Key takeaways

• TheMicrosoft Surface Pro 's battery life is exceptional, with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X processor lasting roughly twice as long as PCs built using Intel CPUs.
• Performance is impressive across the board, and heat doesn't appear to be an issue, even under demanding loads.
• Most mainstream business software written for Intel-based Windows PCs should run just fine, but apps such as VPNs and older hardware devices that require custom drivers might not install or run properly.

The Windows PC industry has fallen into a rut over the past decade. Microsoft and its OEM partners routinely ship a crop of new devices each year, mostly based on incremental speed bumps to Intel CPUs. If you buy this year's model, you get slightly better battery life and a modest increase in performance over last year's crop. Yawn.

That predictable pattern is why the just-released Copilot+ PCs have so much potential. Yes, they run on Windows 11, but at their core is a new engine, Qualcomm's Snapdragon X series of Arm-based processors.

Also: I tested HP's OmniBook X Copilot+ PC, and it almost made me a Windows on ARM believer

MySurface Pro 11 (I know its official name is "Surface Pro, 11th Edition," but let's keep it simple, OK?) arrived last week. I deliberately ordered the least expensive configuration and had no idea what to expect. Yes, itshouldget better battery life than an Intel-based alternative, and all the preliminary benchmarks suggested it would deliver impressive performance, but seeing is believing.

After one full week, I can say, without qualification: This machine absolutely rocks.

My original plan was to use the new Surface Pro as a secondary mobile device, while keeping my Dell Precision workstation on the desktop for my everyday activity. I am now using the new Surface Pro as my daily driver.

How did this happen? Let's dive in.

The experience is familiar

This is a radical shift in the Windows ecosystem, but it doesn't feel all that different from its predecessors. In fact, it's almost indistinguishable from the Intel-powered Surface Pro 9 that's sitting on my desk alongside it. The slim bezels around the displays of the two devices are nearly the same dimensions. The new device, at 1.9 pounds, is the same weight as the Surface Pro 9 and is a few ounces heavier than the Surface Pro X, although that's not something you really notice until you have to lug it through an airport as you rush to make a connection. The Type Cover from the older Surface Pro clicked into place on the Surface Pro 11, exactly as expected.

And as for the software, well