James Xuereb
In May 2024, Microsoft released an update to their Surface fleet. This article is an overview of some of the key changes that may be of interest when considering refreshing your fleet to be better equipped to embrace AI tools.
Brief model overview of the 2 new stars in the line up
Microsoft has unveiled a new Surface line up for two of their shining stars, featuring some of the most powerful and versatile devices ever! Regardless of what form factor you prefer, whether you need a laptop or a 2in1 tablet. Here are the main highlights of the 2 new models:
Surface Laptop 6 for Business:
Figure 1: Surface Laptop 6
Sleek and elegant laptop that offers up to 19 hours of battery life, a choice of Intel or AMD processors, and a stunning 13.5 or 15 inch touchscreen. Plus the big news is the NPU, MS are calling it AI boost, the Intel AI Boost also doesn't solely rely on the NPU (it uses CPU, GPU, and NPU resources simultaneously to optimise performance).
Surface Pro 10 for Business:
Figure 2: Surface Pro 10 for Business 2-in-1
Designed for mobile productivity and connectivity with AI in mind. It has choice of two H generation CPU’s i5 and i7 up to 53% faster than last gen, plus the new NPU Intel AI Boost.
The ultimate 2-in-1 device that combines the portability of a tablet with the performance of a laptop. With the new 13 inch Touchscreen PixelSense™ Flow display with 120 Htz refresh rate with new Anti-glare matt finish.
Also providing up to 19 hours of typical device usage with a trusty removable keyboard with a large touchpad.
Figure 3: Surface laptop 6 for business now with Copilot button, making it a little easier to utilise AI.
Not just CPU & GPU now comes with NPU
One of the most exciting features of the new Surface devices is the integration of NPU.
Intel's upcoming 14th Gen “Meteor Lake" processors have built-in Al support via an integrated neural processing unit (NPU) in the CPU for AI related workloads within your OS and apps.
What does NPU even mean? The Movidius NPU In the Surface Laptop 6 and Pro 10, mean your device is less battery hungry - the NPU enhances AI-related tasks, think of it as sipping from your battery were previously the GPU and CPU would chug from it.
Benefits for users are improved video calls and handling machine learning workloads such as Copilot and other AI tools that involve some local processing not in the cloud.
Better Cameras
One of the coolest creature comforts, though, comes down to the camera above the screen. The field of view has been widened to 110 degrees, and the toggle-able conferencing features that will help include a better view for your team.
Better battery life
Another impressive feature of the new Surface devices is the improved battery life. Not only the NPU but thanks to the optimisation of the hardware and software, the new Surface devices can last longer on a single charge.
19 hours is the estimated battery life of the new models:
Surface Pro 10 and the Surface Laptop 6 provide an all-day battery life of up to 19 hours.
This estimate was obtained through testing conducted by Microsoft in February 2024 using preproduction Windows 11 software and preproduction Surface Pro 10 devices.
Fast charging: Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 support fast charging, allowing you to charge your device up to 80% in an hour.
Chip to cloud approach
Just like some of the best restaurants use the farm to table method to produce high-quality food, Microsoft uses the chip to cloud approach to deliver amazing experiences on the Surface devices.
The new Surface devices are not only designed to provide the best performance, but also to connect seamlessly with the cloud. Microsoft's chip to cloud approach ensures that the devices can leverage the power and intelligence of their wider ecosystem such as Azure resources, Microsoft 365, and other non-MS cloud services as well. This means that you can access your files, apps, and settings from anywhere, sync your data across devices, and collaborate with others in real time.
The chip to cloud approach incorporates bios, firmware, operating systems and to hardware that enhances the security and privacy of your data, as the devices use advanced encryption and authentication methods to protect your information. Enabling your IT admins to further embrace Zero trust models and elevate your org’s security posture.
To wrap up
There are always new model coming out from all vendors, it's awesome to see that the new Surface’s are not gathering any dust. Reach out if you’d like to talk to someone about any questions you may have.
PS Depending on your current fleet situation there are some Microsoft programs that can help fund POC's for organisations that qualify.
PPS There are plenty of Surface related materials online on the offical blog https://blogs.windows.com/devices/
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