Copilot+ PCs have AI baked into the experience, promise a new era of consumer computing

Microsoft opened its annual Build developer conference with a keynote dedicated to AI and, in particular, its new category of laptops and tablets powered by Copilot.

Called Copilot+ PCs, each device has the company's artificial intelligence features build in. They include Microsoft's own new models – the 2024 Surface Pro and Surface Laptop – and also multiple products from third-party manufacturers.

These include Acer, with its Swift 14 AI, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Samsung. Each brand will have a number of different Copilot+ PCs available, in multiple configurations, starting from mid-June. They will be priced from around £1,000 / $1,000.

The Swift 14 AI, for example, will be £1,199.

Another feature of Copilot+ PCs (for now, at least) is that they will run on Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X Series chipsets – Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus.

The Snapdragon X Elite CPU has 8 high performance cores and 4 efficiency optimised cores, designed for speed and more efficient power usage. There is also a dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU) to run AI processes faster than ever before.

In terms of new features, Microsoft has also announced new AI and Copilot experiences that will be available on the forthcoming PCs.

Recall allows you to find things you have done on your PC quickly and visually, whether that be visiting a website, opening a document, or another task. It gives you a timeline of snapshots that you can speedily scroll through to, so you can stop when you see the process you need.

Recall instantly with Recall on Copilot+ PC - YouTube

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There is also Cocreator, which will build a detailed AI generated image from simple sketches you make in Paint.

Third-party apps will also be able to use the new NPU for faster AI processing, such as Adobe's creation tools, like Photoshop with its Firefly systems, and Algoriddim’s djay Pro, which can use AI to help mix music tracks.

Microsoft says that many of the Copilot+ PCs are available to pre-order now, with shipping to start on 18 June 2024.