Surface Pro 8 vs. Surface Pro 7: Microsoft’s latest 2-in-1 is bigger, better than before

Microsoft announced its latest premier two-in-one, the Surface Pro 8, at its Sept. 22 event and it ‘s now. The Surface Pro had n’t received a full update since October 2019, when the Pro 7 was introduced. That seems like eons ago — and even then it did n’t change much from the Surface Pro 6. Earlier this year, Microsoft did introduce the Surface Pro 7 Plus for Business. however, it has the same design as the Pro 7 but with 11th-gen Intel processors and Windows 10 Pro. There ‘s besides the 13-inch Surface Pro X that uses a custom-made Arm-based chipset from Microsoft alternatively of an Intel central processing unit. With Windows 11 nowadays available, though, this is a good time to update it inwardly and out, and that ‘s what we got. While the Surface Pro 7 is no longer in the batting order, you ‘ll hush be able to buy one — — until retailers sell through their stock. Microsoft is keeping the Surface Pro 7 Plus around and will have for those who want a “ classical Surface Pro. ”

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Microsoft ‘s new Surface Pro 8 is the flagship for Windows …

A larger, faster display

The is basically a mashup of the and ; it ‘s the same-ish body of the 13-inch Pro ten with the processors of the Pro 7 Plus. The Pro 8 is chummy and heavier than the Pro X but not by much. Since the Pro 7 and Pro 7 Plus are built around a 12.3-inch expose, the 13-inch Pro 8 is larger than that model, excessively. Although the Surface Pro 8 display is the same size and resolution as the Pro X, the Surface Pro 8 ‘s blind has a refresh rate that goes up to 120Hz, which should make write and drawing on the display a smoother feel ( and gambling, excessively ). When the excess speed is n’t needed, it can drop to 60Hz to save battery liveliness .

specification

Surface Pro 8

Surface Pro 7 Plus (2021)

Surface Pro 7 (2019)

iPad Pro (12.9-inch, 2021)

Price

Starts at $1,100, £999, AU$1,649

Starts at $900, £909, AU$1,349

Starts at $650, £639, AU$1,149

Starts at $999, £199, AU$1,649

Optional keyboard

$180, £160, AU$260

$129, £125, AU$200

$129, £125, AU$200

$329, £329, AU$549

Optional stylus

$130, £120, AU$190

$99, £60, AU$140

$99, £60, AU$140

$119, £119, AU$199

Display

13-inch PixelSense display (120Hz), 2,880×1,920 (267 ppi)

12.3-inch PixelSense display, 2,736×1,824 resolution (267 ppi)

12.3-inch PixelSense display, 2,736×1,824 resolution (267 ppi)

12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR True Tone with ProMotion display, 2,732×2,048 resolution (264 ppi)

Processor

11th-gen Intel Core i5, i7

11th-gen Intel Core i3, i5, i7

10th-gen Intel Core i3, i5, i7

M1

RAM

8GB / 16GB / 32GB

8GB / 16GB / 32GB

4GB / 8GB / 16GB

8GB / 16GB

Storage

128GB / 256GB / 512GB / 1TB

128GB / 256GB / 512GB / 1TB

128GB / 256GB / 512GB / 1TB

128GB / 256GB / 512GB / 1TB / 2TB

SIM card support for cellular model

None

Nano-SIM, eSIM

None

Nano-SIM; eSIM; 5G support (sub-6 GHz and mmWave)

Wireless

802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6), Bluetooth 5.1

802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6), Bluetooth 5.0

802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6), Bluetooth 5.0

802.11ax, Bluetooth 5.0

Ports

USB-C (2; USB 4.0/Thunderbolt 4), Surface Connect, Surface Type Cover port, 3.5mm headphone jack

USB-C, Surface Connect, Surface Type Cover port, MicroSDXC, USB-A, 3.5mm headphone jack

USB-C, Surface Connect, Surface Type Cover port, MicroSDXC, USB-A, 3.5mm headphone jack

USB-C with Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 support

Cameras

Front: 5-megapixel with support for Windows Hello, rear: 10-megapixel

Front: 5-megapixel with support for Windows Hello, rear: 8-megapixel

Front: 5-megapixel with support for Windows Hello, rear: 8-megapixel

Front: 12-megapixel TrueDepth; 1080p video, rear: 12-megapixel f/1.8 wide, 10-megapixel f/2.4 ultrawide

OS

Windows 11 Home

Windows 10 Pro or Windows 11 Pro

Windows 10 Home

iPadOS

Dimensions (HWD)

11.3 x 8.2 x 0.37 inches

11.5 x 7.9 x 0.33 inches

11.5 x 7.9 x 0.33 inches

11 x 8.5 x 0.25 inches

Weight

2 lb., 0.9 kg

1.7 lb., 0.77 kg

1.7 lb., 0.77 kg

1.5 lb., 0.68 kg

Battery life

Up to 16 hours

Up to 15 hours

Up to 10.5 hours

Up to 10 hours

Buh-bye, USB-A; hello, Thunderbolt 4

With the move to 11th-gen Intel processors, Microsoft added not one, but two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports. This makes it easier than ever to connect external displays directly to the Surface Pro, a well as giving you high-speed data transfers and more expansion options with a dock or hub. And even though Microsoft still uses its proprietorship Surface Connector for the power adapter, you can charge the Pro 8 via the USB-C ports. Of course, with the addition of the USB-C ports, something had to go : There is no more good ol ‘ USB-A port on the Surface Pro 8. Microsoft besides did away with the microSD poster slot for expanding storage. The two-in-one does offer a obliterable SSD option, though it is a short M.2 2230 drive. hush, it ‘s an option down the road if you need more physical storage. Read more:  hera ‘s what the Surface Duo 2 needs to succeed. Plus, check out how the specification stack up between the Surface Duo 2 and Surface Duo, and some cool television camera tricks the Surface Duo can do .microsoft-surface-pro-8-03 Richard Peterson/CNET

New keyboard, new pen; neither are included

As you might expect, the increased screen size of the Surface Pro 8 means the keyboard cover from the Pro 7 wo n’t fit. If you ‘re upgrading to the Pro 8, you ‘ll need a new keyboard shroud, excessively. Microsoft did develop a modern one for the Pro 8 that has a touch at the top to hold and charge the new Surface Slim Pen 2. Like past Surface Pro models, the keyboard traverse is n’t included with the Surface Pro 8. Neither is the pen. They are not cheap. The keyboard entirely is $ 180, the pen is $ 130 and bundled together they ‘re $ 280. At least the kickstand is built into the torso of the Pro 8 therefore you do n’t have to buy a separate cover for that affair.

A lot more time to work, create and play

While the 11th-gen Intel Core processors will surely boost performance over the Surface Pro 7 ‘s 10th-gen chips, it ‘ll besides give you much better battery biography. True, it helps that the Surface Pro 8 besides has a larger battery tamp down. But, according to Microsoft ‘s numbers, the Pro 7 Plus, using the same size battery as the regular Pro 7, gets improving to 15 hours of battery animation compared to the Pro 7 ‘s 10.5 hours. The Pro 8 will run for up to 16 hours. Richard Peterson/CNET
The Surface Pro 8 has a larger, faster display, new processors to improve performance and extend battery life, Thunderbolt 4 for greater versatility and a new keyboard and pen. It is, however, distillery pricey, and the keyboard, which is reasonably much a must-have, is n’t included. Neither is its active pen .
Read our Surface Pro 8 review .

Sarah Tew/CNET
just because there ‘s a newer model does n’t mean the predecessor is n’t worth considering. Microsoft immediately dropped the prices on its remaining Surface Pro 7 models. A larger display is courteous, but if you ‘re chiefly using it as a pill, the smaller Pro 7 is a better option. Battery biography and performance might not be adenine good as the Pro 8 but you ‘ll be saving money. And if you want the smaller size with the benefits of Intel ‘s 11th-gen processors, it looks like you ‘ll be able to get that with the Surface Pro 7 Plus minus the extra cost for the commercial interpretation .
Read our Surface Pro 7 review .

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