5 September 2024; Johannesburg, South Africa – Microsoft today announced the general availability of the all-new Surface Pro and the all-new Surface Laptop to empower users in South Africa. The devices are part of Microsoft’s Copilot+ PCs portfolio, a new category of Windows PCs designed for AI. The New Laptop range launched in 2024 will for now, only be available in South Africa and nowhere else in Africa.
At the core of these Next-Gen portable units is the Qualcomm developed Neural Processing Unit (NPU’s). The processors have been specifically developed to accomplish two things; Increase processing power and speed and to reduce heat generated which in turn extends the battery life of the device. The NPU processing chips are capable of up to 45 trillion operations per second (45TOPS) making the new Copilot+ PC’s the fastest and most intelligent Windows PC’s ever developed.
The goal in development was to build an “all–day” battery life and by combining the NPU power with access to the most advanced AI models, Copilot+ PCs were built to achieve a level of performance never seen before.
The new Copilot+ range also comes with a host of innovative features including Co-creator, which generates and refines AI images in real time; and Live Captions, which instantly translates any live or pre-recorded video from 44 languages.
Talia Naidoo, Surface Category Manager at Microsoft South Africa, says that “Over the past year, we have seen an incredible pace of AI transformation with solutions such as Microsoft Copilot allowing us to do things that we never dreamed possible – and now, we begin a new chapter of AI innovation by introducing our first-ever Copilot+ PCs from Surface.”
Model Comparisons:
| Microsoft Surface Pro 11th Edition Copilot+ PC | Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition Copilot+ PC | |
| Processor | Snapdragon® X Plus (10 Core or 12 Core in the OLED version) | Snapdragon® X Plus (10 Core or 12 Core) |
| NPU | Qualcomm® Hexagon™ with 45 TOPS | Qualcomm® Hexagon™ with 45 TOPS |
| Memory Options | 16GB LPDDR5x RAM or 32GB in the OLED version | 16GB, 32GB, 64GB LPDDR5x RAM |
| Storage Options | Removable2 solid-state drive (Gen 4 SSD): 256GB, 512GB, Plus 1TB in the OLED version | Removable2 solid-state drive (Gen 4 SSD) 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Resolution and Brightness | 2880 x 1920 (267 PPI) Max 600 Nits | 2304 x 1536 (201 PPI) Max 600 Nits |
| Battery Life | Up to 14 Hours (Video) and 10 Hours on active web usage | Up to 20 hours of video playback Up to 13 hours of web browsing |
| Screen Clarity & Performance | Dynamic refresh rate: up to 120Hz Dolby Vision IQ™5 (13” Screen) | Dynamic refresh rate: up to 120Hz Dolby Vision IQ™5 (13” and 15” Screen options) |
The Microsoft Surface Pro 11th Edition Copilot+ PC is designed to empower consumers that are always on-the-go with lightning-fast performance, AI-accelerated power and a stunning optional OLED (organic light emitting diodes) display – all in a thin, light and versatile package. Built with the new Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus processors, the device delivers incredible performance that is 90% faster than the Surface Pro 9. When docked in at the office, the powerful 2-in-1 supports fast connectivity with Wi-Fi 7, and the ability to connect to three 4k monitors. In addition, the all-day battery life of up to 14 hours provides peace of mind for users on the go.
Similarly, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition Copilot+ PC empowers users to accelerate innovation, solve problems faster and drive business impact with new AI capabilities and Copilot experiences powered by the new Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus processors. The laptop has been completely redesigned from the ground up to help users be even more productive with stunning new brighter displays with razor thin bezels, more ports than ever before, faster connectivity with Wi-Fi 7, and up to 22 hours of battery life. The laptop is available in two sizes: the 13.8-inch display in a more compact design and a 15-inch display for expanded visuals.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 11th Edition Copilot+ PC and the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition Copilot+ PC are available in South Africa from the 3rd of September 2024. Estimated retail price for the Microsoft Surface Pro 11th Edition Copilot+ PC will start from R29,999 which includes a type cover keyboard, while the estimated retail price for the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition Copilot+ PC will start from R26,999.
The new Surface devices are available from Incredible Connection, Makro, Amazon, Takealot, Evetech and Braintree.
