In naming this Windows tablet Surface Pro 7, Microsoft mistakenly implies that it is some kind of minor update to Surface Pro 7. Nothing could be further from the truth: we rarely see these massive updates in CPU and GPU power, as well as battery life. It also offers an LTE option and an absolutely quiet fanless chassis.
Of course, some decisions made us scratch our heads. Why do we have to choose between an integrated microSD slot or the LTE option? Thunderbolt is not here yet. But even these flaws can’t really undermine an exciting leap in performance. This is the best Surface Pro of several generations and, for now, also the best Windows tablet on the market.
This review is part of our ongoing review of the best laptops. Go there for information on competing products and how we test them.
Surface Pro 7 specifications and features
As we look at the specifications of the Surface Pro 7 or 7, note that, so far, the only retail source we’ve found is Microsoft’s own online store. By the way, spelling the name like “Surface Pro 7+” or “Surface Pro 7 Plus” works, but the full name is Surface Pro 7+ for Business. It comes with Windows 10 Pro, which offers more management and security features than the Home version.
Unlike previous Surface Pro devices, where the base model was often inadequate, all available Surface Pro 7+ configurations are solid. While the $ 900 Core i3 / 8GB / 128GB version is a little cramped in storage space, at least it doesn’t skimp on RAM.
Mark Hachman / IDGMicrosoft’s Surface Pro 7 offers a screen bright enough to work outdoors on a sunny day, although shade is preferable.
Surface Pro 7 Design
Microsoft’s line of Windows Surface Pro tablets has remained largely unchanged since Surface Pro 3. It’s a 12-inch Windows tablet with a sturdy stand that reclines almost flat. Microsoft has always prided itself on the Surface Pro’s hinge design, and that’s justified – it allows for the triple function of a tablet, sketch pad and something close to a traditional cupped laptop.
Mark Hachman / IDGCupped pills generally recline about 45 degrees. The Surface Pro 7 or 7 can recline almost completely, still strongly supported on its support.
Microsoft made Surface Pro 7 or 7 out of what it calls a “monoblock magnesium design with hidden perimeter ventilation”. The unibody construction gives the tablet structural strength, while magnesium acts as a passive heat pipe to the outside world, reinforced by the tiny cut openings on the periphery of the chassis. Both Core i3 and Core i5 models are completely fanless designs, which depend absolutely on these passive methods of heat distribution. As our performance tests reveal, such excellent improvements without the distraction of a fan are really to be applauded.
The Surface Pro 7 + screen is as bright and beautiful as ever, offering “Enhanced” and sRGB color modes. Microsoft continues the Surface’s tradition of carving quite substantial bezels around the screen – about 1.5 cm on the sides in landscape mode and about 1.2 cm on the top and bottom. Aesthetically, they get uglier each year, as the cracks on the laptop screen continue to shrink. But they are still useful when Surface Pro 7+ is actually used as a tablet, so you can hold it without accidentally triggering something.
Each time I test a Surface tablet, I realize once again how convenient it can be to carry a tablet by clicking on the stand to watch a video on a bedspread, lap or side table. If I hadn’t been so concerned with enlarging the display, I might even have brought it into the kitchen.
Mark Hachman / IDGMicrosoft’s Surface Pro 7 in a more traditional recline, where the narrow support is visible. Observe how the hinge of the fold-type cover where it meets the keyboard. Visible are the surface connector slot, in addition to the Type A and Type C USB ports.
Microsoft representatives told me that the screen was made thinner to accommodate a larger battery of 50.4 watts-hour. (Windows reported that the battery was slightly smaller than Microsoft’s claims at 48.9Wh.) Microsoft didn’t provide us with a nominal screen brightness, but we measured it at around 500 lumens.
Unfortunately, Microsoft has remained steadfast in its rapidly aging port options. The integrated USB-A can be used with a wired keyboard or mouse. Microsoft still uses the legacy Surface Connector as a charging port or as a connection to the Surface Dock 2.
Mark Hachman / IDGThe surface connector was well ahead of its time, but now it is a little behind. The USB-C port accommodates the vast ecosystem of USB-C hubs, but is not compatible with Thunderbolt, as many laptops currently include. Any monitor output must be routed through the Surface Connector to the Surface Dock 2 – which, like a Thunderbolt 3 dock, powers two 4K monitors at 60 Hz each. Still, it’s a proprietary solution that holds you in the Surface ecosystem.
Mark Hachman / IDGPrevious LTE models of Microsoft Surface devices would come with an LTE SIM slot and also a microSD slot. No longer. Here, you can see the nanoSIM cubicle under the bracket on the left, as well as the removable SSD compartment on the right.
Behind the kickstand, there are two changes. The LTE options are provided with a small cubicle to insert a nanoSIM, and this appears to exclude the microSDXC slot, which is reserved for Wi-Fi only models. (You can eject the nanoSIM cubicle using a SIM ejector tool, although it is necessary to insert deeper than you might expect before unlocking.) This is a change from previous Surface Pro tablets. On Surface Pro (2017), Microsoft placed the LTE microSIM slot next to the microSDXC slot, allowing you to have both.
On the bright side, Surface Pro 7+ comes with a removable SSD, an innovation in the Surface Pro series. While Microsoft wants this feature to be a convenience for enterprise IT management, the company provides general guidelines and device-specific instructions for remove the SSD. Like the nanoSIM cubicle, you can access the SSD compartment with a SIM ejector tool, which is partially fixed by a strong magnet. The SSD looks like it can be unscrewed with the correct size Torx screwdriver. We would have preferred the hybrid SIM / SSD cubicle found on the Surface Pro X, itself a kind of Batman Beyond vision of the Surface Pro series.
Mark Hachman / IDGYou can open the SSD compartment with just one SIM tool. It is also carried out magnetically.
Unfortunately, Surface Pro 7 is not a 5G compatible device, but you have the option of using the device’s built-in eSIM or inserting a physical SIM in the tray. We use the latter method to test LTE around the city, conducting a speed test and broadcasting a 4K YouTube video at selected locations. Wireless performance was adequate – just above 20 Mbps downstream, unless I was in sight of the tower, when performance skyrocketed to 158 Mbps. The video was streamed smoothly.
Mark Hachman / IDGSurface Pro 7+ introduces the new Out of the Box Experience (OOBE), which promises to adjust aspects of your desktop for specific uses – adding the Xbox Game Bar to the taskbar, for example. We checked all the boxes … but we didn’t notice any changes.
Surface Pro 7 keyboard and touchpad
Microsoft Surface Pro tablets always come with a hidden cost: the Surface Pro-type lid. Although you can use the integrated keyboard on the Windows screen, a good hardware keyboard is an almost-but not-an-absolute requirement for the Surface Pro for maximum productivity.
Microsoft provides two: the Surface Pro cover ($ 130), as well as the Surface Pro Signature Type Cover ($ 160), which magnetically connect to tablets and protect the screen when not in use. (You can also use your own USB or Bluetooth keyboard.) They are identical, except that the Signature Type case includes Alcantara fabric and a variety of colors – currently Platinum, Ice Blue and Poppy Red. Microsoft’s vanilla cap is supplied in neutral black.
Mark Hachman / IDGMicrosoft shipped our Surface Pro 7+ with this Surface Pro Type case, which offers a comfortable typing experience, but a slightly cramped touchpad.
Although typing on a type cover does not offer the same comfort or stability as a laptop keyboard, they come surprisingly close. Microsoft’s Surface Pro hinge tilts the keyboard slightly, connected via a second Surface Connector that powers the keyboard backlight and provides a wired I / O connection. (There are three levels of backlight with a minuscule amount of light leakage.) Microsoft’s Surface Book series offers the greatest keyboard displacement, now at 1.55 mm; but the slightly flatter Type Cover’s spacious keys still work well for long-term jobs. The trackpad in all options is small, but functional.
None of the Surface Pro tablets, however, have completely solved the problem of the “ability on your lap” to type on your lap. The double hinge that connects the keyboard to the Surface Pro 7+ tablet is still not always able to hold the tablet if it turns forward on its knees. The thin metal support still digs into your thighs. Since the tablet was designed to recline, it simply cannot work as well on an airplane table as a similar-sized shell or a smaller tablet like the Surface Go 2.
Surface Pro tablets offer a creative outlet with their pen compatibility. To do this, you will need one of Microsoft’s $ 100 surface pens as well as the almost forgotten Surface Dial. Using a Surface Pen and other internal stylus pens, we experience consistent responsiveness compared to other recent Surface tablets.
Read on to learn about the beautiful 1080p webcam and, of course, performance.