Microsoft Drops the Copilot+ PC Name From New Surfaces That Still Meet Its Requirements

Microsoft’s new Surface Pro 12-inch and Surface Laptop 13-inch meet the requirements for Copilot+ PCs, but Microsoft is not calling them that. The distinction matters: the company is stepping back from a name meant to identify Windows computers equipped for local AI work, while continuing to promote AI on the new machines. There is no announced end to the hardware standard.

Microsoft introduced both devices on September 23 with Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus processors. Its announcement describes Windows, Copilot, Microsoft 365 and on-device AI, but does not introduce either computer as a Copilot+ PC. Surface chief Brett Ostrum subsequently told Windows Central that the machines are not called Copilot+ PCs, despite meeting the previous requirements. That makes this a change in presentation, not a claim that the devices fall short of the category’s hardware bar.

The badge is missing, not the hardware

The Copilot+ PC label was designed to mark computers able to run AI-accelerated work locally. Its stated requirements include at least 16GB of memory, 256GB of storage and a neural processing unit, or NPU, rated at 40 trillion operations per second. An NPU is a chip component built for AI calculations; the rating describes its stated processing capacity, not how useful a particular feature will feel. The new Surface models use Qualcomm Hexagon NPUs rated at 80 trillion operations per second.

Ostrum’s explanation draws a line between the name and the engineering behind it. He said Microsoft still emphasizes AI running on the device alongside a hybrid approach, in which supported experiences can also use the cloud. His comments confirm eligibility under the earlier bar; they do not announce what Microsoft will call other eligible computers or whether it will change that bar.

They do meet all the requirements of our previous bar for what Copilot+ devices are.

Brett Ostrum, corporate vice president of Surface, speaking to Windows Central, as quoted by Ars Technica

A Surface pitch without the badge

Microsoft has not stopped selling AI as a reason to buy these computers. Its launch post says supported experiences can run on the device, in the cloud or through both. The company argues that keeping work on the device can reduce delays and cloud dependence, with more privacy when data remains there. Those are qualified benefits of supported experiences, not a promise that every Copilot task will run locally.

The company also claims up to 95% faster local AI processing on the NPU compared with the prior generation, citing its own September benchmark tests. Performance can vary by configuration. Rather than lead with Copilot+ eligibility, Microsoft pairs that AI claim with its pitch for familiar laptop and tablet qualities, including graphics, battery performance and portability. The Surface Pro starts at $1,149.99 and the Laptop at $1,199. Microsoft says both will be available October 13 in select markets.

The label survives beyond this launch

The shift extends beyond the launch language. Ars Technica found that Microsoft’s former Copilot+ PCs landing page now redirects to a page for “performance PCs.” That page still mentions Copilot+ PCs, but gives the label less prominence. The redirect supports a narrower conclusion than the name’s disappearance from all Microsoft products: the company is making the badge less central, not erasing every reference to it.

Qualcomm compute executive Kedar Kondap told Windows Central that the point of Copilot+ PCs was to set a hardware baseline for local AI experiences. He suggested the new machines could offer the same experiences without necessarily using the terminology. That distinction is useful for buyers: a computer’s badge, its hardware capacity and the AI features a person actually uses are different things. Dropping the name does not, by itself, remove the hardware that earned it.

Microsoft has not announced that it is phasing out the Copilot+ PC technical standard. For now, the question is what shoppers lose or gain when an eligible machine no longer carries the category name. A simpler product pitch may put the computer’s everyday qualities first; a missing badge may also make its local-AI hardware harder to identify at a glance. The new Surfaces show the branding choice, not which of those effects will matter more to buyers.