I’ve now spent well over a week with one of the first Copilot Plus PCs — Microsoft’s 7th-gen Surface Laptop — and it’s been an experience of highs and lows. I’ve been waiting seven years for Windows on Arm to fulfill its promise of ultra-durable battery life and performance that rivals the industry’s best. Thankfully, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X platform delivers on those fronts, but there are still caveats that should give prospective buyers pause for thought before splashing this kind of cash.
On the other hand, we have AI, the tech industry’s current buzzword. While delivering some genuinely impressive features, AI is already verging on overuse and excessively crammed into every little feature across smartphones and now laptops. Paired with competitive processing, Microsoft is banking on AI to provide a leg up over Apple’s MacBooks. But are Copilot Plus PCs the future of computing or just a flash in the pan?