Surface Pro for Business, 11th Edition. Exceptional performance, all-day battery life,² and new, unique AI experiences³ help make your device smarter, faster and more creative - all in a flexible design combining the portability of a tablet and the power of a laptop. Windows 11 Pro Copilot+ PCs are designed for advanced AI experiences to make every day more efficient and productive. ¹⁷
Surface Pro for Business, 11th Edition. Exceptional performance, all-day battery life,² and new, unique AI experiences³ help make your device smarter, faster and more creative - all in a flexible design combining the portability of a tablet and the power of a laptop. Windows 11 Pro Copilot+ PCs are designed for advanced AI experiences to make every day more efficient and productive. ¹⁷
Surface Pro for Business, 11th Edition. Exceptional performance, all-day battery life,² and new, unique AI experiences³ help make your device smarter, faster and more creative - all in a flexible design combining the portability of a tablet and the power of a laptop. Windows 11 Pro Copilot+ PCs are designed for advanced AI experiences to make every day more efficient and productive. ¹⁷
Surface Pro for Business, 11th Edition. Exceptional performance, all-day battery life,² and new, unique AI experiences³ help make your device smarter, faster and more creative - all in a flexible design combining the portability of a tablet and the power of a laptop. Windows 11 Pro Copilot+ PCs are designed for advanced AI experiences to make every day more efficient and productive. ¹⁷
Last updated at 03/21/2026 17:10:39
[ZIN-00030] Microsoft Surface Pro 11 for Business 13 Inch Snapdragon X Elite 16GB 512GB Black Win11P
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Microsoft Surface Pro 11 13" Touchscreen Copilot+ Snapdragon X 16GB 512GB SSD WIN 11P USB-C Thunderbolt WIFI7 BT Camera Black
Microsoft Surface Pro 11 (Copilot+ PC) 13" Snapdragon X Elite, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Windows 11 Professional - Black
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Surface Pro 11 Snapdragon X Elite/16/512 Win11Pro Commercial Black
Microsoft Surface Pro 11 Snapdragon X Elite 16GB 512GB AI W11P Commercial Tablet ZIN-00030 Black
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Microsoft Surface Pro 11 13' Touchscreen Copilot+ Snapdragon X 16gb 512gb SSD WIN 11P Usb-c Thunderbolt Wifi7 BT Camera Black 2YR WTY - EU Required
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Microsoft Surface Pro 11 Snapdragon X Elite 16GB 512GB AI W11P Commercial Tablet ZIN-00030 Black
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Surface Pro for Business, Copilot+ PC - Snapdragon X Elite (12 Core), with OLED display, WiFi, Black, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, 2 in 1 Laptop Computer, 2
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Microsoft Surface Pro 11 Snapdragon X Elite 16GB 512GB AI W11P Commercial Tablet ZIN-00030 Black
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Microsoft Surface Pro 11 Snapdragon X Elite 16GB 512GB AI W11P Commercial Tablet ZIN-00030 Black
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originally posted on bestbuy.com
This tablet / laptop works great for a lot of things. I was skeptical at first being that it is an arm based product and historically windows on arm has been a little hit and miss. However after using this table for a bit as my non-gaming daily for over a week or so I have to say I am pleasantly surprised by the performance and reliability for “most” things that I have tried to do with it.I do software development, and for the most part that experience has been fairly painless and performance has been great. However there are some caveats to that. Programs that are not specifically made for arm run in an emulation mode (so x64 apps) and those apps do have some slight performance hits due to this translation layer. But during normal use those issues are mostly not ... MoreThis tablet / laptop works great for a lot of things. I was skeptical at first being that it is an arm based product and historically windows on arm has been a little hit and miss. However after using this table for a bit as my non-gaming daily for over a week or so I have to say I am pleasantly surprised by the performance and reliability for “most” things that I have tried to do with it.I do software development, and for the most part that experience has been fairly painless and performance has been great. However there are some caveats to that. Programs that are not specifically made for arm run in an emulation mode (so x64 apps) and those apps do have some slight performance hits due to this translation layer. But during normal use those issues are mostly not noticeable at least for the applications I have been using. When it comes to down right application failures there have been a few applications that I was unable to install because they don’t offer an arm version and they would not install ( such as ARC browser which I use on Mac and my intel based windows machine) I also had an issue where an application would install fine but I could not activate it for some reason so I was unable to use it. For productivity software however those where the only two real examples of problems I had.I’ve also been really happy with battery life in normal use as I can get a full 12 hour day of work done and still have battery to spare without much of a worry at all. That’s nice compared to some other laptops I’ve tried to use for work in the past that left me scrambling for a place to plug in.Build quality and style wise, I really appreciate the simple clean design just the adjustable kickstand on the back and that blends in when you fold it down. That kickstand is amazing as well allowing me to use more angles than I ever thought I needed for different situations.The copilot+ stuff is cool if you have a use for it. I played around with the image co-creater features for a while and it really helped flesh out an idea I had been working on even though I am an awful artist. It’s nice to be able to prompt the system, start drawing and as you go it slowly improves the generated image. It’s a neat feature if you have a use for it and I’ll probably use it more in the future. The other really cool co-pilot plus feature I was not expecting to like so much was live captions. It was amazing to be able to watch a video in another language that did not have translations available and be able to understand what was going on. It’s surprisingly fast and super useful for some of the work I do. As for it’s accuracy I’m not totally sure on that front but it was close enough for me to get the information I needed without needing to refer to another source or person. As for all the other co-pilot+ features I’ve not had a lot of time to use or play with them so I don’t have much to say on those but overall I have been super happy with the experience and pleasantly surprised.Overall if you’re looking for a super portable and fairly quick computer to do work on this is shaping up to be a great choice overall. I’ve all but replaced my other travel electronics because this takes up less space and does the things I need it to without too much hassle. There is one note for all of this though, do not expect to be able to play games on this laptop/tablet. It’s not intended for that and the driver compatibility with games is very far from good. There are also several games that just won’t run at all because some kernel level anti-cheat systems don’t support ARM. I’m sure that will get better in the future but in reality that’s not what this computer is intended for anyway. I just wanted to make sure I included that in my review just in case someone was looking at it for that reason. The only real reason I was not able to give this a 5 star rating was the few issues I did have with software compatibility. I think after some time that issue will get better though.
originally posted on bestbuy.com
The Surface Pro 13 OLED 2-in-1 is a best of both worlds beast. Deftly switching from tablet to laptop with an optional keyboard and powered by a 12-core Snapdragon processor mated with a 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM, and a new OLED screen, the tablet feels like a strong laptop in both performance and features.Design/Body:The 13-inch tablet isn’t as large and bulky as it sounds. Much like early smartphones, I’ve come to realize that 13-inch tablets aren’t as huge as I originally thought they were. At first glance the Surface Pro doesn’t look much larger than my 11-inch tablet. It’s only when placed side by side does the slightly larger size of the Surface Pro become evident. The Surface has some weight to it but isn’t uncomfortably heavy. I find it easy to use and handle. ... MoreThe Surface Pro 13 OLED 2-in-1 is a best of both worlds beast. Deftly switching from tablet to laptop with an optional keyboard and powered by a 12-core Snapdragon processor mated with a 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM, and a new OLED screen, the tablet feels like a strong laptop in both performance and features.Design/Body:The 13-inch tablet isn’t as large and bulky as it sounds. Much like early smartphones, I’ve come to realize that 13-inch tablets aren’t as huge as I originally thought they were. At first glance the Surface Pro doesn’t look much larger than my 11-inch tablet. It’s only when placed side by side does the slightly larger size of the Surface Pro become evident. The Surface has some weight to it but isn’t uncomfortably heavy. I find it easy to use and handle. The body is crafted from aluminum with a kickstand that allows the Surface Pro to be used upright in landscape mode with a keyboard. The kickstand folds flat against the back of tablet when not in use. I don’t find the aluminum body slippery or fragile feeling. The Surface has two USB-C ports on the left side, two ports on the bottom that integrate with the Surface Pro Keyboard, and three buttons on the top for power and volume controls. All ports and buttons are described with the Surface in the landscape position using the kickstand.Screen:The 13-inch OLED screen looks fantastic. I admittedly wasn’t quite as blown away as I’d hoped but it still looks good. It’s just not the quantum leap I thought it would be over previous Surface tablets. It has the deeper blacks and more richly saturated colors common with OLED. Text and graphics are also clean and razor sharp thanks to the 2880X1920 resolution. The screen has good brightness and fast response.Performance:The 12-core Snapdragon X Elite processor does not feel like an ARM processor. It feels more on par with a full-fledged X64 laptop. This is good because the Surface Pro is essentially a Windows 11 laptop in a tablet body. Despite the demands of running Windows 11, there is no noticeable lag. Windows open quickly and fluidly. Apps launch swiftly and run with no latency or hiccups. The NPU works splendidly and provides the processing punch required to make Copilot and other AI features actually useful rather than merely window decorations. The Surface isn’t the best equipped for PC gaming, but can handle most other tasks efficiently. The only downside are compatibility issues with some software due to the ARM processor. For example, I cannot install the exact same antivirus as my Windows laptops. I get booted to the Microsoft store for a less capable app version of the program. But as far as productivity apps, media editors, and content creation, the Surface Pro handles it all with ease. It doesn’t run hot in most instances and I haven’t encountered a freeze or blue screen yet.The two cameras and speakers are both decent quality. The QHD front facing camera has face tracking and is utilized for Windows Hello facial recognition. The camera takes good quality photos and video and works great for video conferencing. The 10mp rear camera performs well also. Neither camera can best high-end smartphone cameras but both are more than sufficient for a tablet or even a laptop. They’re also better than the cameras on my other tablets. Same with the speakers. They sound loud, clear, and better than anticipated for a tablet. Music sounds rich and is actually enjoyable. The speakers easily outperform my other tablets and even the quite capable laptop I’m currently typing on now.Battery life is fantastic. I only have to charge every couple days with moderate usage.Extras:Windows 11 recently introduced several AI powered new features. The most anticipated being Copilot. Co-pilot is an AI chatbot that provides a wealth of useful information at your fingertips. It can be helpful for research or automating certain creative processes. It can also utilize plug-ins for recipes, shopping, travel, home and more. Another interesting Windows AI feature is the DALL-E powered co-designer. Integrated with later versions of Paint, it allows you to create dazzling works of art using descriptive phrases and rough sketches. For example, I described an anime turtle on the beach, used some brush strokes to indicate the sand, water, sun and clouds and co-creator did the rest. I included the before and after photos with this review. The more descriptive the phrase, the more accurate the AI rendering. Features in Copilot also provide AI enabled searches and information requests, real-time translation with live captions, creative studio filters and effects for the camera and more. The camera filters were somewhat disappointing. There are only three filters and they only work in the video mode, not with still photos. There are also two blur modes: background and portrait. The AI camera effects are an okay start but I hope Microsoft plans on expanding the filters to not only include a larger selection but work for still photos as well.Cons:As we all know, few things in life are perfect and I’d be doing a disservice by gushing over what impressed me and omitting what didn’t. In the not-so-great department, I already mentioned the compatibility issues I encountered trying to install X64 apps on an ARM device. The Surface Pro runs so well, it’s easy to forget it’s an ARM device until running into an issue like that. Another not so great is the requirement for a complex PIN. I wanted to use a simple four-digit PIN that was easy for me to remember but Windows wasn’t having it because it didn’t meet complexity requirements. Now I have to look up my PIN if facial recognition fails for whatever reason. Lastly, it’s a Windows device, so that means frequent updates. It updated on first boot right out of the box. Lastly, I also had a bunch of unwanted files from another PC dropped onto the Surface thanks to OneDrive being infuriatingly active by default.Despite the above minor cons, I am still blown away by the power and capability of the Surface Pro OLED. It’s blazing fast, has great battery life, and offers the power of a laptop with the convenience and travel friendly size of a tablet. I do strongly recommend using it with a keyboard for the full experience. Case style is best and the Surface works seamless and marvelously with the Surface Pro Keyboard. However, any keyboard is better than no keyboard for those times you need a laptop, not a tablet. One thing I can say is as far as reliability, the Surface has already proven to be a long-lasting well-built piece of tech. I'm still using a Surface Pro X 1876 that is at least 4-5 years old and it’s showing no signs of slowing down.
originally posted on bestbuy.com
It took over a decade but this is the first Microsoft Surface product (which means the entire family: tablet, laptop, hybrid [Surface Book], Windows on ARM) I've ever had an initial overwhelming positive reaction to. The Surface Pro 11 feels like what the Surface Pro *SHOULD HAVE BEEN* when it was first released all those years ago to compete in the tablet market. Its Android and iOS competitors were always more responsive and the battery life longer lasting. It seemed like all the Surface had going for itself was that it was a full-fledged Windows PC in a tablet form-factor. The problem with that was there was always significant compromises. They were too slow compared to real laptop, which was intentional to extend its battery life. When it was fast, the battery ... MoreIt took over a decade but this is the first Microsoft Surface product (which means the entire family: tablet, laptop, hybrid [Surface Book], Windows on ARM) I've ever had an initial overwhelming positive reaction to. The Surface Pro 11 feels like what the Surface Pro *SHOULD HAVE BEEN* when it was first released all those years ago to compete in the tablet market. Its Android and iOS competitors were always more responsive and the battery life longer lasting. It seemed like all the Surface had going for itself was that it was a full-fledged Windows PC in a tablet form-factor. The problem with that was there was always significant compromises. They were too slow compared to real laptop, which was intentional to extend its battery life. When it was fast, the battery life suffered, and it either generated more heat, you got more fan noise, or both. With the Surface Pro 11, the Surface is finally fast and responsive without compromising battery life, heat, or fan noise.The design has changed slightly compared to its predecessors in that the edges are more rounded now. It's more gentle on the hands when you're holding it, although there's a gap in the edges there for ventilation on the top and sides, and the kickstand on the bottom. Because of that gap, it creates a thin aluminum sheet that can dig into your skin when you're holding it. The rounded edges protrude more to prevent you from feeling that "sheet" but if you hold it a certain way, it can be felt.It feels absolutely solid, with no flexing, not even around the kickstand area.The bezels are thin on 2 sides only: the left and right when viewed in landscape. The top has a thick bezel to house the front-facing camera. The bottom has a thick bezel to attach the Surface Pro keyboard and give it its angle. So when used with the keyboard, the only thick bezel seen is the top bezel. The thick bezels do actually help when viewing the tablet in portrait mode since that's where you're gripping. Your hands won't be in the way of content on the screen.The display is behind hard glass and is OLED. Its display resolution is 1920x2880 120Hz display with dynamic refresh rate, so you're capable of setting the display to 60Hz, 120Hz, or a variable refresh rate that will display up to 120Hz when it needs to. The OLED display looks beautiful, with the trademark inky blacks for excellent contrast, with a caveat. When viewing bright-colored content, white being the easily susceptible, you can see a textured looking layer under the glass. It looks like a bunch of oily dots. It's most evident when you look close but if you're the type that's sensitive to visual imperfections you're unfortunately going to notice it. Personally, it doesn't bother me but your mileage is going to vary. If you think this will bother you, I suggest taking a look at a sample display at a local Best Buy to see if it will actually bother you.The maximum brightness in HDR is 900 nits. The device is Dolby Vision certified, and you can find its certification labeled in the Windows settings, but I wasn't able to get Dolby Vision content to work. Just HDR10. When I open the Microsoft Store app, "Dolby Vision Extensions" is in my Library, but if you go to the app's listing you'll see a warning that reads, "This app will not work on your device." You can't even search for it in the store because it doesn't see the Surface Pro 11 as a compatible device. Without "Dolby Vision Extensions" working properly on Windows, you cannot view Dolby Vision content, which is the case with my Surface Pro 11.The star of the show here is the Snapdragon X Elite processor. The Surface feels snappy, like a desktop PC or a powered laptop. There isn't throttling while it's on battery. At least not until the battery hits 6%. And this is all while the tablet remains cool and silent. The caveat with this is that this is only with native ARM apps. When running x86/x64 apps, the Surface becomes a similar experience to what you've come to know and will grow to hate if you haven't already with Intel-based Surface tablets. Battery life takes a hit, the tablet becomes noisier from the fan, and it's hotter.While only streaming video with the brightness at 75% and volume at 18%, I got 8 hours and 20 minutes of battery life. This appears to fall in line with Microsoft's test used in their marketing claiming up to 10 hours of active web usage which doesn't even explicitly mention streaming, and had its brightness at a measly 150 nits.While gaming with an ARM64 app, I was able to get 4 hours and 55 minutes of battery life. The Surface never got hot; just warm. The fan went off but it was whisper quiet, drowned out by the audio from the game I was playing.While gaming with a x64 app under Microsoft's x86/x64 emulation, I got 3 hours and 5 minutes of battery life. This is about on par with Intel-based PCs. The tablet got hot, and the fan was getting pushed hard.When in sleep mode, I experience no battery drain after 13 hours. Compare that to an Intel tablet, where I lost 6% of battery in sleep mode during those same 13 hours.Windows on ARM has come a long way in that now most casual users can get by on it, especially if you do most of your work from a web browser. But if you're using it for work, you'll have to seriously assess your usage because if you rely in x86/x84 apps not everything works perfectly. When it does, it's fast and feels like you're working on a normal Intel PC. But most VPN software do not work under emulation, including enterprise ones like Citrix, and SonicWall NetExtender, or consumer ones like NordVPN. Adobe hasn't released its entire library with ARM64 versions.But for casual use, the Surface Pro 11 is absolutely fantastic, and a positive sign that Windows on ARM is the future of Windows PCs.The speakers sound great and present a wide and engaging sound stage BUT there are only 2 speakers. Furthermore, their placement is on the top left and right of the tablet when viewed in landscape mode. This presents an awkward listening experience when used in portrait mode. Audio effectively becomes mono since there's nothing to discern the left and right sides. On top of that, the audio is off-center.The Surface Pro has WiFi 7 with a max bandwidth of 5Gbps, which is overkill for internet connections since for many users, your internet won't reach those speeds. But for your local network, provided you have a WiFi 7 wireless router, the speed is spectacular. If you have a 10GbE port on your desktop PC, you can finally put it to good use and transfer large files like 20GB 4K video wirelessly in seconds. And with more WiFi 7 devices on the way, it's set for the future of WiFi instead of holding itself back with the older and slower WiFi 6e protocol.Storage comes by way of a 512GB m.2 2230 SSD, which is the shorter sized m.2 SSD. It's replaceable and easily accessible, hidden behind the kickstand, where you'd normally find the SD card slot in older models. The Surface Pro 11 has no SD card expansion this time around.The biggest disappointment of the Surface Pro 11 is Copilot+. Nothing it offers is reliable or practical enough for real world usage. The feature I was most looking forward to was Live Captions, which has the ability to auto-translate any audio you play, including internal audio. The problem is the captions are displayed in a very awkward way where it spits out several words at a time. With TV's closed captioning, and other captioning services like on YouTube, they're displayed one word at a time. Microsoft's Live Captions makes it hard to read for me. Translations are also iffy but that's par for the course with these sort of live translation for now. It is nice how you can place the captions wherever you want on the screen though, since it's floating. So if you're looking to watch that TV series or movie that was never translated to your language, you can do it with Live Captions. You'll just have to stomach its horrendous way of displaying the real time captions.The AI camera filters felt more like a novelty than something that's actually useful. If you're using apps like Zoom, they already have features like this natively in the app. I couldn't find any practical use for Windows' Studio effects.Copilot itself is wildly inaccurate for information. Its database it pulls from is often not up to date.The future is bright for Windows on ARM, and I can't wait for more developers to finally release their software for it.Previous attempts for Windows on ARM were downright awful to the point that it seemed like Windows was never going to work with ARM. The Snapdragon X Elite is finally proof that ARM is not only capable of Windows, it makes Windows better. Easily the best Surface tablet I've ever used.It's Microsoft themselves that is actually holding back Windows, with their massive oversell of Copilot+ and not delivering. Quite frankly, I'm not even sure if the NPU is being used.
| Graphics | QualcommFootnote Adreno GPU |
[ZIN-00030] Microsoft Surface Pro 11 for Business 13 Inch Snapdragon X Elite 16GB 512GB Black Win11P
7-day returns
Microsoft Surface Pro 11 13" Touchscreen Copilot+ Snapdragon X 16GB 512GB SSD WIN 11P USB-C Thunderbolt WIFI7 BT Camera Black
Microsoft Surface Pro 11 (Copilot+ PC) 13" Snapdragon X Elite, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Windows 11 Professional - Black
7-day returns
Surface Pro 11 Snapdragon X Elite/16/512 Win11Pro Commercial Black
Microsoft Surface Pro 11 Snapdragon X Elite 16GB 512GB AI W11P Commercial Tablet ZIN-00030 Black
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This tablet / laptop works great for a lot of things. I was skeptical at first being that it is an arm based product and historically windows on arm has been a little hit and miss. However after using this table for a bit as my non-gaming daily for over a week or so I have to say I am pleasantly surprised by the performance and reliability for “most” things that I have tried to do with it.I do software development, and for the most part that experience has been fairly painless and performance has been great. However there are some caveats to that. Programs that are not specifically made for arm run in an emulation mode (so x64 apps) and those apps do have some slight performance hits due to this translation layer. But during normal use those issues are mostly not ... MoreThis tablet / laptop works great for a lot of things. I was skeptical at first being that it is an arm based product and historically windows on arm has been a little hit and miss. However after using this table for a bit as my non-gaming daily for over a week or so I have to say I am pleasantly surprised by the performance and reliability for “most” things that I have tried to do with it.I do software development, and for the most part that experience has been fairly painless and performance has been great. However there are some caveats to that. Programs that are not specifically made for arm run in an emulation mode (so x64 apps) and those apps do have some slight performance hits due to this translation layer. But during normal use those issues are mostly not noticeable at least for the applications I have been using. When it comes to down right application failures there have been a few applications that I was unable to install because they don’t offer an arm version and they would not install ( such as ARC browser which I use on Mac and my intel based windows machine) I also had an issue where an application would install fine but I could not activate it for some reason so I was unable to use it. For productivity software however those where the only two real examples of problems I had.I’ve also been really happy with battery life in normal use as I can get a full 12 hour day of work done and still have battery to spare without much of a worry at all. That’s nice compared to some other laptops I’ve tried to use for work in the past that left me scrambling for a place to plug in.Build quality and style wise, I really appreciate the simple clean design just the adjustable kickstand on the back and that blends in when you fold it down. That kickstand is amazing as well allowing me to use more angles than I ever thought I needed for different situations.The copilot+ stuff is cool if you have a use for it. I played around with the image co-creater features for a while and it really helped flesh out an idea I had been working on even though I am an awful artist. It’s nice to be able to prompt the system, start drawing and as you go it slowly improves the generated image. It’s a neat feature if you have a use for it and I’ll probably use it more in the future. The other really cool co-pilot plus feature I was not expecting to like so much was live captions. It was amazing to be able to watch a video in another language that did not have translations available and be able to understand what was going on. It’s surprisingly fast and super useful for some of the work I do. As for it’s accuracy I’m not totally sure on that front but it was close enough for me to get the information I needed without needing to refer to another source or person. As for all the other co-pilot+ features I’ve not had a lot of time to use or play with them so I don’t have much to say on those but overall I have been super happy with the experience and pleasantly surprised.Overall if you’re looking for a super portable and fairly quick computer to do work on this is shaping up to be a great choice overall. I’ve all but replaced my other travel electronics because this takes up less space and does the things I need it to without too much hassle. There is one note for all of this though, do not expect to be able to play games on this laptop/tablet. It’s not intended for that and the driver compatibility with games is very far from good. There are also several games that just won’t run at all because some kernel level anti-cheat systems don’t support ARM. I’m sure that will get better in the future but in reality that’s not what this computer is intended for anyway. I just wanted to make sure I included that in my review just in case someone was looking at it for that reason. The only real reason I was not able to give this a 5 star rating was the few issues I did have with software compatibility. I think after some time that issue will get better though.
The Surface Pro 13 OLED 2-in-1 is a best of both worlds beast. Deftly switching from tablet to laptop with an optional keyboard and powered by a 12-core Snapdragon processor mated with a 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM, and a new OLED screen, the tablet feels like a strong laptop in both performance and features.Design/Body:The 13-inch tablet isn’t as large and bulky as it sounds. Much like early smartphones, I’ve come to realize that 13-inch tablets aren’t as huge as I originally thought they were. At first glance the Surface Pro doesn’t look much larger than my 11-inch tablet. It’s only when placed side by side does the slightly larger size of the Surface Pro become evident. The Surface has some weight to it but isn’t uncomfortably heavy. I find it easy to use and handle. ... MoreThe Surface Pro 13 OLED 2-in-1 is a best of both worlds beast. Deftly switching from tablet to laptop with an optional keyboard and powered by a 12-core Snapdragon processor mated with a 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM, and a new OLED screen, the tablet feels like a strong laptop in both performance and features.Design/Body:The 13-inch tablet isn’t as large and bulky as it sounds. Much like early smartphones, I’ve come to realize that 13-inch tablets aren’t as huge as I originally thought they were. At first glance the Surface Pro doesn’t look much larger than my 11-inch tablet. It’s only when placed side by side does the slightly larger size of the Surface Pro become evident. The Surface has some weight to it but isn’t uncomfortably heavy. I find it easy to use and handle. The body is crafted from aluminum with a kickstand that allows the Surface Pro to be used upright in landscape mode with a keyboard. The kickstand folds flat against the back of tablet when not in use. I don’t find the aluminum body slippery or fragile feeling. The Surface has two USB-C ports on the left side, two ports on the bottom that integrate with the Surface Pro Keyboard, and three buttons on the top for power and volume controls. All ports and buttons are described with the Surface in the landscape position using the kickstand.Screen:The 13-inch OLED screen looks fantastic. I admittedly wasn’t quite as blown away as I’d hoped but it still looks good. It’s just not the quantum leap I thought it would be over previous Surface tablets. It has the deeper blacks and more richly saturated colors common with OLED. Text and graphics are also clean and razor sharp thanks to the 2880X1920 resolution. The screen has good brightness and fast response.Performance:The 12-core Snapdragon X Elite processor does not feel like an ARM processor. It feels more on par with a full-fledged X64 laptop. This is good because the Surface Pro is essentially a Windows 11 laptop in a tablet body. Despite the demands of running Windows 11, there is no noticeable lag. Windows open quickly and fluidly. Apps launch swiftly and run with no latency or hiccups. The NPU works splendidly and provides the processing punch required to make Copilot and other AI features actually useful rather than merely window decorations. The Surface isn’t the best equipped for PC gaming, but can handle most other tasks efficiently. The only downside are compatibility issues with some software due to the ARM processor. For example, I cannot install the exact same antivirus as my Windows laptops. I get booted to the Microsoft store for a less capable app version of the program. But as far as productivity apps, media editors, and content creation, the Surface Pro handles it all with ease. It doesn’t run hot in most instances and I haven’t encountered a freeze or blue screen yet.The two cameras and speakers are both decent quality. The QHD front facing camera has face tracking and is utilized for Windows Hello facial recognition. The camera takes good quality photos and video and works great for video conferencing. The 10mp rear camera performs well also. Neither camera can best high-end smartphone cameras but both are more than sufficient for a tablet or even a laptop. They’re also better than the cameras on my other tablets. Same with the speakers. They sound loud, clear, and better than anticipated for a tablet. Music sounds rich and is actually enjoyable. The speakers easily outperform my other tablets and even the quite capable laptop I’m currently typing on now.Battery life is fantastic. I only have to charge every couple days with moderate usage.Extras:Windows 11 recently introduced several AI powered new features. The most anticipated being Copilot. Co-pilot is an AI chatbot that provides a wealth of useful information at your fingertips. It can be helpful for research or automating certain creative processes. It can also utilize plug-ins for recipes, shopping, travel, home and more. Another interesting Windows AI feature is the DALL-E powered co-designer. Integrated with later versions of Paint, it allows you to create dazzling works of art using descriptive phrases and rough sketches. For example, I described an anime turtle on the beach, used some brush strokes to indicate the sand, water, sun and clouds and co-creator did the rest. I included the before and after photos with this review. The more descriptive the phrase, the more accurate the AI rendering. Features in Copilot also provide AI enabled searches and information requests, real-time translation with live captions, creative studio filters and effects for the camera and more. The camera filters were somewhat disappointing. There are only three filters and they only work in the video mode, not with still photos. There are also two blur modes: background and portrait. The AI camera effects are an okay start but I hope Microsoft plans on expanding the filters to not only include a larger selection but work for still photos as well.Cons:As we all know, few things in life are perfect and I’d be doing a disservice by gushing over what impressed me and omitting what didn’t. In the not-so-great department, I already mentioned the compatibility issues I encountered trying to install X64 apps on an ARM device. The Surface Pro runs so well, it’s easy to forget it’s an ARM device until running into an issue like that. Another not so great is the requirement for a complex PIN. I wanted to use a simple four-digit PIN that was easy for me to remember but Windows wasn’t having it because it didn’t meet complexity requirements. Now I have to look up my PIN if facial recognition fails for whatever reason. Lastly, it’s a Windows device, so that means frequent updates. It updated on first boot right out of the box. Lastly, I also had a bunch of unwanted files from another PC dropped onto the Surface thanks to OneDrive being infuriatingly active by default.Despite the above minor cons, I am still blown away by the power and capability of the Surface Pro OLED. It’s blazing fast, has great battery life, and offers the power of a laptop with the convenience and travel friendly size of a tablet. I do strongly recommend using it with a keyboard for the full experience. Case style is best and the Surface works seamless and marvelously with the Surface Pro Keyboard. However, any keyboard is better than no keyboard for those times you need a laptop, not a tablet. One thing I can say is as far as reliability, the Surface has already proven to be a long-lasting well-built piece of tech. I'm still using a Surface Pro X 1876 that is at least 4-5 years old and it’s showing no signs of slowing down.
It took over a decade but this is the first Microsoft Surface product (which means the entire family: tablet, laptop, hybrid [Surface Book], Windows on ARM) I've ever had an initial overwhelming positive reaction to. The Surface Pro 11 feels like what the Surface Pro *SHOULD HAVE BEEN* when it was first released all those years ago to compete in the tablet market. Its Android and iOS competitors were always more responsive and the battery life longer lasting. It seemed like all the Surface had going for itself was that it was a full-fledged Windows PC in a tablet form-factor. The problem with that was there was always significant compromises. They were too slow compared to real laptop, which was intentional to extend its battery life. When it was fast, the battery ... MoreIt took over a decade but this is the first Microsoft Surface product (which means the entire family: tablet, laptop, hybrid [Surface Book], Windows on ARM) I've ever had an initial overwhelming positive reaction to. The Surface Pro 11 feels like what the Surface Pro *SHOULD HAVE BEEN* when it was first released all those years ago to compete in the tablet market. Its Android and iOS competitors were always more responsive and the battery life longer lasting. It seemed like all the Surface had going for itself was that it was a full-fledged Windows PC in a tablet form-factor. The problem with that was there was always significant compromises. They were too slow compared to real laptop, which was intentional to extend its battery life. When it was fast, the battery life suffered, and it either generated more heat, you got more fan noise, or both. With the Surface Pro 11, the Surface is finally fast and responsive without compromising battery life, heat, or fan noise.The design has changed slightly compared to its predecessors in that the edges are more rounded now. It's more gentle on the hands when you're holding it, although there's a gap in the edges there for ventilation on the top and sides, and the kickstand on the bottom. Because of that gap, it creates a thin aluminum sheet that can dig into your skin when you're holding it. The rounded edges protrude more to prevent you from feeling that "sheet" but if you hold it a certain way, it can be felt.It feels absolutely solid, with no flexing, not even around the kickstand area.The bezels are thin on 2 sides only: the left and right when viewed in landscape. The top has a thick bezel to house the front-facing camera. The bottom has a thick bezel to attach the Surface Pro keyboard and give it its angle. So when used with the keyboard, the only thick bezel seen is the top bezel. The thick bezels do actually help when viewing the tablet in portrait mode since that's where you're gripping. Your hands won't be in the way of content on the screen.The display is behind hard glass and is OLED. Its display resolution is 1920x2880 120Hz display with dynamic refresh rate, so you're capable of setting the display to 60Hz, 120Hz, or a variable refresh rate that will display up to 120Hz when it needs to. The OLED display looks beautiful, with the trademark inky blacks for excellent contrast, with a caveat. When viewing bright-colored content, white being the easily susceptible, you can see a textured looking layer under the glass. It looks like a bunch of oily dots. It's most evident when you look close but if you're the type that's sensitive to visual imperfections you're unfortunately going to notice it. Personally, it doesn't bother me but your mileage is going to vary. If you think this will bother you, I suggest taking a look at a sample display at a local Best Buy to see if it will actually bother you.The maximum brightness in HDR is 900 nits. The device is Dolby Vision certified, and you can find its certification labeled in the Windows settings, but I wasn't able to get Dolby Vision content to work. Just HDR10. When I open the Microsoft Store app, "Dolby Vision Extensions" is in my Library, but if you go to the app's listing you'll see a warning that reads, "This app will not work on your device." You can't even search for it in the store because it doesn't see the Surface Pro 11 as a compatible device. Without "Dolby Vision Extensions" working properly on Windows, you cannot view Dolby Vision content, which is the case with my Surface Pro 11.The star of the show here is the Snapdragon X Elite processor. The Surface feels snappy, like a desktop PC or a powered laptop. There isn't throttling while it's on battery. At least not until the battery hits 6%. And this is all while the tablet remains cool and silent. The caveat with this is that this is only with native ARM apps. When running x86/x64 apps, the Surface becomes a similar experience to what you've come to know and will grow to hate if you haven't already with Intel-based Surface tablets. Battery life takes a hit, the tablet becomes noisier from the fan, and it's hotter.While only streaming video with the brightness at 75% and volume at 18%, I got 8 hours and 20 minutes of battery life. This appears to fall in line with Microsoft's test used in their marketing claiming up to 10 hours of active web usage which doesn't even explicitly mention streaming, and had its brightness at a measly 150 nits.While gaming with an ARM64 app, I was able to get 4 hours and 55 minutes of battery life. The Surface never got hot; just warm. The fan went off but it was whisper quiet, drowned out by the audio from the game I was playing.While gaming with a x64 app under Microsoft's x86/x64 emulation, I got 3 hours and 5 minutes of battery life. This is about on par with Intel-based PCs. The tablet got hot, and the fan was getting pushed hard.When in sleep mode, I experience no battery drain after 13 hours. Compare that to an Intel tablet, where I lost 6% of battery in sleep mode during those same 13 hours.Windows on ARM has come a long way in that now most casual users can get by on it, especially if you do most of your work from a web browser. But if you're using it for work, you'll have to seriously assess your usage because if you rely in x86/x84 apps not everything works perfectly. When it does, it's fast and feels like you're working on a normal Intel PC. But most VPN software do not work under emulation, including enterprise ones like Citrix, and SonicWall NetExtender, or consumer ones like NordVPN. Adobe hasn't released its entire library with ARM64 versions.But for casual use, the Surface Pro 11 is absolutely fantastic, and a positive sign that Windows on ARM is the future of Windows PCs.The speakers sound great and present a wide and engaging sound stage BUT there are only 2 speakers. Furthermore, their placement is on the top left and right of the tablet when viewed in landscape mode. This presents an awkward listening experience when used in portrait mode. Audio effectively becomes mono since there's nothing to discern the left and right sides. On top of that, the audio is off-center.The Surface Pro has WiFi 7 with a max bandwidth of 5Gbps, which is overkill for internet connections since for many users, your internet won't reach those speeds. But for your local network, provided you have a WiFi 7 wireless router, the speed is spectacular. If you have a 10GbE port on your desktop PC, you can finally put it to good use and transfer large files like 20GB 4K video wirelessly in seconds. And with more WiFi 7 devices on the way, it's set for the future of WiFi instead of holding itself back with the older and slower WiFi 6e protocol.Storage comes by way of a 512GB m.2 2230 SSD, which is the shorter sized m.2 SSD. It's replaceable and easily accessible, hidden behind the kickstand, where you'd normally find the SD card slot in older models. The Surface Pro 11 has no SD card expansion this time around.The biggest disappointment of the Surface Pro 11 is Copilot+. Nothing it offers is reliable or practical enough for real world usage. The feature I was most looking forward to was Live Captions, which has the ability to auto-translate any audio you play, including internal audio. The problem is the captions are displayed in a very awkward way where it spits out several words at a time. With TV's closed captioning, and other captioning services like on YouTube, they're displayed one word at a time. Microsoft's Live Captions makes it hard to read for me. Translations are also iffy but that's par for the course with these sort of live translation for now. It is nice how you can place the captions wherever you want on the screen though, since it's floating. So if you're looking to watch that TV series or movie that was never translated to your language, you can do it with Live Captions. You'll just have to stomach its horrendous way of displaying the real time captions.The AI camera filters felt more like a novelty than something that's actually useful. If you're using apps like Zoom, they already have features like this natively in the app. I couldn't find any practical use for Windows' Studio effects.Copilot itself is wildly inaccurate for information. Its database it pulls from is often not up to date.The future is bright for Windows on ARM, and I can't wait for more developers to finally release their software for it.Previous attempts for Windows on ARM were downright awful to the point that it seemed like Windows was never going to work with ARM. The Snapdragon X Elite is finally proof that ARM is not only capable of Windows, it makes Windows better. Easily the best Surface tablet I've ever used.It's Microsoft themselves that is actually holding back Windows, with their massive oversell of Copilot+ and not delivering. Quite frankly, I'm not even sure if the NPU is being used.
So far this has been a surprisingly painless experience. It's my first foray into an ARM powered windows machine, and so far the experience has been almost indistinguishable from a typical x86 machine. There are a few hiccups, some x86 programs don't run well emulated (or at all), although they're usually niche things that most people don't need. Also, because Windows on ARM isn't quite mainstream, it can be hard to find programs compiled for it - I had to go to a few different websites to find Java 21 compiled for ARM. Most of this will be resolved with time however, and it's already quite usable.Regarding AI and Copilot+, honestly at the time of writing they're mostly just a gimmick. most of the available features are rather useless in daily usage. And in case ... MoreSo far this has been a surprisingly painless experience. It's my first foray into an ARM powered windows machine, and so far the experience has been almost indistinguishable from a typical x86 machine. There are a few hiccups, some x86 programs don't run well emulated (or at all), although they're usually niche things that most people don't need. Also, because Windows on ARM isn't quite mainstream, it can be hard to find programs compiled for it - I had to go to a few different websites to find Java 21 compiled for ARM. Most of this will be resolved with time however, and it's already quite usable.Regarding AI and Copilot+, honestly at the time of writing they're mostly just a gimmick. most of the available features are rather useless in daily usage. And in case this isn't clear to anyone, the copilot AI assistant does NOT run locally, it's purely cloud based. Won't even load without an internet connection. Studio effects (camera stuff) could be useful in online meetings, and live captions can be useful to view content in other languages. I hope to see some more useful features come out eventually, but right now it's mostly just a shiny new gimmick.The camera is great quality - compared to almost any other laptop webcam, this is in another class altogether. From what I've heard, Qualcomm actually has an image signal processor on the SOC, and typical x86 laptops rely on whatever cheap ISP is inside the webcam - which usually leads to really low quality, even if the webcam is "1080p" or even "4k". It also helps that the Surface Pro is a tablet form factor and has much more room for a quality image sensor.I was hoping to dual boot Linux, however at the time of writing the Snapdragon X aren't supported on Linux yet. As far as I'm aware, these chips are designed in such a way that you have to add support directly to the Linux kernel for each specific chip to be able to run it, which is unfortunate. However, Qualcomm is actively working on making Linux work with these chips - which is really nice to see.Now to the device - The OLED screen is gorgeous, brightness is great - even sufficient outdoors (at least in shade, haven't tested in direct sunlight). As it is a touchscreen device, there is a slight pattern from the digitizer visible up close to the screen - I can only see it from distances unreasonable for any average user (say, 6-8 inches away from the screen). HDR looks great, 120hz is fluid, VRR provides a nice power saving option.Battery life has been pretty good compared to some other laptops I've owned, it lasted quite awhile even streaming HD content for hours.The build is solid, the hinge feels pretty durable. The power and volume buttons are plastic which is a slight disappointment but not a huge issue. The SSD is easily accessible through a magnetically attached door, which is great to see from a repairability standpoint, albeit a little odd.The form factor is a bit uncomfortable sometimes, it's a bit hard to use they keyboard cover if you're not at a desk or table. As a tablet it works great wherever though, as most tablets do. Windows is fairly usable touch only, minus a few UI quirks. You tap with two fingers to "right click," but if you need to do that with any sort of precision then you long press with a single finger - unfortunately there's no haptics, sound, or visual indicator to let you know it's been long enough, so you end up wasting time holding it too long. Could get used to it with time, but an indicator of any kind would be a much better option.Overall it's a great device, just needs a bit of time for software to catch up.
I just started using the Microsoft Surface Pro with Copilot+ PCs. It brings in a new age of AI-powered productivity and creativity. Its advanced tech improves my experience with its incredible features and unmatched performance.The design and display is just out of this world as this Surface Pro offers stunning visuals that features a stylish design with a 13" PixelSense Flow OLED display and has a resolution of 2880 x 1920 pixels. I was amazed by looking at the OLED panel that provides a 1M:1 contrast ratio and supports a dynamic refresh rate of up to 120Hz, ensuring sharp details and seamless transitions. The laptop has a 165-degree fluid kickstand that can be used at different angles to allows hands free access and let me view the screen as needed. Lastly, the ... MoreI just started using the Microsoft Surface Pro with Copilot+ PCs. It brings in a new age of AI-powered productivity and creativity. Its advanced tech improves my experience with its incredible features and unmatched performance.The design and display is just out of this world as this Surface Pro offers stunning visuals that features a stylish design with a 13" PixelSense Flow OLED display and has a resolution of 2880 x 1920 pixels. I was amazed by looking at the OLED panel that provides a 1M:1 contrast ratio and supports a dynamic refresh rate of up to 120Hz, ensuring sharp details and seamless transitions. The laptop has a 165-degree fluid kickstand that can be used at different angles to allows hands free access and let me view the screen as needed. Lastly, the Dune color not only is different but enhances the looks to the next level.Let me tell you that the Snapdragon X Elite (12 core) Processor works like lightning to deliver exceptional performance, intelligence, and power efficiency. With 45 Trillion Operations Per Second of NPU power, this laptop is perfect for influencers like me who require fast processing speeds and multitasking capabilities. I do not have any concerns when it comes to process multiple things at the simultaneously. The two cameras one at the front and the other one at the back along with speakers are of decent quality. The front facing camera has face tracking and is utilized for Windows Hello facial recognition. Both the cameras takes good quality photos and video and works nicely for video conferencing as well.Not to forget the new optimized Windows 11, the Surface Pro has a all-new Start menu with improved connectivity options. As with everything these days, we can't ignore AI and this has AI-Enhanced features that incorporates AI throughout its functions, from the Surface Studio Camera with automatic framing to the Surface Slim Pen enhanced by AI. These features empower me to turn ideas into artwork with generative AI tools.The battery life is unbelievable as it easily last up to 14 hours which is not common for a laptop but this one easily surpass that expectation. For connectivity, this comes with two USB-C 4 ports and support for up to three 4K monitors at 60Hz, the Surface Pro ensures versatile connectivity for peripherals and external displays.Overall I'm absolutely loving it! This laptop has truly become my go-to device for everyday use.I'm also really impressed with the battery life. The screen is stunning, the audio is top-notch, the processor is lightning-fast, and the AI features are a game-changer. Plus, it's the perfect size for on-the-go use. If you're looking for a Windows laptop in a compact size and travel-friendly then this Surface Pro with Copilot+ is definitely worth considering. It's a game-changer for productivity and creativity.
I’ve owned a few Surface’s over the years, but I haven’t been excited about them for a while now - really since the very first one. I was a little skeptical about all the hype on the Snapdragon X processor and after using the new Surface Pro I can confirm that, unlike previous attempts, it mostly delivers on the promise of Windows on ARM. The performance is great on both native and x86 apps, the battery lasts forever (and it sleeps properly), the OLED screen is beautiful, and the build quality is as great as it’s ever been for a Surface. It’s not going to replace a high end desktop or a big beefy gaming laptop, but as an everyday device it does everything I want and I know I can depend on it to just work.The build quality is as good as it’s ever been from ... MoreI’ve owned a few Surface’s over the years, but I haven’t been excited about them for a while now - really since the very first one. I was a little skeptical about all the hype on the Snapdragon X processor and after using the new Surface Pro I can confirm that, unlike previous attempts, it mostly delivers on the promise of Windows on ARM. The performance is great on both native and x86 apps, the battery lasts forever (and it sleeps properly), the OLED screen is beautiful, and the build quality is as great as it’s ever been for a Surface. It’s not going to replace a high end desktop or a big beefy gaming laptop, but as an everyday device it does everything I want and I know I can depend on it to just work.The build quality is as good as it’s ever been from Microsoft, which is to say excellent. The ‘Dune’ color is a somewhat muted gold color that looks very classy. The aluminum casing feels nice and does a reasonable job of resisting fingerprints. The integrated kickstand folds out to just about any position and holds firm where you set it. For ports there is the proprietary Surface Connect port and 2 USB4 USB-C ports. The included 39W power adapter connects via the Surface Connect, but the Surface Pro supports 65W fast charging through USB-C or another Surface charger. Behind the kickstand there is a plate covering the 512GB SSD that can be popped open without any tools that reveals an M.2 2230 SSD that can easily be upgraded in the future. The keyboard and pen aren’t included in the price of the Surface Pro, so this is something to bear in mind when pricing it out. With the keyboard and pen attached, the overall weight is just a little over 2.5 lbs.The OLED display is new for Surface and it looks fantastic. It supports HDR and a 120Hz variable refresh rate. It also gets very bright. The 2880 x 1920 resolution provides a dense 267 ppi and the 3:2 aspect ratio gives you some extra vertical space that’s great for productivity.In the 5 or so days I’ve used the Surface so far the main thing I’ve noticed has been how great the battery life is. I’ve had other Windows devices with good battery life before, but the problem I’ve had with them is they tend to drain a lot even when you’re not using them to the point where I have lost 30% or more battery over the course of a day if I didn’t completely shut them down. This is not an issue with the Surface. The battery lasts to the point where I could very comfortably leave the charger at home for at least a day if not more. And it doesn’t need to be shut down; you can put the Surface to sleep and come back in a few hours or even a day to the same amount charge it had before. And it’s always ready to go right when you bring it on out of sleep. It opens up a lot of possibilities just from the simple fact of not having to have anxiety about whether or not your laptop is going to make it through whatever you’re doing.The performance so far has been great for me on both native ARM and x86 apps. Obviously native apps run better and don’t stress the battery as much, but I don’t feel hamstrung by the ARM processor. So far I’ve primarily been using Chrome and Adobe apps. I haven’t tried any gaming yet, but from what I’ve seen other places the results are underwhelming - not that I would have chosen any previous Surface device for gaming anyway. I know the x86 compatibility isn’t 100%, but for me I haven’t run into any issues and with so many more ARM-based Windows devices coming out I’m hoping compatibility will improve and more applications will get native ARM versions.Microsoft is calling the Surface a Copilot+ PC, which means it has a separate processor for doing AI tasks. So far in Windows this is mostly down to what I would call gimmicky things like eye contact in the front-facing camera, generative image generation in Paint based on what you draw, and a basic upscaler for gaming. These features are all good and even useful at times, but so far none of them are game changing. Windows 11 is still Windows 11 and while I’m a fan, many are not and nothing about how you interact with it with the Surface is going to change anybody’s opinion on it. The nice thing about it being a product directly from Microsoft though is the Windows bloat is reduced compared to other brands.The front-facing camera looks great and incorporates many of the aforementioned AI features. The built-in microphone is also high quality. You also get Windows Hello, which recognizes and logs me in in less than a second most of the time. The rear camera is just okay, but fine for basic photos or documentation purposes. The speakers get quite loud and don’t distort at high volumes. There’s also more bass than I was expecting for such a small device.Overall I’m really impressed with the new Surface. It’s got a beautiful build, a beautiful screen, a battery that lasts for days, and the performance to back it all up. It’s an almost no compromises portable Windows experience and aside from the higher price you’ll pay for that I’d have no problems recommending it to anyone.
I have always been a fan of the Surface - it's a great hybrid tablet and tablet combo. Because I have a lot of familiarity with the Windows OS, it's nice having a full featured desktop OS in a portable tablet form. This means many of the application you use on a Windows desktop can be used with the Surface. Of course there are limitations given the specs if you're trying to run graphically intensive games like Microsoft Flight Simulator or Dragon Dogma 2. What Microsoft hyped about the Surface Pro is it being a Copilot+ PC. Personally I think those features are mostly nice to have; it's the hardware changes that's making the Pro 11 worthwhile.Gone from the 9 are in the Intel processors, the 11 uses a Snapdragon X processor and a Qualcomm Adreno as its GPU. What ... MoreI have always been a fan of the Surface - it's a great hybrid tablet and tablet combo. Because I have a lot of familiarity with the Windows OS, it's nice having a full featured desktop OS in a portable tablet form. This means many of the application you use on a Windows desktop can be used with the Surface. Of course there are limitations given the specs if you're trying to run graphically intensive games like Microsoft Flight Simulator or Dragon Dogma 2. What Microsoft hyped about the Surface Pro is it being a Copilot+ PC. Personally I think those features are mostly nice to have; it's the hardware changes that's making the Pro 11 worthwhile.Gone from the 9 are in the Intel processors, the 11 uses a Snapdragon X processor and a Qualcomm Adreno as its GPU. What this means is that 10 is plenty fast and powerful. You can do some light gaming on it though you obviously won't be playing at higher resolutions. That said it is great for emulation of older titles. I wouldn't doubt that the Snapdragon contributes to a better battery life too given that the processor is geared more towards mobile devices. A disadvantage with the ARM architecture as opposed to the Intel one is that there are some applications that might not be that compatible though this isn't bad as it used to be.Speaking of battery life, it's an improvement over the the Surface 9. I swear from real world hours usage I was only getting like 5 hours on the 9. The battery drain on the 11 seems to be lesser so I'm able to get a little bit more maybe like 7 hours. When I say "real world usage" this is from browsing webpages and streaming videos without resulting to any battery saving measures. Microsoft claimed that the 9 could do 15.5 hours, but that was never what I usually experienced much like Microsoft claims of the 11 doing 14 hours.Design wise the Surface hasn't changed much with having all the similar ports from the Pro 8.... and still lacking a 3.5mm jack. I do wish the bezels were made a bit slimmer though. Of course the biggest difference is the OLED screen, which is fantastic. Combine the OLED screen with the native HDR support and you have a beautiful screen especially when you're viewing blacks.The camera and WiFi connectivity have been upgraded too as expected if you look at the specs. Front camera is 1440p(compared to 1080p on the 9), while the rear camera is 10 MP. WiFi 7 is supported and the supported Bluetooth version is 5.3.How are the Copilot+ features? Honestly they are not that great with what's currently. The 11 features a dedicated NPU chipset to Microsoft's Copilot. This allows features like the Live Captions app to provide real time translations if you're watching a video or having a video call with someone. Unfortunately for image creation like Paint(there's a Copilot button in it) and Windows 11's photo app, you have to be signed in online because the images are sent to Microsoft's Cloud servers to make sure it's "approved" to be shown to the user.All in all, the Surface Pro 11 is a nice upgrade over the 9 or a good starting point for someone who needs a tablet/laptop combo. It's pricey, but the hardware specs and OLED makes it worth owning even if the Copiot+ features aren't much to write about. Unfortunately, I can't give this a 4.5 star so I'll round the score up to a 5.
I have considered the Microsoft Surface Pro line as the de facto tablet for Windows. The quality and polish of the devices have been the gold standard if you are looking for a tablet, and for me this includes a 360 style 2-in-1 form factor. The Surface Pro 11 is no exception. It continues the same design language as the previous generation, and this is a good thing. I used for a little while the Surface Pro 10 for work and it was just right. This continues that excellence. I got the Dune color this time and it’s nice champaigne color to me, which is cool, not the typical silver or black colors. The real distinction here, and arguably the reason for upgrading, really comes down to two things, the new Arm achitecture (Intel/AMD no longer), and the reason for the ... MoreI have considered the Microsoft Surface Pro line as the de facto tablet for Windows. The quality and polish of the devices have been the gold standard if you are looking for a tablet, and for me this includes a 360 style 2-in-1 form factor. The Surface Pro 11 is no exception. It continues the same design language as the previous generation, and this is a good thing. I used for a little while the Surface Pro 10 for work and it was just right. This continues that excellence. I got the Dune color this time and it’s nice champaigne color to me, which is cool, not the typical silver or black colors. The real distinction here, and arguably the reason for upgrading, really comes down to two things, the new Arm achitecture (Intel/AMD no longer), and the reason for the “Copilot+PC” in the name. This is the realization of full integration of Microsoft’s AI language model into the Windows experience. For all intents and purposes, it’s like having your phone assistant integrated into Windows, but in overdrive. It integrates with your Office products, it provides intelligent feedback when querying for information, and it’s just beginning. I have been sort of resistant to using the AI languages, preferring to manually search or complete actions as I just enjoy the “tactile” feedback of manual entry. Copilot really begins to bridge my preferences to an intelligent assistant future. I’m slowly reaching for Copilot for many things and expect this to continue. There is even a hardware Copilot on the Surface keyboard should you get that as an accessory. I see the future Microsoft is going for. The former aspect that makes the Surface Pro 11 a real distinction is the Snapdragon X processor family. Being an ARM architecture (think system on chip processors like Android and iPhones), The possibility of real processing speed comparable with the x86 architecture previously used is here. I have not experienced any slow downs with this chip. The other part though, and this was crucial for me in a tablet, is that the Snapdragon X, along with Microsoft’s optimizations in Windows they are beginning to roll out, make battery life in the Surface Pro 11 on scale with tablets with Android or iPadOS. This is huge, because for me I was hesitant to use a Windows tablet due to battery life, opting for laptops with bigger batteries to compensate for the power hungry processors needed before. This processor is phenomenal for this aspect. Qualcomm has also really beefed up the neural processing of this processor which is the “brain” for AI and Copilot. This allows for incredibly speedy results when using AI. It makes it a joy to use. Overall, I would recommend this machine for anyone wanting a true tablet Windows experience. It does run your applications that are not compiled for ARM in an emulation layer, so those at times might take a slight performance hit, but I didn’t notice anything that was unusable. The battery life makes this an immediate upgrade from the 10th gen Surface Pro for me.
I have been wanting a Microsoft Surface tablet for a long while now, so was beyond excited to be able to get this one! The Dune color is beautiful! It reminds me of a dark rose gold, which I love.The 13" OLED display is super bright and crisp. Just, wow! It's honestly awesome. The magnetic 'snap on' power cord is really great. It latches on to the port on the side of the tablet securely, and even has a light to show that it is fastened on correctly. The 'fold out' lower panel on the backside of the Surface Pro is adjustable, so you are able to position the tablet at just the right angle you so choose. There are 2 handy USB-C ports on the side, as well.Setting up my new Surface Pro was actually fun. Since this was my first experience with a Microsoft tablet, I ... MoreI have been wanting a Microsoft Surface tablet for a long while now, so was beyond excited to be able to get this one! The Dune color is beautiful! It reminds me of a dark rose gold, which I love.The 13" OLED display is super bright and crisp. Just, wow! It's honestly awesome. The magnetic 'snap on' power cord is really great. It latches on to the port on the side of the tablet securely, and even has a light to show that it is fastened on correctly. The 'fold out' lower panel on the backside of the Surface Pro is adjustable, so you are able to position the tablet at just the right angle you so choose. There are 2 handy USB-C ports on the side, as well.Setting up my new Surface Pro was actually fun. Since this was my first experience with a Microsoft tablet, I spent the time getting to know my new device. Updates took the usual time, and after a small "hiccup" being able to log into my OneDrive account, we were up and running!The Snapdragon X 12-core processor, so far, is performing above my expectations. It truly feels as though I'm using a mid-range laptop, and not a tablet. So responsive, with fast transitions when opening multiple windows, starting software, and switching between all of these operations with ease. The 16gb RAM also assists with helping numerous applications and tasks to run smoothly.I'm not a big fan, as of yet, of AI in general. However, as someone fascinated by technology and well versed in trying out innovative tech, I'm interested in seeing where AI will leads us as this "new" technology will certainly improve and be implimented in many more useful applications to come.Copilot itself was interesting. There are 3 "modes" - Creative, Balanced, and Precise. You can type in a short description of what you'd like to be created, or speak it. The AI does the rest. I tried all three modes and came to understand that depending on the criteria of what you'd like the AI to create for you, you should best choose which mode to use in order to get the desired result.That being said, the Live Captions feature proved quite useful. Sometimes the videos I watch from various international content creators can be difficult to understand. Being able to use this feature during video chats for business or school work, ie to make "in-person" conversations easier to understand in 'real time', is a big plus.CoCreator was also very very fun to play around with. The tools were basic, yet simple enough to understand, being similar to other types of creation software. I'm not an artist, but I've studied art and admire those skilled with this particular talent. While the Style options were simplistic and limited, they gave me several choices with which to manipulate the AI generated image that I had the program draw. Using the Creativity slider changed the image even more, but putting the slider all the way to the right, caused my drawing to become a bit weird (not necessarily a bad thing).Windows Studio Effects is another really fun feature to experiment with while using the camera and for videos. I liked how the creative filters removed the wrinkles on my face, but at the same time, there was that "unreal" AI look I've come to recognize and not like very much. But that's merely a matter of preference.My overall take? After trying out Copilot+ and all the new features this Microsoft Surface Pro has going for it, I'm beyond pleased! Using this tablet is FUN! Whether you are an artist, content creator, writer (like myself), or someone interested in AI software options for personal use or business/work, then this Surface tablet is one to consider. It's features are geared toward the future. With this device, Microsoft is "forward thinking." I've no doubt that this technology will improve and become even more innovative as time goes on.
The new Surface Pro with Copilot+ is one of the more exciting new Windows devices to launch in recent memory. Sporting all new Snapdragon powered internals, with a knockout OLED screen and class best battery life, this finally feels like the tablet that can truly bridge the divide between tablet and laptop. That said, the experience not without hiccups.Fit and finish on this tablet are frankly second to none. It emanates quality, featuring an incredible display, uniquely rich color, and a rock solid hinge mechanism. It has an assured weight, owing to its (presumably) aluminum chassis. Ports are a bit lacking, with only 2 USB C ports on the left and the single power port on the right. Notably lacking are a headphone port (which, in truth, is becoming somewhat passe ... MoreThe new Surface Pro with Copilot+ is one of the more exciting new Windows devices to launch in recent memory. Sporting all new Snapdragon powered internals, with a knockout OLED screen and class best battery life, this finally feels like the tablet that can truly bridge the divide between tablet and laptop. That said, the experience not without hiccups.Fit and finish on this tablet are frankly second to none. It emanates quality, featuring an incredible display, uniquely rich color, and a rock solid hinge mechanism. It has an assured weight, owing to its (presumably) aluminum chassis. Ports are a bit lacking, with only 2 USB C ports on the left and the single power port on the right. Notably lacking are a headphone port (which, in truth, is becoming somewhat passe in 2024) and additional USB ports which could be quite useful for those using the Surface Pro in professional capacity.Speaking of usage... I'm both blown away and slightly underwhelmed by the performance. In general, the device is lightning quick. The best way I can describe it is that most of the time, it feels like a phone, which is to say that it feels incredibly responsive with infrequent slow downs. However, it's not quite there; actions like three finger pinches on the touchscreen, or especially three finger swipes on the touchpad of the optional Pro keyboard attachment feel VERY laggy. These lag instances are made all the more obvious by how fluid the rest of the experience is overall. It's a bit of a disappointment, but overall the performance here feels ALMOST top notch a lot of the time, and I feel this is likely an area that will continue to improve as the Snapdragon X platform matures. At least, I hope it does.I've had zero problems with apps being able to run correctly, which is frankly amazing given where Windows was just a few short years ago in terms of emulation ability for ARM based processors. Brief trials of Adobe based products (Premier and Photoshop) both ran exceptionally well in my limited experience. Very brief testing with Reaper, which has no native Windows based ARM support currently, also seemed to work correctly. Again, this is a marked improvement over previous iterations of ARM based systems on Windows. Overall, it's highly impressive, and points to a concerted effort to make this a class leading device that can do it all. Almost. All that said, don't expect to do any type of serious gaming on this thing. Given the device type, you shouldn't anyways, but the additional emulation layer required to run a lot of games at current time means anything fast paced is likely out of the question. This, as with a lot of things here, will likely to improve in the coming months, though, as platform support for the Snapdragon X chips expands across the industry.The elephant in the room here, besides of course the shiny new Snapdragon X Elite processor, is the inclusion of what Microsoft has branded "Copilot+ PC". This aims to integrate a series of AI features directly into the OS, giving you quick access to tools that should help your day to day workflow. My primary usage of this was to invoke Copilot using dedicated Copilot button on the keyboard to assist in software development tasks. Powered by a combo of GPT-4 and Bing Search, Copilot is as useful as you'd expect at tasks. Overall, this is a nicely streamlined experience for those that utilize Chat GPT on a regular basis, and the inclusion of GPT-4 without an OpenAI premium sub is a really nice bonus. The other main AI feature I've tried in my short time with the Surface Pro laptop is the "Cocreator" function in MS Paint. Yes, that MS Paint, that long ago was relegated to intentionally awful "photoshops". Now, with a Surface Pen and Cocreator, you can create legitimately solid pictures. Or at least that's the sales pitch. My personal experience with this has been underwhelming, personally. Great idea, less than great implementation.Finally, I'll mention battery life. Put simply, it's stellar. Compared to other Windows laptops I've had (including a Surface Book Pro 3), this Surface Pro tablet is heads and shoulders above all of them. I'm routinely going days without charging on moderate usage. This finally feels like what we should be expecting out of our devices; multiple days of battery life without sacrificing performance.Overall, I really enjoy using the Surface Pro tablet. As mentioned earlier, this is the first device that I've used that truly feels like it's bridging the gap between tablet and laptop/PC. This iteration of ARM on Windows is in its infancy, but already, the makings are there of something great. This feels like the future for all but the most demanding workflows (like gaming), and likely will continue to amass market share in the coming months and years. Finally, Microsoft has spent some capital on trying to make evolve their ecosystem and finally, it feels like they're on their way to doing it. Nagging performance issues aside, this device is a joy to use in a number of scenarios, and will likely become my primary device for travel, work, and leisure.
| Graphics | QualcommFootnote Adreno GPU |
