Windows AI, Surface and more

Microsoft is hosting a digital event titled “Advancing the New Era of Work with Copilot” on March 21. Among the possible announcements are new Surface devices, potentially the first branded as AI PCs. This will already be the second Windows hardware event – ​​and the first main Surface Pro launch – without former product manager and longtime key presenter Panos Panay, who left for Amazon last year. Here’s everything we got to see at the company’s first launch event in 2024.

The company describe the event showcases “the latest in scaling AI in your environment with Copilot, Windows, and Surface.” There are conflicting reports on what exactly we will see at the end of March.

Windows Central complaints An OLED Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 will headline the event, with their improved processors enabling “huge gains in performance and efficiency” over their predecessors. However, a report from The edge suggests This month’s event will only cover the professional and retail versions of the devices, with upgrades that are much more subtle than the consumer versions. The outlet claims that mainstream variants with “a broader redesign” will follow later this spring.

The new devices would be powered by Intel Core Ultra or Snapdragon X Elite silicon with next-generation neural processing units (NPUs) for advanced AI tasks. The Intel variants are expected to launch in April, while the Snapdragon-based ones would arrive several months later, in June. If reports are accurate, this would be the first time the Surface Laptop line includes an Arm-based version.

At least in consumer models, the Surface Pro 10 would switch from an LCD screen to an anti-glare OLED screen. The device is said to be brighter than the Surface Pro 9’s display and supports HDR content. Meanwhile, the Surface Laptop 6 is said to include thinner screen bezels (with rounded corners) and a haptic touchpad. Its updated port selection is said to include two USB-C and one USB-A on its left side.

Business/budget models (which could be all we see at this month’s event) are said to include an integrated Common Access Card (CAC) reader and options up to 64GB of RAM.

Whether at this month’s event or later, the new consumer-facing Surface Pro and Surface Laptop are expected to kick off Microsoft’s push for AI PCs running Windows 11. They would be among the first to include a version integrated Copilot. Other rumored AI features include real-time subtitling and translation, frame rate scaling and smoothing for gaming, upgraded Windows Studio effects, and a feature called AI Explorer. Both devices would include a dedicated Copilot key.

AI Explorer is rumored to include a built-in natural language searchable timeline. Perhaps similar to the third Rewind AI app for macOS, the feature would record everything you do and see on your device, allowing you to browse it with Copilot. This would allow you to ask the Assistant things like “Find me this thing about dinosaurs” and see every moment of your PC’s history relating to them. (This could be a privacy nightmare if not handled properly, but expect Microsoft to offer security guarantees like encryption and processing entirely on the device.)

The feature is also said to “understand context, help start projects or workflows, and even suggest tasks based on what’s currently on the screen.” Other rumored features include the ability to ask Copilot to remove backgrounds from third-party apps’ on-screen images in the Photos app.

The AI ​​features, which are not expected to be exclusive to Surface devices, would arrive in this year’s Windows 11 Annual Feature Update (24H2 version), expected in the fall. Windows Central noted that it was unclear whether Microsoft would discuss features at the March event.

Engadget will fully cover Microsoft’s announcements on March 21 at noon ET.