🇺🇸 USA · Copilot+ PCs
Status: 🟩 COMPLETE 🟦 LIVING Last updated: 2026-06-26 Plain-English tagline: Microsoft’s new category of Windows laptops with built-in AI accelerator chips (NPUs). Required for Recall, on-device AI features, and Apple Intelligence-style local processing. The Windows answer to M-series Macs.
Front-matter facts
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Vendor | Microsoft Corporation (Redmond, USA) — Copilot+ is a certification; hardware made by multiple OEMs (Microsoft Surface, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Asus, Acer, Samsung, Razer, etc.) |
| Country / origin | 🇺🇸 USA (certification) — hardware made globally (mostly East Asia) |
| Recommended for Australian users? | ✅ Yes — Copilot+ PCs widely available in AUS retail (JB Hi-Fi, Officeworks, Harvey Norman, Microsoft Store AU) |
| Privacy summary | Copilot+ enables on-device AI features; data stays on PC for those features; configurable opt-outs |
| Free tier | N/A (it’s a hardware certification) |
| Paid tiers | Hardware AUD 4,500+ (premium); Copilot software bundled |
| First released | May 2024 (announced); first devices shipped June 2024 |
| Last reviewed | 2026-06-26 |
| Official site | https://microsoft.com/copilot-plus-pcs |
What it is
Copilot+ PCs are a Microsoft certification for Windows laptops with built-in AI accelerator chips — specifically requiring a 40+ TOPS Neural Processing Unit (NPU) plus minimum RAM / storage standards.
The NPU (Neural Processing Unit) is a dedicated chip for AI workloads — separate from CPU (general computing) and GPU (graphics + parallel compute). NPUs are far more energy-efficient for AI inference than CPU/GPU; this enables AI features to run on battery without melting your laptop.
Required hardware (varies by chip family):
- Qualcomm Snapdragon X / X Elite / X Plus — Arm-based, the original Copilot+ launch chips
- Intel Core Ultra Series 2 (Lunar Lake, Arrow Lake H, etc.) — x86-based, second-wave Copilot+
- AMD Ryzen AI 300 series (Strix Point) — x86-based, third-wave Copilot+
- 16 GB RAM minimum, 256 GB SSD minimum
- Plus standard Windows 11 24H2+
What Copilot+ enables that regular PCs can’t:
- Recall (the AI-searchable history feature)
- Studio Effects for video calls (eye contact, background, auto-framing) — runs on NPU
- Live Captions with translation across 40+ languages
- Cocreator in Paint, Photos, Image Creator
- On-device generative AI (small Microsoft + partner models)
- Click to Do (right-click on screen content, AI-actions on it)
- Improved battery life for AI-heavy workflows (NPU does work CPU/GPU would have done at much higher power)
What you’d use it for
- Modern Windows laptop with strong AI — the obvious choice for new Windows-laptop purchases in 2025-26
- On-device AI features without cloud round-trips
- Battery-friendly AI — work on AI all day on battery
- Long-form video calls with Studio Effects
- Live transcription / translation for accessibility
- Recall (if you opt in)
- Local AI development — NPU-accelerated local model running
How to choose + buy from Australia
Major Copilot+ PC models (AUS-available)
- Microsoft Surface Pro 11 (Snapdragon X) — premium tablet-laptop hybrid
- Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 (Snapdragon X) — premium laptop
- Dell XPS 13 / 14 (Snapdragon X or Lunar Lake)
- HP OmniBook Ultra / X / Aero
- Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 / ThinkPad T14s
- Asus VivoBook S 15 / ProArt PZ
- Acer Swift 14 AI
- Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge / 5 / 6
- Razer Blade AI variants
Where to buy in AUS
- JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, Officeworks — major retailers
- Microsoft Store AU — Surface direct
- Dell AU, HP AU, Lenovo AU — direct
- Centre Com, MWAVE, Scorptec — tech-focused
Price ranges (AUD, mid-2026)
- Entry: AUD $1,400-1,800 (Snapdragon X laptops with 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD)
- Mid: AUD $2,000-2,800 (most flagship laptops)
- Premium: AUD $3,000-4,500 (top configurations, large display, etc.)
Snapdragon vs Intel vs AMD
- Snapdragon X — best battery life; some Windows app compatibility issues (Arm-based, x86 emulation needed for older apps); excellent for web / Office / browser-heavy work
- Intel Core Ultra Series 2 — fully x86 compatible, good battery, broad software support
- AMD Ryzen AI 300 — strong all-rounder, x86 compatible, good gaming
For most Australian buyers, Intel Lunar Lake or AMD Strix Point Copilot+ PCs offer the best balance of AI features + traditional Windows software compatibility. Snapdragon is the best battery life if your software stack is modern.
What it costs
- Hardware AUD $1,400-4,500+ depending on tier
- Software (Copilot, etc.) bundled — no separate subscription
- Optional add-ons: Microsoft 365 Personal (AUD 20/mo) — separate
How it compares to alternatives
| Aspect | Copilot+ PC | M-series Mac | Standard Windows laptop | Chromebook Plus AI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On-device AI | Yes (NPU 40+ TOPS) | Yes (Apple Neural Engine + GPU) | Limited / no | Limited |
| Battery life | Excellent (Snapdragon best) | Excellent | Varies | Good |
| Software compatibility | Snapdragon=some issues; Intel/AMD=full | Excellent (universal apps) | Full | Limited (Chrome OS) |
| Recall (Microsoft feature) | Yes | N/A | No | No |
| Apple Intelligence | N/A | Yes | N/A | N/A |
| Price (entry) | AUD $1,400 | AUD $1,400 (M3 Air) | AUD $700+ | AUD $700+ |
For Windows users wanting an AI-capable laptop in 2025-26, Copilot+ PC is the clear forward path. M-series Mac is the macOS equivalent. Standard Windows laptops without NPUs will become “old generation” through 2026-27.
Privacy / data handling
- Copilot+ features are mostly on-device when running on the NPU — data doesn’t leave the PC
- Cloud-routed features (general Copilot chat) follow Microsoft Copilot privacy posture
- Recall specifically: on-device, encrypted, off-by-default
- Standard Microsoft account privacy practices apply
- For business: organisational policies via Microsoft 365 / Intune
Recent changes
- 2026: Broader AUS availability; more Intel / AMD options
- 2025: Intel Lunar Lake + AMD Strix Point Copilot+ PCs launched (broadening from Snapdragon-only)
- June 2024: First Snapdragon X Copilot+ PCs shipped
- May 2024: Copilot+ PC category announced (alongside Recall controversy)
Gotchas
- Snapdragon X compatibility — some Windows apps still don’t run well on Arm-emulation; check your specific software. Major apps (Office, browsers, Adobe, Slack, Spotify, VS Code, etc.) all work fine.
- Recall is off-by-default — you don’t get it just by buying Copilot+; opt in explicitly
- NPU isn’t always used — many apps don’t yet take advantage of NPUs; performance benefits mostly apparent in AI-specific tasks
- “Copilot+ PC” is a certification, not a brand — Microsoft, Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc. all make them
- Compare to M-series Macs honestly — Macs have a multi-year lead in on-device AI maturity (Apple Silicon since 2020); Copilot+ is catching up but Apple has more momentum in this space
- Battery life claims vary — Snapdragon X delivers 20+ hours; Intel/AMD Copilot+ closer to 15-18 hours real-world
- For gaming, traditional GPU-equipped Windows laptops still beat Copilot+ NPU options
- For AI development locally, an Nvidia RTX GPU + good CPU is still more capable than NPU; Copilot+ NPUs are optimised for inference, not training
See also
- Microsoft Recall 🟩 🟦 — the most-discussed Copilot+ feature
- Microsoft Copilot 🟩 🟦
- Microsoft MAI 🟩 🟦
- Apple Intelligence 🟩 🟦
- Galaxy AI (Samsung) 🟩 🟦
- Nvidia AI 🟩 🟦
- Ollama 🟥 — runs on Copilot+ PCs
- LM Studio 🟥