork with minimal effort. Users can just type text prompts and Surface devices can churn out synthetic photorealistic images.
The new Surface device also supports live transcribing on several video formats and even virtual conference apps. It can come in handy for people with hearing disability to get closed captions generated on the screen during virtual conferences.
The most notable aspect of Microsoft's latest Copilot+ PCs is the 'Recall' feature. Once the feature is turned on, the device will record every action performed on the device. It can help people recall anything including long-forgotten photos, and files without having to search through hundreds of folders on the PC or scroll through thousands of emails. Users just have to say or type a few keywords to pull the long lost file or photo onto the screen.
It can even help pull the website link, which you forgot to bookmark. The user just has to describe the webpage in words or in voice, and it will instantly recall the URL and bring it to the screen. However, for the Recall feature to work, the user has to allocate a minimum of 50GB of storage space.
The new 2-in-1 Surface Pro sports a 13.8-inch PixelSense Flow display with 2880 x 1920p resolution and pixel density of 267 ppi (pixels per inch). The company is offering the device in both the LCD and OLED options.
The enclosure is said to be made with a minimum of 72 per cent recycled content, including 100 per cent recycled aluminium alloy and 100 per cent recycled rare earth metals.
The new Surface Pro tablet.
Photo Credit: Microsoft
It comes with a Quad HD (1440p) front-facing Surface Studio Camera, 2W stereo speakers, dual studio mics, 2 type-c ports, Windows 11 Home OS, 16GB/32GB LPDDR5X RAM and three SSD (4th Gen) storage options-- 256GB/512GB/1TB.
Microsoft will be offering the new Surface Pro in two processor options-- Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus-- with Qualcomm Hexagon GPU. With a full charge, the new tablet can deliver up to 14 hours of video playback time.
The new Surface Laptop will be available in two screen sizes-- 13.8-inch (2304 x 1536p) and 15-inch (2496 x 1664p). They feature a PixelSense Flow display with a pixel density of 201 ppi and are protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass 5 shield.
The PC's enclosure is made with a minimum of 67.2 per cent recycled content, including 100 per cent recycled aluminium alloy and 100 per cent recycled rare earth metal.
The latest Microsoft laptop houses Omnisonic Speakers (tuned with Dolby Atmos systems), dual Studio Mics with voice focus, two USB v4.0 type-C ports, one USB-A (v3.1) port, and a 3.5mm audio jack.
The new Surface Laptop.
Photo Credit: Microsoft
The new PCs come with Windows 11 OS, Microsoft Pluton TPM 2.0 security chip, full HD front-facing Surface Studio Camera,
Microsoft will be offering the new Surface Laptop in two processor options-- Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus-- with Qualcomm Hexagon GPU. With a full charge, the 15-inch model can deliver up to 22 hours of video playback time and the 13.8-inch model can last for up to 20 hours.
Both the new Surface Pro tablet and Surface Laptop prices start at $999.99 and are scheduled to hit stores in select global markets next month on June 18. As of now, there is no official word on when the new Microsoft devices will be made available in India.
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