Microsoft is set to host a digital event titled "Advancing the new era of work with Copilot" on March 21, where they are expected to unveil their latest Surface devices. Among the potential announcements at the event are the highly anticipated Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6, rumored to be the first branded as "AI PCs."

Notably, this event will mark the second Windows hardware event without former chief product officer and keynote presenter, Panos Panay, who left for Amazon last year. Microsoft has described the event as a platform to showcase advancements in scaling AI with Copilot, Windows, and Surface.

Conflicting reports have emerged regarding the devices that will be unveiled. Windows Central claims that the OLED Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 will take the spotlight, featuring upgraded processors for significant performance and efficiency gains compared to their predecessors. However, The Verge suggests that this month's event will primarily focus on business and commercial versions of the devices, offering subtler upgrades than the consumer variants. The consumer models, with a larger redesign, are expected to follow later this spring.

According to the reports, the new Surface devices will be powered by either Intel Core Ultra or Snapdragon X Elite processors, both equipped with next-generation neural processing units (NPUs) for advanced AI tasks. The Intel variants are anticipated to launch in April, while the Arm-based Snapdragon versions are likely to arrive a few months later in June, potentially marking the first time the Surface Laptop line includes an Arm-based version.

Rumors suggest that the Surface Pro 10 might feature an anti-reflective OLED screen, providing a brighter display and HDR content support compared to the Surface Pro 9. On the other hand, the Surface Laptop 6 is said to sport thinner display bezels with rounded corners and a haptic touchpad. The updated port selection for the Laptop 6 is expected to include two USB-C and one USB-A port on its left side.

For the commercial and business models, reports indicate that they may include a built-in Common Access Card (CAC) reader and offer options with up to 64GB of RAM.

These new consumer-facing Surface devices are expected to kickstart Microsoft's push for AI PCs running Windows 11. They are rumored to be among the first devices to feature an on-device version of Copilot, Microsoft's AI assistant. AI-related features such as real-time captioning and translation, game upscaling, and frame-rate smoothing, upgraded Windows Studio Effects, and an AI Explorer feature are expected to be included. Both devices will reportedly have a dedicated Copilot key.

AI Explorer, a feature that allows users to search through their device's history using natural language, is rumored to be incorporated into the devices. Similar to the Rewind AI app for macOS, AI Explorer would log all actions and content viewed on the device, making it easier for users to find specific moments. However, concerns over privacy have been raised, and it is expected that Microsoft will provide encryption and on-device processing to address these concerns.

Other reported features include the ability to instruct Copilot to remove backgrounds from onscreen images in third-party apps within the Photos app.

While it remains unclear whether Microsoft will discuss these AI features at the upcoming event, reports suggest that the AI capabilities will be part of the annual feature update for Windows 11, expected in the fall of this year.

Engadget will provide comprehensive coverage of Microsoft's announcements on March 21 at noon ET, allowing tech enthusiasts to learn more about the company's latest innovations and the future of AI-powered Surface devices.