In short: As working and studying at home remains the standard way of doing things, consumers and prosumers will have a new gift from Microsoft, as the company has updated the Surface Pro 7 with more robust internal components, a removable SSD and optional 4G connectivity.
On Monday, Microsoft’s Surface device family won a new member in the form of Surface Pro 7, a model designed specifically for schools and business customers and based on the original 2017 Surface Pro 7 success formula.
The overall design has not changed, as the Redmond giant says it “has committed to commercial customers in continuing the format.” This means that everything from the placement of the microphone, magnets, card reader (microSDXC) and ports (a USB-C without Thunderbolt 4, a USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 and a headphone connector) is the same. However, Microsoft updated the internals with the latest 11th generation Tiger Lake-U processors, which Intel launched last September, featuring Xe graphics and AI acceleration.
The Surface Pro 7+ is configurable with anything from an Intel Core i3-1115G4 paired with 8 GB of RAM to a Core i7-1165G7 equipped with 32 GB of RAM. An even more practical CPU configuration is the Core i5-1135G7, which features optional LTE connectivity and eSIM support for more than 180 countries. It is also important to note that only the i7 model has a fan, while the others should be perfect if you need to keep noise to a minimum.
The base model starts with 128 GB of SSD storage, while the maximum configuration comes with 1 TB of storage. Most importantly, the SSD is removable in the same way as the ARM-based Surface Pro X. The Surface Pro 7 or 7 must be upgradeable by the user, as it is an M.2 2230 module. Other notable features include a larger battery that can provide up to 15 hours of use and a 1080p front camera optimized for dark environments, such as those found at home.
As is the case with Microsoft products designed for business and education, it is not clear when you can buy one, but we know that prices start at $ 899 for the Core i3 model with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB SSD and $ 1,149 for Core i5 with LTE models. The top model with a Core i7 processor, 32 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage will cost $ 2,799. Microsoft is planning to ship them starting January 15 to customers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and the EU.