Microsoft's next showcase is a Surface event for business that will likely reveal to us a duo of AI PC offerings in the form of the Surface Laptop 6 and Surface Pro 10. The event, expected to take place this coming Thursday (March 21, 2024), will also likely showcase a number of Copilot features available with Microsoft's first dive into the AI PC landscape.
We've keenly observed and had the chance to review Surface devices for over a decade at Laptop Mag, from the original Surface Pro to last year's Surface Laptop Go 3. While it's a cliche to hear, this year's Surface event, with its "New Era of Work" tagline, has the potential to be one of the brand's biggest in recent years.
Far from hollow hype, the age of AI sees Microsoft in pole position when it comes to adoption of this tech, and this is the company's first chance to really showcase how it can impact our devices on a day-to-day level.
Coming off a rather lackluster showing in 2023 and with Surface Chief Product Officer Panos Panay having stepped down, Microsoft will, no doubt, be seeking to impress this time around. And, with a duo of AI PCs, Microsoft Copilot, and the potential of M3 Apple Silicon-crushing Qualcomm CPUs all expected to feature, it might well do so.
Let's dive in to what we can expect from this week's event.
Microsoft Surface Event 2024: Surface Laptop 6
Microsoft's more traditional Surface laptop is set for a refresh in the Surface Laptop 6, looking highly likely to feature both Intel and Qualcomm processor options, both of which touting powerful NPUs (Neural Processing Units) for dramatically improved performance and efficiency when it comes to AI-related tasks.
On the Intel side of things, the Surface Laptop 6 is highly likely to include the chip manufacturer's "Meteor Lake" Core Ultra 5 and 7 processors backed by up to 64GB of RAM, which, according to Windows Central's Zac Bowden, Microsoft claim makes the device up to 50% faster than the Surface Laptop 5.
For the Qualcomm model, the Surface Laptop 6 will reportedly house an ARM-based Snapdragon X Elite processor with up to 64GB of RAM in tow. Qualcomm's processor is currently stirring up considerable buzz after benchmarks appeared online that showcase results to rival Apple's M3 SoC as found in the new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air.
Whichever chipset eventual Surface Laptop 6 owners go with, they can expect improved battery life, an additional USB-C port, a haptic touchpad, and the new dedicated Copilot shortcut key.
Business models of the Intel Surface Laptop 6 are expected to begin shipping in April 2024, with consumer models including the ARM-based Qualcomm SoC arriving in May and Intel models in June.
Microsoft Surface Event 2024: Surface Pro 10
Microsoft's Surface Pro is set to enter its 10th generation, with the 2-in-1 detachable hybrid also coming in models with Intel and Qualcomm chipsets.
This new Surface Pro 10 will also include an anti-reflective, OLED screen (now with HDR support and trimmer bezels) and an ultrawide webcam (ideal for making use of some of the new Windows Studio effects arriving in this year's Windows 11 2H24 update).
The Surface Pro 10's versatility is one of its key selling points, and having such a powerful Windows ultraportable on hand in tablet or clamshell mode gives it a wide variety of use options. Factor in whatever features Microsoft is ready to wow its user base with during the event and the upcoming Windows 11 update, and you have one of the most AI-capable tablet hybrids around.
Business models of the Intel Surface Pro 10 are estimated to begin shipping in April 2024, with consumer Intel Core Ultra models arriving in May and Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite models available in June.
Microsoft Surface Event 2024: Windows Copilot
Little is known about how much Microsoft intends to reveal when it comes to the capabilities of its AI-ready machines, or how it plans to maximize the potential of Copilot within them.
However, we have heard that Microsoft is working on a new AI Explorer in Windows 11 for NPU-touting systems. This new Explorer will catalog actions taken on a device, allowing you to engage in temporal searching across a recorded timeline, similar to the damp squib that was the Timeline feature of Windows 10.
This time around, Microsoft has the software and hardware capable of making its feature a success, in theory. However, whether it catches on with users will have to be seen.
Also arriving on Windows AI PCs will be Super Resolution mode for integrated DLSS-like upscaling in games, and the capability to generate live captions to media on-device in a range of supported languages.
Outlook
While this is going to be our first look at the Surface Laptop 6, Surface Pro 10, and some interesting AI features heading to the Windows 11 platform in the near future, Microsoft's upcoming event is primarily business-focused.
As such, the configurations of these devices might leave some potential consumers wanting, at least until May 20 2024 when Microsoft intends to deliver a more mainstream-focused Surface event to showcase the capabilities of its new devices to a consumer audience.
Until then, we look forward to catching Microsoft's latest hardware take center stage, and hopefully getting our hands on it soon to put it through our review process. After a rocky 2023 for Microsoft hardware, we're keen to see if there's a successful rebound on the cards for the Seattle company, especially when it comes to the Surface lineup — a stable of devices with impressive, albeit not fully realized, potential.
