Microsoft launches AI laptop series

At the Build 2024 event in the early morning of May 21 (Hanoi time), Microsoft said that Copilot Plus is a new type of computer, equipped with a neural processing unit (NPU) to perform AI tasks on Windows 11 without a network connection. In the first generation, they will be equipped with Qualcomm chips, and later will be expanded to versions using AMD and Intel chips.

"You're getting the most powerful PC ever. In fact, it's going to outperform anything else out there," said Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft's corporate vice president and chief marketing officer. He compared the M3-powered MacBook Air directly to the Copilot Plus, claiming it could be 58 percent faster, with up to 15 hours of web browsing and 20 hours of video playback.

The new form factor will be introduced in the company's Surface line, before rolling out to other devices from Lenovo, Dell, Acer, Asus and HP. Microsoft expects to sell around 50 million Copilot Plus-branded computers over the next few years.

At the event, Microsoft also launched the Copilot Plus models, upgraded from previous generations, including Surface Laptop and Surface Pro.

The Copilot Plus Surface Laptop has a design similar to a regular laptop, a 3:4 IPS touchscreen, 13.8 or 15 inches in size. Users will have the choice of Snapdragon X Elite or Plus chips, 16 or 32 GB of RAM, Wi-Fi 7. According to the introduction, the Surface Laptop using Qualcomm chips will be 86% faster than previous Intel chip products. The starting prices for the two screen sizes are $999 and $1,299, respectively.

Meanwhile, the Surface Pro is the high-end line, maintaining the thin and light design of a 13-inch tablet, with a detachable keyboard cover and wireless connectivity. It also has the same chip and RAM options as the Surface Laptop, but adds a 5G version, expected to launch later this year.

One change on the Surface Pro is the option of an OLED display. Users can choose the LCD version starting at $999, while the OLED version starts at $1,499.

Microsoft's new Copilot Plus models are expected to be available in June.