It’s been about 20 hours since I received Microsoft Surface Laptop, I unpacked it in all its unboxed glory and put it on my desk in place of my trusty M3 MacBook Air. This morning I basically flew through my usual apps and services like I do every other day – only this time on a Windows PC instead of a Mac.
Perhaps it’s the fact that the Surface Laptop line has always had more of a “MacBook for Windows users” aesthetic with its aluminum unibody design. Maybe it’s the fact that the Surface Laptop and MacBook Air come in 13-inch and 15-inch sizes this year. Maybe that’s the AI skill gap… for now.
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Whatever the case, this scenario is basically Microsoft’s dream and its latest Copilot+ PC initiative, which standardizes a new wave of PCs that offer improved on-device AI capabilities (with an NPU that should run at least 40 TOPS), improved battery life and performance and an ultra-portable design.
You’ll be hearing and seeing more about these branded laptops in the coming weeks, months, and maybe years. But for now, here are three ways the Surface Laptop has already made moving from the MacBook Air more rewarding than I expected.
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1. More seamless AI features on the device
I haven’t yet integrated any AI tools into my daily workflow, in part because the best chatbots and task services available require me to navigate to them (read: enter a URL, sign up for an account, or both), and not the other around. This little friction in the user journey, combined with past experiences of AI hallucinations, has kept me on the fence for the past two years.
That’s why I’ve been quite impressed with the current batch of AI features available on the Surface Laptop, most of which are seamlessly integrated into common applications like Microsoft Word, Paint, and Teams. Instead of forcing services on me through pop-ups and automated behavior, AI services for cleaning text documents, generating images, and applying video filters are always just a click away.
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Having a dedicated Copilot key certainly adds to this hassle-free experience. While learning Windows shortcuts and multitasking tricks, and also figuring out what apps, benchmarking services, and games are actually supported on the ARM platform (spoiler: still not enough to mindlessly download anything), it was helpful to I have an assistant that is accessible via keyboard, voice, and the taskbar.
Perhaps the most important aspect of these new Copilot+ AI features is that they work on the device – based on local data, providing more personal, secure and faster processing. For ordinary users, this may not be so important. But if keeping your personal data secure (and away from any remote cloud servers) is a priority, you’ll feel a little better about using the AI features on these new Copilot+ computers.
2. Windows Hello feels faster than ever
One thing I always do when testing a laptop, phone or tablet is to see how quickly the device wakes up and unlocks via facial recognition. If the device, such as a Macbook Air or Pro, does not support facial recognition, I will estimate the speed based on the fingerprint sensor.
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Comparing my M3 MacBook Air to the Surface Laptop isn’t exactly an apples-to-apples comparison, but since setting up Windows Hello—which uses the laptop’s infrared (IR) camera and front-facing camera—I feel like I’m experiencing a new level of convenience. This is much faster than waiting for the laptop to boot and then tapping my password or fingerprint.
The best part is that Windows Hello automatically triggers when I lift the laptop lid and is able to scan my face even in dim environments thanks to the IR camera.
3. Touch screen support
I know. Like Windows Hello, touchscreen support has always been a key advantage Microsoft Surface Laptops (and other Windows PCs) have had over MacBooks, but the feature makes a notable difference in the context of the Copilot+ PC.
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For example, the new Cocreator tool in Paint requires both of you to write a prompt to generate an image and draw a basic sketch for Copilot to work with. I usually had a hard time drawing circles and straight lines on a trackpad, but I didn’t have to on the Surface Laptop. Instead, I just pulled the laptop closer and started sketching with my finger.
While I’ve always found the touchscreen functionality more useful on larger screens, using the smaller 13.8-inch Surface Laptop it feels more like a 2-in-1 tablet. When my writing space is limited, like on a bus, plane, or crowded coffee shop, being able to just reach out and tap, swipe, and drag items across the screen is very useful and intuitive.
