Microsoft Launches ARM based Snapdragon Powered Surface Laptop
Overview:
Microsoft launched a new ARM-based surface laptop powered by a Snapdragon X Elite processor which is claimed to be 86% faster than previous x86 architecture-based laptops. Furthermore, the new laptop natively comes with an inbuilt Neural Processing Unit (NPU) and Microsoft Co-pilot to further enhance the AI experience.
It is claimed that even for less money, the laptop can deliver almost double the performance and battery life claimed up to 22 hours of playback and almost 15 hours of active web usage. With all these changes, a direct rival to MacBook has hit the market.
Display:
The laptop has a 15”, 2496 x 1664 3:2 ratio PixelSense Flow Display with touchscreen capability. Furthermore, the laptop supports 10-point multi-touch functionality to take multiple inputs via touch screen simultaneously. Moreover, for better and sharper picture quality of the display, the device also has 201 pixels per inch density to deliver a handsome content-consuming and working experience. Furthermore, the display also supports Dolby Vision for better quality, and it is protected by Gorilla Glass 5 from physical damage.
Neural Processing Unit (NPU)
in the era of the AI craze, now the new Surface 15 laptop comes with an inbuilt Neural Processing Unit to serve AI tasks which is claimed to conduct 45 trillion operations in one second to give results as fast as possible. Its relatively new piece of hardware started coming natively in Surface laptops and the Surface 15 is one of them.
Processor (CPU)
The biggest change and industrial bombshell in the Windows and PC industry is to use of ARM-based processors in a laptop. This Surface 15 comes with a Snapdragon X Elite processor which is claimed to deliver 86% more performance while giving up to 22 hours of battery life. These numbers are too good to be real but as the industry of laptops is moving towards ARM architecture instead of old x86, the claims appear to be valid with the help of the latest technology.
Graphic Processing Unit (GPU)
To show images, videos, and graphics on screen, the Surface 15 is also equipped with Qualcomm’s Adreno Graphic Processing Unit (GPU) which can display all kinds of graphical information that the processor is capable of. However, according to so far collected information, the laptop does not come with dedicated third-party GPUs like Nivida or AMD.
Battery:
In terms of battery performance of the new Surface 15, it is claimed that the laptop has 22 hours of playback and 15 hours of active use battery backup. In terms of the capacity of the battery, it is claimed to be 64wh minimum and 66wh of nominal capacity. However, it is directly dependent on the user’s habit of using the device. The claimed number could vary from user to user and task to task in real-life situations.
Price:
Last but not least, the price of the new Microsoft Surface 15 laptop is $1299 officially but, in context to the customers’ locations, delivery and freight charges could be applied.
Conclusion:
So, the year 2024 has been turned into a transition period from x86 to ARM-based laptops. The Surface 15 is also one of those laptops that use an ARM-based processor and a dedicated NPU for neural processing. In light of the company’s claims, the laptop has solid potential as a direct rival to Apple M series MacBooks.