Don't roll your eyes at the Surface Pro X's new Eye Contact feature

Surface Pro X kickstand
Surface Pro X kickstand (Image credit: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • Microsoft is rolling out its Eye Contact feature to the Surface Pro X.
  • The feature makes it appear as if you're looking straight at your camera, even if you're looking at your screen.
  • The feature has been in testing for close to a month and is now generally available.

Microsoft is rolling out its Eye Contact feature to the Surface Pro X. The feature uses artificial intelligence to make it appear as if you're looking straight at your camera, even when you're looking at your screen. The feature has been in testing for close to a month and is now generally available as part of the Surface Pro X's August 14 firmware update. To get the update, your Surface Pro X needs to be running the Windows 10 May 2019 Update, version 1903, or greater.

"Powered by Artificial Intelligence and the onboard Neural Network accelerator, Eye Contact helps to adjust your gaze on video calls and recordings, so you appear to be looking directly in the camera.," Microsoft said in a blog post when the feature started rolling out.

The feature does not appear to be limited to any specific app, instead working through your front camera wherever you use it. Microsoft pointed out during its testing that the feature does not work while the Surface Pro X is in portrait orientation.

The Eye Contact feature utilizes the Microsoft SQ1 processor that's inside the Surface Pro X, so it might not ship to other PCs any time soon or at all. The Surface Pro X is one of the best Windows laptops that we've reviewed recently, and its latest feature helps you connect to people a bit easier, whether you're at home or on the go.

Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott brings nearly a decade of experience covering Microsoft and Windows news to Windows Central. He joined our team in 2017 as an app reviewer and now heads up our day-to-day news coverage. If you have a news tip or an app to review, hit him up at sean.endicott@futurenet.com.