At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Robust build quality Attractive OLED display Good wired and wireless connectivity Snapdragon X Plus performs well (for the price) Cons Design fails to stand out Disappointing 3D graphics performance Battery life is a tad less than average Our Verdict The Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 delivers good bang for the buck. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Budget Snapdragon X Plus PCs are here, and Lenovo’s IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 is among the affordable options landing on store shelves. Priced at $850, this 2-in-1 provides a good mix of features and performance but falls behind some competitors in 3D performance and battery life.  Further reading: Best laptops 2024: Premium, budget, gaming, 2-in-1s, and more Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1: Specs and features The Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 is one of several budget PCs to equip Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Plus X1P-42-100. This is the least powerful version of Snapdragon X, with 8 processor cores (down from up to 12 in Snapdragon X Elite) and a clock speed of 3.4GHz.  CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon Plus X1P-42-100 Memory: 16GB LPDDR5x Graphics/GPU: Qualcomm Adreno NPU: Qualcomm Hexagon (up to 45 TOPs) Display: 14-inch 16:10 1,920 x 1,200 OLED touchscreen Storage: 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 solid state storage Webcam: 1080p with physical privacy shutter Connectivity: HDMI 2.1 (up to 4K@30Hz), 2x USB-C 3.0 (10Gbps) with Power Delivery and DisplayPort 1.4, 1x headphone/microphone jack, 1x microSD card reader, 2x USB-A 3.0 (5Gbps) Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 Biometrics: Fingerprint reader, facial recognition  Battery capacity: 57 watt-hours Dimensions: 12.32 x 8.94 x 0.68 Weight: 3.28 pounds MSRP: $849.99 MSRP  Given the 2-in-1’s $850 MSRP, though, a less impressive chip is to be expected. It’s flanked by a respectable 16GB of RAM and 1TB of solid-state storage. While neither specification is unusual for a budget Windows laptop, it’s still good to see Lenovo did not skimp on either. It’s also worth knowing that this configuration is the only model Lenovo currently has listed for the North American market—is what you’re going to get if you buy an IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1. The IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 is just $850, but the quality of the display nearly rivals the most expensive laptops on the planet.  Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1: Design and build quality IDG / Matthew Smith The Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 is a subdued, workmanlike PC. Its only notable design quirk is Lenovo’s camera hump at the top of the display. Though it might look a bit odd, provides an easy way to open the display lid. Otherwise, there’s not much to make the IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 stand out from the competition. There’s nothing that will offend, either. The IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 isn’t a “professional” machine, exactly, but its dark gray exterior and beveled edges come together for a handsome, cohesive design.  It’s screwed together tight, too. Opening the display lid reveals close to zero flex and the lower chassis doesn’t wobble when the laptop is handled from an edge or corner. In this respect the IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 punches above its weight, as it rivals the build quality of more expensive machines like the Acer Swift 14 AI and HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14.  As its name suggests, the IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 has a 360-degree hinge that lets you push the display back until the laptop becomes a tablet. However, the 2-in-1 weighs in at 3.28 pounds and measures about 0.68 inches thick, which means it’s not comfortable to use as a tablet.  To be fair, the IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 is not heavier than competitors like the Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1, which weighs 3.77 pounds—but that won’t save you from a black eye if you accidentally drop the IdeaPad on your face while trying to surf the web in bed. Shoppers who really want to get the most out of a touchscreen need to look at smaller, thinner, more expensive options like the Microsoft Surface Pro.  Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1: Keyboard, trackpad IDG / Matthew Smith Lenovo keeps up its reputation for good keyboards with the IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1. It has a spacious layout and most keys are large, with only the arrow keys noticeably downsized compared to a conventional desktop keyboard.  Key feel is a bit muted, however. While key travel is respectable, each key activates with a soft, easy action. I prefer a keyboard with a more definitive tactile click and some audible feedback. Still, it’s pleasant enough for a budget 2-in-1, and I had no problem with typing speed or accuracy.  The touchpad is fine. It measures roughly five inches wide and three inches deep, which is typical for a 14-inch machine in this price bracket. The touchpad surface feels responsive and is large enough for most situations, but some multi-touch gestures can feel a bit cramped.  Of course, the 2-in-1 has a touchscreen, and it provides added flexibility. The touchscreen is useful when using the 2-in-1 in as a tablet, of course, but also handy in cramped or awkward situations. For example, I like using “tent mode,” which uses the keyboard like a kickstand, when I watch YouTube videos over breakfast. I can still move between videos with the touchscreen but don’t have to worry about dropping crumbs on the keyboard.  Silly as it might sound, that sort of practical flexibility will come in handy if the Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 will be your only computer.  Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1: Display, audio IDG / Matthew Smith Every Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 has a 1920×1200 OLED touchscreen with a 16:10 aspect ratio. This turns out to be among the machine’s best features. OLED has a great reputation, for good reason. It provides a richer, deeper, more immersive image than a typical LCD display. Colors look incredibly vibrant and dark scenes look outstanding. That’s good news for any laptop but especially excellent for a budget machine like the IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1. Why? Because all OLED panels for laptops come from a handful of suppliers and deliver similar image quality. The IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 is just $850, but the quality of the display nearly rivals the most expensive laptops on the planet.  I say “nearly” for two reasons: resolution and refresh rate. 1920×1200 resolution looks plenty sharp on a 14-inch display, but it’s not going to beat competitors with 2880×1800 resolution (which are common). The IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 also sticks with a 60Hz refresh rate, while more expensive OLED displays tend to offer a smoother 90Hz or 120Hz refresh rate.  Yet neither is really a problem. It’s just the reality of budget hardware. Overall, the OLED display gives the IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 a big advantage against competitors that stick with LCD (and many do).  The 2-in-1’s audio performance is less impressive, though still alright. Lenovo provides upward-firing speakers that provide reasonable volume and clarity but lack the low end required to make music and movies sound great. They also frame the keyboard, which is great when using the machine as a laptop but makes the audio experience more muted when using it as a tablet (as, in that situation, the keyboard is pointed away from you).   Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1: Webcam, microphone, biometrics The Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 offers a decent 1080p webcam and dual-array microphone. They capture acceptable video and listenable audio that’s well-suited to video calls on Zoom or Google Chat. A physical privacy shutter is included to cover the camera, as well. All of this is good but typical for a budget Windows laptop.  Biometric login is available with a fingerprint reader on the lower right side of the laptop. This is less common, though not unique, for a budget 2-in-1. The fingerprint reader has the same strengths and weaknesses as those on competitive laptops. It works well in most situations, but a thin layer of dust or a slightly damp fingertip can fool it—so don’t take a swig of your Mountain Dew before you log in.  Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1: Connectivity IDG / Matthew Smith Connectivity is a perk for the Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1, as it provides a good range of modern and legacy connectivity.  On the left side you’ll find two USB-C ports, both of which support DisplayPort for connecting a USB-C monitor and Power Delivery for charging the laptop (the included 65-watt charger uses USB-C). On the right you’ll see two USB-A ports, so you can add an older wired keyboard and mouse without issue. An HDMI 2.1 port, 3.5mm combo audio port, and microSD card reader round out the options. While this is a good set of options, I have a few nitpicks. The HDMI 2.1 is listed to support only 4K at 30Hz which, frankly, is ridiculous for any laptop sold today. The USB ports also deliver low data speeds (10Gbps and 5Gbps respectively). However, that is also true of most budget Windows laptops.  Wireless connectivity, meanwhile, is excellent. The laptop supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4; both are the latest versions of each wireless standard. Neither is broadly adopted yet, so I expect these wireless standards will remain adequate for a good decade, or more.  Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1: Performance The Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 is intriguing to run through benchmarks, though not because it’s fast but, rather, because it’s (relatively) slow. Every IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 has Snapdragon’s X Plus X1P-42-100 chip, which has eight cores (down from 10 or 12 in the high-end Snapdragon chips). The laptop also has 16GB of memory and a 1TB solid state drive. None of this looks amazing on paper—but remember, this is an $850 laptop. And it turns out that slowest Snapdragon X Plus is competitive with the mid-range Intel Core Series 5 and AMD Ryzen 7 chips typically available in this price bracket.  IDG / Matthew Smith The IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 got off to a good start in Cinebench 2024, a moderate duration, heavily multithreaded CPU benchmark. This benchmark is Arm native, so it doesn’t encounter a performance penalty from running the app through emulation. Here, the IdeaPad managed to beat other laptops with Snapdragon X Plus chips by a hair and defeated the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition with Intel Core Series Ultra 256V. IDG / Matthew Smith Handbrake, on the other hand, is a long-duration multithreaded CPU benchmark that is not Arm native, which has a stark effect on what the IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 can achieve. Its performance falls far short of laptops with similar hardware. This is to be expected, given that the app is not making the best use of the Qualcomm hardware—but it’s a reality people who rely on apps that haven’t made the leap to Arm must consider.   IDG / Matthew Smith The IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 can perform well in Arm native apps that rely heavily on the CPU. The integrated GPU, on the other hand, is underwhelming. 3DMark Night Raid, an Arm-native 3D benchmark, spat out a score of just 16,399. While that puts the IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 ahead of other Snapdragon X Plus devices PC World has reviewed, it’s way behind the Intel Arc 140V integrated graphics in Intel’s Core Ultra 256V. There’s also a severe lack of Arm-native games on Windows. When those factors are combined, it’s clear that gamers should avoid the IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 like the plague.  Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1: Battery life You might expect, given its use of Qualcomm’s least performant Snapdragon X Plus chip, that the Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 will ace battery tests. That’s not the case, though it still does well enough.  IDG / Matthew Smith I measured roughly 14 and a half hours of battery life in our standard test, which loops a 4K file of the short film Tears of Steel. This is a light-load test that generally shows what the laptop can reach in less demanding situations.  Make no mistake: 14 and a half hours is a long time, and in general owners will be happy with the IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1’s endurance. Still, the graph makes it clear that competitors offer superior endurance.  That probably has less to do with the Qualcomm chip than the laptop’s battery and display. The IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1’s 57 watt-hour battery isn’t tiny, but many 14-inch machines have a battery in the 65 to 75 watt-hour range. I’ve also found that laptops with OLED displays seem to need a bit more power than those with LCD displays, and that’s certainly true for the IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1. Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1: Conclusion The Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 is a fine choice if you’re looking for an affordable 14-inch laptop or 2-in-1 that has an alluring OLED touchscreen and good connectivity. It falls behind in 3D performance and battery life, but those downsides are easier to overlook at $850. Shoppers who want a Windows machine that’s enjoyable for basic day-to-day tasks and office productivity should give the IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 a look. Read...

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The wait is over! The highly anticipated Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 officially launches on PC and Xbox Series X/S today, marking the dawn of a new era for the flight sim with many new features and improvements. Itching to jump in and get started? Before you do, here are some crucial details worth knowing about the release of MSFS24. Release time and download size The official release time of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is November 19, 2024 at 11am EST. However, you can start the preload in advance to avoid long waiting times after it releases. You can start the pre-installation if you have either pre-ordered the game or have Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, as this includes Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 from day one. To do this, search for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 in the Xbox app on PC or console and select the pre-installation. (The pre-installation doesn’t download the complete game. Depending on your internet connection, it may still take a lot of time to download the remaining files.) Officially, the installation size of MSFS24 is only 50GB, which is relatively small for such a large game. However, it’s quite possible that we’ll see a large day-one patch that makes final tweaks to the game. Secure your pre-order bonuses now Depending on which version of the game you pre-order, you’ll receive unique bonuses and additional content that come with it. Here’s an overview of them all: Standard Edition: De Havilland Canada CL-415 Firefighting Aircraft Deluxe Edition: All bonuses in Standard Edition plus 25 additional aircrafts and 10 additional international airports Aviator Edition: All bonuses in Deluxe Edition plus 30 additional marketplace aircrafts Incidentally, it’s also possible to play Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 via the cloud if your PC doesn’t meet the minimum requirements. You’ll need a current Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription for this. Further reading: The best cloud gaming service for you Read...

Here’s a fun little deal that snuck its way into the lesser-known Opera web browser: right now, you can snag three months of Spotify Premium for free thanks to a collaboration between Spotify and Opera. Opera recently announced that the new Opera One R2 desktop web browser will include an integrated music player feature that allows users to access Spotify directly within, and it will come with a complementary three months of Spotify Premium. To take advantage of the offer, you first need to download the latest version of Opera One. Install the browser, complete the initial setup, and launch it. The browser’s default music player is Spotify, which you’ll see as a small icon in the browser’s left sidebar. The music player will take you to the Spotify Premium offer and give you the option to upgrade to Spotify Premium with an existing (or newly created) free Spotify account. This offer is only valid for new customers, meaning accounts that have never been Premium before. While the offer is currently only available through the Opera One browser, there are plans to extend it to Android devices in early 2025. Further reading: Opera One users can try AI features for free Read...

Your email address is a liability when yet another of your accounts get hacked. After your login credentials are leaked, attackers can use those same credentials to try logging into different services across the web to see what else they might unlock. But there’s a better way — and Google seems poised to bring it to the masses. As spotted by Android Authority, a new “Shielded Email” feature in the Gmail app for Android devices is seemingly on the way. It would let you create disposable email addresses, or temporary burner email addresses that forward email to your real account. My colleague Michael Crider covered how Shielded Email could serve as a defense against spam, but there’s another payoff to this privacy protection: stronger online security. Using a random, unique email address for every account you have would make it harder for hackers to use data leaks to break into other accounts of yours. This is the same principle as masked email, but with one big advantage: you don’t need to sign up for a separate service. With almost 2 billion users already signed up for Gmail, the new Shielded Email feature would level up standard privacy, big time. If offered for free, it would also eclipse Apple’s equivalent feature, Hide My Email, which is only available to paying iCloud+ subscribers. I’m rooting for this feature to make it out the starting gate. Google’s been strengthening its security and privacy features, like dark web monitoring and improved passkey support in its password manager, without gating it behind a Google One subscription. With how bad data leaks and breaches have gotten lately, the smart way to avoid hackers who are exploiting current conventions is to change them altogether. Read...

In the last two years, Microsoft has invested a lot of money in the ChatGPT inventor Open AI and in its own AI developments. Since then, Microsoft has been equipping more and more programs with artificial intelligence, above all the Edge browser and Office programs. But AI is also finding its way into Windows. In this article, we present the new AI functions in Windows, the Windows apps, and Microsoft 365. Windows 11 Pro Artificial intelligence: Copilot Microsoft’s AI engine Copilot has been part of the operating system since Windows 11 23H2 for U.S. users, and is available via the Copilot app in the Microsoft Store for others. It can be integrated into the taskbar or simply accessed via the Start menu. The trick: The app simply links to Copilot in Edge, where the AI then runs as an independent program in its own window with a slightly different interface. However, Edge must be installed; the app will not work without the browser. You can chat with Windows Copilot and ask questions, which the AI assistant answers with the help of Bing. It displays the sources it has used. You can choose between “Creative,” “Balanced,” and “Accurate” conversation styles. However, the differences are hardly noticeable. The AI can also write letters, articles, and poems. With the help of Microsoft Designer and the support of the open AI tool Dall-e 3, Copilot can also generate images based on descriptions. Copilot is directly integrated into Microsoft’s Edge browser. You can ask the AI questions or have it summarize the currently open website.Mark Hachman / IDG The Edge browser has been equipped with Copilot since 2023. You can open the AI function via the icon in the top right-hand corner. Compared to the app, this has two advantages: Firstly, it allows you to ask questions directly about the website currently being accessed in the browser or request a summary of an online article. In the app, you can simply formulate a command such as “Summarize this article” and then add a link to the desired website. You can also activate Copilot plugins in Edge, such as Kayak for searching for flights, accommodations, and car rental, or Opentable for searching for restaurants. This is not possible in the Windows app. Further reading: The AI PC revolution: 18 essential terms you need to know Cocreator & Imager Creator: Create images in Paint The Windows drawing program Paint gets new features from time to time, most recently working on multiple layers and the AI function Image Creator were added — previously called Cocreator. Following this renaming to Image Creator, Cocreator is now available again in parallel, albeit with more advanced functions. However, most Windows users will not be able to use the new Cocreator, as it only runs on Copilot Plus notebooks (see box “AI processors in Copilot PCs”). The new Cocreator can now be found in the Paint toolbar alongside the Image Creator. The Image Creator is a slimmed-down version of the Bing Image Creator available online and Microsoft Designer. All three tools are based on Dall-e from Open AI and create images using descriptive text. You simply type in what you want to see and Image Creator creates a corresponding image. The Cocreator also works in the same way. However, while the Image Creator accesses Microsoft’s server resources on the internet, the Cocreator works locally on the computer and uses the NPU or the AI processor of the Copilot Plus notebooks. Local processing ensures better data protection, but Cocreator still requires an internet connection. Describe what you want Image Creator to create and select the desired style.Mark Hachman / IDG The Image Creator in Paint accepts your descriptions and generates images from them. You can choose between photos and different painting styles. Retouch photos with the Windows photo viewer The Windows Photo Viewer, simply called “Photos” in earlier versions, has had a generative erase function for a few months now. This allows you to selectively remove individual objects from a photo. The software fills the empty space amazingly well in the style of the image environment, the editing is often not recognizable. To do this, open the photo display by entering photos in the search field in the taskbar. In the program, click on the “All photos” icon on the left or on “Folder;” here you can add a picture directory to the program via “Add folder.” To open, double-click on an image in the preview and then click on the “Edit” button at the top left. Now select the “Delete” command and set the brush size on the right-hand side. The smaller the object to be deleted, the smaller the brush should be. Use the mouse to select the object to be deleted or the distracting area. As soon as you release the mouse button, the software starts working and retouches the photo. You can use the delete function in the Windows photo display to mark distracting objects. The software removes them and fills the space intelligently.Microsoft AI processors in Copilot Plus PCs The use of AI functions is very computationally intensive. For this reason, AI operations are currently mostly outsourced to the cloud, i.e. to the global data centers of Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and others. This causes potential problems with data protection, as the prompts, i.e. your queries, also end up with the IT companies and can therefore be assigned to you. At the same time, the AI operations in the data centers consume a lot of money and energy. The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge notebook is equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor and thus belongs to the new class of Copilot Plus devices. Samsung This is why PCs have been developed that can also perform AI tasks locally. Microsoft certifies correspondingly powerful Windows computers with the “Copilot” logo. These new notebooks have been available since the summer, initially all models with a Snapdragon X processor from Qualcomm and Arm architecture. AMD now also offers a CPU for Copilot Plus, Intel follows with its Core Ultra 200V mobile processor. The CPUs in Copilot Plus PCs accelerate AI functions and calculations to such an extent that it is not necessary to move them to the cloud in most cases. These chips are known as Neural Processing Units (NPUs). Designer: AI functions in the Microsoft 365 apps Designer was initially only available in PowerPoint, but is now included in the Microsoft 365 word processor. You will therefore need a paid Personal or Family account to be able to use the AI functions. Corporate customers are currently excluded. With a 365 account, you can use Designer in the online version of Word and in the desktop and online versions of PowerPoint. The program appears in the “Start” ribbon in each case. In PowerPoint, give your first slide a title and call up the Designer. It suggests various design templates that match the theme of the presentation. However, this only works in English. Further reading: 9 free AI tools that run locally on your PC Advanced AI function Copilot Pro only with additional subscription If you click on “Test Copilot Pro” in one of the 365 programs under File > Account > Manage account > Account, you can play with the extended AI functions for the Office programs free of charge for one month. After that, the subscription costs $22 per month. After activation, the Copilot icon appears at the beginning of the line next to the cursor in Word. After clicking on it, you can send the AI a description of the type of text you need. For example, Copilot can write speeches on a given topic, create a template for a CV or write short stories. In Excel, Copilot automatically creates formulas and sorts, analyzes and highlights data. However, this only works in the online version of the program and the files must be stored in a Onedrive or Sharepoint folder. Although Microsoft has made improvements in the meantime, the AI in Excel is still not as good as we would like it to be. In Outlook, Copilot is also limited to the online version. There, the AI summarizes the content of emails and translates foreign-language emails into your language of choice. Copilot Pro can also compose messages itself based on a short description. Copilot Pro in the video editing tool Clipchamp and in Teams The video editor Clipchamp offers a little more AI. The tool displays the “Create video with AI” button on its start page. Click on it to call up an AI wizard, which you can use to upload the images and videos for the Clipchamp film. After asking for a few pre-settings, it combines the media into a new film. Music can also be added if required. In the online version, you will find additional functions supported by artificial intelligence. These include a text-to-speech module and a presentation coach that provides real-time feedback on camera recordings. Finally, the Teams video conferencing software has received AI support: Users can ask Copilot questions during a conference or also use it as a writing assistant that automatically formulates chat messages after a few keywords have been entered. You can also instruct the AI to summarize the content from chats and channels for you. The AI also translates foreign-language posts, which are displayed as subtitles in real time: However, “Live Captions” only runs on Copilot Plus notebooks. Microsoft waits for Recall When Microsoft announced the new AI function Recall in early summer, data protectionists expressed concerns. Microsoft Recall is supposed to take and save a screenshot every five seconds in the background. Using a timeline, users will then be able to see what they have been doing on their PC on a particular day and at a particular time. With the help of artificial intelligence, the information in the images was to be analyzed and made available for questions such as “Where did I last read something about Copilot?”. However, following protests, Microsoft has now put the project on hold for the time being. The function has now been implemented in the Insider pre-release versions. However, the function is not expected to be integrated into normal Windows before spring 2025 — and if it is, then presumably as an additional app to be installed, as with Copilot. The circle of potential users is also very limited, at least initially, because Recall requires a Copilot Plus PC. Read...

If you’ve bought a laptop in the last couple of years, you’ve probably heard some marketing guff about the super-cool NPU inside of it. What you haven’t heard much of is what that NPU can actually do, since most of those flashy AI capabilities rely on remote data centers and most of the “AI” apps that run on your local hardware aren’t even using it yet. That’s about to change, according to Microsoft. Related: What the heck is an NPU? AI chips, explained As part of this year’s Ignite developer conference, Microsoft says Windows 11’s built-in search function will be accelerated by the NPU in Copilot+ laptops and other hardware. According to the announcement, the improved version of search will come to the broader Windows Search (the thing that lives in the Start menu) as well as more granular searches in File Explorer and Settings. get windows 11 pro for cheap Windows 11 Pro “Users will be able to find the right files, including documents and photos, without needing to remember file names or exact file content. Users will be able to search for local documents by describing their content or using synonyms of content in documents,” says the press release. And because it runs locally, this new capability won’t be dependent upon an internet connection. The most useful capability mentioned is the ability to “search by image content, including any text found in an image.” I can think of a lot of different better-save-this-just-in-case document photos I have in my Dropbox folder that would be a lot easier to track down this way. Windows’ ability to search local files and their contents definitely leaves a lot to be desired in its current form. As the press release says, if you can’t remember the file name or its approximate location in the folder hierarchy, you’re basically out of luck. That said, the announcement is nebulous enough that I wouldn’t hold my breath for a huge improvement, especially in terms of speed. I’m guessing Windows will need to process each image in your personal folders for both content and context, otherwise the AI-bolstered search would slow to a crawl, with or without an NPU. But that’s one prediction I’d be happy to get wrong. We’ll find out in early 2025. The new Windows Search is coming to all Copilot+ PCs eventually, but Snapdragon machines will get the first test via the Windows Insider program. Further reading: Crucial things to know before buying a Copilot+ PC Read...