Category Archives: Copilot+ PCs

Benchmarking, Copilot+ PCs, Hardware Reviews, Insider stuff, Recent Activity, WED Blog

Dynabook Tecra A60-M2 Intake

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I guess Sharp/Dynabook must’ve liked my coverage of their Portege X40-M2 unit. Why say so? Because about 2 days after I sent that unit back, they sent me another more powerful laptop to look at. Today’s blog post describes my Dynabook Tecra A60-M intake experience (Model PNL21U-017004). It’s a bigger beast, but a little less sturdy (it’s got what feels like an all-plastic lower/keyboard deck) albeit with minimal flex. For the first time, ever, it comes with Windows 11 24H2 Enterprise loaded as well.

Describing Dynabook Tecra A60-M2 Intake Process

Again and suprisingly, Dynabook uses closed-cell plastic foam inserts to enshroud the unit in an otherwise all-cardboard set of nested shipping boxes. It comes with exactly two parts: the laptop itself and the power brick/power cord. Initial setup was absurdly easy. But, for some odd reason, Intel BE201 802.11 Wi-Fi 7 adapters won’t let me log into the 5GHz band on my Asus router. I have to use the 2.4 GHz band instead. If I need to go faster than that, I can plug my trusty StarTech GbE USB 3 adapter into one of its two 5 Gbps USB 3.2 version 1 ports.

It took me some time to get all the bits and pieces in place for my usual setup. I used Patch My PC Home Updater to bring in 7Zip, GadgetPack, CystalDisk mark & info, CPUID, Everything, Chrome, and more. Because this is an Intel-flavored Copilot+ PC, I also installed Intel Driver and Support Assistant as well, along with the Dynabook Support Utility to check for vendor UEFI, firmware, and driver updates.

A Clean, Clean, Clean Machine

I’ve got to say this is one of the cleanest review units I’ve ever gotten. It required very little by way of update or clean-up to bring entirely up to snuff. It’s also got the fastest and most accurate fingerprint scanner I’ve ever used (Device Manager identifies it as a FocalTech Electronics device). So far, it’s fast, has a nice 16″ display, and does everything I’ve asked it to in short order.

The Tecra A60-M2 Components, Listed

According to the vendor web page, this unit goes for US$1249 (MSRP). I don’t see any major discounts available online but it’s pretty new still, so they may be coming. Here’s what’s inside:

  • CPU: Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
  • OS: Windows 11 24H2 Enterprise (26100.4946)
  • 16.0″ WUXGA display (1920×1200)
  • 16 GB DDR5-5600 (Samsung)
  • 0.5TiB Samsung OEM PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD
  • Ports: 2xUSB4/TB4 USB-C ports, 2xUSB3.2 Gen 1 ports, HDMI, RJ-45 GbE, microSD, mini-RCA (headset) jack
  • 60 Wh Lithium polymer battery; 65W USB-C power brick

What it doesn’t have that I might want? Offhand, I’d say a Hello-capable IR camera, and a touch display. Other than those things, and a bigger SSD, it’s pretty well-equipped. What one gets for US1,250 for this unit isn’t at all bad.

All in all, I like it pretty well so far. I’ll report further as I spend a bit more time with it, and learn more about what it can and can’t do. I’m curious about its SSD speed, USB-C performance, and general processing oomph. Expect to hear more from me on all of those topics, soon. In the meantime, I’m having fun playing with this new toy.

 

 

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Copilot+ PCs, Insider stuff, Recent Activity, USB devices, WED Blog, Windows 11

Thunderbolt 5 Era Is Finally Dawning

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It was nearly two years ago — September 12, 2023, in fact– that the Thunderbolt 5 specification made its debut, including a prototype. But the road from prototype to “tech for sale” has proved long and somewhat fractured. Cables, docks, and peripherals started to show up about a year later (e.g. Kensington SD5000T5 Dock). Gaming laptops blazed the way on the PC front, with the Razer Blade 18 the first to offer TB5 ports as an optional upgrade (April 2024). And as I write this screed in August, 2025, it looks like the Thunderbolt 5 era is finally dawning for real. Let me explain…

Why Say: Thunderbolt 5 Era Is Finally Dawning?

When Thunderbolt 5 (of which USB4 v2 is a subset) first showed up about 12-16 months ago in shipping products, it was a kind of exception. Initial offerings were costly, or provided as added-cost options. Now, they’re starting to appear as standard ports on higher-end  laptops. That still means gaming devices, mostly, though business/developer platforms and high-end mobile workstations are also getting in on the fun.

You can see the specs for the MSI Vector 16 HX AI A2XW in the lead-in graphic. It retails for right around US$3,700 at Amazon. Its CPU goes to 24 cores (8 P-cores, 16 E-cores), includes 64GB RAM, a 4 TB NVMe SSD, and various mobile NVIDIA GPU options. It also offers 2 Thunderbolt 5 USB-C ports. It’s even Copilot+ capable. Kind of a beast, actually…

I see another MSI model available similarly equipped, plus one each Gigabyte and ASUS laptops (all offer 2 TB5 ports except for the ASUS, which offers a singleton). What’s missing from this picture? How about HP, Lenovo, Acer, Dell or Microsoft Surface models?

When Will Things TB5 Heat Up for Real?

When the aformentioned bigger players jump firmly onto the TB5 bandwagon. I expect that could happen later this year, or early next year, after vendors get the OEM bits from Microsoft for Windows 11 25H2. It’s coming soon — probably in October — so we may see more than a dawning in the near term.

I’m surprised that it’s taken this long, and that uptake hasn’t been what I would call either aggressive or enthusiastic. Could it be that most ordinary PC users and laptop buyers simply don’t care about or don’t need the higher performance and greater bandwidth that TB5/USB4 v2 provide? Maybe so.

I’ll keep watching, and keep chiming in on what I see. I’m still waiting for somebody to send me a review unit with TB5 ports, so I can put an entire device chain to work, including dock, monitors and external NVMe storage devices. Will somebody at MSI, Gigabyte, or ASUS take the hint? I reviewed all your stuff back in the day when I was building PCs and sussing out laptops for Tom’s Hardware. Why not let me pick up where I left off now, with a TB equipped laptop?

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Snapdragon X Wakes Into RDP Session

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Here’s an interesting tidbit to consider. Lenovo having sent me a splendid Yoga AIO 32Ill10 last month, with its brilliant 31.5″ display, I’ve been using it a lot. Last night, I put it to sleep when I went to bed using its lock screen power controls. That’s something like what you see in the lead-in graphic, where I chose the middle option labeled “Sleep.” This morning, I observed that the Snapdragon X wakes into RDP session, as I poked the Window Terminal session I had running remotely on my desktop. No hesitation, no delay, just an instant response to my command input. Nifty!

What Snapdragon X Wakes Into RDP Session Means

Snapdragon X includes an Instant Wake feature, which describes its ability to resume activity from sleep in a second or two (no noticeable delay). I didn’t realize that the Modern Standby and Always Connected capabilities that support this feature would also maintain an RDP session until I started typing into the Windows Terminal pane I had open on that remote desktop this morning.

This is great for a variety of reasons, including:

  • Cutting down on light output in my office when the whole house is sleeping.
  • Saving energy not used to keep the lock screen showing even when away from the unit itself (or the desktop holding its RDP session)
  • Letting me get right back to work doing remote stuff without having to log back into RDP first. Older Windows PCs lose their network connections when put to sleep, in my experience.

Another Copilot+ PC Advantage?

AMD and Intel alternatives to Snapdragon CPUs are getting the very features that make Snapdragon X do its thing so well (e.g. Modern Standby and Always Connected). But Copilot says that these systems won’t get them across the board until 25H2 updates go into general release. I’m guessing this means they’ll work on some of the Insider Previews already, but that one can’t count on general availability until after 25H2 hits a target PC.

Indeed Copilot alluded to those famous words of frustration in this context — namely “gradual rollout.” Here’s the quote from whence this observation springs: “Feature rollout is staggered: Snapdragon systems got first dibs; AMD and Intel systems are receiving Copilot+ features gradually through updates.”

As is often the case in Windows-World, YMMV applies to Copilot+ PCs that don’t include Snapdragon CPUs. That, in a nutshell, explains why I begged and pleaded with Lenovo to send me some review units with Snapdragon X circuitry. Thanks, people — I’m grateful to have access to this stuff!

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Copilot AI-driven Settings Helpful

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The first Copilot+ PCs made their debuts about 13 months ago (June18, 2024). I’ve been waiting to see some low-hanging AI fruit from that stock ever since, mostly with only ho-hum results. But lately, it looks like those PCs are gaining some useful capabilities accessible to ordinary mortals (like your humble correspondent). Indeed, I just read an Ashwin story for Ghacks with great interest. Entitled Microsoft rolls out a bunch of AI features for Windows 11, it shows Copilot AI-driven Setting helpful, given the right prompts. You can see some visual evidence in the lead-in graphic. Note: MS has a cool demo video about this on YouTube.

What Makes Copilot AI-driven Settings Helpful?

The impetus here is to ask Settings for help and information to address specific problems or issues. After monkeying with cursor size on one of my Copilot+ test PCs, I realized  I’d made it too big. So I prompted “cursor too big.” You can see what popped up before I hit the Enter key. Pretty helpful, and going in the right direction.

After I hit Enter, things got more focused and even more helpful. Here’s what showed up (including my overlarge cursor positioned at far right).

These are just the controls I needed to see, with the “Size” item the very thing I needed to fix my problem. That got me started on trying problems or issues in settings, to see where AI would take me. In most cases, it took me right where it would do some, and often the most, good. That’s not good, that’s great!

What Else Ya Got?

The afore-linked Ghacks story  provides further discussion of AI-driven facilities in Click-to-Do, Snipping Tool, Copilot Vision, and more. Could be that spending some time digging in might be rewarded. After all the hoopla and hype around AI of late, I’m glad to see something that’s helpful and potentially useful that’s also easy to understand and implement. Good-oh.

I’ll know that AI is really on my side in a constructive way when I can say to it “Examine these files and give me a specific analysis” (where that analysis depends on the contents) and get something useful back right away. AI can do that right now, of course, but it still leaves users responsible for the set-up and framing to put everything in context. When it can handle that part, too, then we’ll really have something.

Vital Thanks and Shout-Outs

First, I’d like to thank Ashwin from Ghacks for sharing his article. It’s what encouraged my to take the AI-driven Settings facility for a spin. Muchos gracias, mi amigo!

Second, I’d like to thank Jeff Witt and Amanda Heater in the Lenovo Reviews org for providing me with ongoing parade of test PCs. It’s been going on for years and years now and has been a great working relationship. Right now I’ve got TWO (2!) Copilot+ PCs for testing: a 2024 ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 (Snapdragon X1E-78-100 CPU) and a 2025 Yoga AIO 32ILL10 (Intel Ultra 7 258V) with a gorgeous 31″ display. They’re giving me the opportunities I need to learn and dig more deeply into Copilot+ features and functions. Thanks, thanks, thanks.

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MS Updates Phi Silica for Copilot+ PCs

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Very interesting. I was checking WU this morning on the peachy-keen Lenovo AIO 9i the company sent last month. Seems there’s an update available for a local NPU focused language model called Phi Silica (see lead-in graphic). Seems it’s focused on handling SLMs (Small Language Models) on behalf of Windows 11. It drives the OS’s new “AI facilities,” such as Recall, Click-to-Do, and so forth. As MS updates Phi Silica for Copilot+ PCs, I decided to dig in and learn more… So I asked Copilot, and it told me a LOT.

After MS Updates Phi Silica for Copilot+ PCs, Then?

Turns out there’s a special Update History section for this kind of thing, as the lead-in graphic shows. it’s called “AI Component Updates” and it indicates that Phi Silica has already been updated twice on this machine.

Phi Silica is a small-language model (aka SLM) purpose built for Copilot+ PCs. It runs as well as it can on such a PC’s Neural Processing Unit (aka NPU). It lets such models execute locally without having to use a cloud-based back end to do the heavy lifting.

Here’s how Copilot itself describes Phi Silica: It’s “a 3.3 billion parameter model, derived from Phi-3-mini, optimized for speed, accuracy and low power usage.” It “runs directly on the Snapdragon X Series NPU” (and obviously also their AMD and Intel counterparts, because the AIO 9i is an Intel PC), ” enabling fast private and offline AI tasks.” Phi Silica is what’s behind Click-to-do, on-device rewrite and summarization in Word and Outlook, and Windows Recall.

What Can Users Do with Phi Silica?

Quite a lot, as it turns out. When I asked Copilot if I could use my source files for the hundreds of books and thousands of articles and stuff I’ve written as the base for my own SLM, it said “Sure.” Then it pointed to the GitHub-based, open-ource Phi Cookbook as a good place for me to get started. I’m not sure I’m ready to go there, but it’s nice to know that door is open on Copilot+ PCs to someone with the time, wit and energy to make such a thing happen.

 

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Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini X SFF PC

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OK, then. Color me surprised. I’ve been keeping an eye on this stuff, and this one got past me. Looks like Lenovo has been selling a small form-factor (SFF) PC with a Snapdragon X processor since April. It’s the Lenovo IdeaCentre MiniX SFF PC, as depicted in the lead-in graphic (front and rear views at top and bottom). I’d tried signing up for the Qualcom devkit early this year, but it never came through. This looks like a worthy successor, and is available at the Lenovo Store for US$750 or thereabouts.

I like the Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini X SFF PC, But…

The unit is small and reasonably well-endowed: X1P-64-100 ARM Snapdragon X, 32 GB RAM, 512 GB Gen4 NVMe SSD, Intel Wi-Fi7, and more. It’s got 2 10Gbps USB-A and 1 10Gbps USB-C ports on the front (plus an audio minijack). There’s more on the back, including GbE RJ-45, 2x10Gbps USB-A, USB-C 40Gbps (USB4), HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4a. In fact, it’s got many more ports than the Qualcom devkit ever offered, and that never materialized.

Why, then, is there a “But…” at the end of the preceding heading? Because of late, low-end Snapdragon X laptops cost less than this SFF. That is, they include a screen and a keyboard,  but cost less. Admittedly, such laptops usually lack RJ-45, HDMI or DP port, and also feature fewer USB ports than you’ll find in this SFF PC. Indeed, even Lenovo offers a lower-priced Snapdragon X unit (the IdeaPad Slim 3X, available at Best Buy for US$550, was discounted another US$100 recently during Prime Days).

All this said, I’ve had good luck with Lenovo SFF PCs, and have asked them to send me one of these for review if they can. But if you’re looking to “go low” on price and are OK with reduced RAM, CPU and storage, you can spend less and get a laptop instead. Hey, it’s your PC, so it’s your call, too. I’m interested, but for many a laptop will be a better choice. Copilot says that Lenovo, Acer and Asus have models under US$600 right now, with more such expected from Dell and HP later this year.

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Lenovo Yoga AIO 32i Intake

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Wow! It’s not terribly often that I get a second review unit to intake in a week. Last Friday, I reported intake on a dynabook X40M2; today, I cover the stunning Lenovo Yoga AIO 9i intake. Inside Lenovo Vantage the model number is 32ILL10, but it only says Yoga AIO  on the outside of the enormous box inside which it arrived. Its most notable features are a huge, brilliant 32″ (31.5″ 3840×2160, actually) disply, a built in 6 GB GeForce RTX 4050 GPU, Copilot+ capability, and a snazzy paper clip design between base and display. You can see that last in the lead-in graphic.

Working Thru Lenovo Yoga AIO 32i Intake

The great thing about all-in-one (AIO) PCs is that set-up is a breeze. Hook up the power, turn it on, and you’re (mostly) good to go. Lenovo ships the unit with a wireless mouse and keyboard combination. It uses a USB transceiver stored inside the mouse to connect to the base. Took me a minute to figure out how to get those items working (there’s a moderately cryptic one-page instruction set that I puzzled my way through, partly by trial and error). Other than that, it was a total no-brainer to get the unit set up and running.

Then came the fun parts. I use Patch My PC Home Updater to add a list of typical apps to the default mix (in alph order: 7-Zip, Advanced IP Scanner, CPUID CPU-Z, CrystalDiskInfo, CrystalDiskMark, voidtools Everything, GadgetPack, Chrome, HWiNFO, IrfanView, Notepad++, PowerShell 7-x64, PowerToys, Speccy and WizTree). Then I get PowerShell and WinTerm set up the way I want them. Then I check for and apply updates, using WU and WinGet. It all went well: both quick and smooth, with no hiccups of any kind. Cool!

AIO 32i Speeds and Feeds

The Lenovo Yoga AIO 32i model I’m using is the first Copilot+ AIO that I’ve seen on the market. Here’s what came inside (and outside) that unit, which has an MSRP of ~US$2810 at the Lenovo Store:

  • CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 258V (4 LPE cores, 4 P cores)
  • OS: Windows 11 Home (!)
  • Graphics: Intel Arc 140V, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 (6GB)
  • RAM: 32 GB LPDDRX5-8533 (Memory on package/soldered)
  • SSD: SK Hynix HFS001TEM9X169N 1TB (PCIe x4 Gen 4) 1 TB
  • Display: 31.5″ UHD 3840×2160 UPS, Glare, non-touch, 3-side borderless display panel
  • Input: Wiress USB mouse, keyboard and transceiver included
  • Wi-Fi: Intel Wi-Fi7 BE201 320MHz
  • Rear ports: USB-C (10 Gbps), USB-C (40 Gbps Thunderbolt 4), 2xUSB-A (10 Gbps), HDMI 2.1, RCA mini-audio jack
  • PSU: 300 W power brick

When it comes to this equipage, I like the snap and feel of the CPU and the graphics. It compares favorably with Snapdragon and other Intel Copilot+ PCs I’ve reviewed. There are some things about this configuration that I don’t much care for though — namely:

  • Windows 11 Home won’t do Remote Desktop, so I had to upgrade it to a higher-grade version.
  • Memory is in package and soldered, so there’s no upgrade capability there.
  • Rear-mounted ports require turning the base to access from a normal forward-pointing arrangement. Mildly vexing, but tolerable.
  • With only one high-speed port (USB4/Thunderbolt 4) available the unit would be best paired with a US$200+ dock to take advantage of its capabilities. Odd, for a pricey AIO.

AIO 32i Pros and Cons

I like the way the unit runs and works. Setup was dead easy and the display is the first I’ve used that’s bigger and better than my trusty Dell 27″ UltraSharp models (2017 and 2022 builds, here at Chez Tittel). Overall, this is a capable and approachable PC, and would be well-suited for college students in a dorm room, or office workers at their workstations. It’s also quite nice looking and fun to use. And it’s got all the Copilot+ PC stuff, which promises to keep improving with time (right now it’s limited to Recall, Click to Do, and a few AI-based extensions for various MS apps, tools and Office 365).

I don’t like the location of the ports at the rear of the base. You can’t see or use them unless you turn the base so you can lay hands and eyes where the ports are. I’d prefer a touch screen to the non-touch model, recognizing that the glossy finish would become a fingerprint magnet. I don’t like the inability to upgrade RAM (though I understand it’s a limitation of the package design).

I’d like to see the second USB-C port made TB4/USB4 capable. I’d also wish for Lenovo to integrate the mouse/keyboard transceiver so you don’t have to give up one of two USB-A ports to get the unit working. That, or they could include a Bluetooth mouse/keyboard combo instead, to keep that USB-A port free for other uses.

Initial Net-Net: Nice But Pricey

Overall, I’m having a blast working with the Yoga AIO 32i. It’s fast, responsive, great looking and the display is bright and legible, even to these old eyeballs of mine. I do think it’s pretty costly (nearly US$3K, though Lenovo usually discounts heavily, especially for holidays and promotions or for academics (students and teachers alike). I’m starting to dig into it capabilities and behavior in more detail and will report on those soon. But so far, it’s pretty peachy as you’d hope from the price tag.

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Still No Snapdragon X Mini-PCs

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I’m disappointed, and more than a little curious. Last year Qualcomm announced a pilot program offering developer kits with Snapdragon X CPU in a mini-PC format. I bought in, only to see the program cancelled. Then, I spent two months chasing my refund down. The lead-in graphic is a publicity still of that very device from Qualcomm itself. Other companies, including Lenovo and Geekom, announced plans to release SFF PCs built around this SoC in early 2025. Despite release dates floated for H1 2025, there are still no Snapdragon X mini-PCs for sale from anybody, anywhere. Nor do I see signs that any might appear in the market any time soon. Oops!

Why Still No Snapdragon X Mini-PCs?

My gut feeling is that the answer is, in an acronym, USB. As the Snapdragon X architecture currently stands, it supports only a single USB4 (40 Gbps) and one USB 3 gen 2 (10 Gbps) port. Charging on a mini PC could possibly leave the USB4 port open (TBD, with none such for sale right now). Even so, that’s too few high speed ports for the build to make good economic sense. Who wants to spend $500-700 (or more) on an SFF PC, only to plunk down another $200-300 for a USB4 or 5 dock to bring the port count up to where it needs to be?

I’m guessing that these projects are on hold while Qualcomm is defining its next-gen Snapdragon X architecture. I’m also guessing that the new version will include either 2 or 3 USB4 or 5 ports so that such units can support a more plausible number of high speed video and storage connections in a compact form factor. Especially on tiny PCs ports enable them to do what users need.

An Interesting Upcoming Snapdragon Summit?

Qualcomm is expected to uncover details about the next-gen Snapdragon X architecture and capabilities when the company holds its September Summit in Maui. I’m expected the current paucity of ports to be over topped. And possibly, a new crop of promised mini or SFF PCs could follow in its wake. It should be interesting to see how it all turns out.

I’m pretty sure at this point that we won’t see any SFF or mini PCs around the current Snapdragon X version. The only possible exception might be a low-ball, dirt-cheap model. OEMs may seek to produce some revenue from the efforts that have apparently been expended in trying to build this recalcitrant beast. I’m not holding my breath, however… Let’s hope the next generation is a different story, and has a happier ending!

 

 

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ThinkPad T14s Thunderbolt Mystery Resolved

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OK, then: poking around on the Lenovo eval unit I just got a couple of weeks ago, I’ve realized that this make/model is NOT a Copilot+ PC. Thus, it’s lacking in advanced AI support features by virtue of its relative age. Turns out the Intel Core Ultra5 125U is a Meteor Lake CPU, and although its NPU delivers 40 TOPS, it still doesn’t qualify as a Copilot+ unit. Thus, my ThinkPad T14s Thunderbolt mystery resolved itself also. The CPU dates back to late 2023, before the Thunderbolt Share license program started up.

OK: ThinkPad T14s Thunderbolt Mystery Resolved NOPE!

Copilot mentions checking the user manual as one way to ascertain if Thunderbolt Share is supported on a ThinkPad model. So I just downloaded that PDF, and scanned it for all “Thunderbolt” references. Sure enough: nowhere is Thunderbolt Share mentioned. Given that none of the marketing materials for the unit mentions Thunderbolt Share, either, I’m inclined to posit that such support is absent.

Go figure! When I asked Lenovo to send me another review unit, I’d requested one with Thunderbolt Share capability. But hey: you don’t always get what you ask for on the first try. Time to try again, methinks…

Careful What You Wish For…

My issue probably means I didn’t communicate well with the reviews team. I think I know how to fix that. I’ll pack this unit up and send it back, then specify a definite CPU make and model (or higher). I believe if I ask for a Snapdragon X model, that will probably cover all the bases needed. Let me try that, and see what happens. Stay tuned: I’ll report back.

Note added March 26 (1 day later): I did hear from a Lenovo SME, who confirmed that neither the ThinkPad P16 Gen 1 Mobile Workstation nor the ThinkPad T14s Gen 5 hold a license for Intel’s Thunderbolt Share. I saw a strong hint of that in the software’s behavior, for sure, but it’s now confirmed: that little man isn’t there.

 

 

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The Incredible Lightness of (Some) Copilot+ PCs

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Things are getting interesting in the PC marketspace. In recent months, at least a couple of fairly full-featured Copilot+ PCs weighing under 1Kg (2.2 lbs) have been introduced. In January, we got the Asus Zenbook A14 (UX3407). This morning, it was the Dynabook Z40L-N. Both come in at under 1Kg, with the Asus model at 900g, and the Dynabook right at the edge (998g). Both are Copilot+ capable. And both include snazzy touch screens, offer up to 32GB of RAM, and a max SSD of  1 or 2TB. Furthermore, according to Copilot, only 1 in 20 laptops falls into this weight class, making it something of a standout in the overall category.

Incredible Lightness of (Some) Copilot+ PCs Has Appeal

Mobile workers always want fast and light mobile PCs on the job. Fast (and powerful) lets them get more work done. Light makes it easier to schlep such units while they’re on the move. Thus PC makers always work the inherent tradeoffs involved. Such ultra-thin PCs will always be limited in terms of the number of ports they sport, and run more limited mobile CPUs and chipsets. They must also be unusually careful about managing heat and ventilation, because even these less-beefy mobile CPUs (Snapdragon X1-26-100 in the Asus, up to Intel Core Ultra 7 268v (Series 2) in the Dynabook) use throttling as well as cooling to keep themselves running.

The other tradeoff: compactness costs. Neither one of these units is exactly cheap. The Portege Z40L-N with i7 (vPro), 32GB RAM and 1 TB SSD lists for US$2,220.00. The ASUS comes with a distinct price advantage: the 32GB unit with 1TB SSD and its Snapdragon X1-26-100 lists for less than half that amount: US$1,100.00. Both get rave reviews. But if I had to foot the bill out of pocket, I’d need a strongly compelling reason to double down on cost to choose the Dynabook over the ASUS model.

I’ve requested review models of both machines from their respective makers. If I get lucky, I’ll have a chance to comment on this dynamic further and in great detail. Even so, it is pretty nifty to consider what you can pick up and carry with you in the realm of today’s lightest available Copilot+ PCs.

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