Microsoft is making a big bet on artificial intelligence by launching a range of Copilot+ PCs with technology optimized for AI today. One of the first Copilot+ PCs, the new Surface Pro is outfitted with Qualcomm's Arm-based Snapdragon X Elite processor.

Microsoft is already comparing Apple's M3 MacBook Air to the Surface Pro, claiming in marketing materials that the Surface Pro has better battery life and computing capability. The Surface Pro and other Copilot+ PCs with 12-core and 10-core processors offer 58 percent faster sustained multithreaded performance when compared to the 15-inch MacBook Air with its 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU (based on Cinebench results).

Copilot+ PCs have a battery life of up to 15 hours for web surfing and 22 hours for local video playback. The 15 hours of wireless web browsing is the same for all MacBook Air models, while the 18 hours of local video playback is limited.The Verge reports that at Microsoft's media presentations, the Surface Pro and MacBook Air were pitted against one another in multiple comparisons, with the Surface Pro winning out in most of them. In recent years, Windows PCs have had difficulty keeping up with Apple silicon; now, it seems that Qualcomm's technology is catching up.

The Surface Pro is a Windows laptop that can be used as a 2-in-1. It shares an OLED display with the recently released iPad Pro devices from Apple. It is less than two pounds, has powerful AI capabilities made possible by the neural processing unit, and supports Wi-Fi 7.

Customers will begin receiving the Surface devices on June 18. The Surface Pro starts at $1,000, while the model with the OLED screen, Snapdragon X Elite processor, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD costs $1,500. Microsoft also unveiled the Surface Laptop today, which starts at $1,299 and has the same Snapdragon X Elite processor.