New Surface Pro faster than 15-inch M3 MacBook Air, says Microsoft

Microsoft is fully embracing AI technology by launching a range of Copilot+ PCs that come with specialized hardware for AI applications. Among the initial batch of Copilot+ PCs is the latest Surface Pro, which boasts the powerful Qualcomm Arm-based Snapdragon X Elite processor.

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A new AI era begins. Introducing the fastest, most intelligent Windows PCs ever. https://t.co/byVlr70zNH#CopilotPCs pic.twitter.com/UHloOYj4Sd — Windows (@Windows) May 20, 2024

Microsoft is already positioning the Surface Pro as a competitor to Apple’s M3 MacBook Air. In their marketing materials, they assert that the Surface Pro outperforms the MacBook Air in terms of processing power and battery life.

When compared to the 15-inch ‌MacBook Air‌ equipped with an 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU, the Surface Pro and other Copilot+ PCs with 12-core and 10-core processors deliver a remarkable 58 percent improvement in sustained multithreaded performance, as evidenced by Cinebench benchmarks.

In terms of battery life, Copilot+ PCs can last for up to 15 hours when browsing the web or 22 hours when playing local videos. On the other hand, the MacBook Air models provide 15 hours of wireless web browsing and 18 hours of local video playback.

The Verge reported that Microsoft showcased various comparisons between the Surface Pro and the ‌MacBook Air‌ during media demonstrations, with the Surface Pro emerging as the superior choice in several aspects.

While Windows PCs have faced challenges in keeping pace with Apple silicon in the past few years, it seems that Qualcomm’s technology is now making significant progress.

The Surface Pro, a 2-in-1 laptop running Windows, features an OLED display similar to Apple’s latest iPad Pro models. Weighing less than two pounds, it supports Wi-Fi 7 and boasts advanced AI capabilities thanks to the neural processing unit.

Introducing Copilot+ PCs—the fastest, most AI-ready Windows PCs ever built. https://t.co/MK4ylLj1FX — Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) May 20, 2024

Starting at $1,000, the Surface Pro comes in a version with OLED display, Snapdragon X Elite chip, 16GB RAM, and a 512GB SSD priced at $1,500. Microsoft has also unveiled the Surface Laptop with the same Snapdragon X Elite chip, starting at $1,299. Customers can expect the Surface devices to be available starting June 18.

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