Microsoft is working on a small yet meaningful change to the lock screen and sign-in experience on Windows 11 that will streamline the authentication process that users must go through to log into their desktop.

The current Windows sign-in flow requires the user to manually select the method of authentication they wish to use to login. If you've set up a PIN, face unlock, and fingerprint unlock, the only method of authentication that is active is the one you manually click on to use on the lock screen.

This is a huge gripe of mine, and it's super frustrating when you want to login using your face, but Windows has selected PIN or fingerprint. It means your webcam isn't looking for you in that moment, and you have to manually switch to face unlock to force Windows into checking for your face and logging in.

Well, it looks like this is finally changing. In the latest Windows 11 preview builds, a hidden feature ID enables a new experience that automates this. Now, by default, the PIN box is always on show, but face unlock and fingerprint unlock are also active and ready to authenticate at the same time.

This means users no longer need to manually select the login method of their choice. Windows will automatically capture whichever biometric authentication method is set up, even when the PIN box is on screen. This also means the lock screen looks cleaner as a result, as the options to choose which authentication method you want to use is no longer displays as it's not necessary. It's also faster for those with biometric authentication enabled.

I really like this change, as it encourages Windows to keep trying my face unlock even if it fails the first time. Of course, there's an eventual timeout if it fails too many times, but I find it is able to log me in before it ever reaches that point. Also, being able to just type my PIN without having to manually select the PIN option first is also great.

Microsoft is yet to announce this new sign-in flow, but I suspect it won't be long until it's officially put into testing as it's already very polished and has been in the works for a number of months now. What do you think? Is this a good change for the Windows lock screen? Let us know in the comments.

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Microsoft's next-gen Xbox hardware lineup is beginning to come into focus. According to a new report from Fortune, the company is gearing up to ship new hardware in the form of a handheld in 2027, followed by a full-blown console in 2028.

It's unclear if the handheld project is a first party Xbox device, or a third-party device designed and manufactured by an OEM partner like ASUS and the ROG Ally X. The console is expected to be first-party, and is likely to run a specialized version of Windows.

The report claims that Xbox and Windows have been at odds about how the OS should run on Project Helix. Windows leaders wanted the consoles to run a modified version of Windows desktop, but Xbox leaders wanted a more boutique OS experience designed for gaming.

"Tensions ran high enough that a senior Xbox executive threatened to scrap the handheld project rather than adopt the Windows build ... Xbox is now largely controlling the direction of the operating system for the project" Fortune claims.

Microsoft's Xbox CTO, Scott Van Vliet has taken to X to refute Fortune's claims, stating that the report "misrepresents both the technical work and the relationship between the teams." But Windows and Xbox have a long history of clashing, and is the least surprising part of this report.

My own sources tell me that both Windows and Xbox teams have disagreed over the direction of the platform for certain gaming-specific experiences, but that doesn't mean the teams aren't still working together.

Windows already powers the current Xbox Series consoles, as well as Xbox One. It's a modified version of the OS that the Xbox team has customized, built on top of the Windows OS core that is developed by the Windows team.

It sounds like the Xbox team has decided to maintain this approach with Project Helix consoles, expanding and building upon it with new features and capabilities such as running PC games.

This is why you've seen an uptick in Xbox OS features for existing Xbox consoles over the last handful of months, as the Xbox org has started reinvesting in the OS experience they already control. This work will naturally also benefit the next-gen consoles.

Alarmingly, Fortune claims that Microsoft is currently expecting the next-gen Xbox console to cost somewhere between $1,200 and $1,800, making it the most expensive gaming console ever. It's possible that Microsoft may choose to subsidize the cost, which would bring it closer to $1,000, but nothing is confirmed.

Of course, these rumors are unconfirmed. Plans could change and schedules could slip, so nothing is set in stone until Microsoft is ready to formalize its plans officially. For now, we know that Project Helix is still in development, with first devkits expected to debut in early 2027.

Let us know in the comments what you think about Project Helix so far.

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In this episode of the Windows Central Podcast, Daniel Rubino and Zac Bowden regroup following a week of extensive hands-on hardware testing and benchmarking. The central focus is the initial review wave for the Surface Laptop Ultra and the broader Nvidia RTX Spark mobile platform.

Zac details his full review of the Surface Laptop Ultra, highlighting its MacBook-inspired design improvements, haptic touchpad, outstanding audio, sleep battery efficiency, and magnetic USB-C connector—while contrasting its 2,000-nit Mini-LED display against competing Tandem OLED panels. Daniel shares first impressions of two rival RTX Spark flagships: the ultralight 3.9 lb ASUS ProArt P16 and the robust HP OmniBook Ultra 16.

The hosts dig into real-world local AI and agentic workflows (including tests with Hermes Agent and local LLMs), explain the critical architectural advantage of configurable unified memory allocations for GPUs, discuss gaming performance with DLSS/frame gen, and showcase the newly launched ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X20 handheld console bundle featuring XREAL AR glasses.

This episode of the Windows Central Podcast is sponsored by Surfshark VPN. Unlimited devices, access your content from anywhere, and auto-block malware on Windows, Edge, and other platforms from $2.50/mo, with 3 months extra FREE. Sign up today!

• [01:44] – Introduction: Daniel and Zac kick off Episode 407, outlining their week spent benchmarking and testing retail RTX Spark laptops and handhelds.
• [05:51] – Surface Laptop Ultra Design & Build: Zac breaks down the chassis aesthetics, MacBook Pro styling parallels, lack of a notch, seamless lid lip design, and weight (4.5 lbs).
• [08:00] – The Mini-LED Display: Deep dive into Microsoft’s 2,000-nit Mini-LED panel, evaluating ghosting zones (1,344 dimming zones), glossy reflections, and comparisons to Tandem OLED screens.
• [13:09] – Battery Life & Standby Sleep Performance: Real-world longevity on the 92 Wh battery (10–12 hours light use) and standout sleep endurance matching Apple Silicon.
• [15:18] – Magnetic Breakaway USB-C: Testing the breakaway angle, data capabilities, and custom charging brick interoperability.
• [18:04] – RTX Spark CPU & Gaming Benchmarks: Breakdown of 20-core multi-threaded CPU output versus single-core scores, plus gaming results with DLSS in titles like Cyberpunk 2077 (approaching RTX 4070/5060 laptop levels).
• [25:59] – Local AI & Unified Memory Allocation: Why configurable system RAM sharing to the GPU CUDA cores enables large local LLM deployment that traditional gaming laptops cannot match.
• [29:11] – Agentic AI Experiments: Practical workflows with Hermes Agent, desktop automation in Photoshop, automatic folder cleanup, and local data safety risks.
• [46:00] – Speakers, Haptics & Missing Copilot+ Features: Praise for the class-leading haptic signals and audio alongside the notable delay of Windows Recall and semantic search on RTX Spark.
• [53:56] – ASUS ProArt P16 Review Preview: Daniel highlights the 3.9 lb featherweight design, dual-fan thermals, 4K anti-reflective touch options, and port selection.
• [58:50] – HP OmniBook Ultra 16 Breakdown: Frame build quality, rear tower exhaust design, Zero-Lattice Gen 2 keyboard, and compact 140W GaN charger.
• [01:06:08] – PCIe SSD Speed Shootout: Massive speed discrepancies across devices—Surface’s 14,000 MB/s drive vs. HP's 10,000 MB/s and ASUS’s variable read speeds.
• [01:14:55] – ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X20 Handheld Impressions: Translucent chassis, 7.4-inch 120Hz anti-reflective OLED panel, Z2 Extreme performance, and testing the bundle with XREAL AR glasses.
• [01:24:02] – Live Audience Q&A: Viewer questions regarding boot/restart bugs, NVMe expansion, OneDrive Microsoft 365 storage allocation backlash, and future low-tier RTX Spark silicon.

Have a question you want us to answer on the podcast? Send it to us at podcast@windowscentral.com

Hosts:

• Daniel Rubino
• Zac Bowden

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Microsoft is finally giving Copilot+ PCs more capabilities on Windows 11. After the disastrous launch of Copilot+ PCs in 2024 which ultimately led to the company retiring the brand as a marketing asset this year, Microsoft has announced Hybrid intelligence, a new wave of AI features that will utilize on-device processing and the cloud.

If you thought the Copilot+ PC promise of NPU-powered local AI experiences was dead, I wouldn't blame you. Microsoft has been slow to build out NPU-based AI features on Windows 11, with Click To Do and Semantic Search being the last Copilot+ PC exclusive features to launch over a year ago.

But that seems to be finally changing with "Hybrid intelligence," a part of which is being built directly into the Copilot app on Windows 11 and will intelligently route AI tasks and experiences between on-device processing and the cloud on Copilot+ PCs. Here's what's coming soon to Windows 11:

• Local context: With your permission, Copilot can understand relevant content on your PC, including files and recent activity, bringing local context into the flow of work. 
• Local actions: Copilot can take action on your behalf across Windows, helping complete tasks like organizing files, assessing device diagnostics, troubleshooting issues, coding, and carrying out workflows directly on your device. 
• Local models: Copilot can tap into AI models running on your PC, using local compute for the right tasks while combining it with cloud intelligence when needed. 

Hybrid Intelligence looks to be a natural evolution of Copilot+ PCs. Microsoft is finally giving this AI hardware more to do, with the ability to reach out to the cloud when required for more complex workloads. These Hybrid Intelligence features enhance the new Copilot Home, Code, and Autopilot experiences that were recently announced.

"Copilot understands your PC, takes action with your permission, and uses local models when it makes sense, with you in control at every step," Microsoft says. "Copilot features powered by hybrid intelligence are expected to begin rolling out on Copilot+ PCs in the coming months."

Microsoft says Hybrid intelligence requires Copilot+ PC compatibility, which naturally implies that these new AI experiences will lean on the NPU for local processing, as that's one of the hardware requirements for meeting the Copilot+ PC feature bar.

Microsoft believes that a hybrid approach to AI will be the way forward for computing. It's important for PCs to have local AI compute power and capabilities to reduce pressure on data centers, and it's also important for privacy and security reasons too.

Agents on Windows are being heavily pushed as a local AI experience, though it requires PCs with powerful GPUs and lots of system memory to really take advantage of. The NPU is not powerful enough to handle most large language models at current, and so is reserved for less power intensive tasks and automations.

The company has also announced Aion Instruct, an on-device AI model that replaces Phi Silica and runs on not just the NPU, but GPU and even CPU in some cases. It's a small language model capable of handling text generation, instruction following, and web tasks.

Microsoft has confirmed that the Copilot+ PC brand is going away as a marketing asset, but it will continue to exist as a feature set. OEMs and Microsoft itself have stopped calling their new Surface PCs Copilot+ PCs, even though they are all Copilot+ PC compatible.

Now, the Copilot+ PC moniker is simply a checkbox on a spec sheet, and it looks like Hybrid intelligence PCs is the new marketing term that Microsoft wants to get in front of as many people as possible.

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