Microsoft Retires Copilot+ PC Brand for Windows Laptops

In 2026, Microsoft officially retired the branding 'Copilot+ PC' for Windows laptops, just 2.5 years after its announcement in 2024. The company introduced the Copilot+ PC branding for laptops with advanced specifications designed to support exclusive AI features, but it has now been phased out.

During the recent launch of the latest Surface Pro 12 inch and Surface Laptop 13 inch, Microsoft did not mention the Copilot+ PC in its presentation, despite both devices meeting the system requirements for the previous branding. Brett Ostrum, CVP of Microsoft Surface, confirmed that these two devices are no longer referred to as Copilot+ PC.

"These devices are not referred to as Copilot+ PC," Ostrum stated to Windows Central. He emphasized that while the devices meet previous standards for Copilot+ PC, Microsoft continues to focus on narratives surrounding AI in edge computing and the potential for hybrid solutions.

Kedar Kondap, SVP of Compute and Gaming at Qualcomm, echoed this sentiment, indicating that devices providing a similar experience may no longer adopt the Copilot+ PC branding. He explained that the goal of Copilot+ PC was to deliver a specific experience with defined standards and metrics.

The rollout of Copilot+ PC in 2024 faced challenges, with its flagship feature, Microsoft Recall, delayed due to security and privacy issues. Additionally, the Copilot+ PC laptops featured a dedicated key on the keyboard for invoking the AI assistant Copilot, which was later reconfigurable to a Control or Context Menu key.

This situation tarnished the reputation of Copilot+ PC, leading many PC vendors to remove the branding from promotional materials over the past two years. Furthermore, Microsoft's flagship devices are expected to be powered by Nvidia RTX Spark chips, potentially introducing a new branding to replace Copilot+ PC upon their announcement.