It’s onerous to imagine that Microsoft’s Surface, the gadget that virtually invented the removable 2-in-1, has already been round for nearly a decade. Today the convertible is getting its greatest refresh because the Surface Pro 3 again in 2015. Meet the Surface Pro 8.

Longtime Surface followers can have already seen that the Surface Pro 8 appears just like the Surface Pro X, with curvier, extra rounded edges. Microsoft additionally claims it’s twice as quick because the earlier mannequin, with 40% higher CPU efficiency and 74% sooner graphics because of its up to date vary of Eleventh-gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 or i7-1185G7 processors.

The Surface Pro 8’s configurations have additionally gotten a bump as much as 8GB of base RAM (or as much as 32GB totally loaded), with storage going as much as 512GB for the LTE mannequin or 1TB for the wifi-only variant.

However, the Surface Pro 8’s greatest improve is likely to be its show, which now spans a full 13 inches (up from 12.3 inches on the Surface Pro 7) together with a a lot sooner 120Hz refresh fee, a denser 2880 x 1920 decision display screen (up from 2736 x 1824). Microsoft claims the display screen is 12.5% larger too.

The Surface Pro 8’s bezels been trimmed down, however Microsoft nonetheless discovered room for each a 5-MP front-facing digicam and an IR cam that helps Windows Hello, with assist for twin Studio mics for improved audio on video calls. Around again, you get a 10-MP rear-facing digicam.

Even the Surface Pro 8’s removable keyboard has cribbed off the Surface Pro X’s design with a slot that holds Microsoft’s redesigned Surface Slim Pen 2. The stylus encompasses a slimmer, extra correct tip and model new haptics that provide you with surprisingly refined power suggestions when drawing or simply jotting down some notes.

I’m solely an off-the-cuff stylus person, however the brand new Surface Slim Pen 2 felt so good it makes me wish to attempt utilizing the stylus in additional conditions simply to see what it might actually do. I didn’t get a lot time with the Surface Pro 8 and Surface Slim Pen 2, however I’m curious to test it out in additional depth for our full evaluate.

Practically each spec and angle on the gadget has been polished and refined. The Surface Pro 8 even will get two new Thunderbolt 4 ports for sooner connectivity and improved exterior monitor assist, although Microsoft held onto the Surface’s magnetic charging connector. After almost a decade, Microsoft appears desperate to show it nonetheless does removable 2-in-1s higher than just about anybody else.

The firm didn’t neglect concerning the Surface Pro X, which already had the premium design Microsoft carried over to the Surface Pro 8. With Windows 11, the Surface Pro X now helps each x86 and x64 emulation, and there’s additionally a brand new 64-bit model of Office for ARM gadgets that improves efficiency for all of Microsoft’s productiveness apps. Third-party software program like Zoom, Photoshop, and others have additionally gotten improved optimization.

One different attention-grabbing observe is that the design of the Surface Pro 8 and Surface Pro X are so related now, the one simple method of telling them aside in particular person is to search for the skinny strip of vents behind the Surface Pro 8’s show. Its extra highly effective Intel CPUs requires air cooling, whereas the SQ1 and SQ2 chips within the Surface Pro X means it might nonetheless be utterly fanless.

Either method, Microsoft’s new Surface Pros have rather a lot to love. The Surface Pro X has a brand new decrease beginning value of simply $900, and the Surface Pro 8 begins only a bit larger at $1,100. Both can be found to preorder immediately and go on sale Oct. 5: Windows 11 launch day.