Microsoft Surface Pro 9, 8 or X - Signature Type cover - Black - and Slim Pen 2 - Black - bundle

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This increases the maximum number of images per second the screen can display from 60 to 120. A higher refresh rate brings with it many benefits. The most noticeable is smoother scrolling and navigation, as there’s less of a gap between each image in an animation. Colours available on selected models only. Available colours, sizes, finishes and processors may vary by store, market and configuration.

Surface devices traditionally have fairly utilitarian designs, with Microsoft tending to make minor refinements, rather than outright changes year-on-year. This changed with the Surface Pro 8 and its contemporary design boost, but the new Surface Pro 9 reverts to type with no visual differences, sans a new Forest green colour option. Some older devices will be limited to support for 1,024 levels of pressure due to limitations of earlier MPP protocols, but for the most part, all these devices will support the Surface Pen. It's also worth noting that the Surface Laptop lineup, as well as the Surface Pro 3, do not support magnetic attachment for the pen. All the others let you store the pen on the side in some way. To compare it to other PCs, I ran the Geekbench 5 benchmarking test where the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 scored 1,142 in single-core and 4,133 in multi-core. That’s lower than other similarly priced PCs like the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 and the Huawei Matebook 14s, but it’s not that far off either. On 3DMark’s Timespy test, it scored 1,328 so the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 should cope fine with video games. Battery life varies significantly based on usage, network and feature configuration, signal strength, settings and other factors. See aka.ms/SurfaceBatteryPerformance for details.Having said all that, the Surface Pro 8 is a very hard act to beat for sheer versatility. Used solo, it’s an excellent tablet, but when combined with the Surface Pro Signature keyboard it’s a thoroughly competent and powerful laptop replacement, while the Surface Slim Pen 2 turns it into a handy graphics tool. I was also impressed by how cool the tablet ran. The fan system works well and ensured the device ran cool and quiet in most instances. The only time I noticed any warming or noise was when running demanding processes for prolonged periods, but even then the noise and heat didn’t become real issues. Not everything about it is perfect, the battery life could use a boost and it’s a shame there’s no MicroSD card slot. But when it comes down to it the only reasons I would say not to buy this is if you already own the Surface Pro 7 or if you’re only planning to use it as a laptop because you can get more power for your money elsewhere and the design of the keyboard means it’s not going to be quite comfortable enough to use on the go. Microsoft Surface Pro 8 review: also consider

Weight not including Microsoft Surface Pro Signature Keyboard and Microsoft Surface Slim Pen 2 (sold separately). My real-world findings rang true when I ran PCMark 10’s synthetic battery test. This is a benchmark that simulates everyday office workloads, like video calling, web browsing and document editing, on a loop until the battery is completely drained. The first reason for this, as we've mentioned, is the design. For the Surface Pro models, starting with the Pro X, Microsoft removed the magnetic attachment from the side of the tablets. Instead, you're supposed to store the Surface Slim Pen 2 inside the Surface Pro Signature Keyboard, where it also stays charged. At the same time, the Surface Laptop Studio and Laptop Studio 2 are designed to store the Surface Slim Pen 2 on its underside, and with the Surface Duo 2, you can attach the Slim Pen 2 magnetically to the outside using the Surface Duo 2 Pen Cover. All of these options also charge the pen at the same time.The USB-C ports now not only support Thunderbolt 4 but also the latest USB 4.0 specification, with maximum potential data transfer speeds of 40Gbits/sec. The Pro 7’s USB-A port has been consigned to the rubbish heap. Wireless communications are handled by the ubiquitous Intel AX201 Wi-Fi 6 card and, of course, you also get Bluetooth 5.1. Elsewhere, the screen feels very similar to past Surfaces. This means the screen is great for productivity and basic things like Netflix binging, but not appropriate for hardcore creative work.

Maximum brightness is good rather than great at 335cd/m² (the Pro 7’s panel was 400cd/m²) but it is handily colourful with a total colour volume that’s 106.9% of the sRGB gamut. This is one of the best 2-in-1 laptops for those who plan to use it in each form equally, it switches between laptop and tablet without any fuss. If you don’t intend to use it much as a laptop, this is one of the most powerful tablets you can buy. It’ll be great for note-taking and drawing too.

The Surface Pro 8 is a versatile and beautifully built – it’s the best Windows tablet you can buy

System software uses significant storage space. Available storage is subject to change based on system software updates and apps usage. 1 GB = 1 billion bytes. 1 TB = 1,000 GB. See Surface.com/Storage for more details. But the flipside, when paired with a Type Cover, and the Slim Pen 2 its Windows 11 software lets it function much better as a full fat laptop replacement than its Apple rival, making it better for office use. Design All of these options will technically work on any modern Surface device, and in fact, on a lot of modern Windows laptops. Many of these devices, including any Surface PC released after the Surface Pro 3, feature the Microsoft Pen Protocol (MPP), which all these pens support. Prior to that, Surface devices used Wacom technology, so these pens won't be compatible, but any of these is technically functional for other devices. However, there are some things to be aware of. The Surface Slim Pen 2 is ideal for newer devices Some accessories and software sold separately. Microsoft Surface Pro Signature Keyboard and Microsoft Surface Pro Keyboard are sold separately. Only Microsoft Surface Pro Signature Keyboard has Microsoft Surface Slim Pen 2 storage and charging capabilities.

And battery life isn’t all that impressive, either. The Surface Pro 8 ran for 7hrs 16mins in our video rundown battery test, four minutes shy of the Surface Pro 7, which kept going for 7hrs 20mins. That’s despite the Surface Pro 8 having a bigger battery (51.5Wh versus 43.2Wh). That’s enough to see you through a full day of work, but the iPad Pro and Galaxy Tab S7 Plus, not to mention countless regular laptops, can do much better. System software and updates use significant storage space. Available storage is subject to change based on system software and updates and apps usage. 1 GB = 1 billion bytes. 1 TB = 1,000 GB. See Surface Storage for more details.Running on Windows 11, the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 is a pleasure to use. Everything about it is designed to make your life easier. An example of that is the new Snap Layouts that use the proportions of your specific display to suggest how best to organise the windows you have open. The pen is slightly different to the older Surface Pen seen on past Pro tablets. It’s plastic, has flat sides and features a new built-in haptic motor that aims to replicate the feeling of drawing or writing on paper when interacting with the Pro 8’s screen. The feature works well enough, though it’s not quite as authentic as the experience I have using one of Remarkable’s tablets. But the flat sides did take some getting used to. For the first few days I felt the pen’s shape wasn’t quite as ergonomic, and occasionally I experienced hand cramps when using it for prolonged digital painting sessions. Although the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 has had a significant physical update, if I said it was all-new, I’d be lying. It’s very similar to the Surface Pro X. The model I tested out uses the 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1185G7 processor, 16GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. It’s certainly powerful enough for most tasks, I never had any problems with long loading times or opening up software. As a tablet, it’s seriously powerful. As a laptop, it’s not quite as impressive but it’ll still do more than enough for most. One of the biggest updates Microsoft has made to the Surface Pro 8 relates to its screen. It hasn’t updated the panel to use Mini LED tech, like the stuff seen on the new iPad Pro. It hasn’t even made the jump to OLED.