Microsoft surface pro review

Microsoft rates the display at nits, according to a company representative. Unfortunately, Microsoft has stuck fast to its rapidly aging port choices.

The integrated USB-A can be used with a keyboard or wired mouse. Microsoft still uses the legacy Surface Connector as either a charging port or as a connection to the Surface Dock 2.

The Surface Connector was once far ahead of its time, but it now lags somewhat behind. Any monitor output must route through the Surface Connector to the Surface Dock 2—which, like a Thunderbolt 3 dock, drives two 4K displays at 60Hz apiece. No longer. Here, you can see the nanoSIM cubby underneath the kickstand to the left, as well as the removeable SSD compartment on the right.

Behind the kickstand, there are two changes. You can eject the nanoSIM cubby using a SIM ejector tool, though you have to insert it deeper than you might expect before it unlatches. While Microsoft intends this feature as a convenience for enterprise IT management, the company does provide general guidelines and device-specific instructions for removing the SSD. The SSD looks like it can be unscrewed with a correctly-sized Torx screwdriver.

We used the latter method to test the LTE around town, performing a speed test and streaming a 4K video from YouTube at selected locations. The wireless performance was adequate—just above 20Mbps downstream unless I was in sight of the tower, when performance soared to Mbps.

Video streamed without a hitch. There are three backlighting levels with a miniscule amount of light bleed. The trackpad on all options is small, but functional. The company operates both trade-in and recycling schemes for old machines, however. The modern, industry-standard port is a jack of all trades and replaces the miniDisplay Port of older Surfaces devices.

USB-C allows you to charge the Surface, connect any number of accessories including displays, drives, ethernet adapters and so on. You can also connect it to a USB-C dock for power, displays and accessories all from one cable. A standard USB-A port takes care of older accessories, while the Surface Connect takes the included power adapter but can also be used to connect to a Surface Dock and other Microsoft accessories.

A microSD card slot is also very welcome, particularly for photographers. The form, design, microSD card slot, kickstand, Windows Hello and simply the way it works are still winners in The screen is still great, however the bezels around it are functional but look a little dated compared to the Surface Pro X. The big new thing is the addition of a USB-C port, which is well overdue. Under real-world conditions, with the system alternating between periods of load, idling and sleep, you might expect the battery to last somewhere between 4 and 5 hours, if you keep the screen brightness down.

The Surface RT, by contrast, delivers around twice the battery life of the Pro -- a far more acceptable figure. Our power draw measurements gave an estimate of 1.

As with the RT model, build quality is generally excellent, although we have a few gripes, including the non-adjustable kickstand, the fiddly magnetic power connector and the lack of a slot to house the stylus. Because it's more of an ultrabook with tablet capabilities, there are a few missing features that would really make a difference if addressed, including a desktop dock with extra ports USB and Ethernet in particular , a keyboard cover containing a second battery and support for lower-power processors than the 17W third-generation Core i5 currently used.

Also, if you're going to work with a large external monitor, be prepared for some fiddling around with desktop scaling settings. As ever, fans of all things Microsoft, and early adopters generally, will embrace the Surface Pro warmly -- particularly the GB version.

But it's not perfect yet -- especially when it comes to battery life. We look forward to the next iterations of Surface with interest. The Surface Pro absolutely shines in that scenario, and it works for occasional trips outside the office as well: an hour or two in a coffee shop, a short flight to a customer meeting, a few hours on the couch in the evening with one eye on the big screen and the other on Twitter.

But the Surface Pro isn't the best on either front. The Surface Pro is not this machine. It's shaping up to be the Tablet PC done right, with a mix of hardware and software that should make it attractive to many users -- and at an ultrabook price point.

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Written by Charles McLellan , Reviews editor. Full Bio. HP Compaq Presario V 0. Dell PowerEdge 8. My Profile Log Out. Join Discussion for: Microsoft Surface Pro review. Add Your Comment. Doogee S80 hands-on: A waterproof, rugged walkie-talkie phone Smartphones. Please review our terms of service to complete your newsletter subscription. See All. Yes point multi-touch. TFT active matrix. Core i5. Intel HD Graphics Stereo speakers, microphone. USB 3. Yes microSDXC.