Microsoft Announces Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 for Business

Microsoft has just taken the wraps off its new Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 for Business during a digital event for commercial customers and partners. These are the first updates to Surface Pro and Surface Laptop lines in almost two years, and Microsoft said that they’re the company’s first AI PCs designed exclusively for business users.

The Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 for Business come with Intel’s Core Ultra CPUs, which include a dedicated neural processing unit (NPU) for new AI experiences in Windows 11. The inclusion of an NPU should help to improve battery life by reducing CPU and GPU usage for certain features such as Live Captions. The AI chip also enables Windows Studio Effects in the improved Surface Studio cameras.

The new Surface devices are also the first Surface devices to come with a dedicated Copilot keyboard key. Pressing this key opens Copilot in Windows if the assistant is enabled (Copilot is still not available in all markets, and it can also be disabled by IT pros), otherwise the key just opens Windows Search. Copilot in Windows now integrates Copilot in Microsoft 365, and commercial customers with a valid license can select “Work” at the top of the Copilot window to let the assistant access their emails, meetings, chats, documents, and more.

While the design of the Surface Pro 10 for Business isn’t changing, the new tablet comes with a 33% brighter display with an anti-reflective coating. Microsoft also says that the Surface Pro 10’s Ultrawide Studio Camera is “the best front-facing camera that has ever been put into a Windows 2-in-1 or laptop,” with a 114° field of view and support for 1440p video recording.

The new tablet also comes with other features that Microsoft says have been requested by business customers, such as an NFC reader for passwordless authentication. There’s also a new version of the detachable Surface Pro keyboard with a bold keyset that makes the keys more visible for business users who need that.

The Surface Pro 10 for Business can be configured with Intel Core Ultra 5 or Ultra 7 chips, up to 64GB of RAM, and up to 1TB of storage. Microsoft also says that the new tablet is up to 53% faster than the Surface Pro 9. It still comes with two Thunderbolt 4 ports and a Surface Connect port for charging, and Microsoft promises up to 19 hours of battery life. The tablet supports Wi-FI 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, and a 5G model will also be available later in 2024.

As for the Surface Laptop 6 for Business, it’s still available in 13.5” and 15” variants, now with an anti-reflective coating and adaptive color technology. The devices can also be configured with Intel Core Ultra 5 or Ultra 7 CPUs, up to 64GB of RAM, and up to 1TB of storage, and Microsoft says that they should be 2x faster than the Surface Laptop 5.

Compared to the Surface Pro 10 for Business, the new Surface Studio Camera on the new laptop can only capture video in 1080p, though the sensor supports the same Windows Studio Effects. It’s worth noting that the 15” Surface Laptop 6 for Business is getting an additional Thunderbolt 4 port on the left side, and business customers in the US and Canada will also be able to configure the 15” model with a smart card reader for passwordless authentication.

Microsoft emphasized today that its new Surface devices for business customers are easier to repair thanks to replacement components with clear visual icons and seamless access to repair guides. For IT pros, Microsoft also made these devices easier to manage via the Surface Management Portal and the Surface IT Toolkit.

The Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 for Business are available for pre-order today from the Microsoft Store and authorized resellers, and they will start shipping on April 9. The consumer versions of these devices, which are expected to be powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X Elite processors, are expected to be announced during another Surface and AI event on May 20, which will be just a day before Microsoft’s Build 2024 conference kicks off.