First Impressions: Navigating Through Microsoft's Latest Surface Devices - Will They Replace My Beloved MacBook? Insights & Analysis
Exploring the Latest Microsoft Innovations: Surface Pro 10 & Laptop Press6 Reveal Enhanced AI Capabilities - Insights
Microsoft/ZDNET
Microsoft today unveiled two new Surface devices, the Surface Pro 10 and the Surface Laptop 6, marking the company’s first hardware launch since the AI PC era kicked off with Intel’s and AMD’s NPU-equipped chipsets .
Also: Five biggest announcements at Microsoft’s March Surface and AI event
Both Surface devices look nearly identical to their two-year-old predecessors, and yet they’re currently only available to business users. (I wouldn’t rule out Microsoft releasing consumer versions of these Surface laptops later this year.)
At the center of both models is a new Intel Core Ultra (5 or 7) processor. “From a performance perspective, Surface Laptop 6 is 2x faster than Laptop 5, and Surface Pro 10 is up to 53% faster than Pro 9,” Microsoft touts in its press release. The dedicated Neural processing Unit in the new chipsets should yield greater performance and efficiency – and, therefore, battery life – especially with AI-related tasks such as Windows Studio Effects, Live Captions, and productivity tools.
Newsletters
ZDNET Tech Today
ZDNET’s Tech Today newsletter is a daily briefing of the newest, most talked about stories, five days a week.
Subscribe
Other hardware changes include a new anti-reflective coating that, when paired with the brighter display of both devices (600 nits on the Surface Pro 10 and 400 nits on the Surface Laptop 6), should improve screen quality and viewing angles.
For security, the 15-inch model of the Surface Laptop 6 can be fitted with an integrated smart card reader while the Surface Pro 10 includes an NFC reader to support security keys and other passwordless authentication tools.
Also: The best security keys of 2024: Expert tested
Another hardware upgrade exclusive to the Surface Pro 10 comes in the form of a new ultrawide, 10.5MP webcam, capable of recording in 1440p resolution at a 114-degree field of view. That’s up from the preceding model’s 1080p sensors, which I found were just good enough during ZDNET’s review . The Laptop 6 also gets a camera upgrade, but only from a 720p sensor to 1080p.
Microsoft also unveiled a new Surface Pro keyboard cover with a bolded keyset and dedicated Copilot key.
Microsoft
The efficiency gains from the Intel Core Ultra processors have given Microsoft the confidence to rate the battery life of both the Surface Pro 10 and Laptop 6 higher than their predecessors, with the former lasting up to 19 hours (up from 15) and the latter lasting up to 19 hours (up from 17).
Also: Surface vs. MacBook: Can Microsoft’s new Arm-based AI PCs compete with Apple?
Microsoft also told The Verge that the new Surface devices are more repairable and serviceable than ever, too, with QR codes on internal components for easier sourcing and visual indicators to identify screws and driver types.
Both models will be offered now with 64GB of LPDDR5x RAM (previously capped at 32GB), with the Surface Pro 10 starting at a base storage of 256GB instead of 128GB. The Surface Laptop 6 will still be available in 13.5-inch and 15-inch sizes. Pricing will start from $1,199 and both devices will begin shipping on April 9.
And for the first time, Microsoft is offering the Intel-equipped Surface Pro with 5G support, a capability previously limited to devices powered by Qualcomm’s SQ3 processor, as well as its Adaptive Accessories for commercial customers.
More Microsoft
Is Microsoft really going to cut off security updates for your ‘unsupported’ Windows 11 PC?
Is your Windows license legal? Should you even care?
Still have a Windows 10 PC? You have 5 options before support ends in 2025
How Apple, Google, and Microsoft can save us from AI deepfakes
Microsoft will start charging for Windows 10 updates next year. Here’s how much
- Is Microsoft really going to cut off security updates for your ‘unsupported’ Windows 11 PC?
- At Microsoft’s security summit, experts debated how to prevent another global IT meltdown. Will it help?
- Is your Windows license legal? Should you even care?
- Still have a Windows 10 PC? You have 5 options before support ends in 2025
- How Apple, Google, and Microsoft can save us from AI deepfakes
- Microsoft will start charging for Windows 10 updates next year. Here’s how much
Also read:
- [New] In 2024, Innovative AI Pixel Perfect Editor
- [New] In 2024, Top 7 Audio Capturers 2023 Edition
- [New] Repairing a Stand-Alone Headphone
- [Updated] Above-Average Cloud Service Selections
- [Updated] Requesting for Unrestricted Access to Shared Visual & Audio Content
- Download & Install SanDisk Software for Windows 11 - A Step-by-Step Tutorial
- Easy Installation Guide for Canon Digital SLR Drivers Download & Update
- How to Install Samsung 960 EVO M.2 SSD Drivers on Your Windows PC
- In 2024, How to Track WhatsApp Messages on Poco C65 Without Them Knowing? | Dr.fone
- In 2024, Starting Point Audition's Approach to Soft Volume Increase
- NVIDIA Quadro RTX #8000: Latest Driver Downloads Compatible with Windows 7/8/10
- Remove Device Supervision From your iPhone 14 Pro Max
- The Ultimate Tech Source: Dive Into Tom's World of Advanced Computer Hardware
- Troubleshooting and Updating Webcam Drivers on Windows 10: A Comprehensive Guide
- Windows 10 Gamers Rejoice: Free SteelSeries Engine Enhancement Tool Now Available
- Title: First Impressions: Navigating Through Microsoft's Latest Surface Devices - Will They Replace My Beloved MacBook? Insights & Analysis
- Author: Richard
- Created at : 2024-10-18 05:25:41
- Updated at : 2024-10-21 00:51:19
- Link: https://hardware-updates.techidaily.com/first-impressions-navigating-through-microsofts-latest-surface-devices-will-they-replace-my-beloved-macbook-insights-and-analysis/
- License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.