Microsoft Surface Pro 7 review
Our Verdict
The Microsoft Surface Pro 7 improves on its predecessor with stronger performance and better ports, but its battery life is disappointing.
For
- Solid performance
- Brilliant and colorful display
- Excellent optional keyboard
- USB-C port (finally)
Against
- Underwhelming battery life
- Soft speakers
Tom's Guide Verdict
The Microsoft Surface Pro 7 improves on its predecessor with stronger performance and improve ports, simply its battery life is disappointing.
Pros
- +
Solid performance
- +
Vivid and colorful display
- +
Splendid optional keyboard
- +
USB-C port (finally)
Cons
- -
Underwhelming bombardment life
- -
Soft speakers
The Microsoft Surface Pro vii improves on 1 of the best 2-in-1 laptops effectually with potent 10th Gen Intel performance and a long-overdue USB-C port. Only Microsoft's flagship detachable hasn't evolved significantly over the Surface Pro half dozen, and its battery life takes a step back from the previous-gen model.
The Surface Pro 7's sharp display, ample power and fantabulous optional Blazon Cover keyboard make it i of the best laptops y'all can purchase if you want a detachable. Simply if you can live without USB-C and the latest Intel CPUs, y'all can get the Surface Pro half-dozen for much less or consider alternatives such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7.
Still, if you want a solid detachable with good performance and features, check out our full Microsoft Surface Pro 7 review below.
Microsoft Surface Pro 7: Price and configurations
The Microsoft Surface Pro 7 starts at $749, which gets y'all an Intel Core i3 processor, 4GB of RAM, 128GB of storage and your option of a Platinum or Black color scheme. Stepping up to the $899 config nets you a Cadre i5 CPU and doubles the RAM to 8GB.
Microsoft Surface Pro 7 Specs
Price: $749 (starting)
CPU: 10th-gen Intel Core i3, Core i5, Core i7
Graphics: Intel UHD or Iris Plus
RAM: 4GB/8GB/16GB
Storage: 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB SSD
Display: 12.iii-inch 2736 x 1824
Size: 11.5 x vii.ix ten 0.33 inches
Weight: one.half-dozen pounds
There are a variety of higher-end configurations available, all the mode upward to a $two,299 model with a Core i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. The Platinum color offers seven configuration options, while the Black version has just three: a $1,199 model (Core i5, 8GB, 256GB), a $1,499 choice (Cadre i7, 16GB, 256GB) and a $1,899 variation (Core i7, 16GB, 512GB).
It's worth noting that the Surface Pro 7 goes on sale fairly frequently now that it'due south been out for a while. We've often seen well-nigh all of the configurations discounted by as much as $200 on Microsoft's own site, as well every bit occasional deals at major retailers.
We reviewed the $i,119 Surface pro 7 in Platinum, which also came with a Surface Pro Signature Type Encompass ($159) and a Surface Pen ($99) for a total of $1,377. The keyboard and pen are sold separately, so you'll be paying at least $1,007 to apply the Surface Pro vii at its full potential.
Microsoft Surface Pro seven: Design
Microsoft hasn't reinvented the wheel here. Like its predecessors, the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is a somewhat chunky tablet that can transform into a laptop thanks to its rear-facing kickstand and optional Signature Type Cover keyboard. We tested the Platinum model, though I'k partial to the sleek Blackness variation.
My biggest design gripe with the Surface Pro seven is that its roughly 0.v-inch-thick bezels expect positively massive for a laptop or tablet in 2019, peculiarly compared with those of the iPad Pro and the Dell XPS 13 ii-in-1, the latter of which has a barely noticeable 5.2mm edge. The Surface Pro X, with its sparse bezels, looks much more modern by comparison.
While the Pro vii's 0.3-inch-thin design feels top-heavy when you're using information technology in conjunction with a keyboard (a trouble that plagues many 2-in-one laptops), there's still a lot to like near its versatility.
My biggest design gripe with the Surface Pro vii is that its roughly 0.5-inch-thick bezels look positively massive for a laptop or tablet in 2019.
The kickstand rotates from 0 to 165 degrees, so you can hands prop it up for laptop apply or tilt it slightly above desk level for when you're drawing or taking notes. The Type Embrace keyboard attaches seamlessly to the Pro 7's underside, and the optional Surface Pen can adhere to the side of the tablet magnetically (though I wish there were a dedicated pen dock, like that of the Surface Pro X's keyboard).
I didn't have also much trouble using the Pro 7 in laptop mode on my lap, though the summit-heaviness does brand it a bit wobbly. Still, the latest Surface Pro makes for a solid road warrior at just 0.three inches sparse and 1.7 pounds (2.4 pounds with a keyboard fastened). It's just a tiny fleck thicker and heavier than the iPad Pro, and notably lighter than dedicated clamshell convertibles like the Dell XPS 2-in-i (0.five inches, ii.9 pounds).
Microsoft Surface Pro 7: Ports
The Microsoft Surface Pro vii gets points for finally including a USB-C port, though the overall connections are scant on this machine. Aside from USB-C, yous become a USB-A port (handy for legacy peripherals), a headphone jack, a microSD carte slot and a Surface Connect port for juicing upward.
While I'thou glad the Surface Pro has finally adopted USB-C, I was bummed to discover that y'all tin't charge the PC via that port should you lot lose the Surface Connect charger. It's also worth noting that this is a USB 3.one port and non Thunderbolt iii, so y'all don't get the fast 40GB/s transfer rates of the latter.
Microsoft Surface Pro 7: Display
The Surface Pro seven'due south 12-inch, 2736 x 1824 display looked rich and colorful during my testing, whether I was surfing the spider web, crunching away at work or watching videos.
In the Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer, the cherry and blue of Kylo Ren and Rey's lightsabers popped nicely on the Surface Pro 7'south console, and a group shot of the Resistance crew gathering in the Millennium Falcon looked sharp and colorful (if a scrap oversaturated). I could make out every tiny detail on the Falcon during a space battle scene, and I could clearly run into every reflection emanating from C-3PO's gold body equally he delivered some heartbreaking dialogue.
The Surface Pro vii notched 395 nits of effulgence on our light meter, which is ameliorate than the average laptop but behind terminal yr's Surface Pro vi (408 nits) and the iPad Pro (484 nits). Our Pro 7 color tests told a like story, equally it reproduced a solid 97% of the sRGB color gamut but failed to meridian the Pro 6 (136%) or the Dell XPS 13 2-in-ane (113%).
Microsoft Surface Pro 7: Audio
The Surface Pro 7's speakers are fine for a brusk YouTube or Netflix binge, but they're too quiet to help you get immersed in your favorite music and movies. Due to their overall low volume and lack of low finish, the Pro 7's speakers completely dulled the powerful metal-pop of Issues' "Tapping Out." While the guitars and vocals came through cleanly, there wasn't plenty bass or drums to make me want to blindside my caput.
The bouncy radio popular of Taylor Swift's "Savage Summer" fell similarly flat on the Surface Pro vii. While Swift's airy vocals were mostly aural, I could in one case again barely hear any bass, and the speakers' low volume didn't do justice to the normally bright string organisation.
Microsoft Surface Pro 7: Keyboard, touchpad and pen
I found the Type Embrace's keys a joy to blazon on, thank you to their deep travel and springy feedback.
We tested the Microsoft Surface Pro vii with Microsoft's $159 Surface Pro Signature Blazon Cover, which transforms the tablet into a bona fide laptop while doubling as a wonderfully soft fabric covering when airtight upwardly. I love the extra flair that our Burgundy model gives our Pro 7, though you tin as well get the Type Cover in Platinum, Black and Cobalt Blue to personalize the slate to your style.
I establish the Blazon Cover's keys a joy to type on, thanks to their deep travel and springy feedback. I blazed through the 10fastfingers.com typing test at 103 words per minute (a flake above my usual rate) nigh error-gratuitous and felt totally comfortable no affair how fast I hammered away.
The 4-inch-wide touchpad provided plenty of existent estate for my fingers and offered a satisfying click, while the soft-touch wrist rests made it easy to type comfortably. The lack of a Ctrl central on the right side annoyed me, as I'm used to relying on that key for copying, pasting and full general formatting. But otherwise, this keyboard cover is so good that I wish it came with every Surface Pro vii by default and wasn't a separate add-on.
The optional $99 Surface Pen made it like shooting fish in a barrel for me to jot down a quick to-do list in Gluey Notes. It reacted naturally to different levels of force per unit area when I doodled in Paint 3D using a virtual pencil. I actually similar the programmable shortcuts that the Pen's eraser-like button offers, such as long-pressing to pull upwards Sticky Notes or performing a quick click to open up Microsoft Whiteboard.
Microsoft Surface Pro vii: Performance
Packing an Intel Core i5-1035G4 CPU (a mouthful of a number to permit you know this is 10th gen) and 8GB of RAM, our Surface Pro vii handled my usual multitasking crisis without a sweat. I didn't meet whatever major slowdown during mean solar day-to-day utilize, even every bit I jumped between more than a dozen Chrome tabs, streamed five videos across Twitch and YouTube, and hammered away in Slack and Google Docs.
Microsoft's ii-in-i endured through only seven hours and 52 minutes of Wi-Fi web surfing on our battery test, which is down significantly from final year'southward Surface Pro 6 (9:20).
The Pro seven performed similarly well on benchmarks, scoring a strong 17,225 on the Geekbench 4 general performance test. That's a big bump from last year's eighth Gen Cadre i5-powered Pro 6 (thirteen,761) and roughly on a par with the latest 12.ix-inch iPad Pro and the Dell XPS 13 2-in-one.
The 256GB SSD in Microsoft'southward detachable transferred about 5GB of files at a decent 267MB per second, again trumping the Pro 6 (203) merely falling behind the Dell'south 512GB SSD (463).
The Surface Pro 7 isn't exactly on par with ane of our best gaming laptops, just its integrated Intel Iris Plus graphics can handle non-intensive games at decent settings. The ii-in-1 ran racing game Clay three at 36 frames per second, which is perfectly playable but not quite as smooth equally the upwardly of 47 fps we saw from the XPS thirteen two-in-1.
Microsoft Surface Pro 7: Bombardment life
While the Surface Pro seven will get you through most of a workday on a charge, you'll want to take a portable charger handy for longer trips. Microsoft's 2-in-one endured through 7 hours and 52 minutes of Wi-Fi web surfing on our bombardment examination, which is downward significantly from last year'south Surface Pro 6 (9:20) and far behind the iPad Pro (xiii:14) and the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (10:57).
Microsoft Surface Pro 7: Verdict
The Microsoft Surface Pro seven delivers big on performance and display quality, complete with a responsive screen for note-taking and drawing and a convertible design that actually shines with the first-class Blazon Cover keyboard. The introduction of USB-C is a much-needed alter, and the Pro seven's design remains equally travel-friendly as ever.
However, with mesomorphic bezels and minimal changes since terminal yr's model, the Surface Pro is starting to look dated compared to the contest. If you're cool with iOS, the iPad Pro 2020 is a great culling; same goes for the Galaxy Tab S7 for Android fans.
The Surface Pro 7'south battery life is underwhelming, and y'all'll actually become more than juice out of the Pro six, which is still available for decent prices at many top retailers. If you lot want the fastest Surface Pro currently available, the Pro 7 still delivers most of what matters. Just y'all tin become better battery life — and more-modernistic designs — if you're willing to consider some alternatives.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/surface-pro-7
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