Best Microsoft Copilot+ PCs: A new age of AI laptops
A shortlist of the best Copilot+ laptops currently available to buy
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Copilot+ PCs are essentially all laptops with capability to run the latest in AI processing tech and applications, which promises to bring great benefits in productivity for the user, as well as in more mundane (but important) factors such as battery life and raw processing power.
The first of these devices have hit the shelves, and we’ve put together a shortlist of the best of the bunch, each fulfilling a particular niche which might meet your needs as a consumer. Read on for all the details!
What is a Copilot+ PC?
A Copilot+ PC is one that has a processor chipset with an NPU (Neural Processing Unit) powerful enough to run the latest AI functions within the Copilot suite. By definition, a Copilot+ PC is one which meets the requirements set out by Microsoft of having an NPU with 40 TOPS of power (Tera/Trillion Operations Per Second), plus 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage space. Consequently, this excludes the previous generation of Intel AI-driven CPUs, the Meteor Lake/Intel Core Ultra series, which are limited to a maximum of 34 TOPS.
At the time of writing, it’s only Qualcomm’s ARM chips that are capable of meeting the Copilot+ requirement when the first devices are released on the 18th of June, so this guide will be limited to those options, however, when AMD Ryzen AI 300 and Intel Lunar Lake models come out later in 2024 we’ll have more options to choose from.
You can read more about whether one of these devices is right for your needs in our 5 Reasons to buy a Copilot+ PC guide.
The perfect general productivity laptop?: Microsoft Surface Laptop (7th Edition)
- CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite
- Display: 15-inch, 2496 x 1664, 120Hz
- RAM: 16GB DDR5
- Storage: 256GB / 512GB / 1TB SSD
- Touchscreen?: No
- Ports: 2 x USB-C, 1 x USB-A 3.1, microSD card reader; Headphone jack
The MacBook Air series has enjoyed the crown for best productivity laptops for a good few years now, particularly given its fairly reasonable pricing (which isn’t typical for an Apple product). Of course, not everyone wants to use MacOS and there have been various competitors in the Windows laptop market that have tried to match these devices, but they’ve all fallen short in at least one area by comparison: be it the display quality, processor performance, battery life, speaker quality, general build quality, or pricing.
It could be however that the latest 7th Edition Microsoft Surface Laptop is a device worthy of the crown, as the new Snapdragon X Plus chipset (only available on the 13.8” model) or the more powerful Snapdragon X Elite chipset (available with both the 13.8” and 15”) have both the processing power and battery life to match Apple’s finest devices. This is alongside a sleek, slimline chassis and high resolution (2304 x 1536 or 2496 x 1664) display, with 120Hz maximum refresh rate. The laptop looks great and is available at a very reasonable starting price.
Ultralight laptop with an OLED display: Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x
- CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite
- Display: 14.5-inch, 2944 x 1840, 90Hz, OLED
- RAM: 16GB DDR5
- Storage: 512GB
- Touchscreen?: Yes
- Ports: 3 x USB-C
With the introduction of the new range of Copilot+ chipsets and their improved efficiencies, we should hopefully see great developments made in terms of thin and light devices, and one we’re immediately excited about is the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x. This 0.51-inch thick notebook is very slender indeed, and at 1.28kg/2.82lbs it’s also very light, but this doesn’t mean it skimps on its other features.
This Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite machine not only has a powerful processor but comes packing with a lush OLED display, with 3K (2944 x 1840) resolution that reportedly supports HDR 600 True Black with up to 1000 nits of peak brightness. You also get an impressive 90Hz max refresh rate, meaning some light gaming isn’t’ out of the question. The keyboard and trackpad are also of a high standard, making this a great all round productivity device.
A slimline laptop with 5MP IR camera: HP OmniBook X 14
- CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite
- Display: 14-inch, 2240 x 1400, 60Hz
- RAM: 16GB DDR5
- Storage: 1TB SSSD
- Touchscreen?: Yes
- Ports: 1 x USB-C 4 2.0, 1 x USB-C 3.2, 1 x USB-A 3.1, Headphone jack
The Omnibook X 14 is a brand new line of laptops from industry veterans HP, who are also looking to take on the MacBook alternative space with a slimline (0.56-inches thick) 14” screen device that also comes packing with the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor. The new design looks particularly nice around the keyboard, with its differently-colored function keys and power key.
Besides this you get high-quality 5MP IR camera for an excellent image when you’re making videocalls and a 2.2K (2240 x 1400) display.
An upgraded 13-inch laptop with haptic switch design: Dell XPS 13 (9345)
- CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite
- Display: 13.4-inch, 2880 x 1800, 60Hz OLED
- RAM: 16GB DDR5
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Touchscreen?: Yes
- Ports: 2 x USB-C
The Copilot+ variant of the Dell XPS 13 (the model 9345) essentially has the same design as the previous variants, though from an aesthetic perspective at least this is no bad thing: the XPS 13 is one of the nicest looking laptops on the market, with its minimalist seamless trackpad design (which merges into the chassis of the laptop with no visible edges). In terms of functionality the XPS 13 divides opinion: some dislike not being able to quickly identify where the trackpad begins and ends, and others being turned off by the haptic/capacitive function keys, though if you’re a fan of these features then it’s unquestionably a great device. It comes with a bright (500 nits) 120Hz screen with a 1920 x 1200 resolution: not the highest on this list but plenty good for a 13-inch screen.
The difference from the previous version then lies solely with the new Snapdragon X Elite chipset, which should bring great processing power and top-notch battery life.
General productivity device with a 1600p touchscreen: Dell Inspiron 14 Plus
- CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus
- Display: 14-inch, 2560 x 1600, 60Hz
- RAM: 16GB DDR5
- Storage: 512GB
- Touchscreen?: Yes
- Ports: 2 x USB-C, 1 x USB-A 3.2, microSD card reader; Headphone jack
If you’re happy with a more conventional Dell laptop design with a more affordable price tag, then this latest in the long-running Dell Inspiron series could be the pick for you. It comes packing with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus (a 10-core CPU), which doesn’t quite have the oomph of the 12-core X Elite but if your focus is general productivity then you possibly don’t need this anyway.
It does however have a high resolution 14-inch, 2560 x 1600 screen, that comes with touchscreen functionality, along with a microSD card reader, fingerprint reader, and an impeccable keyboard for typists: all great features for an office place device. On top of that you get a HDMI 1.4 output which you won’t find on the thinner chassis designs here.
Best 2-in-1 device: Microsoft Surface Pro (11th Edition)
- CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus / Snapdragon X Elite
- Display: 13-inch, 2880 x 1920, LCD/OLED
- RAM: 16GB / 32GB DDR5
- Storage: 256GB / 512GB / 1TB SSD
- Touchscreen?: Yes
- Ports: 2 x USB-C, 1 x USB-A 3.1, microSD card reader
Our final pick is another Microsoft Surface Pro, but this time the original rather than the clamshell laptop variant above. The Surface Pro is the pioneering, much imitated 2-in-1 device, which essentially resembles a tablet (with touch screen and stylus support) with a detachable keyboard section, that can be used in either laptop or tablet form factors.
This remains a very popular design for office workers, students, and similar, and the additional battery life, processing power, and OLED panel in the latest 11th Edition variant should make this iteration even more of a popular choice.
