It’s been a big year for Microsoft. All eyes have been on Windows with the release of the new Copilot key, followed by a new line of laptops running on Snapdragon’s ARM-compatible chip architecture and a barrage of new, hyped-up AI features. Naturally, some were welcomed, while others… did not go as planned (and continue to pose questions).
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At the center of all this are Microsoft’s two flagship devices, both of which are innovative and fun to use: the Microsoft Surface Laptop
Regarding the processor, we’ve discussed the pros and cons of ARM architecture in Windows all year, and the bottom line remains: it’s still in its early stages, so there is a potential for compatibility hiccups with certain apps, games, and accessories.
Windows (mostly) does a good job of emulating programs via Prism, but issues can arise. I can say, however, that lots of progress has been made in the few months since the Snapdragon laptops have been on the market, particularly with creativity apps.
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Earlier this summer, I remember struggling through Adobe Premiere on some of the brand-new Copilot+ PCs, but only a few months later, things seem to be more optimized. Running through some video editing software in Adobe and DaVinci Resolve on the Surface wasn’t 100% flawless, but it was smooth enough to be considered ready to go for creators. In fact, it performed a little better on this machine for me than on other, higher-priced models.
I have been integrating Copilot into my workflow as I learn more about how to use it effectively, and on a device like the Surface, it feels handy and efficient. I’ve been using it to summarize the latest emails from specific contacts, and it’s particularly practical because of its speed and accuracy in this task.
The Surface’s battery life has been fantastic, too. I get over 15 hours of use from a single charge, and it has yet to fully deplete to zero by the time I call a benchmarking test. The combination of smart design with meaningful trade-offs is what gives this laptop its marathon battery life, and opens it up for a variety of use cases from a creator or productivity perspective. Basically, this is a laptop you can work remotely with for the whole day without a charger.
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I mentioned this before, but the direction that Microsoft took with this laptop is, well, rather uncharacteristic. The Microsoft Surface Laptop