Microsoft’s ‘New Era of Work’ event on March 21: New Surface AI PCs, Windows AI features expected

From new Surface devices to AI Explorer, here's what we expect to see at Microsoft's '‘New era of Work’' event, which will be held digitally on March 21.

Microsoft March 21 event | Microsoft Surface | Windows 11 AI features

The new Surface devices may come in Intel and Snapdragon variants. (Image Source: Microsoft)

Microsoft is holding a March 21 event where it is expected to announce new Surface hardware, Windows 11 features, and the latest developments with its Copilot AI. The digital-only event, named “New Era of Work,” comes at a time when the industry is gearing up to launch a new class of “AI PCs.” Many expect the new AI-focused computers may help revive the slowing sales of PCs in recent quarters. Here’s everything we know about Microsoft’s first event of 2024.

New Surface laptops

At the upcoming event, Microsoft may announce the next generation of Surface devices – namely the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6. While some say that the new machines will rival the M3 iPad Pro and the M3-powered MacBook Pro when it comes to raw performance, the tech giant might brand them as AI PCs.

According to a recent report by Windows Central’s Zac Bowden, the Surface Pro 10 and the Surface Laptop 6 may be powered by Intel’s latest Core Ultra and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite processors, both of which reportedly feature dedicated neural processing units (NPU) that enable certain AI features.

If Microsoft decides to opt for the new Snapdragon processors, it will be the first time the Surface Laptop will be based on an ARM chip. The report also suggests that the new chips with NPU will offer “huge performance and efficiency gains” compared to their predecessors and “achieve true all-day battery life”.

Surface Pro 10 may have the same design as the Surface Pro 9. (Image Source: Microsoft)

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While the Surface 10 Pro may look like its predecessor, it is expected to ditch the LCD screen in favour of an anti-reflective OLED screen that supports HDR. Other rumoured upgrades include a built-in NFC reader and an ultrawide front-facing webcam.

The Surface Laptop 6, which may be unveiled on March 21 will reportedly have thinner bezels, more rounded corners, a touchpad with haptic feedback and a dedicated Copilot key. We may also see two USB-C and one USB-A port on the left and a magnetic Surface Connect charger on the right side.

Bowden claims that the Intel variants of the new laptops will be available for purchase sometime in April, while the Qualcomm version will start shipping later in June. Microsoft may also unveil commercial versions of the Surface Pro 10 and the Surface Laptop 6 with some additional features, with the latter getting a built-in CAC reader.

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Windows 11 AI features

The upcoming Surface devices, which are touted to be the first AI PCs are expected to offer functionalities like on-device Copilot, enhanced Windows Studio Effects, and live captions and translations.

We may also see a new feature called Auto Super Resolution that increases frame rates and improves visual fidelity in supported games and ‘AI Explorer’, an advanced version of Copilot that will make every action you take on your PC searchable. The Windows 11 Paint app may also get an AI-powered image editing tool that uses NPU.

While the much-rumoured AI features may not remain exclusive to the Surface lineup, they may only work with devices with neural processing units (NPUs). If this is indeed the case, it means that the upcoming AI features won’t be accessible to the majority of Windows 11 users.