• Microsoft unveils new Surface Copilot+ PC enterprise devices
• Surface Laptop for Business available in two display options
• New Surface Pro for Business offers more connections and performance

Microsoft has unveiled the next generation of Surface Copilot+ PC devices aimed at business and enterprise users, with the new offerings firmly planting AI front and center.

The new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop offer “a significant leap in x86 performance”, the company says, providing boosts in performance and productivity alongside a boosted NPU for business-focused AI tasks.

The launches include a new Surface Laptop available in 13.8in or 15in display options, alongside an upgraded Surface Pro for those looking for something a bit more flexible.

Surface Laptop for Business

“Customers are choosing Surface Copilot+ PCs today for improvements in performance, battery life, and security,” noted Nancie Gaskill, General Manager, Surface.

“Paired with Microsoft 365 Copiloti and enhanced AI processing power, these devices transform the employee experience to amplify your team’s efficiency and creativity through Copilot+ PC experiences designed for work.”

Officially known as the Surface Pro 11th Edition and Surface Laptop 7th Edition, the two new releases are available with Intel’s latest (series 2) Core Ultra processors, but users will have the option of Intel or Snapdragon-powered devices.

Microsoft also revealed customers will soon have the option of a 5G-enabled Surface device, with an all-new Surface Laptop 5G arriving later in 2025 to give users even more connectivity when on the go.

Alongside its Intel power, the new Surface Laptop for Business includes up to 22 hours battery life, Wi-Fi 7 connectivity, added ports and even customizable haptic typing alongside a larger touchpad.

Microsoft says that despite the slightly smaller dimensions on paper, its 13.8in display actually offers a larger viewing space than other 14in displays on the market due to ultra-thin bezels and also features an anti-reflective display for added privacy.

The upgraded device also offers a major performance boost, with Microsoft claiming up to 26% faster performance when multi-tasking, up to 2x faster graphics performance, and even up to 3x the battery life when on Teams calls.

Alongside this, the device features a powerful NPU that Microsoft says makes it the ideal workplace AI companion, powering tools and functions such as the new Windows “Descriptive Search” function across local and OneDrive files, Click to Do, and Microsoft Teams upgrades such as “Super Resolution” and live captions in more than 40 languages.

Surface Pro for Business

Microsoft says the new Surface Pro for Business is designed to replace your existing laptop, tablet, pen and paper in a single device, offering its most powerful tablet device to date.

It also offers more connections than previous versions, with support for up to three external 4k displays, along with boosted hardware which provides 28% more performance than the Surface Pro 9, and 50% more battery life when on Microsoft Teams calls.

“It’s never been more effortless to get work done,” noted Gaskill. "These new Copilot+ PCs offer a solution for every employee."

"Surface Copilot+ PCs are the ideal choice to modernize your business, offering the best combination of hardware, software and unparalleled security to support your business needs - these devices help make your business future-ready."

Both the Surface Laptop for Business and Surface Pro for Business will be available from February 18, 2025 for $1499.

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Microsoft has announced the upcoming release of several devices which it claims will revolutionize business productivity utilizing advanced AI technology.

Among the new offerings are the Surface Pro 10 with 5G, Surface Pro 11th Edition, Surface Laptop 7th Edition, and the Surface Keyboard.

Microsoft says these business laptops are built to empower users with enhanced performance, seamless connectivity, and innovative AI-driven features.

Enhanced business performance

The Surface Pro 10 with 5G is a productivity-focused device targeting business users, powered by the latest Intel Ultra Core processors. Its design emphasizes portability and flexibility, featuring a detachable keyboard that allows users to switch between laptop and tablet modes, making it particularly attractive for professionals on the go.

Microsoft has partnered with T-Mobile to make the transition to 5G more cost-effective for U.S. business customers. Qualifying businesses can receive a subsidy credit of up to $400 on Surface Pro 10 with 5G devices through the T-Mobile Partner Plus program.

In addition to 5G connectivity, there's also support for Wi-Fi 6, and two Thunderbolt 4 ports for fast data transfer and versatile peripheral connectivity. The display is designed with an anti-reflective coating, enhancing visibility in various lighting conditions, making it ideal for both work and entertainment.

In terms of usability, the device boasts an all-day battery life, allowing users to remain productive without frequent recharging. It will also include the Surface Pro Flex Keyboard, which features backlit keys and a large haptic touchpad. The device is set to be available on September 26, with the price yet to be announced.

Microsoft also announced the Surface Pro, 11th Edition, bringing AI-enhanced capabilities such as Windows Studio Effects, automatic framing, and enhanced voice focus, which boost user experience, particularly in video conferencing and content creation.

The new laptops are powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus processors, which aim to deliver 20% more AI processing power and battery life is up to 14 hours on a single charge, making them a decent choice for teams that require robust performance and long battery life.

Security is also a priority, with an integrated NFC reader allowing for passwordless authentication with devices like the YubiKey 5C, ensuring that sensitive data always remains protected. The Surface Slim Pen further enhances the device’s versatility, enabling precise notetaking, sketching, and annotation.

The availability of Wi-Fi models is scheduled for September 10, while 5G models will be released on September 26. Pricing details are yet to be announced.

The Surface Laptop, 7th Edition is the latest iteration of the Surface Laptop series and is designed to boost team productivity with major upgrades in display quality, connectivity, and user experience.

The new Surface Laptop is available in two sizes, 13.8 inches, and 15 inches, featuring ultra-thin bezels and brighter screens for an enhanced viewing experience. Both models are equipped with advanced connectivity options, including Wi-Fi 7 and multiple ports, ensuring integration with various devices and networks. The laptops promise impressive battery life, with the 15-inch model lasting up to 22 hours, making them suitable for extended use without frequent charging.

The Surface Laptop’s Full HD Surface Studio Camera, paired with AI-powered Windows Studio Effects, should mean users look their best during video calls, with features like Automatic Framing, Portrait Blur, and Eye Contact.

It also sports Omnisonic Speakers and AI-enhanced Studio Mics with Voice Focus to further enhance the audio experience, making it easier for teams to collaborate and communicate effectively. This model is set to be available on September 10, with pricing details also yet to be announced.

Recognizing many business users prefer a larger keyboard for desk-based work, Microsoft is introducing a new Surface Keyboard, a full-sized offering designed to complement Surface PCs and offers enhanced functionality for those who spend significant time working at a desk.

The new keyboard features an expanded keyset, including the dedicated Copilot key, which provides instant access to AI functionalities, allowing users to integrate AI into their workflow, and replaces the traditional menu key.

Compatibility is a key focus, as this keyboard is designed to complement Microsoft’s Surface Pro and Surface Laptop devices. The keyboard will be available starting October 3, with pricing details yet to be announced.

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May has been a good month for fans of OLED displays. With Apple’s new iPad Pro and Microsoft’s upgraded Surface Pro being unveiled at almost the same time, there’s now plenty of choice when it comes to high-end tablets that boast top-notch screen tech.

Yet a recent comparison from display industry expert Ross Young shows some massive discrepancies between the two devices that you might not have been aware of if you’d just stuck to the two companies’ marketing materials. It follows a previous claim from Young that the iPad Pro would come with several industry firsts, and when you look a little closer, it becomes clear that the iPad Pro’s display is leaps ahead of the Surface Pro’s, on paper.

What’s immediately obvious is the benefit brought by the iPad Pro’s tandem OLED display. The Surface Pro uses a regular OLED panel, which means it tops out at 900 nits of peak brightness and 600 nits of full screen brightness. The iPad Pro, meanwhile, hits 1,600 nits and 1,000 nits in those two categories, respectively. That’s a huge disparity and one undoubtedly facilitated by the iPad’s more advanced tandem OLED technology.

The differences don’t end there. The iPad Pro has a wider refresh rate range (10Hz to 120Hz compared to the Surface Pro’s 60Hz to 120Hz), offers stronger login protection in the form of Face ID versus a fingerprint reader, is significantly thinner and lighter, and offers a chip with a more efficient and advanced 3nm manufacturing process. 

Despite all of that, it still comes in cheaper, starting at $1,299 / £1,299 / $2,199 compared to the $1,499 (around £1,180 / AU$2,250) Microsoft charges for the OLED version of the Surface Pro.

Which is better?

Of course, not everything is quantifiable by tech specs, and much comes down to how a device feels to hold and use. 

The Surface Pro is a 2-in-1 computer that can be used as either a tablet or a laptop, while the Apple requires you to shell out an extra $299 if you want its keyboard for the iPad Pro. That alone might make Microsoft’s device more attractive to you.

The Surface Pro also pulls ahead in a couple of important ways. For instance, it starts with more storage (512GB versus 256GB), supports Wi-Fi 7 instead of Wi-Fi 6E, offers more CPU cores and potentially more GPU cores (although the latter is uncertain right now), starts with more memory and offers a higher memory limit.

Yet it’s hard to avoid the fact that the iPad Pro is most likely the better choice if the display is your most important consideration. While there’s a lot to like about the Surface Pro, Apple has the display crown for the time being.

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Microsoft has unveiled new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop devices that it says can directly compete with – and outperform – Apple’s MacBook Air. Yet while their performance is truly impressive, there’s a notable caveat that suggests the MacBook Air comparison isn’t quite on the money.

Yesterday, Microsoft put on a special show for its new laptops, which come equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chips based on the Arm architecture. This is the same architecture that Apple’s latest M3 chips are built on, and it is known for its ability to combine blistering performance with ice-cold efficiency.

In tests seen by The Verge, Microsoft’s laptops – dubbed Copilot+ PCs – beat the M3 MacBook Air in a series of benchmarking trials measuring chip performance. In terms of battery life, too, Microsoft apparently came out on top, managing just under 17 hours in a web browsing test and over 20 hours of video playback. 

Microsoft tested the MacBook Air in these areas too, and it clocked in at 15 hours and 25 minutes in the first and 17 hours and 45 minutes in the second, putting Microsoft’s device comfortably ahead.

The Arm advantage

So, is this the end of the MacBook Air’s reign? Well, not quite. As pointed out by Ars Technica, Microsoft says its new laptops come with fans, which the MacBook Air does not. 

That means Microsoft has a distinct advantage in terms of cooling, which will always help a chip eke out extra performance. The MacBook Air can achieve its remarkable performance while remaining completely silent, and while the Surface’s performance is undoubtedly incredibly impressive, equipping it with a set of fans means it’s always likely to pull ahead of Apple’s fanless laptops.

Perhaps a more apt comparison is with the Intel-based Microsoft Surface laptops that came before the latest Snapdragon X Elite models. The Verge notes that 2022’s Intel-based Surface Laptop 5 offered eight hours and 38 minutes in a web browsing battery test – just half of what the latest Surface can now offer.

If you’ve got an Intel-based Surface laptop now and are thinking of upgrading to the Snapdragon model, you will likely notice a sizable improvement in performance and battery life. Microsoft also says it has radically stepped up app compatibility for its Arm-based chips, with a new emulator called Prism that Microsoft claims is as good as Apple’s Rosetta 2 at running non-native apps.

The new Surface Laptop starts at $1,000 / AU$1,899 for a 13-inch model with Snapdragon X Plus chip, 16GB of memory, 256GB of storage and an IPS LCD display. The Surface Pro, meanwhile, starts at $1,049 / AU$1,899 for an LCD screen or $1,549 / AU$2,699 for an OLED display. Its base model offers 16GB of memory and either 256GB or 512GB of storage, depending on which display option is chosen.

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Microsoft's big event in New York City is today, which we are closely following in in our Microsoft Surface Event liveblog, and the company just announced the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3, complete with 15 hours of battery life and a performance that's 88% faster than the original.

Speculations around the launch of new devices like the Surface Go 4, Surface Laptop Studio 2, and maybe even the Surface Laptop Go 3 have been buzzing around for days. And while Microsoft only actually announced two devices, focusing more on Copilot, it's nice that the Laptop Go line has finally been upgraded.

That's especially because there hasn't been significant activity in the Go, Laptop Studio, and Laptop Go product lines over the past year or so. The Surface Laptop Go, in particular, hasn't gotten the attention it deserves since the release of the Surface Laptop Go 2 back in June 2022 – a huge shame since it's an exemplary notebook that proves that a budget laptop can have premium features. 

While June 2023 came and went without a peep from Microsoft about the line, now's the best time for Microsoft to resurrect one of the best budget laptops we've seen since many are still struggling with the cost of living crisis. And while our hopes that the manufacturer will reinvent it in a massive way have been dashed, there's still a lot to talk about.

Can the new Surface Laptop Go 3 help the the line can reclaim its best touchscreen laptop status? Here's what you need to know to answer that.

Surface Laptop Go 3: cut to the chase

• What is it? The next Surface Laptop Go installment
• When is it out? Pre-order available now, shipping on October 3
• What will it cost? Starting at $799

Surface Laptop Go 3: Price and release date

Unfortunately, the Laptop Go 3 has an even slightly higher price of entry at $799 in the US, but as long as Microsoft the necessary improvements in its display,  webcam, and specs, it's not too bad. You can pre-order it today, but it starts shipping out on October 3.

The original Surface Laptop Go, which hit the shelves back in October 1, 2020, started at a nice and affordable $549 / £549 / AU$999, which offered an i5, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of eMMC storage, which was certainly good enough for people who didn't need a powerful notebook and wanted a budget option. It also capped at $899 / £899 / AU$1,549 for a RAM and storage bump of 8GB and 256GB.

Its successor, the Laptop Go 2, did get a small price rise, starting at $600 / £600 / AU$1,199, which was disappointing as, outside of swapping out that base eMMC storage for a proper SSD, it didn't really come with improvements that would warrant a price bump.

Surface Laptop Go 3: Design

Much-lauded for its premium build quality and stylish design despite its lower price of entry, the Surface Laptop Go line did had a lot going for it when it first hit the streets.

Obviously, because it is one of the best things about the line, it retains its portable nature. At only 10.95 x 8.12 x 0.62 and with a 12.4-inch screen, this is one of the most compact laptops in the world. It's still ultralight and portable, coming in at 2.4lbs (1.08kg), and it'll come in four colors.

Unfortunately, it is keeping its 12.4-inch 1536 x 1024 (148 PPI) PixelSense touch display. The panel boasts 1000:1 contrast ratio, 320 nits brightness, and 3:2 aspect ratio. Same sad news about the webcam, as it retains its 720p HD front-facing camera, basically a dinosaur in this day and age. And sadly, the keyboard still does not have backlighting.

On the plus side, it's still available in its predecessor's beloved colorways: Sage, Ice Blue, Sandstone, and Platinum. In addition, it now comes with a fingerprint power button. As for the ports, it will have a USB-C 3.2, a USB-A 3.1, 3.5 mm headphone jack, and the Surface Connect port. 

Surface Laptop Go 3: Specs and performance

As announced by Microsoft, the Surface Laptop Go 3 with have 15 hours of battery life and 88% faster performance than the original Surface Laptop Go.

The new Laptop Go 3 may be Intel Core i5-1235U, a 12th-Gen Alder Lake chip, and paired with Intel Xe Graphics, 8GB or 16GB RAM, and 256GB storage. This is for the consumer model. Opt for the commercial model, and you get a removable UFS drive of 128GB plus 256GB or 512GB SSD.

We'll know more about how the Surface Laptop Go 3 actually performs in real life as soon as we get our hands on it for a proper review.

Today's best Laptop Go and Laptop Go 2 deals

Microsoft’s Surface showcase has been and gone - and there have been no signs of life for the Surface Pro 10 nor its little tablet sibling the Surface Go 4.

Sorry folks, but Microsoft's event was rather lackluster for anyone looking to check out some new hardware, with not a tablet in sight. Instead, Microsoft revealed the Surface Laptop Go 3 and Surface Laptop Studio 2. We're going to leave the rest of this article as is until new information surfaces (pun intended).

The Surface Pro 8 helped to breathe new life into a series that was mostly content with very little change across the board (possibly barring the Surface Pro X), and the Surface Pro 9 continued on with some strong spec updates and a slightly updated aesthetic design. That said, there are high hopes that the Pro 10 will innovate even further, or at least be a clear and strong improvement over its predecessors, becoming one of the best 2-in-1 laptops.

There isn't much we know so far, except the fact that unlike the Pro 9, it'll most likely only have a single configuration, a 13th-Gen Intel CPU, or it'll have both the Intel and ARM versions with the latter delayed until 2024. There also seems to be a report spreading about an 11-inch version of the Pro 10 launching with the 13-inch, which would serve to compete with Apple's own iPad variants.

Now that it's over, you can see our blow-by-blow of the event by checking out our Microsoft Surface Event 2023 liveblog.

Microsoft Surface Pro 10: cut to the chase

• What is it? The new Microsoft Surface Pro tablet
• When is it out? Rumored sometime in late September or October 2023
• What will it cost? Most likely starting at $1,299

Microsoft Surface Pro 10: Release date and price

Microsoft is well-known for its rigid annual release schedule when it comes to the Surface Pro series, which is usually the third quarter of every year since 2013. Naturally, the only time this was broken was in 2020 thanks to the pandemic's long-reaching impact on the supply chain and labor causing manufacturing delays.

The main Surface Pro 9 model was released in October 2022 along with the Surface Pro 9 5G and, judging from rumors and a special September Microsoft event for journalists in New York City that's coming up, we could see it as early as September 21. If not, then it'll most likely be sometime around October 12 after the Microsoft event debuts.

As for pricing, there's no official word and rumors are sparse at best. The most we can do is judge based on previous trends, which have seen the price go up with every release. The base Surface Pro 9 model started at $999.99 / £1,099 / AU$1,649 and the 5G version was $1,299.99 / £1,299 / AU$2,599 (with more RAM). Most likely the base version of the Pro 10 will start at $1,299.99.

Microsoft Surface Pro 10: Design

The 13-inch Pro 10 will most likely sport the same 2880 x 1920 resolution and PixelSense Flow touch display with a 3:2 aspect ratio as the Pro 9 did, just like the Pro 9 carried that over from the Pro 8. It'll most likely have the same smooth and rounded edges, along with the kickstand and attachable Type Cover keyboard that's always sold separately.

But what's way more interesting is a report from Windows Central that alleges the Surface Pro 10 will feature two models, the standard 13-inch version and an 11-inch. It's similar to what Apple is doing with its own iPad Pro, which could mean that Microsoft is trying to compete directly with its tablet rival.

According to that same report, the 11-inch Surface Pro 10 will be codenamed Luxor and is similar to the Surface Go except with thinner bezels. It will also be more powerful and have a superior 120Hz display.

Windows 11 got an update back in 2022 with a new tablet mode for devices 11 inches and under. One of the new features makes the taskbar minimize from view when an app is open, while the other auto opens the app to full screen to better emulate Android and iOS tablets. There are plans for even more tablet optimization updates into 2024, which would also explain why Microsoft wants to ship out an 11-inch device.

Microsoft Surface Pro 10: Performance

Currently, there are no hard reports on what to expect when it comes to specs and performance for the Surface Pro 10. Amidst some conflicting rumors, there aren't even any confirmations of whether the Pro 10 will use both ARM and Intel variants again as with the Pro 9, though we can assume it'll be packing at least a 13th-generation Intel chip.

Unfortunately, the next-gen Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors that would have been perfect for the Pro 10 aren't coming out until December 2023 or sometime in 2024, far too late for the next Surface Pro. This also backs the idea of an Intel-only configuration or a delayed ARM version, since we still have no confirmation of an ARM variant as of now.

Today's best Microsoft Surface Pro deals

Microsoft has just launched its Black Friday sale and it features a number of deals across its range of popular laptop-tablet hybrids.

The latest Surface Pro 9 may have launched recently, but if you're interested in saving money on an equally capable device in this year's Black Friday deals, then a Surface Pro 7+ with a Type Cover keyboard is down to £958 (was £1,353.99) at the Microsoft Store.

That's a huge saving of almost £400 off the usual price - and an even better deal when you consider that this comes with the almost necessary Type Cover accessory as part of the package. Without that, you'd have to make do with the on-screen keyboard, which isn't the easiest or most convenient option if you intend to use the Surface Pro for work or more involving tasks.

Not in the UK? Scroll down for more Surface deals in your region.

Microsoft Surface Pro Black Friday deals

This version of the Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ comes with an Intel i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. That's a solid mid-range spec that can comfortably handle all of your day-to-day computing, light work and business needs. We're especially glad to see 8GB of RAM at this price, which is fine for strong performance when multitasking.

Meanwhile, the 12.3-inch touchscreen is a clear and crisp display that supports high-end resolutions up to 2736 x 1824 for excellent image quality. A study kickstand and front-facing camera make the Surface Pro ideal for video calls from anywhere, too. It also helps that the device is light, so it's easy to take with you anywhere.

Just a small word of warning about that portability, though. Microsoft suggests that battery life is up to 15 hours on a single charge, but in our Microsoft Surface Pro 7 review, we found that it often fell below this mark and lasted anywhere between 4 - 8 hours.

Still, this is a solid option this Black Friday one of the best Surface Pro deals we've seen in months. If you want to check out some more options we've got even more Surface devices below. Or, there's our huge Black Friday laptop deals hub that features even more devices from cheap Chromebooks to premium ultrabooks.

I've gathered together all the best Surface deals available right now so you can pay the lowest price for one of Microsoft's premium devices. The manufacturer's unique and highly-rated laptops or laptop/tablet hybrids can cost as much as $1,000 / £1,000 / AU$1,000 or more for the latest and most powerful models, but you can pick one up for a lot less during a sale.

If you're shopping for a Surface Pro specifically, it's important to point out that these devices don't always include the handy Surface Pro keyboard cover that transforms the tablet into a full laptop-style workstation. Even if retailer sites misleadingly show it in product images, you should pay close attention to be sure it's included in a bundle to get the best value for money. However, you can always pick up the keyboard cover hybrid separately.

Whether you go for the Surface or the Surface Pro, just know that we came away relatively impressed by the latest devices in our Microsoft Surface Pro 12 review and Microsoft Surface Laptop review. This is thanks to the power of the Qualcomm Snapdragon X processors, excellent overall performance, slick designs and amazing battery life.

It is likely worth paying extra for one of these new devices, but those after a bargain should find some record-low prices for the previous generation devices in the weeks ahead.

What if you decide the Microsoft Surface isn't for you? Well, you can also browse the latest tablet deals and laptop deals available now for several more affordable options, including cheap Chromebooks and similar 2-in-1 devices. We've also got today's best MacBook deals if you want to compare the Surface Pro to the range of premium laptops from Apple.

Where to find more Surface Pro deals

If the Surface Pro deals above aren't quite hitting your pricing sweet spot, you can always check with retailers directly. Below you'll find all the stores we've spotted offering up Surface Pro deals over the last few years.

US:

• Microsoft: regularly offers Surface Pro bundle deals
• Best Buy: also offers frequent Surface Pro bundle deals
• Amazon: better for straight price cuts and renewed items than bundles
• Walmart: Low prices but bundles don't offer as much value
• Newegg: good price cuts and also stocks older models
• B&H Photo: better for high-spec configurations
• Adorama: regular Surface Pro sales but prices aren't as good as Best Buy

UK:

• Microsoft: Surface Pro bundles are available fairly regularly
• Amazon: excellent for regular Surface Pro deals
• Currys: Surface Pro now included in frequent clearance sales
• John Lewis: often price match Surface Pro deals with extra warranty
• Argos: strong discounts, usually with reduced software as well

Is the Surface Pro worth the price?

If you're looking for a Windows tablet, then the Surface Pro is really your only option outside of 2-in-1 convertible laptops. That means the price of a Surface Pro is typically higher than that of a laptop running the same specs, but you do get the full functionality of a tablet device at the same time.

That means a Surface Pro also has laptop-level specs that are arguably better than devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 or one of the best iPads. However, in recent years, these tablets have added more power and functionality to work admirably as more dedicated workstations for around the same cost.

The Surface Pro does run the Windows OS, though, so you may find it's worth paying a little more for the luxury and flexibility of both a tablet design and a laptop level of performance.

Check out our Best Buy discounts and Microsoft promo codes to get the best deal on your next purchase.

Editor's Note

• Original review date: May 2021
• Launch price: $1,099 / £999 / AU$1,649
• The Microsoft Surface Pro 8 is not longer generally sold, but newer models with updated specs are available for a lower price

Update – September 2024: You are going to be hard-pressed to find a new Microsoft Surface Pro 8 on sale right now, and even if you did find one, you're almost certainly going to be better off buying the new Microsoft Surface Pro 11.

The only way you should really be looking to buy this device in late 2024 is if you can find it steeply discounted by 40-50%, otherwise, sales on more current models will likely give you a much better value.

Original review follows.

Microsoft Surface Pro 8: Two-Minute Review

The Surface Pro 8 could be old news, folks: the Microsoft Surface live event is taking place on October 12, and all current leaks point towards us seeing our first glimpse of the hotly-anticipated Surface Pro 9. Still, you can read out original review of the current-gen model right here - we loved it when it came out in 2021, and we still love it today.

With the Surface Pro 8, Microsoft finally took the aging design of the Surface Pro lineup and completely modernized it. This is the biggest change we’ve seen on this flagship device in years, rolling out some long-overdue design improvements like thinner bezels, rounded edges, and the inclusion of the Thunderbolt 4.

The Surface Pro 8 is still very much recognizable as part of Microsoft's core line of Windows devices, a one-time candidate for our best tablets list and still one of the best Windows tablets. At the same time, it truly feels like a new generation with these design changes and some of the fastest hardware that's ever been seen in a Windows tablet. And, although we are lamenting the loss of some legacy ports, this is the best Surface Pro we’ve got in years. And, it also comes with the new Windows 11 operating system pre-installed. 

Unfortunately, all those much-needed improvements come with a price increase. With its price of entry at $1,099 / £999 / AU$1,649, the Surface Pro 8 is also the most expensive – a lot more than its predecessor, the Surface Pro 7, that started at $749 / £799 / AU$1,249 – and that makes it harder to sell. Still, Surface Pro users who’ve been waiting for years for a proper update finally have one that’s worth upgrading for.

Microsoft Surface Pro 8: Price and Availability

The Surface Pro 8 is available today, starting at $1,099 (£999, $1,649). That will get you an Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD. 

It's a pretty big bump from the Surface Pro 7, which launched at just $749/£799/AU$1,249. However, that was for a configuration with just a Core i3 processor and 4GB of RAM. But the Pro 7 configuration with a Core i5, 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD launched for just $899/£899/AU$1,499, which is a full $200 cheaper in the US. It's a pretty massive price difference. 

Of course, if you want a more powerful Surface Pro 8, you can pay to upgrade it. You can upgrade the Surface Pro 8 all the way to an Intel Core i7 processor, 32 GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, which will set you back $2,599 in the US. 

In the UK and Australia, the Surface Pro 8 tops out at 16GB of RAM, but with the same specs otherwise, and that top-end spec will set you back £2,059 / AU$3,299.

That makes the Surface Pro 8 the same price as the 12-9-inch iPad Pro to start, and we're not sure that's a comparison Microsoft wants, at least when it comes to performance. In our testing, the Apple M1, which is in both the iPad Pro and some Macs, absolutely wipes the floor with 11th-generation Intel U-series processors. Microsoft has some pretty stiff competition with its oldest rival.

Microsoft Surface Pro 8: Design

The Surface Pro lineup kind of started to stagnate for the last couple iterations. Both the Surface Pro 6 and Surface Pro 7 were just spec updates of the Surface Pro 2017. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as four years ago, the Surface Pro was a pretty fresh device. But now it needs a pretty substantial redesign, especially in the face of the new iPad Pro, which Microsoft has pretty much left alone since its introduction. 

The Surface Pro 8, luckily, brings some much-needed design improvements to the table. The easiest one to notice is the new graphite color, which simply looks incredible. While it seems like Microsoft has been focusing on lighter shades for its devices in recent years, the darker colors with this year's lineup look incredible. 

The chassis is also refined, with more rounded edges, that seem much more comfortable to hold for long periods of time, rather than the flat sides with sharper corners. 

Bezels are also smaller than ever, and this is that final thing that makes the Surface Pro 8 look like an all-new device, rather than a relic from the early 2010s. It makes the screen look so much bigger, and makes the device look more premium than ever – which is good, because it's also more expensive than ever. 

The smaller bezels do more than just look good, though: they allow for an 11% larger display. The Surface Pro 8 now has a 13-inch PixelSense display with a resolution of 2,880 x 1,920. That's right in the middle of 1440p and 4K, but for a 13-inch display, it's absolutely gorgeous. What makes this display even better is that along with the bigger size, it also has a 120Hz refresh rate. This is definitely not a gaming device, but take it from us – once you use a high-refresh display, even for everyday computing, you're not going to want to go back. 

The display is configured to 60Hz out of the box, mainly in the interest of boosting battery life, but you can enable it at any time by going into your display settings. 

On The Surface Pro 8, the display hits 103% of the sRGB spectrum and has a peak brightness of 467 nits, which makes this one incredibly gorgeous display. Everything we've watched on this thing, whether it's Bob's Burgers in bed or the green text on the black background of our command prompt, has looked incredible. 

This is doubly important for a device like the Surface Pro 8, as this lineup is especially popular with artists, who will need the color accuracy to get their work done. It's just kind of a bonus that consuming content looks great, too. 

Sound quality isn't quite as good as what the Surface Pro 8 offers visually, but it's far from the worst sound we've heard in a laptop. Listening to 'Comfort In The Grave' by Vision Video, the highs are perfectly clear, but the bassline kind of gets lost in the background. 

There's not really a lot of real estate available for speakers though, so they're honestly better than we'd expect. Though, you'll still be better off with a pair of headphones. 

Usually, Microsoft pairs the launch of a new Surface Pro with a whole new lineup of Surface accessories, like a new pen and Type Cover. This time around, though, Microsoft is sticking with the same Type Cover that launched with the Surface Pro X, and which has apparently been incredibly popular. That means you might not need to buy a new Type Cover if you upgrade, which is good because Microsoft still isn't including it in the box.

Microsoft has also finally changed the ports. For years, the Redmond company has refused to use Thunderbolt, citing security concerns. It must have found a way around them, however, because the Surface Pro 8 has full support of Thunderbolt 4. This means a whole new world of accessories and peripherals are finally open to the Surface Pro 8, including external GPUs, which are a huge boon to the creative professionals that are most likely to buy a Surface Pro in the first place. 

The Surface Pro 4 has two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack and the Surface Connect port. It does lose the USB 3.0 Type-A port that the Surface Pro 7 had, but we're actually fine with that - it is a tablet, after all. 

However, it's not all rosy here. Microsoft still insists on selling the Type Cover and Surface Pen separately, which is absurd given the higher price tag this time around. We kind of get the Surface Pen being optional, but we can't imagine ever buying this tablet and not also getting the Type Cover. 

The Type Cover itself is still great, as it's the same one as Microsoft debuted with the Surface Pro X, which means it has a handy little wireless charging area for the Surface Pen - but, again, that's sold separately. 

Key travel is surprisingly deep for how thin the keyboard is, and the wide spacing on the keys means you're always comfortable typing. The only place the Type Cover falls apart is its touchpad, which is mediocre at best. But given that this device excels so much as a touch device, it's not that big of a deal. 

Microsoft Surface Pro 8: Performance

With a device that's meant to be as portable as the Surface Pro 8, performance is always a difficult balance to strike. You want it to be fast, but you don't want to push it so hard that battery life goes down the toilet and it becomes too hot to handle. 

Microsoft has apparently put a lot of effort into re-engineering the internals of the Surface Pro 8, and it allowed the company to configure the processor with a higher TDP than past versions of the tablet – boosting it to 23W instead of the 15W of the Surface Pro 7's processor. 

That's not going to be a night-and-day difference, but combine that with just how much faster Tiger Lake, compared to the the low-power Ice Lake chips in the last laptop and Microsoft is claiming up to a 2x performance increase. That's a pretty bold assumption, and unfortunately the Surface Pro 8 falls short of that mark.

That doesn't mean that it's not faster, in fact in Cinebench R15 - a test we've retired and replaced with Cinebench R23 - the Surface Pro 8 is nearly 50% faster than the Surface Pro 7, which is a pretty incredibly generational increase. The difference isn't as stark in GeekBench 4, but it's still noticeably faster. 

What's more impressive, though, is how the Surface Pro 8 fares against its big sibling, the Surface Laptop Studio. The tablet is just 12% slower than Microsoft's so-called creative workstation in Cinebench, and just 5% slower in GeekBench. This is all in spite of the fact that the Surface Pro 8 is half as thick as the Laptop Studio and nearly half the weight. 

The Surface Pro 8 can't compete when it comes to graphics, as it's using the integrated Xe graphics instead of the dedicated Nvidia RTX A2000, but still. If you just need CPU performance, there's pretty much no reason to go for the Surface Laptop Studio over the Surface Go 8. 

Microsoft Surface Pro 8: Battery Life

One of the biggest downfalls of the Surface Pro 7 was its battery life, lasting a paltry 3 hours and 12 minutes in the PCMark 8 battery test. We've since graduated to PCMark 10, but the Surface Pro 8 knocks that number out of the park with 8 hours and 15 minutes, making this a device you can totally use to work all day without needing a charger. 

This is probably largely due to Microsoft's decision to adhere to the Intel Evo program and to limit the refresh rate of the display to 60Hz by default. With how portable the Surface Pro 8 is, it's nice to know it's not going to run out of battery within a couple of hours, as the charger can add extra bulk. 

The numbers are slightly less impressive with our video playback test, where the Surface Pro 8 lasts just 6 hours and 32 minutes, but that's still a pretty nice little Netflix binge. 

Microsoft Surface Pro 8: Webcam and Microphone

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably realized that video conferencing is more important now than it has ever been, and having a laptop (or tablet) with a decent webcam is a godsend, as we all want to look good in our morning meetings. And luckily, the Surface Pro 8 has one of the best webcams we've ever used in a mobile computing device. 

In all of the calls we've taken in our time with the device, both for work and for chats with friends and loved ones, we've come through perfectly clearly without any kind of distortion or problems with focus. And, the front-facing camera is also Windows Hello compatible, so you can use it to log in. 

But of course, because this is a tablet, it also has a rear-facing camera. And, it's, well, fine. It's not as good as what you likely have on your phone, but it's perfectly ok for taking a quick snap of a pet if you don't have your phone handy. 

The microphone is also fantastic, especially considering the form-factor. Our voice comes through nice and clear with no distortion, and the tablet does a great job at filtering out background noise, so we don't even need to use headphones in calls. 

Microsoft Surface Pro 8: Software and Features

One of the best things about getting any Surface device, including the Surface Pro 8, is that you're getting a pure install of Windows 11, without any kind of bloatware. Microsoft installs a totally pure version of the operating system, and as a result, you don't get any annoying popups or useless programs opening for no reason - unless you install them yourself. 

Should I buy the Surface Pro 8?

Don't buy it if...

Also consider...

First reviewed December 2021

How We Test

We pride ourselves on our independence and our rigorous review-testing process, offering up long-term attention to the products we review and making sure our reviews are updated and maintained - regardless of when a device was released, if you can still buy it, it's on our radar.

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Microsoft’s Surface Adaptive Kit, which is designed to make Surface devices more accessible to everyone, is now available to purchase at the company’s online store.

The kit is a bunch of tools which make the Surface more easily usable for people with disabilities, and it includes translucent labels for keycaps which highlight keys visually and have tactile indicators to find them by touch. Plus there are port indicators with raised textures and different colors – and matching ties to go around the cable which is used with the corresponding port, using the same texture and color – to aid with plugging in peripherals to device ports.

There are also miscellaneous ‘bump’ labels which consist of different colored symbols that can be applied anywhere on the Surface device, so for example a dot label could be placed next to the audio jack.

Furthermore, the Surface Adaptive Kit comes with a pair of opener supports, which as the name suggests help to make it easier to open the Surface. One is designed for the lid (with a large loop), and the other for pulling out the Surface Pro’s kickstand (using an attached lanyard or wrist strap).

The kit can be purchased direct from Microsoft’s online store and is priced at $14.99 (£14.99 in the UK, or AU$24.95 in Australia).

Analysis: Microsoft has made some impressive strides forward with accessibility

The Surface Adaptive Kit was announced back in September, and is a thoughtful addition to Microsoft’s range of accessories. It’s great to see that it’s now available to buy, and the various labels will doubtless come in handy for locating ports and keys with a lot more ease.

A whole host of Surface devices are supported by the kit, namely the Surface Laptop 3 and 4, Surface Pro 7 and 8, Surface Laptop Studio, Surface Book 3, Surface Go and Go 2 plus Go 3, and the Surface Laptop Go (but keycap labels will be a little trickier to apply with the latter and the Go Type Cover due to the smaller key sizes).

And of course there’s nothing stopping you applying some of these labels to another non-Surface device (not in theory, anyway, aside from issues around things like key size perhaps).

Microsoft has been pushing forward on the accessibility front for quite some time now, and commendably so, making moves in the early days of Windows 10 to introduce eye tracking functionality for example (that was back in 2017).

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Microsoft has always been unwavering on its repair policies in the past. However, the tech giant is considering supporting more research and policies so users can more easily repair devices like the Surface Pro 8 and its other Windows tablets, after receiving pressure from an investors group.

In June 2021, the company held an investor’s meeting with investor advocacy nonprofit As You Sow. The results of that meeting cemented Microsoft’s commitment to researching the “environmental and social benefits” making it easier for users to repair their own devices. This would include making parts, information, and other resources more readily available to consumers.

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This is the first time a US manufacturer has agreed to such conditions after investor pressure, but most likely won’t be the last if recent patterns are any indication. For example, back in September mutual fund company Green Century filed two right-to-repair resolutions. The first was with Apple and the second was with Deere & Co., an agricultural equipment manufacturer.

What does this mean?

Microsoft agreed to look into how 'right to repair' would affect its contributions to climate change and electronic waste, with the study evaluating the social impacts and serving to “determine new mechanisms to increase access to repair, including for Surface devices and Xbox consoles," as stated by a recent news release from As You Sow. Microsoft will then be required to share a summary of those findings by May 2022 and act on them by the end of 2022. 

In statements given to both Grist and Tom’s Hardware, a Microsoft spokesperson stated “We believe customers are entitled to repair options that are safe and reliable. We currently provide customers with repair services that ensure the high quality of repairs, safeguard customers’ privacy and security, and protect customers from injury.”

It's too early to say whether this will mean Surface devices will be easier to upgrade in the future, but it's looking good. The Surface Pro 8 has a user-replaceable SSD that's pretty easy to access, so hopefully it's a step in the right direction for Microsoft.

Via PC Gamer

Microsoft held its Fall 2021 event on September 22, revealed a fresh lineup of Surface products, and introduced a new Surface Pro X  2-in-1 device. 

Pre-orders are now live for the other newly-announced products in the Surface range, but we only know that the new Surface Pro X will be releasing in 2022, and it isn't currently available for pre-order. Given it's shipping with Windows 11, we were expecting a sale date after October 5 (the launch date for Windows 11), but 2022 could mean a wait of anything from a few months to over a year. 

The 2019 model of the Surface Pro X wasn't well received, but Microsoft has its sights set on improving existing features as well as adding new additions, such as the aforementioned Windows 11 operating system, plus the new Surface Slim Pen 2, and a Wi-Fi-only model.

Battery life will also be addressed, with Microsoft stating that users can expect up to 15 hours of use on a single charge. The previous generation of Surface Pro X didn't impress us with its meager battery life, achieving just under eight hours of real-world use in our benchmarks, so if this anticipated battery life adheres to Microsoft's claims, this will have greatly improved one of the biggest issues we had with the older model.

While we wait to get a hands-on review, we’re here to keep you updated on everything you need to know about the device before it hits the streets. Keep this page bookmarked, as we will update it as soon as any new information comes our way.

 Cut to the chase 

•  What is it? Microsoft Surface Pro X, refreshed for 2021
•  When is it out? Not until 2022, sadly
•  What will it cost? Prices start from $899

New Surface Pro X release date 

There have been no announcements regarding an on-the-shelf launch for the new Microsoft Surface Pro X, other than it will be made available sometime in 2022. in fact, the New Surface Pro X didn't get much of a mention at all during the event, so it's still mostly clouded in some mystery.

The original Microsoft Surface Pro X was released back on October 1, 2019, but we know that this refreshed model will ship with Windows 11, and as the OS is launching on October 5, it was always going to be highly unlikely that you'd be able to wander into a store and pick one up before then. 

There are also going to be models available with Windows 10, but it's unclear if the devices that have Windows 10 pre-installed will be made available any earlier than those running Windows 11.

 New Surface Pro X price 

The pricing for the different variants of the Surface Pro X hasn't been revealed, but the previous model gained criticism for being a particularly expensive price of kit. 

Microsoft has announced that this updated model will start at $899 (around £660 /AU$1250 ), which is still expensive but cheaper than the original which started at $999 (£999, AU$1,699) for 8GB of memory (RAM) and a 128GB solid-state drive (SSD). 

A model was also available with double the storage for $1,299 (£1,269, AU$2,149), and double the RAM (16GB) with a 512GB SSD, which costs $1,799 (£1,819, AU$2,899), so it's likely we will see similar increases in this New Surface Pro X as the specifications vary.

New Surface Pro X specs 

We're aware of the various specifications that will be available in the Microsoft Surface Pro X, but there's no current clarification on what models will be available, and how the pricing will differ between them.

There are four different operating systems available across home and business as Microsoft will be launching the Surface Pro X with either Windows 11 or Windows 10 for those that need to retain the older OS.

We're not sure if this will make the device any cheaper, but support is planned for Windows 10 for the next five years, so if you're forced to use the older OS you don't need to concern yourself too much.

Both Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5 connectivity will be available as standard, but the Surface Pro X also has Gigabit LTE capabilities for some speedy downloads. Microsoft also announced that a Wi-Fi-only model will be made available, but it's unclear if this restricted device will be the cheapest available model in the lineup.

It's a bit off that it comes with the older WI-Fi standard, not the newer Wi-Fi 6, so we'll follow up with Microsoft to see why that is.

The display is listed with a 2880 x 1920 resolution, which is great news for creatives and folk who like a crisp image, but this doesn't shine a light to the miniLED tech being used in the Apple M1 iPad Pro which will likely be the surface Pro X's biggest competitor.

Memory-wise, it seems both an 8GB or 16GB version will be made available, and storage has similar flexibility with options of 128, 256, or 512GB in the form of a removable SSD. It's unlikely that this is 'consumer' replaceable, but we're willing to be surprised.

You'll be restricted to just two USB-C 3.2 slots for peripherals but this is a standard for 2-in-1 devices, and with Bluetooth technology, you can easily connect most wireless devices should you need. 

• Here are the best laptops you can buy today

Did you know the Surface Pro 6 isn’t the newest Surface on the block? Read our review of the Microsoft Surface Pro X, Microsoft’s most recent Surface release.

The Microsoft Surface Pro 6 should have been the radical update to the line that Surface Pro users have been waiting for. After all, when its predecessor, the Surface Pro 2017, got a date instead of a number, the company claimed that it was because it lacked major upgrades to deserve a numbered moniker. Plus, the line has been in bad need of a refresh since the Surface Pro 4.

Sadly, while the Microsoft Surface Pro 6 does have its share of decent updates, fitted with a faster processor and a longer battery life, there are only those and not much else. Outside of a newer silicon and the new black color option, the tablet’s formula hasn’t radically changed. 

So, not only did Microsoft completely and inexplicably skip the Pro 5. But, like the Pro 2017, the Surface Pro 6 is also missing some key changes that many Surface Pro users have been holding out for, like a USB-C port. That makes the Surface Pro 6 hard to recommend. So, where does that leave potential tablet users?

Price and availability

The Surface Pro 6’s base configuration will set you back $899 (£879, AU$1,145), right in line with the Surface Pro 2017’s pricing, if just a bit pricier. The tablet is presently available in the US, UK and Australian markets.

Bear in mind that, much like with earlier models, the Surface Pro 6 doesn’t include the $99 (£99, AU$139) Surface Pen nor the $159 (£149, AU$249) Type Cover in the box. That isn’t likely to change in the future, so anticipate spending more cash than the tablet price, especially if you’re looking to use it as a laptop alternative or to handle your graphic design projects.

The Surface Pro 6 we reviewed here, its configurations listed on the right, costs a lofty $1,199 (£1,149, AU$1,568), thanks to the upgraded storage – from 128GB on the base model to the 256GB listed here. That’s a sizeable price jump for only 128GB of extra storage space.

From there, the Surface Pro 6 can be configured to your desired specifications with up to an Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. If you really want to max out the Surface Pro 6 out, you’re looking at an exorbitant $2,299 (£2,149, AU$3,459) price tag.

As far as its main competitor, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2017) asks for a bit less at $799 (£769, AU$1,299). This will get you a 2,732 x 2,048 pixel display powered by Apple’s A10X SOC and with 64GB of flash storage. The iPad also doesn’t come with a stylus or a keyboard, which will cost you another $99 (£99, AU$145) and $169 (about £170, AU$245) respectively, if you purchase them from Apple.

On paper, the Surface Pro 6 remains to be the better value since you’re getting more of a full computer experience for only about 100 bucks (or quid) more. However, the race is definitely closer than it’s ever been.

If you want to go with Chrome OS or one of the best Chromebooks, the Google Pixel Slate is worth considering, which will set you back $799 (£749, AU$1,162) for the base model. This may have been a great deal if it wasn’t for Google is asking for an extra $199 (£189, AU$280) for the keyboard cover. That’s not exactly good value, especially considering that both the iPad Pro and Surface Pro 6 surpass it in terms of sheer power.

Design and display

Other than the elegant new black color scheme that’s lovely to touch, just about nothing is different about the Surface Pro design compared to the 2017 model. The tablet measures only 0.33 inches thin and weighs just 1.7 pounds – again, this stays untouched from its predecessor.

The Surface Pro 6 has all the same ports and wireless options as last year’s model as well as ­– not to mention, the exact same Type Cover. We’re satisfied with the latter simply because the Type Cover is already excellent in its current iteration. In fact, we’ll go as far as to say that it might just be the best accessory of its kind that we’ve ever tested.

However, we’re extremely disappointed that Microsoft decided to forgo USB-C again, and that’s not only because of the apparent benefits that the platform has to offer. Microsoft has been gating faster data transfers and wider docking capabilities behind the proprietary Surface Connect port for a while now, forcing users who need that speed boost and expansion to pick up a $199 (about £150, AU$280) Surface Dock accessory, which increases the final cost some more.

Even the included USB 3.0 is behind the curve of USB 3.1, which is the standard in 2019 and boasts twice the transferring data speed as the former. This isn’t OK: it’s now costing consumers more cash to unlock the full versatility of a device that Microsoft insists can function as their one and only computer.

On a slightly more positive note, the display, though mostly unchanged, is marginally improved in one area. It now has a stronger contrast ratio of 1,500:1 in comparison to the previous model’s 1,300:1.

This will benefit not just consumers, but content creators as well, with deeper blacks and more vibrant colors that absolutely make movies more superb looking, and can possibly make media editing much easier and more accurate for content creators.

First reviewed November 2018

Images Credit: TechRadar

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It goes without saying that the Surface Pro 6 is more efficient and powerful than the 2017 model. Much of this newfound power comes through the addition of quad-core processing, thanks to Intel’s 8th-generation Kaby Lake Refresh chips that were released earlier in the year.

We’ve also seen some substantial increase in battery life as well as a boost in multi-core performance, which should obviously offer better longevity out of the tablet – as well as faster video encoding and other processor-intensive tasks.

Regrettably, there’s not much improvement in visual performance, if at all, of the Surface Pro 6 over the preceding model, with the same graphics subsystem as before in this specification.

As a general rule, the Surface Pro 6 is targeted for creative professionals and even students. However, you’ll also get some solid mileage out of this laptop when playing casual games like Hearthstone or Candy Crush. Just don’t expect this Windows tablet to tackle demanding tasks like media rendering and encoding or complex spreadsheet functions with reams of data.

In contrast, the iPad Pro 2017 with the Apple A10X Fusion chip scored 9,343 points in the Geekbench 4 multi-core test. This is up there along with many laptop processors from 2017, even though a lot has changed since then. Still, the new iPad Pro 2018 has switched things up a bit.

To be fair, the iPad Pro and Surface Pro will forever be a bit of an apples to oranges situation since the two are built on totally different operating systems with different levels of overhead on their corresponding processors. With no true multitasking or open-ended app management on iPad Pro, it will always have less overhead than the Surface Pro. However, because of this, it also has less versatility.

Battery life

Microsoft has gone and beefed up the long-lasting power of Surface Pro 6 by a big margin, especially in terms of video playback. 

Battery life through simulated everyday use, represented by the PCMark 8 test, stays mostly the same as before. However, we have seen an increase of almost two hours – one hour and 47 minutes, to be specific – in our video rundown test on Surface Pro 6. That’s a welcome improvement. Between the two figures, you should see a considerable improvement in time away from the outlet from its predecessor.

However, the iPad Pro 12.9 has been known to reach its rated 10 hours of battery life consistently – not just in video playback, but also general use. So, the Surface Pro 6 still isn’t quite up to par, which is to be expected. After all, the version of iOS on the iPad Pro was deliberately designed and developed for the device, whereas Windows 10 was intended for countless devices and therefore has no way of being as similarly optimized.

Software and features

Like the Surface Laptop 2, the Surface Pro 6 isn’t exactly feature rich or have many distinct pieces of software to speak of, which is a bit of a double-edged sword. The good thing about this is that there’s no bloatware on this device at all, as it comes directly from Microsoft.

Another good? The Windows Hello facial recognition, which uses the tablet’s infrared camera next to its webcam, is very fast and accurate. We can barely open the tablet from its Type Cover before it’s already logged us into Windows 10.

The downside here, however, is that there is basically nothing else in the way of distinctive software and features. If it’s on this tablet, you can get it on any other Windows 10 tablet.

Final verdict

The Surface Pro 6 is Microsoft’s best tablet yet. This we have no doubt.

However, we’re truly left wondering why Microsoft thought this one worthy of a number seeing as it improves on fewer aspects of the device compared to 2017’s model. Microsoft hard lined against giving last year’s model a ‘5’ in its name, insisting that it didn’t have enough improvements to make it worthy of a number.

This time, even though the device only has a few enhancements and unique features to offer, Microsoft not only gives it a number, but also skips the ‘5’ entirely. In almost any other case, this would just be marketing drivel. However, due to Microsoft’s previous, well-documented statements, it’s definitely hard to move past.

To be worthy of a number, much less skipping one in the sequence entirely, we anticipated some considerable improvements to the design – an even sharper screen, perhaps; hardwired connections that are modern and not proprietary, maybe; perhaps even a drastic pricing move that includes every essential accessory in the box would have been enough.

Instead, the Surface Pro 6 is faster, longer lasting and now comes in a sleek, new black shell – which, by the way, doesn’t have the 128GB and 1TB storage options. And that’s about it. Make no mistake; it’s a better product than last year, but only barely, hardly worthy of being numbered ‘6’, much less ‘5’.

If you already own a Surface Pro 2017, we’d say that this upgrade isn’t worth the cost. Otherwise, it’s still the best Windows tablet on offer.

Images Credit: TechRadar 

Microsoft has made a short advert to promote its Surface Pro 2-in-1s in which it compares the hybrid to a ‘BackBook’, which is clearly a MacBook Pro, of course.

This rather odd bit of promotional activity was highlighted by Microsoft India on Twitter, as you can see below, and has quickly gained in excess of 600,000 views.

The advert consists of the Surface Pro shown being detached and used as a tablet, and then reattached to the keyboard, as well as showing off the kickstand, and overall the versatility of Microsoft’s device. 

The ‘BackBook’ is challenged to do this, too, and of course it can’t, which is the message here.

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Although it’s a rather confusing message, seeing as a traditional clamshell laptop is simply a different category of device compared to a 2-in-1. It’s plainly obvious that a hybrid machine is more flexible – that’s what they’re expressly designed to be.

Mac attacks

This isn’t the first time that Microsoft has made this kind of comparison in an advert. Back in January, another ad compared the Surface Pro 7 to the MacBook Pro directly this time (with no unsubtle name changes), concluding that the former was superior due to its touchscreen, ability to run ‘all your apps’ and again its hybrid nature as a detachable.

Not only are these kind of comparisons not apples-to-apples, so to speak, but calling Apple’s machine the ‘BackBook’ as if the device is somehow at the back of the pack in terms of innovation (presumably, or at least that seems to be what’s hinted at) also seems pretty unfair. Certainly when you consider that MacBooks just made a huge step forward with the M1 processor in some models, which works some considerable magic as we’ve seen.

Of course, the world of marketing doesn’t often turn out to be a fair place…

• Check out all the best laptops

Via Windows Central

Tablets have long been a useful accessory for elderly users. Combining large high-resolution displays and buttons with grippable form factors, they are only slightly less portable than smartphones yet offer a world more functionality at a tap. 

It can be hard to know what's the best tablet to buy a senior, especially if they have not used one before. While it may be tempting to think that Apple offers the most intuitive tablet operating system out of today's vendors, Android has made great strides in simplifying the user experience - and there is a far greater number of devices running Google's OS. 

Whichever make of tablet you are looking to purchase either for yourself or for an elderly relative, you can't go wrong with our top picks for the best tablets for seniors below. Looking for a Windows option specifically? You'll find one in our best Windows tablets buying guide.

• Want your company or services to be considered for this buyer’s guide? Please email your request to desire.athow@futurenet.com with the URL of the buying guide in the subject line.

• We've also featured the best phones for seniors

Best tablets for seniors - at a glance

1. GrandPad
2. Apple iPad Pro 9.7
3. Kindle Fire HD
4. Microsoft Surface Go
5. Samsung Galaxy Tab A
6. Apple iPad mini
7. Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
8. Asus ZenPad 3S 10
9. Huawei MediaPad T3 10-inch
10. Microsoft Surface Pro 6

GrandPad is rather different to its rivals on this list in that it’s not just a tablet, but a service, too. In other words, you’re buying a 7-inch Android tablet (made by Acer, with a cover that acts as a stand, and wireless charging cradle), bundled with unlimited 4G internet plus unlimited phone calls. The service also provides a dedicated customer support rep in “native English-speaking countries” who is on hand 24/7 (further benefits include unlimited photo and video storage, plus ad-free music streaming).

So yes, that’s a considerable bundle of extras, and GrandPad is supremely easy to use, with a dead simple interface featuring large icons and text. The downside is that the system is pretty locked down, and indeed you can only visit five websites via the ‘internet’ icon – so watching YouTube, for example, isn’t possible by default but can be enabled at your own risk. Such is the price of straightforwardness in this case, although the tablet can be opened up to the full internet if the user (or rather the family admin) wishes.

The idea, then, is to ensure an absolutely safe environment where some limited web surfing, emailing, photo browsing and the likes of phone calls (or Zoom video calls) can be engaged in, backed with real (and friendly) live support staff who can be contacted within seconds (and can remotely tweak the tablet based on the user’s needs). Indeed, the level of support provided is excellent, making this an all-round great choice as a slate for seniors – although it’s not cheap, and the design of the actual tablet could be improved (as we discuss in our review).

• Read our review of the GrandPad here

Apple devices are often criticized for their simplicity, and this is exactly why they make such good devices for seniors. Apple's iPad Pro 9.7 is the company's best tablet for seniors thanks to its crisp display that balances size and portability. 

It also has True Tone Technology that adapts to your environment by adjusting the white balance, which makes images pop and text easier to read when combined with its high brightness. 

It's Apple’s most affordable tablet that can be used with an Apple Pencil and official keyboard cover, which makes it a great option if you want to type out the occasional email or converse on messenger without having to awkwardly tap on the iPad’s glass display.

• Read our review of the Apple iPad Pro 9.7 here

The Kindle Fire HD remains Amazon’s most affordable tablet, making it a suitable option for seniors on a budget. There are two main versions, the Fire HD 8 and the Fire HD 10 which have 8 inch and 10 inch screens respectively, both offering a full HD resolution. Although far from the sharpest screen on the market but still renders websites and text crisp enough to make for easy reading. The Fire HD 8 is also especially portable and good for reading Kindle ebooks on.

The Fire HD comes with Alexa, Amazon’s inbuilt personal assistant, which will useful for seniors who don’t want to reach out to tap the screen all too often; it can be used to do anything from searching the Internet to opening apps, get a weather forecast, or pause movies while they are being watched. Apple’s Siri is just as capable, but it’s not available at this price point.

• Read our review of the Kindle Fire HD 10 here
• Read our review of the Kindle Fire HD 8 here

The Surface Go is Microsoft’s affordable Surface tablet, and it’s a great option for seniors who are looking for more of a desktop computer experience but don't want to spend a great deal of money. It comes running the full version of Windows 10, allowing users to install a vast range of applications, and its screen can be doodled on using Microsoft’s magnetic Surface Pen. 

This convertible tablet has a fantastic display that won't cause problems for ageing eyes, and it’s complemented by superb speakers that make watching videos and using the tablet’s built-in webcam a pleasure. That webcam lets users log into Windows using Windows Hello facial recognition, which is a huge plus for seniors that don’t want to repeatedly type in passwords.

• Read our review of the Microsoft Surface Go here

From its surprisingly good camera to its solid build quality and powerful processor, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab A is a great budget option for seniors who want a smaller Android-powered tablet. It also runs Android 9 Pie meaning users will get the latest updates for at least another year. 

The tablet arrived as a competitor to the iPad mini in early 2019, and while it can’t compete on many fronts it does offer an attractive 1,920 x 1,200 pixel-resolution display while toting support for Samsung’s S-Pen, which lends it similar drawing and note-taking capabilities to what we have seen in the company’s range of Note smartphones.

• Check out our review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab A here

For the elder that is looking for the most capable pocketable tablet, the iPad mini is hard to beat. Its diminutive size makes it the best option for portability, but it's far from the cheapest tablet in Apple’s range – even costing more than Apple's 9.7-.inch version. 

And clearly its smaller 7.9-inch display size is less suitable for magnifying text and other screen elements to make them more readable. Still, there are a few things that this small-yet-mighty iPad can't do thanks to its impressive list of specs that lie under the hood. Its battery life is impressive too and will run for up to 10 hours depending on the task.

• Read our review of the Apple iPad mini here
• Find deals on Apple products with our Apple discount codes.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 has a beautiful Super AMOLED widescreen display that seniors (and anybody else) would appreciate. Going up against Apple’s iPad Pro range, it retails for slightly less money but comes with Samsung’s S Pen stylus that slots into a magnetized area just below the main camera for safekeeping and recharges its battery there after 90 minutes. 

Both the Galaxy Tab S6 and Apple’s iPad Pro can be used like laptops when twinned with keyboard cover attachments that have to be purchased separately. When it comes to comfort the Tab S6 easily feels like the more svelte device out of the two thanks to its softer edges, thinner body (of 0.2mm, mind) and significantly lighter frame (420g vs 468g). Just be aware that, like any modern iPad, it has no headphone jack - so wired headphones are out of the question.

• Read our review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 here

The Asus ZenPad 3S 10 is a great option for seniors to consume media on thanks to its brilliant 2K-resolution display, hi-res audio support and fast chipset. It combines the design of an iPad with the flexibility of Android – and crucially it comes with expandable storage, which you will probably never see in one of Apple’s tablets. 

Unlike more modern tablets, and the ZenPad S3 10 has a headphone jack while also featuring a USB Type-C port, lending it compatibility with the increasing number of useful adapters and power supplies on the market.  It’s also incredibly lightweight, tipping the scales at around 430g.

To save money on Asus products, check out our Asus voucher codes. 

• Read our review of the Asus ZenPad 3S 10 here

On paper, the Huawei MediaPad T3’s 10-inch display doesn't have anything special about it. It has a HD resolution, which is low compared to competing tablets. However, its IPS panel (which lends it decent viewing angles) and blue-light filter (which reduces tiredness on the eyes) makes it an intriguing option for seniors who value comfort. 

It’s constructed from a solid piece of sleek anodised aluminium, which makes it easy to grip in the hand. You won't want to use this tablet for much more than basic tasks due to its meagre specs under the hood, but for general entertainment and streaming video, it’s a cheap and cheerful option.

• Read our review of the Huawei MediaPad T3 10-inch here
• You could save on Huawei products with our Huawei coupon codes.

The Surface Pro 6 is the perfect pick for the senior that wants a tablet that converts to offer a convincing Windows 10-powered laptop experience. Microsoft’s premium hybrid tablet sports an attractive 12.3-inch 2,736 x 1,824 PixelSense display which is as good as (or betters) those found on many of its rivals. 

It’s plenty portable too despite its powerful specs inside, weighing just 1.7 pounds and measuring 0.33 thick. While the Surface Go’s far more sensible price tag will make it the better option for many seniors, the Surface Pro 6 is by far the best option if users want both power and portability in a smart package.

• Read our review of the Microsoft Surface Pro 6 here
• Our Microsoft discount codes can help you save on your next purchase.

The no-frills Dragon Touch is designed to be a budget tablet for school use. However, its affordable price tag and surprisingly decent specs (for its cost) make it an intriguing option for seniors on a budget who seek a highly portable slate. 

This 7-inch Android tablet has access to the Google Play store, opening up all manner of possibilities which are expanded by the Dragon Touch’s microSD card slot that allows storage to be bumped up to 128GB. Be aware that it doesn’t have Bluetooth or GPS built-in, however, so it’s more suited to use around the home than outside.

Microsoft has revealed some more details regarding the Surface Pro 7+ for Business it recently announced at CES 2021. 

According to the company, the new device is not only three times faster than its predecessor, the Surface Pro 7, but will also come with enhanced hardware security features.

In a new blog post, Microsoft outlined the risk posed by escalation of privilege attacks, which enable threat actors to fully compromise an individual’s device and operating system. To combat these threats, Microsoft developed a couple of hardware-based capabilities, including virtualization-based security (VBS) and Hypervisor-protected code integrity (HVCI). The Redmond-based firm also confirmed that these security solutions would be packaged with the Surface Pro 7+.

• Here’s our list of the best business computers
• Check out our roundup of the best business laptops
• And here's our list of the best business tablets

“Today, Microsoft announced that the new Surface Pro 7+ for Business will ship with these Windows enhanced hardware security features enabled out of the box to give customers even stronger security that is built-in and turned on by default,” a Microsoft security blog explained. 

“The Surface Pro 7+ for Business joins existing recently shipped devices like the Surface Book 3, Surface Laptop Go, and the Surface Pro X in enabling VBS and HVCI by default.”

Mobility and security

In addition to its security credentials, the Surface Pro 7+ also boasts Intel's new 11th-gen processors and promises up to 15 hours of battery life from a single charge.

The Surface Pro 7+ is specifically designed to provide more mobility to employees as the world continues to embrace remote working. The Surface Pro 7+ comes with the option of 4G LTE Advanced and support for Wi-Fi 6 as standard to give users more connectivity options.

The adoption of mass remote working during the coronavirus crisis has helped to keep workers safe but it has also introduced further security challenges for businesses. As a result, the extra hardware security enhancements packaged with the Surface Pro 7+ are sure to be welcomed by firms and employees alike.

• Also, see our list of the best mobile workstations around

A start-up called Brydge has unveiled a keyboard docking station for Microsoft’s popular Surface Pro tablet that converts it into a 2-in-1 laptop not unlike the Surface Book.

The Brydge 12.3 Pro+ doesn’t come with any USB ports, unlike some of its competitors, but it's available for Surface Pro 4, 5, 6 and 7 models.

Available at just under $130, some might say it's just a glorified wireless Bluetooth keyboard - and to some extent it is - but there are a few clear improvements. For a start, once the tablet is docked, it can close and open like a proper laptop, then there’s the fact it uses an actual touchpad that supports multi-touch natively (up to four fingers).

• We've built a list of the best business laptops on the market
• Here's our choice of the best business tablets around
• Check out our list of the best business computers available

The keyboard is also backlit (with three levels of brightness) and its bezels contain an active antimicrobial ingredient that keeps out the nasties.

It's also worth noting that you can’t lock the function (FN) keys and the manufacturer claims the keyboard docking station will last up to six months on a single charge.

While the Surface Book 3 costs around $1,600, the Surface Pro 7 can be had for a much more palatable $899.99 with a similar processor and system memory. As for the Surface Pro Signature Type cover, it is unlikely to offer the same typing experience as the Brydge 12.3 Pro+ due to the differences in design.

• Here's our list of the best laptops for video editing right now

Bear in mind

• If this product is unavailable in your region, you may need to use a specialist parcel-forwarding service to take advantage of the deal
• If you've managed to get hold of a cheaper product with equivalent specifications, in stock and brand new, let us know and we'll tip our hat to you

Surface Pro deals are hitting both sides of the pond this week, but we can't help but feel the US is slightly better off. We're seeing the return of a massively popular bundle offer in the States this week - $599 for an entry level Surface Pro 7 with a Type Cover keyboard included as well. That's stunning value for a premium 12.3-inch tablet (saving you $310 overall), but there are plenty more Surface Pro 7 sales available if you need more power under the hood as well. 

This i5 configuration, for example, offers up 8GB RAM and 256GB of SSD storage, with a Type Cover keyboard, for $360 off - now just $999. We're seeing more savings all the way up the price scale as well, so this week's Surface Pro deals are hitting a lot of sweet spots right now. 

Over in the UK, you can save up to £230 on the tablets by themselves. We haven't seen many Surface Pro deals offering up discounts on the keyboard accessory so far, so these offers are about as good as it gets. 

We're rounding up all these Surface Pro deals just below, but you'll find more prices from across the web further down the page as well. Plus, it's worth noting that Black Friday deals are just around the corner.

Surface Pro deals in the US

Surface Pro deals in the UK

More Surface Pro 7 deals

You'll find plenty more Surface Pro 7 deals just below, with our price comparison chart bringing in the cheapest costs from around the web - in the US, UK, and Australia. 

If you're after something a little cheaper, it's worth checking out the latest Surface Go sales, or browse the best iPad deals around right now. Looking for more conventional laptop deals? We've got you covered as well. 

For a limited time, you can get Microsoft's Surface Pro 7 on sale for £789 from Currys PC World. That's a discount of £110, and an enticing price for the tablet-laptop hybrid. 

The Microsoft Surface Pro 7 on offer features a 12.3 -inch touch-screen display and includes 128GB of super-fast storage, 8GB of RAM, and an Intel 10th Generation Core i5 processor. This deal doesn't include Microsoft's Surface Type Cover, Mouse or Pen, though, so you'll need to purchase them separately.

Currys PC World is also giving consumers a 1 in 20 chance to win their money back on all laptops over £349, so this deal qualifies for the promotion. You can also get free next day delivery when you enter the code FREENEXTDAYDEL at checkout.

Microsoft Surface Pro 7 deal:

See more offers with the latest laptop deals and the best cheap tablets: the top budget options. We're likely to see more great deals arrive on Prime Day 2020, which is rumored to take place in October. 

Visiting from outside the UK? Check out today's best Surface Pro 7 deals in your territory below. 

Did you know the 2017 Surface Pro isn’t the newest Surface on the block? Read our review of the Microsoft Surface Pro X, Microsoft’s most recent Surface release.

The Microsoft Surface Pro 2017 is still among the best Windows tablets around. By building upon the key features that made the much-adored Surface Pro 4 and other premium Windows tablets so popular, the Microsoft Surface Pro 2017 carries on the legacy of the Surface Pro line.

That’s while also bringing its own strengths to the table. The Microsoft Surface Pro 2017 boasts ingenious design updates that have proven to be future-proof. It’s also helped demonstrate that Windows 10 is much more capable than many perceive it to be.

Both the Surface Pro 6 and Surface Pro 7 have unfortunately failed to offer the generational leap many have been anticipating. So, almost three years after its release and even in the shadows of its successors, the Microsoft Surface Pro 2017 remains to be an impressive tablet and a compelling purchase for Windows 10 laptop users. Even with its numbers dwindling, it’s still worth scouring the Internet for.

Pricing and availability

Even following the release of the Microsoft Surface Pro 7, Microsoft hasn’t officially drop the prices for the Microsoft Surface Pro 2017 in the Microsoft online store. However, Amazon and other third-party sellers are offering excellent discounts, which you bring you massive savings if you’re opting for this Surface Pro model.

Staying in line with previous models of the Surface, the Microsoft Surface Pro 2017 starts at $749 (£749, AU$1,129), and the price goes up from there. For that entry-level price, you’re taking home a device packing a Kaby Lake Intel Core m3 processor, 4GB of memory and 128GB of SSD storage.

This base configuration should be adequate enough for users who don’t really do demanding computing tasks. However, if you have a workload like ours, that’s hardly sufficient power to get the job done. If that is the case, we recommend going with a Surface Pro configuration with at least an Intel Core i5 processor, more RAM and SSD space.

In the US, the Surface Pro 5 maxes out at $1,449. Splurging that much will get an Intel Core i5 processor with 256GB SSD and 8GB of RAM. This configuration should power you through most of your productivity tasks without too much hassle, though we’d be careful about filling up your SSD with too many photos and videos.

At the moment, a configuration equipped with an Intel Core i7 chip is not available in the US, unless you’re buying it from Amazon, which still offers more configurations and at discounted prices at that. It is, however, available for purchase in the UK, with the 256GB SSD and 8GB RAM priced at £1,119, and the more powerful 1TB SSD and 16GB RAM setting you back a substantial £1,611.

Put up against some of the Surface Pro 5’s competitors, like the latest iPad Pro 11-inch, Apple start things off at $799 (£769, AU$1,229) for a tablet with Apple’s A12X Bionic processor and 64GB of SSD storage. Meanwhile, the maxed-out version retails for $1,549 (£1,519, AU$2,349) with 1TB of space and the same processor.

The Samsung Galaxy Book 2, alternatively, starts at $999 (about £780, A$1,440) for the 12-inch configuration with a 128GB SSD and 4GB of RAM powered by a Qualcomm SDM850 processor. This model is, sadly, unavailable in the UK and Australia.

Both the 10.6-inch and 12-inch Samsung Galaxy Book machines are on hand in the UK, but currently, these are only available to buy through third-party retailers. In the US, the 12-inch version, equipped with a 7th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB RAM and 128GB SSD, is pricier at $1,299 (about £1,020, A$1,873).

When you take into consideration that the new Surface Pro is sold sans the Type Cover or Surface Pen in the box, Samsung’s tablet begins to look like a much more appealing purchase than both the Surface Pro and accessory-challenged iPad Pro. So, it is unfortunate that neither its performance nor its design is especially impressive.

While Microsoft not including the Surface Pen out of the box seems to indicate that the Microsoft Surface Pro 2017 costs more to make than its forerunner, a unit purchased with both the Pen and Type Cover would exceed the price of an equivalent Galaxy Book by only $100. Still, we’d love to see the pen included in the initial purchase.

Bear in mind, though, that while the Microsoft Surface Pro 2017 is still available for purchase, it has been succeeded by the newer Surface Pro 6. That means that you should be able to find it for significantly less than list price. 

• Need to save some cash? We've tracked down the best Surface Pro deals

Design

At first glance, the 2017 Surface Pro 5 closely resembles the Surface Pro 4. It has the same stunning 12.3-inch PixelSense touch display with a 2,736 x 1,824 pixel resolution.

However, a closer look uncovers a few key distinctions. For one, the magnesium-aluminum alloy frame is considerably rounder at the edges. If you were a Surface Pro 4 user before going for the Microsoft Surface Pro 2017, your fingers may even feel the difference before your eyes see them.

There’s also the hinge, which has been made that much better on the Surface Pro 5, taking cues from the Surface Studio. The hinge now bends back further than ever before, thanks to a new “Studio mode” that makes for a narrower, 165-degree angle that’s ideal for artists. To that end, the hinge looks especially different, obviously utilizing new parts to make this more dramatic angle possible. It does, however, operate in exactly the same way.

Another change worth noting here is the thermal design, which Microsoft also improved, making both the Core i5 and Core m3 versions fanless devices.

The new Alcantara Type Cover is a notable upgrade in comfort over the previous generation, and it’s undeniably worth the slight upcharge in asking price over the microfiber cloth version. The keys feel like they’re deeper set and bouncier than ever coming back from a press. Plus, the material looks like it’s robust enough to last for a long time. Those who want to stay away from neutral colors will be happy to know that burgundy and cobalt blue colors are now also on hand.

At the end of the day, the Microsoft Surface Pro 2017 measures at the same 0.33 inches (8.4mm) of thickness as its precursor, with its weight of 1.73 lbs (786g) also the same as before. Considering that Microsoft managed this while still improving battery life by up to 20%, this is quite a notable feat, indeed.

Surface Pen gets a big boost 

Why the Microsoft Surface Pro 2017 wasn’t given the ‘5’ moniker – even though it was followed up by the Surface Pro 6 – is beyond us, particularly when you take into account the fact that it received pretty substantial changes. It is, however, the Surface Pen that got some of the most meticulous and belabored changes.

To begin, Microsoft has improved the pressure sensitivity of the Surface Pen to 4,096 levels, giving creators more control over the width and intensity of their lines in designs and illustrations than ever before. Additionally, the Surface Pen now has lower latency, so its tip has a far lower chance of ‘leading’ the ink on the PixelSense screen.

The Pen now supports tilt detection, though only through the new Surface Pro 5 and Surface Book 2. The other available Surface devices will get the support for this feature through a firmware update later on. This feature will – short of some useful navigation controls in some apps – mostly matter to true creators who are most worried about representing tilt and direction of the strokes in their work.

Another thing that’s new here is that the Pen is available in new appealing colors: platinum, black, cobalt blue and burgundy, meant clearly to match the available colors of new Type Covers.

There’s no question that both the new Surface Pen and Type Cover are well-deserving of their small price hikes. However, we’re still disappointed by the lack of bundles to save loyal customers some money for fully buying in on Microsoft’s products since day one.

First reviewed June 2017

Images Credit: TechRadar

• For the best prices on the Microsoft Surface Pro in Australia, head over to our sister site Getprice and save some dosh!

• To save money on US and UK purchases, check out our Microsoft promo codes to get the best deals on Microsoft products.

Not surprisingly, the new Surface Pro 5 performs extremely well when handling every task in this editor’s workload. That includes web browsing with multiple tabs open at a time, word processing, and downloading and uploading lots of media files. Additionally, it performs more than adequately for light photo editing through Lightroom.

As for gaming, anything beyond indies or tablet-friendly games is most likely going to result in a poor, choppy experience, which is to be expected. However, touch-friendly games, like Hearthstone, are simply pleasurable to play on the sharp and vibrant 12.3-inch screen.

Of course, with media creation being the main reason of this device, the 3:2 display will make for larger black boxes than you might be used to when watching 16:9 and 21:9 video content.

On the benchmarks, the new Surface Pro 5 is on par with the latest iPad Pro on Geekbench 4, one of the few tests that can measure both systems. The Surface Pro’s average multi-core processor score of 9,296 is within spitting distance of the iPad Pro’s 9,290-point ranking.

Keep in mind that this is the Surface Pro with a 2.4GHz Intel Core i7 processor, the most powerful version of the chip that it can be configured with. On the other hand, the iPad Pro is just as powerful no matter which configuration or model you go with. (Oh, and we’ll just say the Galaxy Book we reviewed doesn’t hold up to this configuration.)

Though to be fair to the Surface Pro, its Ultrabook-grade processor powers a deliberately more comprehensive PC experience, with an operating system that lets you to download apps from multiple sources and dig into system files deeper – things that the iOS 12 hasn’t been able to do.

Battery life

One aspect that Microsoft has improved on every year that the competing MacBook and iPad Pro refreshes have not is battery life. With the Surface Pro 2019, the firm was able to shrink its motherboard design, making space for a 20% bigger battery inside.

Paired with power consumption optimizations that the 7th generation (Kaby Lake) Intel processor design delivers, Microsoft is promising up to 13 hours and 30 minutes of local video playback from the new Surface Pro.

That’s a lofty claim that, unfortunately, doesn’t hold up in our tests. That’s not really surprising since this has been the case with its previous products, much less all of its rivals.

The advantage, though, is that, based on our tests on the earlier model’s battery, we definitely see a perceptible improvement. PCMark 8 Battery Life and TechRadar Movie Test resulted in 24% and 32% longer running times than the previous model at 4 hours and 3 minutes, and 6 hours and 58 minutes, respectively.

In the meantime, the iPad Pro was assessed for between 6 and 7 hours of use, and the Galaxy Book lasted longer at 7 hours and 32 minutes playing back local video yet ran nearly an hour shorter in the more demanding PCMark 8 test.

These numbers are lower than what Microsoft claimed, but again that’s not too surprising. The point is that we’re seeing considerable improvements based on our own results, and that’s enough for us to praise Microsoft’s team of engineers and designers for getting the job done. You shouldn’t have to carry the Surface Pro charger with you everywhere you go, and they’re getting closer to that goal.

Final verdict

The degree of how much improved the Surface Pro 5 is over its predecessor and how it keeps its lead over rival 2-in-1 laptops or tablets is not totally surprising. Still, it is more than worth talking about. From the accessories meant to make the Surface Pro 2017 feel even more of a worthy laptop alternative, to its longer battery life, every one of our past concerns have been addressed.

Sadly, Microsoft has decreased the Surface Pro’s value proposition by taking out vital parts of the deal. It made its case weaker, instead of stronger, for example, by pulling the new Surface Pen from every box. It’s not a very customer-friendly move, and it only makes deciding whether or not to purchase it harder for potential buyers who might be considering the device.

If you’re willing to drop a little more silver for its latest accessories, the new Surface Pro is still the ultimate 2-in-1 laptop and productivity tablet. So much so that, in spite of Microsoft’s decision to pull the Surface Pen from the box, it still earns our Recommended accolade.

Looking back at 2019, was it a good year for Microsoft? It certainly wasn’t all smooth running, that’s for sure, particularly not regarding Windows 10, which witnessed what can only be described as a staggering run of blunders and bugs, as fixes for various glitches created fresh problems in turn.

There were highs, too, as Microsoft made impressive strides with the revamped Edge browser, and also a number of nifty moves on the gaming front, not the least of which was the reveal of a powerful next-gen Xbox.

Speaking of Xbox Series X (formerly known as Project Scarlett), we’ll briefly touch on Microsoft’s progress in the console arena, but note that we are primarily focusing on the computing front here (meaning PCs and Windows).

• Windows 10 now lets you make phone calls direct from your PC
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• And these are the best Windows 10 laptops out there

Windows 10 bug blunders

Sadly, the first thing that comes to our mind when you mention Microsoft’s 2019 is the quite frankly head-scratching debacle whereby a string of cumulative updates were pushed out, which resolved bugs on one hand, but caused others at the same time.

This episode began at the start of September, with a patch to fix some relatively minor bugs which had been kicking about for a while – but the cumulative update in question ended up causing a new problem whereby Cortana started spiking CPU usage. Then when Microsoft fixed that Cortana flaw, it inadvertently triggered more bugs with the Start menu and Taskbar, and it broke internet connectivity for some users. And this went on, and on…

In the end, this carry-on prompted us to vent in an opinion piece about these issues (and others – like a ‘fix’ for Windows Defender effectively disabling the most commonly used virus scans) and how they could be causing Microsoft serious reputational damage which might have long-lasting repercussions.

Things quietened down a little on the bug front towards the end of the year, but then Microsoft put its foot in it again, when in December the software giant embarrassingly deployed an update meant for businesses to Windows 10 Home users – for the second time, to make matters worse. Clearly, wonky quality assurance was a definite black smudge in Microsoft’s 2019 copybook.

Edging forward

Microsoft has been busy working on its revamped Chromium-based Edge browser all year, and it has shaped up nicely, introducing some nifty elements including moves to bolster online privacy, upping the ante on the security front, plus a load of other stuff (and of course a dark mode – everything needs a dark mode).

Generally speaking, the new Edge has been well-received by testers, and there’s a pretty positive atmosphere about what Microsoft has done with the browser, and how it might tempt folks away from Chrome (not least because it isn’t such a memory hog).

That said, Microsoft still has a hell of a mountain to climb with Edge, as the existing browser has a pitifully small market share, and in the most recent stats from Net Applications at the time of writing, it slipped slightly (again) to under 6%. When it’s officially launched in January 2020, the revamped Edge will doubtless come out fighting – but one of the trickiest opponents it may face is the spectre of its former reputation.

There’s also the consideration that now Microsoft is driving forward with Chromium, the bells and whistles brought to Edge will also benefit Google’s dominant Chrome browser. Still, it’s clearly commendable to see Microsoft engaging like this, and indeed running with a broader push in the open source world on many fronts (including seriously bolstering support for Linux within Windows 10).

Of course, Edge is coming to Linux, and a big part of Microsoft’s strategy with the new browser is to deploy it across multiple platforms. While it’s arguable how much impact Edge might have in some of these arenas – Linux fans aren’t typically jumping up and down to adopt Microsoft products – this move is still giving the revamped browser the best chance possible (unlike the original Edge, which was confined exclusively to Windows 10).

Overall, then, the rebooted Edge hit a positive note for Microsoft this year, but the real test will come in 2020, when those best laid plans are tested in post-launch reality.

Surfacing

On the hardware front, Microsoft impressed with its Surface products in some respects, and remained distinctly static in other ways.

Most of the excitement was around the Surface Neo and Duo, which were revealed, but won’t launch until 2020. The Neo is a dual-screen device which is essentially two tablets hinged together like a book (with a small physical keyboard that magnetically attaches to the lower screen when needed, taking up about half the display).

Coupled with Windows 10X, a fresh spin on the desktop OS purpose-built for dual-screen products, Neo promises a tight integration of software and hardware which will hopefully deliver levels of versatility that we’ve never seen before in a Surface hybrid.

Surface Duo is essentially a smaller version of Neo, and to all intents and purposes, it’s Microsoft’s long-rumored foldable phone (it runs Android, not Windows). Although Microsoft is pitching it as more of a pocket-sized computer, and trying to get away from the concept that this is a dual-screen smartphone (it is capable of making phone calls, incidentally – but it’s not a phone, got it?).

These pieces of hardware represent the exciting future of Surface, but sadly the products actually released in 2019 fell short. The Surface Pro X at least represented a shot at something different, but in our review, we found that while it was a very slickly designed and highly portable 2-in-1, the device is just too pricey for the basic performance levels delivered by the ARM processor, and battery life was disappointing too.

Worse still, Microsoft’s latest update for the veteran Surface Pro range felt hugely underwhelming, and pretty much forgotten in the shadow of all the aforementioned products. While the Surface Pro 7 did benefit from the introduction of a USB-C port, that move was long overdue (and the Type-C connector doesn’t support Thunderbolt 3, either).

And yes, we also got a new processor which was a good upgrade on the performance front – particularly with much better Intel Iris Plus integrated graphics – but while Microsoft gave with one hand, the new CPU had a negative effect on battery life. And otherwise, the Surface Pro 7 remained pretty much identical to its predecessor, which was disappointing. Likewise, the Surface Laptop 3 wasn’t all we’d hoped for, either.

So, in short, we were shown devices with a lot of promise for 2020, but what we actually got in the here and now was pretty pedestrian at best. On a more positive note, it is admittedly good to see Microsoft taking its time with the dual-screen devices – something it made noises about previously – to ensure the company gets them right.

Surface Neo and Duo are massive moves for Microsoft – the company’s chief product officer Panos Panay has admitted himself they’re something of a gamble – but the time it’s taking, and the focus it’s giving this new breed of dual-screen hardware is encouraging, so we have to give Microsoft a tick in that respect.

Mixing it up

In the world of live streaming, Microsoft did its best to push Mixer against dominant services like Twitch. Back in July, Microsoft set its stall out by declaring it was instigating measures to help combat some of the toxic behavior which can blight the gaming community (or any online community, for that matter).

Then came the really interesting move – Microsoft poached two big-name Twitch streamers. And when we say big-name, we mean really-huge-name: Ninja and Shroud. This has raised the profile of Microsoft’s streaming service considerably, and if more money is going to be thrown around in this respect, we could see things really start to happen for Mixer.

Then again, these moves haven’t had much impact in the near-term, and Mixer still has a hell of a long way to go to become anything like competitive with Twitch, which holds something like three-quarters of the streaming market.

Still, what we’ve seen happening in 2019 might just foretell one of the biggest shifts – and indeed shocks – in this sideline of the gaming industry. And more broadly, it shows how much emphasis Microsoft is placing on pushing the gaming side of its business these days.

Xbox-ing clever

Speaking of that grand push on the gaming front, Microsoft had a lot to say at E3 back in June. Top of the bill, naturally, was the revelation of the next-gen Xbox, with the console being heralded as (up to) four times as powerful as the Xbox One X, no less; and that it would be launching with Halo Infinite.

Xbox Series X will go on sale in Holiday 2020 (and was further teased at the end of the year at The Game Awards 2019, when we got our first glimpse of what looks more like a tower gaming PC – albeit a compact one – than a typical console).

On the PC front, though, the big news was the arrival of Microsoft’s subscription service, Xbox Game Pass, for PC gamers. The service is a little confusing, and still in beta, but we cover everything you need to know about it here. The short version is you access it via the new Xbox app in Windows 10, and it offers a library of over 100 games currently for a subscription of $5 / £4 / AU$4.95 monthly (at least while it remains in beta).

There are still a lot of issues to iron out – again, not exactly unexpected for beta software – but equally there are some pretty smart games on offer, and this represented a very useful addition for PC. Indeed, throughout the year, Microsoft was making all sorts of noises about how it has rather let down PC gamers in the past, and that all this is going to change.

Xbox Game Pass is part of that, as is bringing a load of Xbox Game Studio titles to Steam – including Gears 5 – and this has all been a refreshing change for 2019.

Cloudy future

A final big cog in Microsoft’s gaming machine of 2019 was Project xCloud, the firm’s game streaming service which launched a public preview in October. The idea is to let you stream games to any device, and although it only supports mobile phones currently, Windows 10 PCs will be covered in 2020.

Microsoft’s big advantage here is that it has the necessary infrastructure in place, already commanding a large network of (Azure) data centers. The plan is to have a massive library of games eventually – although options are pretty limited now – and also let gamers stream Xbox games they already own.

Again, Microsoft is apparently flexing its muscles and potentially leveraging those deep coffers, with reports that the company is looking at securing exclusive games for Project xCloud – although this is just a rumor, and any such deals would likely be years down the line. But we can well believe this is the case.

As to the reality of Project xCloud right now, our impressions are that Microsoft is nailing things in the crucial department of latency, and overall performance is good, despite some issues (but again, with a beta, gremlins are expected).

So this is another bright spot, but Google Stadia does have the jump on Microsoft in this sector, having already launched with impressive results – at least for those with good net connections. From what we’ve seen early on, Microsoft could have the edge in terms of performance with more average broadband speeds (and that could be a key aspect, of course).

Concluding thoughts

Microsoft’s 2019 was really all about Microsoft’s 2020. What we mean by that is the full products which actually came out in 2019 weren’t anything to particularly shout about, but Microsoft was laying a hefty weight of foundations for a successful next year.

So we had a pretty underwhelming set of Surface devices, and a particularly uninspiring launch in the Surface Pro 7. And the reputation of Windows 10 copped a load of flak thanks to all those incidents of bugs causing yet more bugs, although at least Microsoft avoided any major disasters with its biannual updates.

That said, there wasn’t much doing with the big updates, with the second outing of 2019 effectively being a mere service pack with no major new features. So when Windows 10 wasn’t plagued with gremlins, the rest of the year was all rather yawn-inducing.

But then comes the promise, and all the groundwork laid for 2020. That included pushing forward with some impressive work on Edge, which has generally been well-received anecdotally, and could make a big impact next year. Then we have the Surface Neo and Duo poised to take computing versatility to another level – if the hardware and indeed Windows 10X pans out right.

Along with a lot of promising stuff on the beta front in the gaming world, namely Project xCloud and Xbox Game Pass for PC. Microsoft is even trying to gain some momentum with Mixer against the might of Twitch, which may seem a little on the futile side, arguably, but certainly shows a commitment to driving forward across all facets of gaming. And naturally Xbox Series X is a major force poised in the wings…

In the end, 2019 was really a reshaping and rebuilding year, trying to get all this stuff aligned – and we can’t underestimate how important that might be for Microsoft if all of the above does come to fruition in terms of being successful in 2020. But still, it’s hard to get excited about what actually happened in 2019, as opposed to what was revealed, teased or beta-tested.

• Which of Microsoft’s Surface devices is on our best laptops list?

Microsoft recent Surface launch was full of surprises, as the company took the wraps off a folding phone (the Surface Duo) and PC device (the Surface Neo).

But alongside these headline-catching launches were the latest generation of the company’s Surface devices, with new additions to the Laptop, Book and Pro lines.

But with so many new offerings coming to the market, how does Microsoft look to ensure it stays focused on its self-declared aim to “enable people to achieve more”?

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Shifts

"As we release multiple generations of the products, we get a lot of feedback,” Aidan Marcuss, CVP, Devices Portfolio and Operations at Microsoft, told TechRadar Pro at a recent company media event.

“We've taken a big step forward in growing and adding whole product lines that address customer feedback and customer needs.”

"There's not some master spreadsheet somewhere that says, 'here's every product that should exist', and we're going to work our way through it,” he adds. “But thinking about it from a customer end...each time we add a new product line, it's very intentional, saying that we got feedback, or the technology has enabled something.”

Microsoft’s new devices look to be an ideal partner for all kinds of users, both enterprise and consumer, with Marcuss saying the company has taken on feedback from all kinds of users. 

In particular, the current trend of businesses refreshing their device portfolios in the continued switch to Windows 10, as well as the growing demand to have the latest technology in the workplace for maximum mobility and productivity, has seen Surface devices become popular choices for firms across many verticals.

“Our industry goes through big shifts, and it kind of feels like we're in one of those moments where a lot of enterprises are modernising across a number of dimensions at once - and a device is a really important part of this.”

Along with hardware upgrades and design changes, Microsoft’s new Surface products feature improvements in terms of security and serviceability, with the latter making it easier than ever to adapt a device for particular users and purposes.

But it seems that the sheer range of devices could be the key to seeing Microsoft’s continued growth in the hardware space.

As Marcuss notes, “we don't just want to innovate, we want to build products people can rely on for multiple generations.”

• We’ve picked all the best 2-in-1 laptops of 2019

The Microsoft October 2019 event is happening on October 2 in New York, and a recent spate of rumors suggest that Microsoft will be launching a load of new Surface devices, including the Surface Pro 7 and Surface Laptop 3.

We'll be there at the launch, but if you want to watch along live, then this guide to how to watch the Microsoft October 2019 event will give you all the information you need.

Microsoft will be broadcasting a live stream of the October 2019 event, and we'll be running a live blog as well, so even if you can't watch the video live, you can keep up to date with all the latest breaking news from the Microsoft October 2019 Surface event.

As we'll be at the event in New York, we should  be getting some time with the new hardware after they have been announced, so keep an eye on the TechRadar homepage for our hands-on impressions.

How to watch the Microsoft October 2019 event live stream

Microsoft is streaming the October 2019 Surface event on YouTube from its Surface channel, and we've embedded it below, so you can watch it right here!

The October 2019 Event live stream will also be broadcast on Microsoft's website for the event.

The easiest way to watch it is through a web browser on your PC or smartphone. Thankfully, Microsoft doesn't force you to use its Edge web browser to view the live stream – so you can also use Chrome, Firefox or the web browser of your choice.

How to keep up with the Microsoft October 2019 event on Twitter

Another good way to keep up with all the news from the Microsoft October 2019 event is to keep an eye on Twitter.

As we mentioned, we'll be at the event, so keep an eye on the TechRadar Twitter account for news, opinions and more.

The Microsoft Twitter account and Surface Twitter account are also worth following during the event.

It looks like the hashtag #MicrosoftEvent could be used, so keep an eye on that as well to see what people are talking about.

Follow TechRadar's live blog

If you can't watch along live, we have a Microsoft Surface October 2019 event live blog showing you exactly what Microsoft is announcing as soon as it happens. Even if you plan to watch the stream, we'd still recommend following along on TechRadar too!

We'll add the link to our live blog a few hours before the event starts, so check back here soon.

• These are the best Windows laptops of 2019

A patent has been discovered that suggests that Microsoft is looking at reinventing the touchpad for a future Surface Pro device, with the innovative new touchpad featuring multiple touch input zones.

The patent was filed in February 2018 and published August 15, 2019, and in it, Microsoft claims that it wants to move away from simplistic touchpads that just allow a user to move the mouse cursor, and fully realize the potential of the trackpad.

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The patent describes how a new touchpad could be divided up into different input zones, so while it would still act as a single input, each zone could be used for a different function.

In the zones

According to the patent, “based on different contextual factors, the single logical input surface can be divided into different touch input zones that can each… invoke different respective functionality”.

So, for example, one part of the touchpad could be used for gestures (such as pinching your fingers to zoom in and out), while another part of the touchpad could be used for moving the cursor. This would allow you to perform both tasks at once.

As always with patents, we might never see this tech in an actual product, but we’re pleased to see Microsoft is looking at ways of revolutionizing the touchpad – which has been a part of laptop design for decades, but has seen little in the way of innovation over the years.

• These are the best laptops of 2019

Via Windows Latest

Microsoft’s Surface Pro hybrid could be getting a thinner keyboard – which by extension should hopefully be lighter, too – or at least a freshly uncovered patent points to this possibility.

The patent was published earlier in August and is for a ‘low-profile keyset’, meaning slimmer keys, and therefore a more svelte keyboard. It pertains to a generic ‘computing device’, although the main image accompanying the documentation looks very much like a Surface Pro (certainly going by the keyboard hinge).

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Microsoft describes several methods of slimming down the keys compared to a traditional scissor switch design, with considerable mention of the possibility of using a metal alloy for the key dome or switch as this would be “advantageous in providing the appropriate tactile feedback to a user for a low-profile input device”.

The patent also talks about the key itself being metallic as this would be a further boon in terms of slimness, and the keycap could have a noise softening layer, which would be “particularly advantageous when the keycap is made of a metallic composition”.

Metal is key?

Using a metal input key, the slimness of the key could reach less than 0.1mm, and that’s thinner than the measurements cited for an alternative material such as thermoplastic (which is also discussed in the document).

Of course, the average user isn’t likely to be bothered about the technical aspects behind the scenes, as long as the keyboard is thinner, while still maintaining a pleasant typing action. And of course the main challenge is managing to slim things down without losing that satisfying typing experience.

As ever with patents, the innovations discussed therein may simply be concepts Microsoft is currently considering, but they may never come to anything.

That said, making the Surface Pro thinner is likely a crucial consideration, and indeed Microsoft has already been thinking of ways to make the Type Cover trimmer, including directly integrating the trackpad into the keyboard’s circuit board.

Moreover, a slimmer Type Cover would be an important move because it obviously adds to portability, and makes the device seem more premium.

It’s not that the current version of the detachable keyboard (Type Cover) for the Surface Pro 6 is particularly thick – in fact it’s pretty trim already – but the overall device does feel a little hefty. And a trimmer keyboard could help take a little of the weight off, although we should note that it’s more a case of the hybrid having a robust, solid feel and build quality, rather than being chunky as such.

It’d also be good to work with the keyboard in terms of slimming down the hybrid, as that won’t affect the internal components in the actual tablet portion of the device, such as the battery (we don’t want less battery life, naturally).

• These are the best 2-in-1 laptops of 2019

Via Windows Latest

Did you know the Surface Pro 4 isn’t Microsoft’s latest flagship tablet? No, that honor goes to the new Microsoft Surface Pro 6 – now, read our hands on impressions of the Surface Pro 6! 

Microsoft Surface Pro 4: The Essential Review

Our ‘essential review’ of the Surface Pro 4 covers all of the highlights (and lowlights) of Microsoft’s 2015 Windows 10 tablet. It’s intended as a more digestible summary of our full-length review, in that it shouldn’t take more than half a minute to read.

The Surface Pro 4 has been followed up twice now – first by the Surface Pro 2017, then the Surface Pro 6. However, it’s still worth your consideration. This is because, back when it was released nearly four years ago, the Surface Pro 4 was heralded as the natural progression of the Surface Pro reign. And, today, it’s easy to see the influence it had on the subsequent Surface devices.

Unlike the Surface Pro 3, which ran on Windows 8.1, the Surface Pro 4 runs on Windows 10 out of the box. This is a massive win for the Surface Pro 4, and a big part of why it’s still such an excellent device four years later.

It’s easy to see all the effort Microsoft put into refining this tablet, rather than drastically changing the formula. It keeps the same general design as the Surface Pro 3, only fine-tuned and improved. Particularly, there’s a new chrome-laden Microsoft Logo and more than half a millimeter shaved from the chassis.

It’s more than just a snappy design, however. The Surface Pro 4 was released with a new Surface Pen that swaggers with more levels of pressure sensitivity than previous models, alongside added hardware buttons. In addition, the Type Cover is heavier and more satisfying to the touch, and the screen is of higher resolution coming in at 2,736 x 1,824 – a 216 ppi display.

Microsoft Surface Pro 4: Who's it for? Should I buy it?

If you’re not into the enormous size, not to mention price, of the Surface Book 2, the Surface Pro 4 isn’t just a worthy alternative, but also a brilliant first choice for creative professionals on the go. It also costs considerably less than the Surface Pro 6 if you buy it refurbished or used – not that you’d be able to find it new these days.

Admittedly, the Surface Pro 4 has its limitations, particularly when it comes to battery life. However, it still holds up as a product that we can safely recommend for Windows tablet newcomers and veterans alike. As a ‘Pro’ device, the Surface Pro 4, of course, ships with Windows 10 Pro pre-installed (a $199/£219/AU$339 value).

And, that’s without mentioning the Surface Pro 4 display, which is crystal clear when pitted against its predecessor. While the Type Cover is sadly sold separately, it does feel comfortable typing on.

The battery life, as we mentioned earlier, only lasts 3 hours and 15 minutes in PCMark. It isn’t, obviously, the best, but the fast components go a long way in making up for the need to constantly recharge.

In addition, because of its dramatically lower pricing, the Surface Pro 4 is bound to keep a loyal audience well into the future.

The Surface Pro 4 is remarkably cheaper and better than similar ARM-based tablets. Take a look at HP’s Envy x2, for example – you may have expected it to be more affordable than Microsoft’s own tablets because of the use of Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chips found in many Android devices. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. In fact, the Envy x2 is far pricier. 

For now, you’re better off picking up the Asus NovaGo if LTE functionality at a low price is what you’re looking for. On the other hand, the Surface Pro 4 costs $50 less than the NovaGo, and boasts twice the storage and more powerful innards.

Design and display

Just like last time, the same all-magnesium, unibody casing is still here, though the 'Surface' logo has been swapped in for Microsoft's new logo in chrome.

Microsoft increased the Surface Pro 4’s display size by a few hairs, from 12 inches to 12.3 inches, doing so without compromising on the device’s footprint. On the contrary, the company shaved more than half a millimeter off of its thickness, from 9.1mm to 8.4mm – all while fitting it with full-fat mobile U-series chips.

As for how this was achieved, the device bid the capacitive Windows button goodbye, which accounts for the extra room and that three-tenths of an inch in the display. 

Microsoft also brought the screen's optical stack – the series of sensors, diodes and pixels underneath the glass – even closer to the glass now, a key point of Microsoft's trademarked PixelSense screen technology.

The display is exceptionally responsive to touch, and the further sensitivity it brings to the stylus experience is massive. Alongside the enhanced Surface Pen, the screen senses 1,024 levels of pressure, even during a single stroke.

Now, let’s take a look at that resolution. Microsoft increased the Surface Pro 4’s resolution from 2,160 x 1,440 (216 ppi, or pixels per inch) to 2,736 x 1,824. That makes for a whopping 267 ppi for the Surface Pro 4, which blows the MacBook Air 2017 (128 ppi for the 13-inch) away completely, and just barely beats out the first-generation iPad Pro 12.9-inch at 264 ppi.

More notably, the new screen proves to be way more luminous and more color accurate than the Surface Pro 3 display at all brightness levels. This is understandably going to be a pretty big deal for any designers or artists who want to upgrade from the Wacom tablet and calibrated monitor combo.

As for the rest of us, this means more realistic-looking movies, as well as more vibrant photos and games. That's despite even thicker black bars sandwiching your favorite films in 16:9 – and even more so for those in 21:9, or widescreen format, thanks to the 3:2 aspect ratio it’s kept from the previous generation.

It's a fair concern for folks who watch plenty of movies and TV on a tablet. Fear not, however, workers, as you're the very reason Microsoft made this move. The 3:2 aspect ratio is a middle ground between 16:9 and 4:3 that is perfect for both photo and design or drafting work, wherein 3:2 is much more common, as well as getting computational work done, given the extra vertical space.

Surface Pen and Type Cover

In addition to the aforementioned 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity, the new-and-included Surface Pen has been redesigned to feel more like a pencil. The stylus now has one flat side, as if a Number 2 pencil had all but two of its angles rounded off.

This novel design makes the Surface Pen even more comfortable to use than the last as a result – your index finger rests just above the main function button on the flat end. Secondly, the left side of the frame is coated with thin, powerful strip magnets, which lets it to cling onto the tablet's left side. The age of stylus loops is coming to an end.

When the Surface Pen is paired with Microsoft’s PixelSense display, the combination results in the best stylus experience we’ve had on a tablet for as little as we’re likely to actually use it. While we’re neither artists nor designers, the screen’s superb palm detection, paired with the accuracy and nuance of the Pen tracking, gives us the confidence to say that the Surface Pro 4 is Microsoft’s best shot at luring in that crowd yet.

However, these enhancements do pale in comparison with Microsoft's new-though-still-not-included Type Cover. This time around, Microsoft adopted the chiclet-style design, which makes keeping track of which keys your fingers are on by feel much easier and allows the keys to be individually back lit.

The new Type Cover is also thicker and far more rigid than before, allowing for deeper key travel and punchier feedback – not to mention a sturdier, quieter surface to type on – that brings it so much closer to a true laptop keyboard. In addition, Microsoft widened the touchpad and coated it in glass rather than plastic.

Finally, Microsoft has a version of the Type Cover with a biometric Fingerprint ID for $159 (£149, AU$249). The new keyboard cover, though only available in black, uses Windows Hello to login to the Surface with a fingertip press. The scanner can also authorize app purchases from the Windows Store, and because the keyboard is backwards compatible, it can be utilized with the Surface Pro 3 as well.

Performance

All the performance scores, except for PCMark 8 Home, shows a minor increase from the first unit we tested. It’s a good sign that the Surface Pro 4 was already operating at its peak, except for a battery that needed fixing.

The Surface Pro 4 beat out the 2015 HP Spectre x360 in nearly every test by about 25%. As for the 13-inch MacBook Air, its multi-core Geekbench 3 (which tests processors primarily) score is way short of what the Surface Pro 4 reached.

If you’re curious, the Surface Pro 4 runs Hearthstone (our de facto tablet game) at the highest settings without breaking a sweat – even at an automatically adapted resolution. Plus, the color-calibrated display makes every part of Hearthstone’s play area that much more distracting.

At the end of the day, there isn’t a massive difference between the Surface Pro 4 and its competitors when it comes to everyday performance, even though the MacBook Air has a bigger battery. If anything, you get slightly better gaming performance on the Surface Pro 4 than the 2015 Spectre x360, though neither one is a gaming device.

Battery life

Tested on pre-production hardware, which we were assured has been scrubbed of its battery woes, the Surface Pro 4 delivered much improved battery life results than at the onset. Sadly, they're still well below Microsoft's own claims ­– not to mention, what its choice rivals are able to offer.

To be fair, the most intensive battery test in our lineup, PCMark 8 Home Battery, saw the Pro 4 last 3 hours and 15 minutes – a marked 50% improvement from before. Still, the Spectre x360 held out in that test for 4 hours and 38 minutes.

Microsoft's tablet performed much better on our video playback test, lasting 5 hours and 15 minutes. That's enough to last you on most coast-to-coast US flights.

In a similar test, the MacBook Air was able to stream 1080p video over Wi-Fi for a whopping 13 hours and 24 minutes. Although, that's thanks to a far lower-resolution display and likely a larger battery.

Nevertheless, Microsoft promises up to 9 hours of video playback, and these numbers doesn’t even come close. Sure, these figures are far better than last year's Surface Pro 3, despite the serious screen resolution bump, which should not be ignored. However, they still can't hold a candle to Apple's leading laptop or its top tablet – much less, equivalent Windows hybrids.

It battery life is then about the only thing holding the Surface Pro 4 back from truly and honestly being a terrific replacement for your laptop – or at least, your MacBook Air specifically. Otherwise, the machine offers somewhat below-average lasting power.

Bill Thomas and Gabe Carey have also contributed to this review

First reviewed: October 2015

Images Credit: TechRadar

Not convinced? Try these:

Samsung Galaxy Book: With an incredible display, long battery life and all of the essential accessories in the box, this tablet all but requires you to make liberal use of Samsung’s phone-exclusive syncing and biometric login features via Samsung Flow, its key selling points. Just mind the lack of Windows Hello.

Lenovo Miix 510: A great price, USB-C and USB 3.0, and an included keyboard cover make the Miix 510 an appealing option. While there are a couple of reasons (battery, screen) why you’d go for the Surface Pro 4 instead, but the Miix 510 offers an awful lot for the price. But, again, what's counting against it is considerable.

HP Spectre x2: Its unique kickstand, even sharper IPS screen and hardier included keyboard cover help the Spectre x2 stand out. You'll stay for the impressive spec sheet and premium. That said, it's too bad that the stylus doesn't come included with this device, unlike its rivals. This is likely the biggest rival to the Surface line today.

• Check out our Microsoft promo codes to get the best deals on Microsoft products.

Microsoft's presumed Surface Pro 7 could take the product line's accolades to the new level with the long-awaited inclusion of a USB Type-C port, based on details in a patent discovered by Windows United and shared by HotHardware.

Microsoft's Surface Pro hybrid laptops have received high praise for years, often landing among the best Windows tablets on the market. Even the company's budget Surface Go scores high marks. The inclusion of this modern connectivity standard could take it to the next level.

As good as the Microsoft Surface Pro 6 is in most regards, its port selection is a serious black eye for the tablet. The Mini DisplayPort is fine, but the USB-A connection is offering seriously dated USB 3.0 speeds. 

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When it comes to charging and using more peripherals, Microsoft has a proprietary connector called the Surface Connect port.

The connector isn't our favorite, as faster speeds for peripherals and all charging require special accessories that will only work with Surface devices. A switch to USB Type-C would actually be a dramatic improvement.

Here's to non-proprietary connections

USB Type-C is not only convenient because of its reversible nature, but also because of its versatility. The connector can handle incredible speeds, it meets the latest USB speed standards and it can go even faster if Microsoft incorporated Intel's Thunderbolt 3 or jumps to USB 4.

In addition to simple transfer speeds, the port can also serve as a connector for USB hubs, so users could connect numerous devices. And, at the same time, it would be able to handle charging. And, all of that would be possible through USB-C hubs from manufacturers other than just Microsoft.

Beyond the exciting new port, the patent also describes a new magnetic system in the Type Cover that could help it stay in position when it's folded open into tablet mode. Currently, the Type Cover can magnetically stay shut, but the new model would also hold itself to the back of the tablet when open.

These features would both be quality-of-life upgrades for the next Surface Pro. But, it remains to be seen whether Microsoft will actually go ahead with them. The company has incorporated USB Type-C into the Surface Go, but it's a little worrying how long it has already held out on the Surface Connect and USB 3.0 ports.

• Here's our review of the Surface Book 2

It seems that Microsoft has been toying with Surface Pro prototypes that use Qualcomm processors rather than Intel, hinting that this could be a potential future for these tablets – or at least the lower-end models.

This comes from Brad Sams over at Thurrott.com, who observed that there are prototype Qualcomm-powered Surface Pro devices “floating around”, and that Microsoft has “considered replacing the low-end Pro devices with Snapdragon chips but so far, has yet to ship any products that do so for various reasons”.

One of the major stumbling blocks is likely to be that Snapdragon chips aren’t powerful enough to deliver the sort of performance users want – particularly when software emulation issues are thrown into the mix, when using x86 apps – and more to the point, the performance that Microsoft would want to offer in its Pro 2-in-1s.

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The first crop of so-called ‘always connected’ ARM-powered PCs were criticized for sluggish overall performance levels, with the Snapdragon 835 not giving the machines nearly enough oomph, and the succeeding Snapdragon 850 was similarly seen as rather a performance flop.

Snappier Snapdragon

However, we now have Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8cx chip on the horizon, which we recently saw that Lenovo is making a laptop with, and despite not hearing much else about that, we can but hope this will finally really push forward and impress in terms of getting a smoothly running portable where the previous Snapdragon solutions have failed.

So maybe it won’t be so long before Microsoft has a powerful enough Qualcomm engine to build a base model Surface Pro around, with early prototyping work setting the backdrop.

After all, it does make sense that Microsoft would want to push always connected PCs by showing off one of its high-profile hybrids running Windows 10 on ARM (with some beefy battery life to boot, hopefully, which is one area we haven’t been so impressed with when it comes to our Surface Pro 6).

We also have to bear in mind that the rumor mill (also Thurrott.com) has it that Microsoft wanted to debut an ARM chip in the Surface Go, but was persuaded by Intel to go with Pentium instead (although the aforementioned performance concerns doubtless played their part in that decision, as well).

And that obviously raises the prospect that the sequel to the Surface Go might run with a more powerful Qualcomm processor, if the Surface Pro doesn’t take the baton, perhaps.

Whatever happens with the next Surface Pro, one thing we can definitely expect is USB Type-C support, which really should have been delivered in the Surface Pro 6, in all honesty.

• These are the best 2-in-1 laptops of 2019

Via On MSFT

Another Surface-related patent has emerged – following the potential Surface Dial and Pen innovations we saw last week – and this time it appears Microsoft is hoping to improve the keyboard of its hybrid laptop.

As the patent (spotted by Windows Latest) outlines, the idea is to use keys with haptic feedback rather than traditional mechanical means (i.e. “rubber or metal dome switches along with scissor mechanisms” as Microsoft puts it).

The idea is that haptic feedback could still give the user a pleasant typing experience in terms of key travel and overall feel, while not requiring any actual physical travel for the key, therefore meaning the keyboard base can be made thinner (as the key mechanism is slimmer).

The trick, of course, is to achieve haptic feedback technology which can successfully emulate the feel of a ‘real’ keyboard with physical travel, and it seems Microsoft is confident in achieving this.

The patent observes: “Implementations described and claimed herein provide a push button comprising a spring element with a user-perceptible physical travel upon depression of the push button, and a haptic element that simulates additional travel of the push button upon depression of the push button.”

Svelte Surface

And, when combined with the great quest to also make the tablet section of the hybrid thinner, the end result could be a much more svelte Surface 2-in-1. Or indeed a thinner standalone keyboard if Microsoft applied this trick to those products.

The patent in question has just been published, but was first filed back in July 2017.

It’ll be interesting to see if Microsoft can make progress down this particular avenue, but as ever with the development of technology, many would-be or prototype products are discarded before they ever see the light of day.

As we mentioned at the outset, the Surface Dial could also be in line for a nifty improvement, namely the addition of a touch sensor to the top of the peripheral, allowing for multiple gesture-based controls.

Furthermore, the Surface Pen could also benefit from the inclusion of haptic feedback in the future.

• These are the best 2-in-1 notebooks

While 2018 was a year of iterative updates, Apple, Google and Microsoft all released some of their best products yet, even if they weren’t as innovative as some would like. 

While many flagships went without any upgrades – we didn’t even see a new MacBook or Surface Book – devices like the MacBook Air and Surface Laptop 2 saw significant upgrades which impacted the user experience.

• Here's what we hope to see in the Surface Book 3

However, 2019 should see the big three push their hardware further than before – especially as 7nm and 10nm AMD and Intel processors become mainstream. So, what can we expect to see from Apple, Google and Microsoft throughout the next year? 

Apple in 2019

Apple’s release schedule in 2018 was all over the place. After the insanely powerful iMac Pro dropped in December 2017, we got an iPad aimed at students in March, followed by a lot of nothing. 

We were left waiting for WWDC 2018 for new MacBooks, but that show came and went without any new hardware. It wasn’t until the new MacBook Pro launched, totally under the radar in July, that we started seeing new hardware. 

We’re not sure Apple is going to follow the same kind of release schedule in 2019, but now that it became the world’s first trillion-dollar valuation company this past year, we figure Apple can basically do whatever it wants.

New Mac Pro. We’ve been anticipating the new Mac Pro for a while now, but we know its coming, and we know it’s coming in 2019. The only thing we don’t know is when in 2019 we’ll see the new Mac Pro. Apple has come out and said that the computer will be modular and upgradeable, and if the iMac Pro was any indication, we might be seeing an extremely powerful Mac – we just want to know whether it’ll look like a trash can again. 

New MacBooks. When it comes to Apple’s 2019 lineup of MacBooks, we’re not quite sure what’s going to happen. We’ll see a new MacBook Pro, that’s a given – Apple hasn’t missed an annual upgrade for its flagship professional laptop to date. However, beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess. Apple skipped the 12-inch MacBook for the new MacBook Air this year, though that laptop has more in common with the now-defunct MacBook Pro without Touch Bar. Regardless, expect to see new Intel silicon inside these laptops – Apple’s in-house computer processors are still years away. 

iPhone XI. Another year, another iPhone. Apple releasing a new iPhone is inevitable, and the rumors are already starting to roll out. It might be thinner and lighter than ever before, thanks to a new touch-integrated OLED display, and Apple might even include its own modem, making it an almost all-Apple device. Also, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Apple take another three-pronged strategy with its iPhone models this year, with two high-end models and an entry-level version alongside them. Finally, don’t expect to see a 5G iPhone in 2019: Apple will surely sit on that for a while longer.

New iPads. Apple knocked it out of the park with the iPad Pro – it can outpower many full-blown laptops, on top of the fantastic new design. With the next non-pro iPad, we can see Apple bringing over the same bezel-less design as well as FaceID, like it did with the iPhone XR. We’ve also seen rumors of a new iPad Mini arriving in 2019. We fully expect to see more drastic software improvements than hardware, as iOS needs some serious work to both remain competitive in the phones space and improve productivity for its ‘Pro’ tablets.

Google in 2019

Even if we didn’t get the Pixelbook 2, Google still had an exciting year, with products like the Pixel 3 and the Google Pixel Slate.

Google also doubled down on its Home line of smart speakers and smart-home technology – something we’re sure we’ll see more of in 2019.

However, with an arguably poor outing this year, we wonder whether Google will continue making tablets – or at the very least go back to the drawing board. Also, we’ve seen very little from Google in the home entertainment department in 2018, so perhaps we’ll revisit that in 2019.

Pixelbook 2. We wanted to see the next Pixelbook in 2018 – the original is by far one of the best Chromebooks we’ve ever used. However, Google had other plans, instead releasing the Google Pixel Slate: a sort of half-tablet half-Chromebook hybrid. 

While we’re sure the Google Pixel Slate will have its niche, we hope Google will launch a true Pixelbook 2 with 8th-generation Core processors. The Pixel Slate doesn’t set as strong of a standard for other Chrome devices as Pixelbook did, simply put.

Google Pixel 4. The Google Pixel 3 and Google Pixel 3 XL are awesome – everything from the camera to the hardware makes either two of the best phones you can buy today. Of course, we’re sure that Google is brewing the follow-ups as we speak. What’s to come in that? Rumors are nowhere to be found yet, but we’d anticipate Google doubling down on its incredibly useful camera and machine learning software, because that’s what’s selling the Pixel 3 phones more than anything.

Mid-range Pixel phones. Google has made plenty of flagship phones in its time, but we’ve seen new Pixel devices hinted at in the latest ARCore update. These rumored devices are code-named Bonito and Sargo, and just like all other Pixel phones, are named after fish. We’d love to see new Pixel phones that almost anyone can afford – especially if Google keeps that camera software intact. All in all, this would be an incredibly smart move for Google.

Microsoft in 2019

When it comes to hardware, it’s hard to predict what Microsoft is going to do in 2019, as its release schedule is all over the place.

However, you can bet that you’ll see new Surface devices along with Windows 10 updates. We might even see the next Xbox creep out of the woodwork 

Surface Book 3. The Surface Book 2 is still one of the best laptops on the market, even if it launched way back in October 2017. This year, however, we should see the Surface Book 3 launch, packed with Intel 9th-generation processors and Nvidia Turing graphics. If Microsoft could provide the Surface Book 3 with a 4K display and a black color option, that’d just be gravy.

Surface Pro 7. We’re putting our money on another Surface Pro launching next year, but hopefully with more drastic improvements. Microsoft followed the Surface Pro 2017 with the Surface Pro 6 this year, packing 8th-generation processors and some snazzy new color options … but that’s it, really. We’d love to see a Surface Pro 7 with even smaller bezels and USB-C connectivity for 2019.

Surface Phone. It seems like we’ve been waiting for the Surface Phone for ages, but we feel like 2019 might be the year we finally see it. The latest rumors about the Surface Phone, code-named Andromeda, point to it being a foldable smartphone, which would make it prime competition for Samsung’s similar device, also likely launching in 2019. 

• These are the best laptops of 2018 – no contest

One bomb of a Microsoft hardware leak has just dropped from an unlikely source: the final chapter of a non-fiction book penned by a technology journalist.

Beneath a Surface, the debut book by Brad Sams, the blogger and podcaster behind technology website Thurrott.com, is available now in ebook format, and it contains lots of information on the future of Surface, Xbox and even the long-rumored Andromeda device.

Speaking to anonymous sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans, Sams learned of an entire hardware product roadmap in place for 2019 and 2020.

Specifically, he writes that the next Surface Pro tablet will finally bring USB-C connectivity, as well as adopt smaller screen bezels, rounded corners and several new color options by the end of 2019.

As for the next Surface Laptop, expect to see one running on an AMD processor with Radeon Vega graphics around the same time as the new Surface Pro, according to Sams.

Meanwhile, the future Surface Book product won’t arrive until 2020, Sams’s sources say, with little more information than that. However, expect a revamped Surface Studio all-in-one PC to launch in the same year, which may have more in common with the Surface Hub whiteboards than previous Studio designs.

2019: the year of Xbox and Andromeda?

Sams’ book also teases out information from sources regarding the Xbox One’s future roadmap, as well as a bit more about the long-fabled Andromeda device.

First off, if Sams is right then you can count on seeing a duo of new Xbox One S consoles for 2019, particularly one model that might be 100% digital, with no disc drive. This at least corroborates similar reports published earlier this month.

Finally, Sams claims to have learned that Andromeda – the long-rumored dual-screen phone-like productivity device – could be in our hands by the end of 2019. Furthermore, we can expect the device to be larger than previous reports have suggested, and to be closer in terms of functionality to a PC or laptop than a smartphone.

Unsurprisingly, when asked to comment on Sams' claims by Geekwire, a Microsoft spokesperson simply said, “Nothing to share.”

Sams’ report-within-a-book delivers a dump truck worth of grist for the rumor mill – and if there's substance to his claims then Microsoft is set to have a busy 2019 and 2020 in terms of hardware launches.

• These are the best laptops we’ve tested this year

At Microsoft's October 2 event, the company unveiled its highly-anticipated Surface Pro 6 – a powerful Windows 10-powered tablet that can also be used as a laptop.

Microsoft's line of Surface Pro tablets have been lauded over the years thanks to their fantastic build quality and elegant designs, and it looks like the Surface Pro 6 continues that tradition.

But, with its predecessor, the Surface Pro, having launched last year, how much of an upgrade is the Surface Pro 6? Should you stick to the more affordable device from last year? Let's find out.

Surface Pro 6 vs Surface Pro 2017: design

Last year's Surface Pro stuck pretty close to the design of its predecessor, the Surface Pro 4, featuring a 12.3-inch PixelSense touchscreen with a 2,736 x 1,824-pixel resolution, measuring 0.33 inches (8.4mm) thick, and weighing 1.73 pounds (786g).

The Surface Pro 6 doesn't stray too far from the formula either, with similar looks and dimensions, but with upgraded hardware.

Some people will welcome this 'if it's ain't broke, don't fix it' approach, but others might find the design feeling a little stagnant.

Surface Pro 6 vs Surface Pro 2017: specs

While on the outside it doesn't appear like a great deal has changed between the Surface Pro 2017 and the Surface Pro 6, when it comes to hardware, the Surface Pro 6 offers an impressive upgrade over what came before.

Last year's Surface Pro comes with a Core i7-7660U CPU, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640, 16GB of LPDDR3 RAM and a 1TB solid state drive for storage. This is for the top-of-the-range configuration. The cheapest Surface Pro offers a weaker Intel Core m3 processor, 128GB SSD and 4GB of RAM.

Meanwhile, the Surface Pro 6 has the latest 8th generation Intel Quad Core processors (either i5 or i7), which according to Microsoft offers 67% better performance than the chip in the Surface Pro. 

Both versions come with Intel UHD Graphics 620 integrated graphics cards, a choice of 8GB or 16GB RAM, up to 1TB storage, and a 12.3 PixelSense display with a 2,736 x 1,824 resolution.

Surface Pro 6 vs Surface Pro 2017: price

The Surface Pro launched with a $799 price in the US or £799 in the UK (around AU$1,380) for the entry-level model. Meanwhile the top-end version costs $2,699 (£2,699, AU$3,999) for an Intel Core i7 CPU paired with a 1TB SSD and 16GB of RAM.

In the run-up to the Surface Pro 6's unveiling, rumors were swirling that Microsoft would pitch its new device at the same price.

While the Surface Pro 6 doesn't quite hit the same price point, it starts at a similar $899/£879/AU$1,349.

There's also a range of configurations for the Surface Pro 6, and depending on the hardware that you choose, the price changes accordingly.

For example, a Surface Pro 6 with 16GB of RAM, an Intel Core i7 processor and 512GB storage will cost $1,899 (£1,799, AU$2,879).

Considering the performance boost, the price of the Surface Pro 6 compared to its predecessor is incredibly competitive, making the new Surface Pro 6 a no-brainer when it comes to price.

Surface Pro 6 vs Surface Pro 2017: should I upgrade?

So, is the Surface Pro 6 a worthy upgrade over the Surface Pro 2017? If you already own a Surface Pro, then the Surface Pro 6 offers a decent enough performance boost to justify making the upgrade. Of course, if you're happy enough with the Surface Pro 2017, then you'll feel no rush to ditch it for the newer model.

If you don't have a Surface Pro and are thinking about getting one of Microsoft's tablets, then we can heartily recommend going for the Surface Pro 6 over its predecessor. It offers the same brilliant design, while also containing some excellent spec upgrades. Best of all, it's around the same price as the Surface Pro 2017.

Of course, if you're looking for a bargain, you may find the Surface Pro 2017 dropping in price now that the Surface Pro 6 is available to buy. Keep a keen eye on Black Friday, as we may see some price cuts then.

• Check out our list of the best Windows tablets of 2018

At Microsoft's 'Back to Black' event, the company announced a bevy of new and updated devices including the Surface Pro 6, Surface Laptop 2, Window 10 October 2018 Update, Surface Studio 2 and Surface Headphones.

Surface Pro 6

Starting with the new device we were all hoping to see, the Surface Pro 5 – oops we mean Surface Pro 6. Though it might look an awful lot like the last Surface Pro (now the unofficial Surface Pro 5), Microsoft claims its 67% more powerful than the previous iteration thanks to 8th Generation Intel processors and a redesigned cooling system.

It features the same 12.3-inch, 267ppi display but a higher contrast ratio and battery life has been extended to 13.5 hours. It can be specced to a maximum 16GB of memory, 1TB SSD and now comes in a new black color. You’ll be able to pre-order Microsoft’s newest tablet for as little as $899 (AU$1,349, about £690) for an Intel Core i5 model – which is the best starting price the Surface Pro has ever come in – and it will ship out on Tuesday, October 16.

Surface Laptop 2

The oft-rumored Surface Laptop 2 also got its due with a 85% faster 8th Generation quad-core Intel Core processors, quieter keyboard, OmniSonic speakers for premium sound and a new optional black paint job. The display on the Surface Laptop 2 has also seen an upgrade with now over 3.4 million pixels delivering a 1,500:1 contrast ratio. 

The Surface Laptop 2 starts at a slightly higher $999 (AU$1,499, about £770) price. You’ll be able to pre-order it starting today to arrive on October 16.

Surface Studio 2

Microsoft’s workhorse saw the biggest upgrades with newer Nvidia Pascal graphics – though not the latest Nvidia Turing RTX – for 50% greater graphics performance. Unfortunately, Microsoft decided to only upgrade to Kaby Lake processors, which is really disappointing due to the prevalence of newer Coffee Lake chips that feature higher-core counts.

The 28-inch display has now been upgraded to a Brilliant PixelSense Display that is supposedly 500 nits brighter, resulting in a panel that’s 38% brighter and 22% higher contrast.

The Surface Studio 2 also gains a USB-C port and built-in Xbox Wireless support. The Surface Studio 2 is also available for pre-order now starting at $3,499 (AU$5,499, about £2,700).

Surface Headphones

We were kind of hoping for a phone, but instead we got a $349 (about £270, AU$485) pair of headphones. The Surface Headphones are Microsoft’s first premium pair of smart headphones that’s designed to work wirelessly and deliver noise canceling audio.

Of course, Cortana comes built-in, allowing you to tell the headset to start your music, read your emails or start a conference call with just your voice. So far, Microsoft has only promised that Surface Headphones will be available later this year. 

Windows 10 October 2018 Update

Microsoft didn't waste any time when it simply announced the Windows 10 October 2018 Update will be immediately available starting today. Any user interested enough in it can download the update right now with our handy guide. 

There’s quite a number of new features to get excited about like the handy Your Phone app, improvements to Fluent design and sets to set your multitasking on fire.

• Here's everything you can expect from the next MacBook Pro

5:09: That appears to be everything, folks. Four brand new Surface products, much of which appear to be substantial hardware refreshes and one that we were completely not expecting. Keep it locked here in the coming hours for our first impressions of all these devices.

5:08: Correction! The Surface Pro 6 and Surface Laptop 2 are available for pre-order right now and will hit shelves on October 16. The Surface Studio 2 and Surface Headphones release dates and prices are still unknown – "coming soon," Panay says. He has also shown off a new subscription service for Surface owners, Surface All Access, that brings all of Microsoft's apps and services to you for $24.99 a month.

5:04: They're Surface Headphones, people! Complete with Cortana integration and hands-free calling in a gorgeous, silver set of over-ear cans. They're also noise cancelling with 13 levels of cancellation. The cans also have four beam-forming microphones and four active noise cancelling microphones.

5:02: Panay isn't done just yet! He's got one more product to show off that we weren't expecting.

4:56: The Surface Studio 2 has been updated with Nvidia Pascal graphics, so 10 Series Nvidia GPUs will be inside. This might come as a blow to fans of the latest and greatest, but this is par for the course when it comes to Surface Studio and Surface. Microsoft's product development cycle appears to be a bit out of sync with graphics processor cycles. 

4:54: Microsoft's Stevie Bathiche is talking up how it managed to make the Surface Studio 2 display 38% brighter as well as up its contrast by 22%. Part of it involves brand new transistor technology beneath the panel.

4:51: The Surface Studio 2 is official! We're still waiting on internal details, but we do know that it packs Intel processors and improved graphics, as well as an even better screen.

4:48: Panay is now back on stage with a Surface Studio announcement. Here comes the Surface Studio 2! "More of the high-end graphics you need, more of the brilliant screen that begins to break boundaries," Panay says.

4:43: Now, the brand new Your Phone app is being touted as playing a key role in this cross-device collaboration. Even better, in a future update, Windows 10 will be able to completely emulate your phone's screen an interface, allowing remote control of your phone from your PC. It's currently known simply as 'app mirroring,' which we've seen done in more limited capacities by companies like Dell.

4:39: If you're an Android user, Microsoft's own launcher is where it's at, apparently. Soon, Microsoft's popular Timeline feature will make it to that platform, which will follow you across devices so long as you're logged in via your Microsoft account.

4:36: The general gist here is for users to live within Microsoft apps and services across devices. This way, things like calendar appointments will persist across your devices, if used through Microsoft's Outlook Calendar feature known as 'To Dos.'

4:33: Now, Panay is talking up working with Windows 10 across whatever companion mobile devices you're using. The head of Microsoft's mobile services team is about to walk us through these new solutions.

4:30: The Surface Laptop 2 is 85% faster than before, thanks new quad-core Intel processors, as well as all-day battery life. The Surface Pro 6 will start at $899, the Surface Laptop 2 will start at $999, and both will be available for pre-order on October 16.

4:27: Next up is the Surface Laptop 2, which now is 85% faster than before. It has a display packing 3.4 million pixels, math we're not about to work out right now as to screen resolution, as well as a 1,500:1 contrast ratio behind the thinnest LCD ever applied to a traditional laptop.

4:25: Panay says that the new Surface Pro 6 is 37% faster than the last, weighs only 1.7 pounds and lasts for 3.5 hours longer than the iPad Pro.

4:22: Now, it's time to talk devices. First up is Surface Pro, which is now confirmed to come in a new all-black color palette. It's confirmed to be the Surface Pro 6 – oddly enough.

4:20: Panay's drawing another anecdote from an audience member, an environmentalist that uses Surface products for their portability and ease-of-use – even at the Great Wall of China.

4:16: No one can dispute that Panay is an inspired designer and product maker. He literally just grabbed a Surface device from a journalist in the stands to demonstrate a point.

4:13: Now, we're getting into the good stuff. Panos Panay has taken the stage to talk up the latest Surface products we're about to see. Panay is drawing an analogy between his daughter's fine tuned piano to Microsoft's devices tuning themselves to your needs.

4:11: It's official! Mehdi says that the Windows 10 October 2018 Update will launch today for everyone. 

4:07: Microsoft wants people to use its technology to organize their whole lives, Mehdi says. In case you had any doubt, we're definitely seeing new Surface devices today, but also new efforts to merge the worlds of iOS and Android as they relate to Windows 10.

4:05: "Life interrupts work, work interrupts life," says Mehdi. So, how is Microsoft going to bring harmony to this dynamic?

4:03: Now, we're looking at a promotional video trying to tell us how technology fits into working professionals' lives, and naturally how Microsoft is here to solve that problem for us.

4:00: Microsoft's  Yusuf Mehdi has taken the stage to kick us off, with an anecdotal story about the application of Microsoft tech in his home. You know, the usual stuff.

3:58: It looks like Panos Panay, Microsoft Surface devices team lead, is in the house. Things are getting underway now...

3:50: Unfortunately, there's nothing about this space's furniture or style that's a giveaway as to what's going to be shown today. However, it looks awfully similar to Microsoft's dedicated event space at which we saw the Surface Go for the first time.

3:46 ET: We've managed to find a seat here in Microsoft's NYC event space. Just moments now until the festivities begin!

*Editor's Note: all times are listed in Eastern time zone.

In mere minutes, Microsoft is expected to pull the curtain back on a number of refreshed Surface devices. Namely, we're expecting to see 2018 updates in the form of a new Surface Pro 5 (or 6 ... or numberless), a Surface Laptop 2 and a Surface Studio 2.

We're also anticipating Microsoft opening the floodgates for Windows 10 October 2018 Update downloads at the same time, considering how the Insider Preview build is officially RTM (ready to manufacture) and October 2 is technically a 'Patch Tuesday' for Microsoft, when updates to Windows 10 generally occur.

Since Microsoft is not live streaming this event, we're going to bring the news to you the 'old-fashioned' way: with a live blog. Yours truly will be in attendance, bringing you the latest details, insights and photos from the keynote's proceedings.

Be sure to have this page open come 4pm ET (1pm PT; 9pm BST), which is when the keynote kicks off in New York City, for all of the latest regarding Microsoft Surface. And, if you arrive a little early, we'll have some early queueing photos and hot takes for you to enjoy. See you then!

• These are the best laptops we've tested to date

Microsoft is expected to unveil a gaggle of refreshed Surface devices at its October 2 event, particularly sequels to the Surface Laptop, Surface Studio and Surface Pro, but it may also have a brand-new color scheme in the works.

What appeared to be a black Surface Laptop was spotted in an episode of Netflix’s superhero show Iron Fist, and the existence of such a device looks to have been confirmed by leaked marketing images.

The images, which were spotted on Microsoft’s New Zealand events website, also show what appears to be an all-black Surface Laptop. While the events page is inaccessible from other regions, outlets like WindowsLatest have been able to rip images from the page, as well as some telling words:

“In April 2012, Microsoft launched the Surface RT, its sleek black chassis, detachable keyboard and integrated kickstand started a wave of innovation that has no signs of slowing down. Surface devices have inspired people to draw on their screens, work anywhere, collaborate across the world on 84-inch Hubs, crank the volume with dial and even float their all in one screen up and down with a zero gravity hinge. It is safe to say the devices have come a long way in 6 years.

But in October 2018, Surface goes Back to Black.

Come and join us at Studio 203, Ponsonby Road for a 45 minute Surface partner update followed by lunch & a chance to network with the Microsoft Modern Workplace team.”

While this copy specifically refers to an event to be held in New Zealand, we seriously doubt Microsoft would hold back such a redesign from the rest of the world. Judging by the leaked image, Microsoft will employ a black-painted aluminum on top of a black version of its Alcantara fabric keyboard deck.

Here’s to hoping that 1, this is true and 2, that it’s not just for the Oceanic regions – and 3, that this color scheme isn’t just for the Surface Laptop 2, but the Surface Pro 5 as well as the Surface Studio 2.

• These are the best Windows tablets we’ve tested this past year

Via MSPowerUser

The long, excruciating wait to get USB-C support on your Surface Pro or Surface Laptop is about to end at long last – well, at least for your office. Microsoft has told The Verge that it will begin selling its long-awaited Surface USB-C dongle on June 29 for $79 (about £59, AU$109) in the US.

However, according to Microsoft’s statement, the device will first be made available for business users through commercial channels. The company has not said when it will release the product through normal retail channels.

While not yet officially shown, we know that this dongle will connect to the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop – the Surface Book 2 already has native USB-C – through their Surface Connect ports. This is thanks to a leak earlier this year from a reputable source.

This leak suggested that the device itself would be rather large, looking to be nearly the size of the existing Surface product power bricks.

Using the Surface Connector port that Microsoft posits is nearly as fast and versatile as USB-C, the dongle will allow users to charge their Surface device as well as connect to external hard drives and displays.

The Verge suspects that, like the Surface Pro LTE, the Surface USB-C dongle will be available to all via the Microsoft Store on June 29 but otherwise be limited in sales to commercial customers rather than retail. So, for the three of you that are holding onto that hope to join the #donglelife, our thoughts are with you.

• The best USB-C monitor 2018

Sources speaking to ZDNet and Thurott.com have dropped the codename for a major overhaul to Microsoft’s Surface Pro: ‘Carmel’. According to ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley, the product won’t launch until mid-2019 but will be heavily redesigned.

Both reports also reference codenames for the previously reported upcoming Xbox and HoloLens sequels, known internally as ‘Scarlett’ and Sydney, respectively.

Since Microsoft issued what amounted to a processor refresh for last year’s Surface Pro device, fans have been chomping at the bit for a true successor. Even Microsoft resisted naming the device the ‘Surface Pro 5,’ for Surface lead Panos Panay felt it wasn’t different enough to deserve the numbered moniker.

Panay told CNET in an interview last year that Microsoft will formally issue the next numbered Surface Pro “when it's meaningful and the change is right, we'll put it on market.” He clarified that “you'll see that same meaningful impact when Pro 5, or Pro Next hits the market," swiftly adding that, "there's no such thing as a Pro 5."

ZDNet’s report assumes the next Surface Pro device will be the ‘Surface Pro 6,’ though that may just be a reference to that this will have been the sixth Surface Pro.

However, a reference later in the report cites that refreshes of the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop could land later this year with 8th-generation Intel Core processors, and that they could employ USB-C ports in conjunction with Microsoft’s proprietary Surface Connect port.

So, regardless of whether Microsoft calls this heavily redesigned Surface Pro the ‘5’ or ‘6’, know that the firm is hard at work on making a new 2-in-1 tablet worthy of a number.

• These are the best Windows tablets we’ve tested this past year

You may recall that last month it emerged that Microsoft is apparently working on an affordable Surface tablet to take the fight to the iPad, and a little more info has emerged on the device, including a codename: ‘Lex’.

According to Microsoft tipster WalkingCat (as spotted by Windows Latest), the alleged 10-inch slate has an internal code name of Surface Lex (or Surface L, presumably for short), and there are Type Covers for the device code-named 'Gibs'.

Although code names don’t mean much, Lex puts us in mind of a certain super villain, so perhaps Microsoft believes the incoming tablet is destined for world domination (or at least domination of the slate world). Gibs might just be a reminder of what you’ll end up as if you try and play a shooter with a detachable keyboard on a 10-inch hybrid.

Also revealed was the fact that the Surface Lex may have a USB Type-C connector, and support LTE connectivity – at least on some models – as the previous report on this tablet had already claimed. It seems that those two elements are a somewhat stronger prospect, then.

Indeed, WalkingCat observes that the device does sound like the rumored compact and affordable tablet which Bloomberg’s source was talking about last month. All this is still exactly that, though – so much talk on the grapevine.

The price is right

The rumor is the tablet will be pitched at a price point of $400 (about £300, AU$530), with the partner Type Cover also being cheaper than the ones Microsoft currently sells. The budget slate will allegedly be a lot more portable than the current Surface Pro (pictured above), and around a fifth lighter.

Predictably, battery life might suffer as a result of all that slimming down, and the device is likely to have a longevity pitched at around 10 hours (compared to 13.5 hours claimed for the Surface Pro, that is).

Even though in recent times, sales of Surface devices have been rather up and down, it would seem that Microsoft intends to push more strongly with its range of hybrids, and the firm certainly isn’t thinking of doing anything like marginalizing or ditching the range, as was very briefly rumored last October.

• The best USB-C monitor 2018

It looks like people who own certain Surface products made by Microsoft are experiencing problems after installing the Windows 10 April 2018 Update.

While some issues are to be expected after a major operating system update (and we have a guide on how to fix the most common Windows 10 April 2018 Update problems), what is surprising is that some of Microsoft’s own range of Surface products seem to be affected.

With these being expensive premium devices made by the same company that created the Windows 10 April 2018 Update, you’d be forgiven for thinking that they would be the devices that are least likely to encounter problems. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Surface problems

It looks like last year’s Surface Pro (2017) is freezing after installing the Windows 10 April 2018 Update, with the cause apparently being the Intel SSD6 drive, which at the moment is incompatible with the update.

There also seems to be a problem with the Surface Studio all-in-one PC, and people on Microsoft’s Community forums are complaining that the mouse and keyboard keep disconnecting after installing the update.

It appears to be quite a common issue, and Microsoft has responded on the forums, saying that “We are currently working on a solution that will be provided in a future Windows Update. Please continue to check for Surface and Windows Updates to ensure your device has the most current firmware and software available.”

With the next big cumulative update, which will include a number of bug fixes,  pencilled in for ‘Patch Tuesday’ on June 12, hopefully Microsoft will include fixes for these issues.

However, that may not be fast enough to please some customers, who are angry that their expensive Microsoft hardware is having problems with Microsoft software. Let’s hope this all gets sorted out quickly.

• Check out our list of the best 2-in-1 laptops of 2018

Via Softpedia

Microsoft’s spin on the Surface Pro with cellular connectivity is now available to buy in the US, Canada and Australia.

The Surface Pro LTE was previously only available to business customers, but now anyone can get hold of the variant of the 2-in-1 with mobile broadband tricks up its sleeve.

Those in the US can order the Surface Pro LTE – with a Core i5 processor, 8GB RAM, and 256GB storage – from Microsoft’s online store for the price of $1,449 which equates to around £1,065, AU$1,930 (or a discounted $1,304 – around £960, AU$1,740 – if you’re a student or teacher).

• Buy the Surface Pro with LTE Advanced from Microsoft here

In the US, the non-LTE version with the same spec retails at a recommended price of $1,299 (around £955, AU$1,730), so you’re paying an extra $150 for cellular connectivity (except for the fact that the non-LTE spin is currently on sale for $1,099 – around £810, AU$1,460 – making for a much bigger difference right now). You’ll have to be pretty keen on having LTE to pay $350 extra for it, of course.

What about the UK?

Sadly the Surface Pro LTE hasn’t yet graced the shores of the UK, but given the general release in these other major territories, it surely can’t be long before Microsoft brings it to this country.

The other point to bear in mind with this LTE model is that there is only one spec available, and there’s no higher-end version with a Core i7 CPU inside. Although that could well arrive at a later stage.

• One of Microsoft’s Surface range makes our best laptops list

 Via Windows Central

Last October rumors and concerns that Microsoft was going to kill its lineup of Surface devices arose after reports of dwindling sales. The Redmond company vehemently denied it was going to take such an action. 

Now, sticking to its guns seems to have paid off, according to the company's latest quarterly financial report.

In its third-quarter 2018 financial results, Microsoft reported Surface revenue gains were up by 32% year-over-year. In the previous quarter ending on January 31, Surface revenue only went up by a single percentage, which also came after two dismal previous quarters that saw revenue dip by 2% and 26%, respectively.

Is Surface back on the map? Not quite yet. 

Microsoft will have to maintain the momentum of its devices to make producing its own hardware worth the effort. Good news is Microsoft still has plenty of time in the year to announce new products, some of which could possibly be a new Surface Studio 2, Surface Pro 5 or Surface Laptop 2.

Overall, Microsoft exceeded expectations with its third-quarter results, reporting a total revenue of $26.8 billion and a net income of $7.4 billion. A large portion seems to be thanks to a 39% jump in revenue from Azure – Microsoft’s AI and cloud-based computing client.

Xbox also looks to continue to be a strong part of Microsoft’s business, hitting 59 million active users this quarter while revenue from Xbox software and services grew by 24%. 

Lastly, Microsoft claims to have more than 135 million active Office 365 business users and 30.6 million with consumer subscriptions to the service.

• But what about the next version of Windows 10

Via Bloomberg

Microsoft is selling its latest Surface Pro tablet with some considerable discounts in the US and UK right now. In the US, you can grab a souped-up Surface Pro for the price of the entry-level model.

That gets you a Surface Pro with an Intel Core i5 processor with a 128GB SSD and 4GB of memory for the price of one with a far-less-powerful Intel Core m3 processor. You also get a three-month trial of Adobe’s Creative Cloud Photography Plan with 1TB of cloud storage to support it.

Now, in the US, this is the only deal on the Surface Pro that’s active on Microsoft’s online store. All other models are priced normally.

In the UK, Microsoft is offering savings of £100 or more on several select models. This way, you can get the same Surface Pro model in the UK for a bit less than you can in the US right now, and there are also plenty of other discounted options.

For instance, you can save anywhere from £50 on the entry-grade model to £280 on a model with an Intel Core i7 chip inside along with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.

Of course, Microsoft offers the same Adobe trial to its UK customers. However, it’s important to note that these prices in neither region represent the Surface Pen and Surface Type Cover. Both of those are now sold separately, and aren’t exactly cheap. At the time of writing, at least AO.com in the UK is selling the Core i5 model with the Type Cover for just £749.

• These are the best Windows tablets we’ve seen this past year

If you’ve been holding your breath for Microsoft to finally bring USB-C connectivity to its devices beyond Surface Book 2, hold onto it just a little while longer. The Verge reports that Microsoft promises to release its USB-C dongle for the Surface Connect port before the end of 2018.

Specifically, a Microsoft spokesperson told The Verge that the USB-C Surface dongle is “on the roadmap for later this year”.

This comes after the firm clearly missed its previous target launch of 2017, having teased the product back in May of last year alongside the Surface Pro debut. Further to this point, infamous Microsoft leaker WalkingCat on Twitter posted a purported render image of the dongle.

Judging by this render, the dongle will support a single USB-C connection, which seems odd considering the thing’s size and the port it connects can otherwise support several connections at once.

Will Microsoft finally go all-in on USB-C?

There’s no clear reason as to why the USB-C Surface dongle missed its mark last year and has been delayed through to the end of 2018, and pricing has not been mentioned.

However, this is a strong indication that the next line of Surface Laptop and Surface Pro products will include USB-C ports within their chassis. And, frankly, it’s about time.

We’re at last at a point where USB-C is reaching ubiquity, and perhaps Microsoft sat on this a tad too long – while its competitors adopted the technology a bit too quickly. You can’t seem to win with these things.

While the news of a USB-C dongle for Surface Pro and Surface Laptop is exciting for those who’ve amassed a collection such accessories over the past year, this is perhaps even more interesting for what it may mean for future editions of those two products altogether.

• The best USB-C Monitor 2018

Microsoft has always been keen to promote its Surface range when it comes to comparisons with Apple’s MacBooks, for obvious reasons, but now it appears that users may be coming round to hold this opinion in some measure, as well – at least according to a new piece of research.

A survey of some 1,300 consumers in the US from Creative Strategies questioned folks about their PC preferences at home and work, and found that 72% of those who use one of Microsoft’s convertibles in the office wanted to use the hybrid all the time (i.e. when they’re at home as well).

The interesting point here is that when asked the same question about MacBooks, only 65% wished to use the notebook at home. Meaning Microsoft is edging out Apple in terms of overall popularity here.

Interestingly, Microsoft also held the lead when consumers were questioned about which machine they were ‘proud to be seen with’ in public, with Surface devices netting 77% compared to 62% for Apple.

Okay, so this is just a couple of specific questions picked from a single survey – highlighted by Microsoft here – but it’s a somewhat surprising and interesting result nonetheless.

It certainly points to Microsoft having had some success when it comes to pushing the Surface line, from the likes of PR efforts to convince folks that MacBooks are ‘disappointing’, to landing product placements of its hybrids in various TV shows and films (we’ve been noticing a lot more Surface devices lately, where there used to be only Apple logos not so long ago).

Power of productivity

According to the survey, the main strengths of Surface devices are perceived to be in productivity, where the hybrids scored 8% higher when it came to ‘empowering users to be more productive’ compared to Apple’s laptops. The two brands were roughly equal when it came to empowering creativity.

The research also found that folks who are considering replacing their traditional notebook with a 2-in-1 machine favored the Surface Pro over Apple’s iPad Pro to the tune of 11%.

Lest we get too carried away with the Microsoft trumpeting, it should be noted that Creative Strategies also asked consumers who they viewed as the leading laptop brand – and in this case Apple was still a convincing winner with 46% of respondents. Microsoft’s Surface range was in second place some 20% behind.

Folks chose Apple simply because of the prevalence of its notebooks – they’re everywhere – and because Apple has always been the ‘most aspirational brand’.

Interestingly, when the respondents who chose the Surface were asked why they did so, 22% said it was because they felt Microsoft was the only rival that could compete with Apple.

The report concedes that Surface sales are obviously still a long way shy of the MacBook, and it concludes: “So, the moral of the study is that while overall sales might not ring any alarm bells for other PC manufacturers, Microsoft Surface quietly established itself as the most aspirational brand in the Windows ecosystem as well as the only brand able to compete with Apple.”

In fact, Surface sales have been rather up and down over the past year, and were flat in Microsoft’s most recent earnings report. But, given the apparent slow-but-sure turnaround in public perception of the Surface – despite last year’s PR problems which revolved around reliability – the company will doubtless be hoping for more upswing as 2018 unfolds.

Via MS Power User

• One of Microsoft’s Surface models is on our list of best laptops

Microsoft has revealed its latest financial results, and the firm may well be concerned about the lackluster Surface sales which were reported therein.

While the overall balance sheet for the second quarter of the 2018 financial year looked good, with headline revenue of $28.9 billion (around £20 billion, AU$36 billion) – an impressive increase of 12% year-on-year – sales of Surface devices only totalled $1.3 billion (around £910 million, AU$1.6 billion), the Inquirer has spotted.

We say ‘only’ because compared to the sizeable gains made elsewhere, revenue for Surface hardware increased by just 1%, effectively remaining stagnant.

Which isn’t great considering that Microsoft launched the long-awaited Surface Book 2 last November, as well as the all-new Surface Laptop back in the summer, alongside a refreshed Surface Pro.

So despite this trio of fresh products being ready for holiday sales over the quarter just gone, the money being raked in pretty much flatlined. And that has to be disappointing for Microsoft, obviously.

Book ‘em, Danno

That said, the more expensive machines like the Surface Book 2 did reportedly see solid enough sales, but that’s a fairly niche proposition compared to the Surface Pro, as we’ve seen in the past.

The Surface line has been pretty up and down of late, seeing some big drops in revenue last year, including a 26% plunge at one point – although the previous quarter to this one (Q1) saw impressive 12% gains. At the time, Microsoft said the latter had been driven by folks purchasing the new Surface Laptop, so we could theorize that interest has waned after an initial surge of sales for that machine.

Previously rocky Surface numbers have even given rise to speculation that Microsoft might kill off its Surface range for good, a rumor the firm was very quick to scotch.

As for the rest of the overall fiscal picture, revenue in the firm’s intelligent cloud division hit an impressive $7.8 billion (around £5.5 billion, AU$9.8 billion) which was up 15%, and productivity and business raked in $9 billion (around £6.3 billion, AU$11.3 billion) which represented a hefty increase of 25% year-on-year.

The latter included Office consumer products and cloud services going up by 12%, with the number of Office 365 consumer subscribers reaching 29.2 million. Not too shabby indeed.

• One of Microsoft’s Surface hybrids makes our best laptops list

For Microsoft, 2017 was yet another year of soaring highs and steep lows, from a whizbang series of hardware and software releases to some sobering wrinkles in said whizbang releases, not to mention some sobering revelations regarding its data collection. 

As this whirlwind of a year draws to a close, let’s reflect on the most key moments for Microsoft in 2017 – for both good and ill.

Plus, we’ll forecast what you could look forward to from Microsoft in the coming year.

The Surface Phone lives, right?

Microsoft started off 2017 inadvertently strong with newly generated patents for a smaller computing device with two folding screens that could stretch out to become a tablet or phablet. Subsequent rumors and patent illustrations have seldom ceased since that time, most recently inspiring some alluring concept renders.

With the sheer amount of patents and rumors swirling around this hopeful Surface Phone, 2018 would be prime time for Microsoft to debut this device. Will it revive Microsoft’s phone business that’s been in a constant state of limbo since the launch of Windows 10? Hopefully we’ll see in 2018. 

In the data doldrums

Months later, Microsoft attempted to make amends after a story revealed the amount and quality of the data that it collects. For starters, Microsoft issued one of its more transparent blog posts regarding exactly what it collects and its intentions.

Then, Microsoft would follow up on that with the release of the Creators Update in spring of 2017 with a new set of privacy controls that were more upfront about what Microsoft collected, how and why. Granted, the company didn’t do much to change what it collects, but at least we know better of what we’re signing up for than before?

Creators Update cometh

Microsoft’s 2017 Build conference in March 2017 rung in the release of the aforementioned Creators Update, which introduced a score of new features for the operating system. Namely, the Creators Update ushered in Paint 3D, a brand new version of the timeless Paint app with 3D modeling tools and support for 3D printer files.

Other changes included upgrades to Cortana’s capabilities as well as a full ereader function for the Edge browser, making it a simpler destination for both reading books and PDFs. Not to mention improvements to Microsoft’s Windows Ink platform – an update truly for the creative types.

Majorly into Mixed Reality

Also landing with the Creators Update was the first-ever Microsoft Mixed Reality headset, made in partnership with Acer. This launched Microsoft’s platform for six-degree-of-field (6DOF) tracking for more affordable headsets, incorporating the necessary tech into the headsets rather than relying additional hardware.

Consumer-grade versions of these headsets wouldn’t release until autumn 2017 alongside the Fall Creators Update, of which there were several – and the number is growing. Product maker interest in the platform has been impressive, but we won’t see whether Microsoft’s big bet on VR has paid off until after the turn of the year (and holiday sales).

Hot on hardware

Amid all of these major beats, Microsoft enjoyed one of its biggest years in hardware to date. First came the brand new Surface Pro, a numberless sequel to the Surface Pro 4 that improved on it in nearly every way, earning our Recommended award.

However, Microsoft sadly decided to drop the Surface Pen from the product box, selling it separately – an unfortunate business practice that lived through every Surface thus far.

Then, the Surface Laptop arrived as the marquee standard-bearer for Windows 10 S and the firm’s attempt to break into classrooms. Outfitted with a more controlled operating system (OS) environment – akin to Windows 8 RT – it shuffled users into its Windows Store as it was the only place to download apps in the OS.

Some bugbears with the arguably limited OS aside, we greatly enjoyed the Surface Laptop and its groundbreaking design aesthetic.

Finally, Microsoft closed out the year with a truly surprising Surface Book 2 reveal, launching its first sequel to the 2-in-1 laptop in both 15-inch and 13.5-inch varieties, as well as a version of the Surface Pro with an LTE radio inside. The former has hugely wowed us, also earning our Recommended award for its incredible power and longevity.

All of this came amidst rumors that Microsoft was secretly considering shuttering several of its Surface product lines in short order, thus putting a stick in the spokes of the rumor mill.

Ironing out the edges in Fall Creators Update

In autumn 2017, Microsoft released its second major annual OS update, the Fall Creators Update, which – while far from wrinkle-free – brought with it mostly quality-of-life changes. Namely, a ‘Sets’ feature brought a web browser-like tabs approach to organizing windows of the same app, and a new ‘Find My Pen’ feature for those prone to losing their stylus, only enhanced the experience of using the OS.

The OS update also brought support for Microsoft’s legion of Mixed Reality headsets made in conjunction with just about every PC maker under the sun. Plus, this is far from the final Windows 10 update, with features like stronger battery preservation already expected for the first 2018 release of the OS.

What does 2018 have in store for Microsoft?

The next year, while we’ve yet to hear much from the firm beyond rumors, is poised to be another huge year for Microsoft. First off, we can expect at least two major updates to Windows 10, the first likely to land before summer and the second expected to release in autumn.

Second, there’s no doubt that Microsoft will release more hardware in 2018. While there’s no way of being certain, it would be easy to anticipate a new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop release, likely to be refreshed with Kaby Lake Refresh processors. Plus, the Surface Studio is well due for an upgrade.

But, perhaps the most exciting potential release is what many are calling the Surface Phone, that phone or phablet-sized computing device with two screens that fold into one another. A triumphant return to the phones scene would be exciting to see, and you don’t file for that many patents without intent to do something.

Beyond that, we’re likely to see Apple respond to Microsoft’s encroaching on its turf in kind on both hardware and software, which should only make for stronger competition – and the only winner in that is, well, us.

• These are the best laptops of the year, most of which run Windows 10

A major analyst firm is predicting that sales of PCs will drop by 2.7% for 2017 (compared to the previous year), and things are set to get worse with shipments slumping by 4% year-on-year in 2018.

After some brighter forecasts this year, this is back to the traditional doom and gloom with IDC’s latest report which is for the shipments of ‘personal computing devices’, meaning traditional desktop PCs, laptops and workstations, as well as tablets.

Looking further ahead to 2021, shipment volumes are expected to drop to 394 million units from 423 million units this year, which represents a decrease of around 7% in terms of pure volume.

Most of that predicted decline will come from weakness in the traditional desktop PC and also tablet markets, while laptops, workstations and detachable tablets (hybrids like Microsoft’s Surface devices) will actually make some positive gains according to IDC.

Ryan Reith, program vice president with IDC's Quarterly Mobile Device Trackers, highlighted detachables as a particular strong point, with most of these being Windows devices.

Reith noted: “Detachable tablets are expected to see double-digit growth from 2018 through 2021. Windows-based detachables already count for close to 50% of the volume in this category and this isn't expected to change much over the duration of the forecast. Apple's iPad Pro line-up will remain at 30-35% of the category with the remainder going to Google-based devices.”

Unfortunately, detachable hybrids are still not a massive part of the overall PC market, representing 5% of shipment volume this year, although that will grow to a healthy 9.4% in 2021.

Short on supply

IDC further observed that the traditional PC market did actually outperform expectations this year, despite problems such as component shortages, including issues with the supply levels of SSDs which we highlighted back in the spring.

Jay Chou, research manager with IDC's Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker, commented: "IDC believes the shortage issues should ease as we head toward 2018. Despite shrinking demand overall, IDC remain optimistic the market can expect continued growth in emerging form factors such as convertibles and ultraslim notebooks, which when combined will form the dominant notebook form factor by 2019.”

• We’ve picked out the best business laptops right here

There have been some reports of issues dogging Microsoft’s range of Surface products, from the Surface Pro’s issues with entering the “Sleep” state, short battery life, and the Surface Pen stylus playing up, and it now looks like Microsoft is taking these problems seriously and working on solutions.

This commitment to fixing the issues comes from a number of posts on the Microsoft Answers forum, where users can ask the community, which includes Microsoft representatives, for help with any issues they have.

Various Surface issues have been raised in the forums, and replies by Microsoft representatives give hope that Microsoft is actively working on addressing these problems.

Problem solvers

Computerworld has listed a number of issues posted in the forums and Microsoft’s replies to them. For example, in a thread about battery issues, a Microsoft representative stated that “We are aware of some members having the same battery issue with their Surface”, and that Microsoft was attempting to replicate the issue in the lab, indicating that it is looking for a solution.

In another thread about issues with the Surface Pro 4 Type Cover, a Microsoft representative says that “There will be an incoming update for Windows that can resolve your concern with your keyboard.”

Microsoft is pushing its Surface lineup of devices as premium showcases for Windows and its other services, and these high-profile problems won’t help, so it’s good to see that it appears to be listening to its customers and working to address any problems. 

It also shows that if you are having an issue with your Surface device – or any Microsoft product – highlighting it on the Answers forum is a good way of getting an official Microsoft response.

• We also have fixes to problems with Windows 10 Fall Creators Update

Been having trouble with your Surface Pen? Just installed the new Fall Creators Update for Windows 10? Apparently these two things are not unrelated, as there are plenty of reports of folks suffering the stylus blues after installing Microsoft’s latest upgrade for its desktop OS.

As Computerworld reports, confused hybrid owners have been making multiple posts across the net (mainly Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 users) complaining that the Surface Pen is randomly glitching – it's simply not working for writing in some cases, while pinch-to-zoom functionality is failing in others.

As mentioned, this problem has cropped up after users have upgraded to the Fall Creators Update, and, at least for some folks, it appears to be happening after their Surface device wakes from sleep.

Not-so-magic touch

The problem can be cured by rebooting the machine, or restarting the Intel Precise Touch Device driver in Device Manager – which you can open by simply typing ‘device manager’ into the search bar next to the Start button. You’ll find the relevant driver under Human Interface Devices; just disable, then re-enable the driver here.

Obviously, neither of those workaround solutions are particularly convenient, particularly if this is happening to your stylus on a regular basis.

Microsoft is hopefully working on a fix for this, although there’s no official acknowledgement of that. However, according to one Microsoft community moderator on the firm’s Answers site: “Engineering asked that anyone afflicted with this use the Feedback Hub App to send in a bug while in the bad state before disabling/re-enabling so that they can get the logs.”

It certainly doesn’t look great when a central peripheral for Microsoft’s flagship convertibles doesn’t appear to have been properly tested with the latest update for Windows 10.

Incidentally, if you’re having problems of any nature with the Fall Creators Update, we’ve got a troubleshooting guide you should take a look at.

• One of Microsoft’s Surface range is on our best laptops list

Following criticism from Consumer Reports that you may recall from back in the summer, Microsoft has revealed a fresh statistic in defense of the reliability of its Surface devices, and it’s a bold claim indeed.

Ryan Gavin, who is General Manager, Microsoft Surface, told ZDNet that Surface machines were getting more and more reliable as time goes on, and that ‘reliability issues’ among the newer Surface devices were very rare indeed.

Gavin asserted: "We're talking about incidents per device of less than 0.001%."

In other words, fewer than one in 100,000 of these devices prove to be faulty.

The findings of Consumer Reports a few months back were at the other end of the scale, citing ‘two-year breakage rates’ of 25% across all (newer and older) Surface devices, although Microsoft was quick to defend itself at the time, and assert that ‘incidents per unit’ as tracked by the company itself were under 1%.

This latest claim is obviously going even further than that, and it’s certainly a startling figure, but there’s a caveat – when Gavin says newer Surface devices, he specifically cites the Surface Laptop and Surface Studio as examples, but there’s no mention of the Surface Pro (which also got a new model this year).

So a sprinkle or two from the salt shaker may be needed in this respect, and we can’t make too much judgment from the 0.001% figure, as exactly what it pertains to isn’t made clear.

And indeed no timeframe is mentioned as to when faults might crop up, although presumably the statistic covers a short observed period considering that the Surface Laptop was only launched in June.

Reliability rules

However, the overall message from Microsoft is clear enough: it’s working hard to make sure that Surface devices are increasingly reliable.

For some overall perspective drawn from older products, after the Consumer Reports figures had emerged in August, leaked figures from Microsoft running up to April of this year showed return rates of around 3% and 5% for the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book respectively.

Microsoft took serious issue with the methodology of the Consumer Reports study at the time, and Gavin still does, drawing a comparison with the evaluation of home appliances, and telling ZDNet that it was like asking: “‘Has your dishwasher behaved unexpectedly in the past two years?’ and if the answer was ‘yes’, you'd be deemed unreliable.”

And as we observed at the time, in fairness to Microsoft, it seemed that the Consumer Reports stats could also have been skewed by the initial high return rates on Surface Book and Pro 4 devices when they were first launched.

• One of Microsoft’s Surface range is on our best laptops list