AI-powered laptops are the future – at least according to Microsoft, which just announced Copilot+ PCs. These Windows 11 laptops, offered by a range of manufacturers, are built around the Qualcomm Snapdragon X processors, which feature neural processing units (NPUs) to power advanced AI features. These processors are capable of performing 40+ trillion operations per second (TOPS), letting AI run smoothly on your local system.
And, in a dig at Apple, Microsoft brags that Copilot+ PCs will be 58% faster than the new M3 MacBook Air. (Of course, the new iPad Air and iPad Pro are also faster than the M3 MacBook Air.) Microsoft is positioning Copilot+ PCs as top-tier systems, already outclassing the competition.
Read more: The New 2024 iPads Are Here - Should You Buy One?
A big change in these PCs is that they’re powered by Qualcomm’s ARM processors instead of Intel. While that might not make much difference to the average user, it’s a significant shift that should improve efficiency and battery life – and the new Copilot+ laptops all advertise impressive battery life of up to 27 hours. But a new type of processor means new applications built specifically for ARM, including an updated version of Windows 11 that runs natively on ARM and makes full use of the processor’s NPU. App-makers will also have to update their software to make full use of the Qualcomm chips, though Windows will include an emulator that should run your existing apps.
But don’t worry if you aren’t ready to upgrade: Windows 11 will continue to run just fine on your existing Windows PC, though it may not support the latest AI features.
AI has been a tech buzzword recently, but sometimes as more of a punchline than a helpful feature, as we laugh over AI hallucinations and strangely distorted imagery. However, the Copilot+ PC lineup is poised to bring the AI to prime time, with features that leverage this new tech to make everyday tasks easier.
Read more: 5 Ways You’ll Want to Use Windows Copilot in Your Everyday Life
What can Copilot+ PCs do?
Basically, these PCs run the AI features that you might usually access online natively on your computer: all of the AI features are just there, in the apps and systems you already use. Beyond the convenience, this is an excellent privacy feature, because your data isn’t sent anywhere for processing: everything stays on your local computer. Microsoft says it won’t be uploaded to the cloud or used to train its AI models.
You’ll find that Microsoft’s Copilot AI is heavily integrated into these new PCs, using Chat GPT-4o to answer questions and provide help in natural language. These features will work across most Windows systems, so Copilot can help you find the settings you’re looking for (tell you how to configure them properly) or talk you through crafting something in Minecraft.
The biggest new feature is Recall, a super-powered AI search that Microsoft likens to giving your PC a photographic memory. Recall logs everything you do on your device – which may seem scary, but remember that all of this data stays on your device – to help direct you to exactly what you need.
You can scan a timeline of your activities to go back to something you were doing earlier, or ask Copilot to find a conversation you had in a chat program or an email. We all use a lot of different apps, each with their own unique search and history features (of varying qualities), and Recall promises to integrate all of it into a single AI-powered search based on your activities.
New image editing features are coming too. Microsoft Paint will be able to generate images from your text prompts combined with your own doodles. (As well as a somewhat strange “creativity” slider.) And in Photos, you can change the style of an existing image with a click, turning one of your photos into an impressionist painting or crisp anime-style art.
The system will also provide live captions for audio or video. Whether you’re watching a foreign language TV show or doing a video call with someone who speaks another language, Copilot will translate 40 different languages to English in real time. I’d be interested in seeing this feature used in language learning tools in the future – Microsoft didn’t announce anything along those lines, but it seems ideal for it.
Many third-party apps will be getting new AI features – or their existing AI features will be faster – to make everyday tasks easier, though the apps that support them and the features they’ll support will vary. Expect full support for these AI features in all Microsoft apps from day one, as well as many Adobe apps.
Read more: Can You Spot the Fake? Meta to Start Calling out AI Images
New Copilot+ Laptops Arriving This Summer
We’ve talked about the software updates for Copilot+ PCs, but now let’s talk about the hardware. All major PC-makers are offering Copilot+ models, due out in June or July.
You’ll find that many of these systems look fairly similar because of Microsoft’s requirements for Copilot+ PCs. These laptops are all powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, with at least 16GB of memory and 256GB of storage, and almost all of them support Wi-Fi 7 for speedy network connectivity. Most are also highly portable, with the majority weighing under 3lbs and all of them featuring impressive battery life. Every model includes all of the Copilot+ features we discussed above.
Here are all of the Copilot+ laptops that have been announced so far.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x Gen 9 and ThinkPad T14s Gen 6
Lenovo’s offerings are sleek ultraportables, both just over a half inch thick and weighing just under 3lbs. They also advertise multi-day battery life, a killer feature for anyone who frequently needs to use their laptop away from a power outlet – though the “multi-day” promise is a bit vague. The Yoga Slim 7x is geared a more towards the consumers with slightly larger display and Dolby Atmos audio, while the ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 is geared towards business users with more memory and a fingerprint reader for security. But of the two models, it’s the Yoga that really impresses, with a large OLED display with up to 1000 nits of brightness.
- Size: 14”
- Weight: 2.82lbs
- Screen: 14.5” 3K OLED touchscreen
- Processor: Snapdragon X Elite
- Memory: 16GB (up to 32GB)
- Storage: 1TB
- Battery: Multi-day battery
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7
- Starts at: $1,289
- Size: 14”
- Weight: 2.72lbs
- Screen: 2.8K OLED touchscreen
- Processor: Snapdragon X Elite
- Memory: 32GB (up to 64GB)
- Storage: 1TB
- Battery: Multi-day battery
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7
- Starts at: $2,699
All Lenovo models will be available in June 2024.
Microsoft Surface Pro and Surface Laptop
Microsoft of course has its own products featuring Copilot+, with a new version of the Surface Pro – now with an OLED screen option – and two sizes of Surface Laptop. These systems have a relatively low starting price of $999, though it’s likely you’ll want to pay for some upgrades, like the OLED screen for the Surface Pro, which adds an extra $500 to the price. Still, these are zippy devices with significant performance boosts over the last gen models: the Surface Pro is up to 90% faster and the Surface Laptop is more than 80% faster. And if you’re looking for a 2-in-1 system, the new Surface Pro is your only option.
- Size: 13”
- Weight: 1.97lbs
- Screen: OLED or LCD HDR touchscreen
- Processor: Snapdragon X Plus or Snapdragon X Elite
- Memory: Up to 32GB
- Storage: Up to 1TB
- Battery: Up to 14 hours
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7
- Starts at: $999 ($1,499 for OLED)
- Size: 14”
- Weight: 2.96lbs
- Screen: 13.8” HDR touchscreen
- Processor: Snapdragon X Plus or Snapdragon X Elite
- Memory: 16GB (up to 64GB)
- Storage: 256GB (up to 1TB)
- Battery: Up to 20 hours
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7
- Starts at: $999
- Size: 15”
- Weight: 3.67lbs
- Screen: 1 HDR touchscreen
- Processor: Snapdragon X Elite
- Memory: 16GB (up to 64GB)
- Storage: 256GB (up to 1TB)
- Battery: Up to 22 hours
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7
- Starts at: $1,299
All Microsoft Surface models will be available on June 18.
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge
Samsung offers one of the lightest Copilot+ laptops with the 14” Galaxy Book4 Edge, which clocks in at just 2.6lbs – lighter even than some of the 13” laptops on this list (the 13” Dell XPS also weighs 2.6lbs). But if you want more screen real estate (and don’t mind the extra weight), Samsung also offers a larger 16” version. Both have top-tier AMOLED display and great battery life, with the 16” version clocking in at 22 hours.
And if you’re ready to order a Galaxy Book4 Edge now, Samsung is throwing in a free 50" Crystal UHD 4K TV ($379.99 value) with Galaxy Book4 Edge pre-orders.
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge (14”)
- Size: 14”
- Weight: 2.62lbs
- Screen: AMOLED 3K touchscreen
- Processor: Snapdragon X Elite
- Memory: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB (up to 1TB)
- Battery: Up to 18 hours
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7
- Starts at: $1,349
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge (16”)
- Size: 16”
- Weight: 3.42lbs
- Screen: AMOLED 3K touchscreen
- Processor: Snapdragon X Elite
- Memory: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB (up to 1TB)
- Battery: Up to 22 hours
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7
- Starts at: $1,449
Both Galaxy Book4 Edge models will be available on June 18, 2024.
Acer Swift 14 AI
Starting at a slightly lower price point than many Copilot+ laptops, Acer isn’t doing much to shake the boat with its latest Swift laptop. The Swift 14 AI is a little heavier than similarly sized Copilot+ laptops, and the battery life – while excellent – doesn’t match the impressive 20+ hours some systems on this list offer. However, the Swift 14 AI is still a lot of laptop for the price.
- Size: 14”
- Weight: 2.99lbs
- Screen: 14.5-inch WQXGA IPS touchscreen
- Processor: Snapdragon X Plus or Snapdragon X Elite
- Memory: Up to 32GB
- Storage: Up to 1TB
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7
- Battery: Up to 16 hours
- Starts at: $1,099
The Acer Swift 14 AI will be available July 2024.
Asus Vivobook S 15
Offering a good balance between features and price, the Asus Vivobook S 15 has solid battery life and a large OLED display. There are models with better battery life (the Dell XPS 13 promises 27 hours on battery), and the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x has a brighter OLED (1000 nits compared to the Vivobook’s 600 nits). However, OLED screens remain uncommon in Copilot+ laptops, and this system has an excellent set of features for a middle-of-the-road price.
- Size: 15”
- Weight: 3.13lbs
- Screen: 3K OLED display
- Processor: Snapdragon X Plus or Snapdragon X Elite
- Memory: 16GB (up to 32GB)
- Storage: 512GB (up to 1TB)
- Battery: Up to 18 hours (fast charges to 60% in 49 mins)
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7
- Starts at: $1,299
The Asus Vivobook S 15 will be available June 18.
Dell XPS 13 and Inspiron 14 Plus
Dell is bringing out a wide range of Copilot+ laptops, but only two of them – the XPS 13 and Inspiron 14 Plus – will be coming out soon. If neither of these are right for you, we expect three more in the coming months with the Inspiron 14, Latitude 7455, and Latitude 5455. The first laptops in the series are due out in early July, and they feature some particularly impressive battery stats, with the XPS 13 promising up to an astounding 27 hours on battery – that’s nine hours more than the Intel version of the same laptop.
- Size: 13”
- Weight: 2.62lbs
- Screen: FHD+ display
- Processor: Snapdragon X Elite
- Memory: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB
- Battery: Up to 27 hours
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7
- Starts at: $1,299
- Size: 14”
- Weight: 3.17lbs
- Screen: QHD+ touchscreen
- Processor: Snapdragon X Plus
- Memory: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB
- Battery: 21 hours
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7
- Starts at: $1,099
The Dell XPS 13 and Dell Inspiron 14 Plus will be available July 3.
HP OmniBook X AI PC and HP EliteBook Ultra AI PC
These slim systems are about a half-inch thick, but still manage to pack in all of the power of Copilot+ as well as a 26 hour battery life. (And if the battery life isn’t enough, the system can fast charge to 50% in just a half hour.) HP offers two options in this lineup: the consumer-focused OmniBook X, which will be the best choice for most people, and the professional-focused EliteBook Ultra, which includes advanced security from HP’s Wolf Pro Security suite and a fancy smudge-resistant coating.
- Size: 14”
- Weight: 2.97lbs
- Screen: 2.2K IPS touchscreen
- Processor: Snapdragon X Elite
- Memory: 16GB (up to 32GB)
- Storage: 512GB (up to 1TB)
- Battery: Up to 26 hours (fast charges to 50% in 30 minutes)
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E
- Starts at: $1,199
- Size: 14”
- Weight: 2.97lbs
- Screen: 2.2K IPS display
- Processor: Snapdragon X Elite
- Memory: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB
- Battery: Up to 26 hours (fast charges to 50% in 30 minutes)
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E
- Starts at: $1,699
Both HP models will be available June 18, 2024.
[Image credit: Microsoft, Techlicious]
Elizabeth Harper is a writer and editor with more than a decade of experience covering consumer technology and entertainment. In addition to writing for Techlicious, she's Editorial Director of Blizzard Watch and is published on sites all over the web, including Time, CBS, Engadget, The Daily Dot and DealNews.
