On Thursday Eastern Time, Microsoft announced the launch of the first batch of Surface Artificial Intelligence computers specifically designed for commercial users: the Surface Pro 10 commercial version and the Surface Laptop 6 commercial version.
Both will start shipping to commercial customers on April 9th, with a starting price of $1199 (approximately RMB 8632). But it will not be sold directly to consumers.
With the debut of the first batch of AI PCs, Microsoft is expected to add many artificial intelligence features to the Windows system later this year, and these two new devices will be ready for them.
Microsoft's First AI PC Debuts
From the appearance, these two products have no updates compared to the previous generation, the only change being the addition of a dedicated CoPilot key to Microsoft's artificial intelligence assistant on the keyboard.
In January of this year, Microsoft specifically introduced the Copilot key: it was the first major keyboard revolution in nearly thirty years for Windows PCs, allowing for a one click launch of the Copilot experience on Windows PCs.
From a configuration perspective, the new PC launched this time adopts the latest Intel Core Ultra processor, which is the most significant upgrade of these two products: the Surface Pro 10 uses the Core Ultra 5 135U or Core Ultra 7 165U chip, while the previous Surface Pro 9 commercial version is equipped with the Core i5-1245U or i7-1265U chip. Therefore, this CPU upgrade means that Microsoft has skipped the 13th generation chip and directly shifted from the outdated 12th generation chip to the Core Ultra chip that was just launched a few months ago.
In addition, these two computers also have the core "brain" of the intelligent computing era, the neural network processing unit (NPU), which accelerates the execution of AI tasks. By integrating NPU, it can provide users with AI features including Windows Studio Effects and real-time subtitles, and enable enterprises and developers to build their own AI applications and experiences.
With the assistance of artificial intelligence in Windows Studio effects, users can enable automatic framing to keep their face always in the center of the screen and the background always blurry. Acer and HP have previously launched laptops using the Core Ultra chip, which also has this effect.
Faster performance, brighter screen, clearer camera
Microsoft has also improved the 13 inch display screen of the Surface Pro 10, using a new anti reflective coating, resulting in a 33% increase in brightness.
The front facing camera of the Surface Pro 10 has been upgraded from 1080p to 1440p on the Pro 9, and the camera will have a 114 degree wide-angle field of view, allowing it to work in conjunction with AI enhanced camera capabilities; The front facing camera of Surface Laptop 6 has been upgraded from the previous 720p to 1080p.
In terms of performance, the speed of the Surface Laptop 6 is twice that of the Surface Laptop 5, and the Surface Pro 10 has increased by 53% compared to its predecessor, the Surface Pro 9.
Microsoft has also equipped the Surface Pro 10 commercial version with an NFC reader, allowing businesses to easily use devices such as YubiKey NFC security keys for authentication. Microsoft also plans to provide the 5G option for the commercial version of Surface Pro 10.
In addition, Microsoft plans to hold a special Windows and Surface Artificial Intelligence event on May 20th, where Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella will share the company's "AI vision" in software and hardware. At that time, consumer versions of Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 are expected to debut.