At the same time, Microsoft is expected to announce improvements and new features for the Windows 11 platform and consumer versions of Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6.
 "Microsoft may announce Copilot AI update for ARM-powered Surface on May 20th")
Harsh Shivam New Delhi
Microsoft Event: Surface devices powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon
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Microsoft launched the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 for businesses in March, but the consumer versions are expected to be significantly different.
On the hardware side, the business-oriented Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 are now equipped with Intel Core Ultra processors. Consumer versions of these two Surface models are likely to be equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chips.
Qualcomm's Snapdragon X-series chips are specifically designed for laptops and feature a dedicated neural processing unit (NPU) to run artificial intelligence (AI) models on the device. At Mobile World Congress (MWC) in February, Qualcomm demonstrated the capabilities of its Snapdragon X Elite chip by running his 7 billion-plus parameter multimodal AI model on the device. Qualcomm says its NPUs are up to three times faster than competing Intel x86 chips.
Apart from the new chip, Surface devices are expected to see similar changes in other departments. The consumer-centric Surface Pro 10 is expected to feature an OLED display instead of an LCD panel. Expected changes for Surface Laptop 6 include slimmer bezels and rounded edges, similar to Surface Laptop Studio. Surface Laptop 6 may come with a new haptic touchpad.
Microsoft Event: Additional Qualcomm Snapdragon-powered laptops announced
In addition to Surface devices, Microsoft is expected to introduce ARM laptops from Windows partners such as Lenovo, Dell, and Asus. There are also reports suggesting that Samsung may announce a Snapdragon-powered Galaxy Book 4 variant at today's event.
Microsoft Event: Windows 11 24H2
Microsoft announced in February that its annual Windows update will no longer be Windows 12, but an improved version of Windows 11 called 24H2. The company hasn't disclosed what changes the new version will bring, but Windows version 24H2 will likely include optimizations to help Windows run smoothly on ARM-based chips. In addition to software optimizations, Microsoft is likely to announce new AI tools and features with on-device processing that leverages the NPUs on Snapdragon and Intel Core Ultra chips.
