Engadget has been testing and reviewing consumer tech since 2004. Our stories may include affiliate links; if you buy something through a link, we may earn a commission.the minute Microsoft announced it: A faster processor with a neural processing unit inside the same case as the Surface Pro 9. As the first"AI PC" Surface devices, the Pro 10 for Business tablet and its more traditional sibling, the, seemed disappointing.
For now, having an NPU means you can use Windows Studio Effects, which can glam up your video chats with blurred backgrounds and other features. By tapping into your NPU, instead of your CPU or GPU, Windows 11 can also handle those tasks more efficiently, and without slowing down the rest of your system. Who wouldn't want that?
Intel's Core Ultra 135U chip is slightly faster than the 12th-gen processors used in the Surface Pro 9: It reached 5,772 points in PCMark 10, compared to its predecessor's 4,010 points. Microsoft's PixelSense display still looks fantastic, with bold colors and enough brightness to use outdoors in direct sunlight.