Surface Pro 8 is a media-centric 13-inch pill with a 120Hz Dolby Vision show | Engadget

Microsoft’s new Surface Pro 8 pill can truly go toe-to-toe with most ultraportables. It encompasses a 13-inch PixelSense display, a big improve from the earlier 12.3-inch show. Even higher, it is one of many first non-gaming notebooks we have seen that helps a 120Hz refresh fee, which makes scrolling via net pages and jotting down notes loads smoother. And after all, it is constructed with Windows 11 in thoughts.

Together with a few of Intel’s newest Eleventh-gen processors, in addition to long-awaited help for Thunderbolt 4, the Surface Pro 8 might tempt over potential patrons who had been turned off by the constraints of earlier fashions. As a lot as I’ve preferred earlier Surface Pros, the final mannequin made it clear that Microsoft critically wanted to vary issues up.

Personally, I’m simply glad to see these chunky Surface bezels fade away. Over the final decade, Dell, ASUS and most different PC makers have targeted on shaving down borders to cram in bigger shows. Microsoft proved it might try this with the Surface Pro X, however that refined design has been absent from the usual Surface line till now. The new 13-inch edge-to-edge Pixelsense touchscreen is 11 p.c bigger, 12.5 p.c brighter and sports activities a ten.8 p.c increased decision, in line with Microsoft. There are nonetheless some noticeable bezels alongside the highest and entrance of the Surface Pro 8, however not less than they don’t seem to be ugly (and so they may very well be helpful for holding it in portrait mode).

The Surface Pro 8 can be a significant step ahead below the hood: It might be outfitted with as much as a quad-core Intel Core i7-1185G7, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. The LTE mannequin caps out at 512GB of storage, however you’ve got additionally acquired the choice of plugging in a 128GB or 256GB detachable SSD on the backside of the case. That’s definitely a greater possibility than the microSD card slot earlier fashions had.

Microsoft claims the Surface Pro 8 is greater than twice as quick because the Pro 7, one thing you possibly can attribute each to that new Intel CPU and the improved Intel Xe graphics on the i5 and i7 fashions. You can count on 74 p.c quicker sustained graphics efficiency, in addition to 40 p.c higher sustained CPU efficiency. Of course, we’ll need to run our personal benchmarks to substantiate these figures.

Thankfully, the Surface Pro 8 lastly helps Thunderbolt 4 on its two USB-C ports. That means you can join quick exterior arduous drives, a number of 4K exterior screens and even an exterior GPU. As for different updates, the rear digital camera is now 10MP as an alternative of 8MP, and it additionally helps 4K video. The front-facing digital camera remains to be 5MP with 1080p video, nevertheless it ought to provide higher low-light efficiency. As for battery life, Microsoft says the Pro 8 ought to last as long as 16 hours, a leap forward of the estimated 10.5 on the Pro 7. You’ll additionally have the ability to cost it as much as 80 p.c in over an hour.

While it isn’t an enormous step up, I’ll have an interest to see how nicely the brand new Surface Slim Pen 2 works on the Pro 8’s 120Hz display. Microsoft’s tablets have all the time supplied a number of the greatest digital inking round, however a quicker display ought to make jotting down notes really feel much more like placing pen to paper. The Slim Pen 2 additionally encompasses a haptic motor for lifelike suggestions, and it may be seamlessly tucked (and charged) within the Surface Pro Signature Keyboard.

And no, Microsoft nonetheless is not bundling any of its keyboard covers with the Surface Pro 8. The new pill can be barely heavier than the Pro 7, clocking in at 1.96 kilos as an alternative of 1.7. That could seem to be a marginal distinction, nevertheless it’s one thing you will really feel in your wrist when you’re truly utilizing it as a pill.

With a bigger and extra responsive display, in addition to extra energy, the Surface Pro 8 may very well be a severe competitor with ultraportables like Dell’s XPS 13. We’ve additionally seen different PC makers try and make hybrid units just like the Surface, however none of them have surpassed Microsoft’s {hardware}. Perhaps now, with even higher {hardware} and a shiny new OS, Microsoft can lastly persuade extra individuals to take an opportunity on the Surface Pro.

The Surface Pro 8 will begin at $1,100 and is available to pre-order today. It’ll be on sale with the remainder of the Surface lineup on Windows 11’s launch date, October fifth.

Follow all the information from Microsoft’s fall Surface occasion proper right here.