Microsoft’s first AI PCs are Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 for business | Top Vip News

Microsoft is gearing up for its “year of the AI ​​PC” with two new Surface devices that won’t be sold directly to consumers. Surface Pro 10 for Business and Surface Laptop 6 for Business feature Intel’s latest Core Ultra processors, Microsoft’s new Copilot key, and a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) to accelerate some existing and future AI-powered features in Windows 11. Microsoft is calling them “the first Surface AI PCs built exclusively for businesses.”

These two new Surface devices have not been redesigned on the outside, so the Surface Pro 10 for Business will largely resemble the Intel version of the Surface Pro 9. The Surface Laptop 6 for Business has an additional USB-C Thunderbolt 4 port. and an optional smart card reader, but the screen bezels and overall design are very similar to the Surface Laptop 5. Both will begin shipping to business customers on April 9.

Microsoft usually lags behind in adopting the latest Intel chips for Surface devices, but this time, the company is one of the first to launch Intel’s new Core Ultra processors.

On the Surface Pro 10 for Business, you can choose between Core Ultra 5 135U and Core Ultra 7 165U options, along with a base specification of 8GB of memory that can be configured up to 64GB of RAM. The base specification that will sell for $1,199 will also include a 256GB Gen4 SSD. The Surface Pro 10 for Business will include two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports and Microsoft’s Surface Connect port for charging. Microsoft promises up to 19 hours of battery life with these new Intel chips.

Microsoft has improved the 13-inch display on the Surface Pro 10 for Business with a new anti-reflective coating and 33 percent more brightness. Despite rumors falsely claiming that Microsoft would unveil a Surface Pro 10 with OLED today, the Surface Pro 10 for Business will ship with an LCD display.

I asked Microsoft about rumors about a Surface Pro 10 with an OLED display. “We are not going to announce that product at this time,” says Nancie Gaskill, CEO of the Surface business, in an interview with The edge. That sounds like the product exists, so I asked if it did, and Gaskill says, “We’re not corroborating any rumors out there right now, the Surface Pro 10 for Business comes with an anti-glare display.”

Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans tell me that the company will announce a consumer-focused version of the Surface Pro 10 with an OLED display at a hardware and AI event on May 20.

Beyond the display, the Surface Pro 10 for Business also has a much-improved front-facing camera. It has a 114-degree field of view and even captures images at 1440p resolution. “It will be the first ultra-wide field of view camera on today’s PC market,” says Gaskill. Thanks to the internal NPU chip, you’ll also have access to Windows Studio effects with background blur and auto-framing during video calls.

Microsoft also includes an NFC reader on the Surface Pro 10 for Business, allowing businesses to easily use devices like YubiKey NFC security keys for authentication. Microsoft is also planning a 5G option for the Surface Pro 10 for Business. “This is the first time we’re bringing 5G to Intel on the Surface Pro,” explains Gaskill. “We had the Surface Pro 8 LTE and Surface Pro 7 Plus LTE, but we previously brought 5G to our Surface Pro 9 with Qualcomm.”

Last but not least, Microsoft is improving the Surface Pro keyboard with a new set of bold keys with a larger font, improved backlighting, and the new Copilot key to launch its AI-powered feature in Windows 11.

According to Gaskill, the Surface Laptop 6 for Business has been “redesigned from the inside out.” Microsoft has chosen the Intel Core Ultra H-series chips for the Laptop 6 for Business, which are designed to deliver desktop performance. Businesses will be able to choose between the Core Ultra 5 135H and Core Ultra 7 165H, 8GB of RAM in the $1,199 base model that can be configured up to 64GB, and storage starting at 256GB Gen4 SSD up to 1TB.

The 15-inch model will include two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports for the first time, along with a regular USB-A, a headphone jack, and Microsoft’s Surface Connect port for charging. The smaller 13.5-inch model will only have a USB-C Thunderbolt 4, along with the headphone jack and Surface Connect port.

Microsoft hasn’t made any major changes to the Surface Laptop 6 for Business display, but it has added an anti-reflective coating. The front camera has also been upgraded to 1080p, but there’s no wide angle like the Surface Pro 10 for Business. However, you will have access to Windows Studio Effects with background blur and auto-framing during video calls.

Microsoft says the Surface Laptop 6 for Business will be twice as fast as the Laptop 5 thanks to Ultra H-series processors. There’s also an optional smart card reader in select markets and Microsoft’s new Copilot key to access the Copilot assistant with artificial intelligence technology in Windows 11.

Microsoft will sell both devices exclusively to businesses through its own channels and authorized resellers, so they are not designed for consumers to pick up at a place like Best Buy. However, you can technically still buy them from the Microsoft online retail store or through resellers. “These products are designed exclusively for businesses, that doesn’t mean we won’t be creating products for consumers in the future,” Gaskill says. “We remain committed to that, but we are announcing these that are designed specifically for commercial use.”

Both devices are also Microsoft’s “easiest Surface devices to repair,” according to Gaskill. Microsoft has placed QR codes on the internal components of both, and there are internal markings on the Surface Pro 10 for Business to make it easier to identify screws and driver types for certain components.

Microsoft isn’t yet ready to talk about the many AI features it will add to Windows later this year, but these two new devices will be ready for them. Microsoft now plans to hold a special Windows and Surface AI event on May 20, where Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella will share the company’s “AI vision” for both software and hardware.

I expect to see consumer versions of the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 at the May 20 event, along with some important new AI features for Windows 11 that use NPU chips. Until then, both the Surface Pro 10 for Business and Surface Laptop 6 for Business will begin shipping on April 9, starting at $1,199.