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

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Microsoft quotes the Surface Pro 8 as offering 16 hours battery life, and during testing I found that it is possible to get that much use out of the device under certain conditions. 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. 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. This puts it in direct competition with Apple’s iPad Pro line of tablets. Microsoft has refined its design and added upgrades like more powerful components and a 120Hz screen. But niggling issues with its software make it feel a little difficult to use as a standalone tablet.

I wouldn’t recommend using the 10MP rear camera to take stills as your phone will almost certainly capture better images. But the ability to capture video in 4K with the rear camera is useful, especially if you’re recording a presentation for work.Weight not including Microsoft Surface Pro Signature Keyboard and Microsoft Surface Slim Pen 2 (sold separately).

How long the battery will last is dependent on a variety of factors, the chief of which is what processes you are running and what screen settings you’re using. I only got 16 hours when I completely shut down all superfluous settings and lowered the screen brightness to levels most people wouldn’t find comfortable using. 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. I ran a video over two hours on full brightness and in that time the battery level dropped by nearly 40% so it would have lasted just over 5 hours in total - that’s okay but I have definitely seen better. Using the charger in the box, it took less than an hour and a half to recharge it from empty to 100% which is pretty good by any standards. 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. The Surface Pro 8 is Microsoft’s flagship convertible tablet-come-laptop from 2021, letting buyers use it as a Windows tablet or portable laptop/sketch station when paired with the optional Signature Cover case and Slim Pen 2.Colours available on selected models only. Available colours, sizes, finishes and processors may vary by store, market and configuration.

The internal hardware has been upgraded too, you’ll now get an 11th Gen Intel Core CPU with Intel Iris Xe Graphics and choice between 8GB, 16GB or 32GB of RAM. The Microsoft Surface Pro 7 had 10th Gen Intel Core CPUs, Intel UHD or Iris Plus graphics and the RAM varied from 4GB to 16GB. 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.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 However, ramp the settings up and throw a few more demanding workloads at the Surface Pro 8 and it’ll drain its charge a lot faster. Playing graphically-intensive tasks, like 3D modelling in Blender, I managed to drain the battery in less than 3 hours. The 120Hz screen setting also sheds around 2-3 hours off the device’s life, even if you’re just doing basic office work and web browsing.