With Microsoft’s new Surface Pro Flex Keyboard, you can type and use the trackpad without actually connecting the accessory to the 11th version of Surface Pro.
Jordan Novett | CNBC
When Microsoft announced its new line of Windows PCs in May, the company said the computers were “designed for artificial intelligence” and powered by new chips from Qualcomm that were more power-efficient than previous Intel processors.
One of the first devices to hit the market, called the Copilot+ PC, is the Surface Pro convertible tablet. It can handle heavier computing tasks and has better battery life than laptops with Intel processors. This is similar to the strategy adopted by Apple in 2020, when Apple began to provide customized Arm-based energy-saving chips to MacBooks, a move that proved to be a huge success.
But what Microsoft ultimately released with the Surface Pro amounted to a nice upgrade from its predecessor. It’s a stretch to think it’s ushering in a new era of artificial intelligence computing. At least until now.
The Surface line of computers hasn’t brought big business to Microsoft. The company’s device revenue in the first quarter was $1.07 billion, including revenue from Surface PCs, a fraction of its $61.86 billion in total revenue.
I’ve been reviewing the Surface Pro for two weeks. Here’s what you need to know.
What’s good
Surface Pro hardware is high-end. Microsoft sent a review device equipped with Qualcomm’s 12-core Snapdragon X Elite chip, a 512GB solid-state drive, 16GB of RAM, and an OLED display. The device starts at $999, but this model is on sale for $1,499.99. Web browsing performed very well—Google launched an Arm version of Chrome for Windows in March—and productivity software and some video games (including “Retrowave World” and “Poly Bridge 3”) worked well.
The display is detailed and bright, and scrolling is smooth thanks to the 120Hz update rate. The touch screen is very responsive. The iconic stand that supports the monitor remains sturdy. Underneath the stand, you’ll find a compartment that protects the SSD and makes hard drive replacement or upgrades easy.
In my early testing, the Surface Pro had more than 8 hours of battery life. Microsoft promises up to 10 hours of web browsing. The Surface Pro 9, released in 2022 and equipped with Microsoft’s Arm-based SQ3 chip, boasts up to 19 hours of battery life, but reviewers found that there are still issues with app compatibility. Unlike previous Arm-powered Surface PCs, e.g. Starting in 2019 with Surface Pro
That’s because Microsoft has introduced a new emulator called Prism to help these new computers run programs designed for Intel and AMD chips.
Surface Pro retains its familiar kickstand design.
Jordan Novett | CNBC
Almost every day, developers demonstrate smart software based on artificial intelligence models for various purposes. Most of the time, programs use data center servers to perform difficult processing chores. But increasingly, developers are delegating some processing to users’ phones and computers. Thanks to the Neural Processing Unit (NPU), Copilot+ PC should be well suited for this emerging type of software. The architecture extends battery life because the rest of the die can perform other work.
Microsoft has added some of its own artificial intelligence features to Windows 11 that leverage the NPU. If you’re joining a video call, you can open the Settings app on your Surface Pro Copilot+ PC and turn on an option called “Eye Contact.” It makes it look like you’re looking directly into the webcam during a call, even when you’re reading text. Apple also has a similar simulated eye contact feature in FaceTime calls on the iPad.
In Paint, you can enable Cocreator mode to generate an image based on whatever you draw on the screen, using the description you enter. After the image is processed, the computer’s NPU will output the image.
I found it interesting how Cocreator interpreted my suggestions, but the results were not impressive. My best bet is to press the Copilot key on my keyboard, which brings up a chat window with Microsoft’s Copilot and asks it to create an image in a text chat. However, you only have so many free image generation credits before Copilot starts processing requests more slowly, and the Paint feature is always fast.
The AC power supply in the box magnetically locks into Microsoft’s proprietary Surface Connect port. It will look familiar to anyone who has bought a Surface device in the past decade. But you can also charge using one of the two USB-C ports, which is convenient.
Surface Pro can connect up to three displays with 4K resolution, while MacBook Air equipped with M3 chips can drive a single external display at a 60Hz refresh rate with a resolution of up to 6K.
The $999 tablet doesn’t have a headphone jack. True to tradition, it doesn’t come with a keyboard either. After all, the iPad still doesn’t come with a keyboard.
A standard Surface Pro Keyboard, which snaps magnetically to the bottom of the Surface Pro, costs $139.99, and if you also want the model with Microsoft’s Slim Pen stylus, you’ll have to pay $279.99.
Microsoft sent a new Surface Pro Flex keyboard, including a Slim Pen, for $449.98. It’s more expensive than a regular connectable keyboard because it connects via Bluetooth. Microsoft promise Use this accessory to type continuously for 41 hours. It charges when connected to Surface Pro.
For some users, it may be helpful to unplug the keyboard and use it while holding the tablet at a shorter distance. I don’t think this accessory is a significant upgrade from the old Surface Pro keyboard.
The copilot key to the left of the arrow keys brings up a window for chatting with Microsoft’s versatile virtual assistant.
Jordan Novett | CNBC
What’s wrong
The biggest AI features of this new Surface Pro and other Copilot+ PCs aren’t yet available.
Meanwhile, some apps, including Google Drive and ExpressVPN, still won’t run on these new computers, at least for now. As Windows on Arm gains early traction, sometimes traditional versions of apps may be available in Microsoft’s App Store, but native Arm versions can be found on the developer’s website. (This is the case, for example, with the media player VLC.) But generally speaking, for Surface PCs with longer battery life, software is now less of an issue.
Microsoft has also reduced Copilot’s ability to control PCs on the device, making it similar to a chatbot that only accesses the web. When the company introduced Copilot to Windows 11 last fall, the assistant could open programs, switch to dark mode, and disable Bluetooth.
Replacing the solid-state drive on the new Surface Pro is easy.
Jordan Novett | CNBC
Should you buy it?
Surface Pro version 11 is worth considering, as long as you can rest assured that the apps you need will run on an Arm-based machine. This is more likely to be true than it was five years ago.
The battery life is great, I like that it’s easy to upgrade and replace the storage, and the screen is great. It’s a solid upgrade from earlier models. Microsoft made the right decision to move to Arm-based processors. However, the company has been calling it an “artificial intelligence computer,” but the biggest AI features are yet to come.
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