Verdict
The Microsoft Surface Pro 8 represents a big redesign for the troupe ’s high - end intercrossed gimmick . As such , not all that much has change with the fresh Surface Pro 9 , keeping this premature looping as a viable pick where you could save some money in the process . Along with key rising slope , like the comprehension of Thunderbolt connectivity , the Intel 11th Gen CPU and 120Hz refresh rate screen make for a suitable herculean and modern machine even in 2023 . Like with Surface Pro devices of the past , the keyboard cover stay an essential purchase .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The Surface Pro 8 is Microsoft ’s flagship convertible lozenge - come - laptop computer from 2021 , letting buyers use it as a Windows tablet or portable laptop computer / sketch station when paired with the optional Signature Cover slip and Slim Pen 2 .
This puts it in verbatim contender with Apple’siPad Proline of pill . Microsoft has refine its design and added upgrades like more powerful components and a 120Hz sieve . But niggling issuing with its computer software make it feel a small difficult to use as a standalone lozenge .
But the flipside , when paired with a Type Cover , and the svelte Pen 2 itsWindows 11software lets it go much well as a full fat laptop refilling than its Apple rival , making it good for position use .
Design
airfoil gadget traditionally have fairly useful designs , with Microsoft tending to make minor refinements , rather than outright changes twelvemonth - on - year . This changed with the Surface Pro 8 and its contemporary invention boost , but the newfangled Surface Pro 9 reverts to typewrite with no visual difference , sans a unexampled Forest green color selection .
The tablet contribute slightly rounded edges and a monotonic back . It also come with a built - in kickstand , which can be used to prop the tablet up at vary slant , let in an artist ’s easel . The only big visible difference is that the fresh Surface Pro 8 has a smaller , but still noticeable , bezel around its blind .
The smaller bezel is welcome , and like retiring Surfaces , there is wad to like about the design . The pad of paper ’s alloy frame feels well - build and offer next to no flex when pressed . The matte refinement looks decent , despite being prone to pick up fingermark marks and scrape a petty too easily , and the tablet is light enough to hold and use on the go without breaking your back .
One of the Surface Pro 8 ’s side - confront USB - speed of light connection is aThunderbolt 4port . The deficiency of a Thunderbolt connection has been an ongoing bitch of mine with Surface devices , so it ’s great to see Microsoft eventually embrace the engineering . Thunderbolt 4 brings several cardinal benefits include fast data transfer speeds and the power to connect to multiple 4 K displays via the USB C port .
It can also be used for charging , though Microsoft has opted to laden the Surface Pro 8 with a proprietary line for this . The cable works fine , it ’s just a faff having to remember to pack it every time you take the machine out and about . USB - C charging is endlessly more convenient .
But even with Thunderbolt , the port offering feels a short light . The only other connective you get are a phone jack on the shortsighted left over side . There ’s no South Dakota or Micro SD identity card time slot here , but there is a swappable SSD inside . The headphone laborer is now a benefit this model has over the late Surface Pro 9 , which ditches this port . The rest of the port wine are the same , however .
The Surface ’s rearward camera has also been given a spruce , with Microsoft loading it with the same 10MP sensor seen on theSurface Pro X. Up front it has the same 5 - megapixel front - facing television camera check on its predecessor .
I would n’t urge using the 10MP rearward camera to take distillery as your sound will almost for sure entrance good persona . But the power to seize television in 4 kilobyte with the rearward camera is useful , specially if you ’re immortalise a presentation for workplace .
The front camera told a similar fib . It was capable to get great 1080p footage for work Zoom anticipate , with the ikon take care sharp and clear to people on the other ending . The two far - field studio apartment microphones also never had any issue picking up my voice .
The biggest , and most positive , change concern to the Surface Pro 8 ’s Signature Keyboard and Slim Pen 2 active stylus . The keystone are somewhat more comfortable to typecast on than their iPad rivals and have honest rails pads , but in the past times they ’ve had a tendency to flex when met with even moderate power . Past Surface ’s have also offered no way of life to easily tail their optional active stylus .
Thankfully these two way out have been , for the most part , sterilize with the new Signature keyboard and Slim Pen 2 . The unexampled keyboard has a atomic number 6 fiber layer , which makes it feel a set sturdier to typewrite on , removing the flex I experience using past Type Covers . As an add perk , the keyboard also has a dock for the Slim Pen . This sit on its top long side and has a clever magnetic mechanics that charge and hides the pen when the pill department is attached .
The pen is slightly different to the older Surface Pen seen on past Pro tablets . It ’s plastic , has monotonous side and features a newfangled built - in tactile motor that aims to reduplicate the look of imbibe or writing on theme when interact with the Pro 8 ’s screen . The feature ferment well enough , though it ’s not quite as bona fide 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 matt-up the penitentiary ’s shape was n’t quite as ergonomic , and once in a while I receive hired hand cramps when using it for prolonged digital painting sessions .
The upgrades are very welcome and make the Surface Pro 8 feel like a much more competent laptop computer successor than most contend convertibles , include the iPad Pro . My only quibble is that Microsoft ’s still charge an arm and a leg to get them . The keyboard alone costs an extra £ 159.99 . Considering the fact you really necessitate this to make the most out of the twist , I ca n’t aid but think the keyboard should add up roll up with the Surface Pro by nonremittal .
Screen
One of the prominent updates Microsoft has made to the Surface Pro 8 relates to its screenland . It has n’t updated the panel to useMini LEDtech , like the stuff seen on the novel iPad Pro . It has n’t even made the jump toOLED .
The 13 - inch liquid crystal display covert has the same 3:2 aspect ratio , 2880 x 1920 resolve as the Surface Pro 7 . The difference is that Microsoft has increased the screen ’s max refresh charge per unit to 120Hz .
This increase the maximal number of images per second gear the screen can display from 60 to 120 . A high refresh rate brings with it many benefits . The most noticeable is smoother scrolling and navigation , as there ’s less of a interruption between each effigy in an animation .
It can also assist gamers for the same grounds , reducing the break between a command being input and it playing out on covert . That tell , the Surface Pro 8 is not powerful enough for aboriginal AAA play , and the only swarm cyclosis service that bear out a 120Hz refresh rate is the premium architectural plan ofGeForce Nowwhich cost a whopping £ 89.89 every six months .
The downside to a mellow refresh rate is that the increased force per unit area to press out more images per bit puts a much bigger waste pipe on a equipment ’s battery . You also have to manually go into the Surface Pro 8 ’s options and localize the video display to run in either 60Hz or 120Hz , although download an Intel driver will make the summons automatic .
Elsewhere , the screen feel very interchangeable to preceding surface . This means the screen is great for productiveness and basic things like Netflix binging , but not appropriate for hardcore originative work .
To the naked oculus , the screen looks vibrant . Netflix picture show have nice rich blackness , despite the filmdom being LCD , and max brightness level levels let content and schoolbook remain legible in everything but direct , bright sunlight . Content on Netflix look bully , despite the lack of formal HDR documentation and all in all I had no issues using the screen day - to - twenty-four hour period during testing .
Cracking out a colourimeter , our run results back up up my material - world findings . The twist recorded a 0.36 nit black degree , which is very beneficial for a non - OLED screen and above average 460.99 nit max luminousness . The issue gives the screen a reliable 1279:1 contrast proportion . As a rule of thumb , anything over 1000:1 on a laptop computer is dear .
The only issues fall out after I started curb colour gamut insurance coverage . Gamuts are kitchen range that inform how many colourise a screen can accurately generate . The high the insurance coverage the more accurate the colours are . The Surface Pro 8 cover 99.4 % of the bog - standard sRGB gamut , which makes it a solid performer for daylight - to - twenty-four hour period activeness .
But it only covers 73.4 % of the Adobe RGB and 75.7 % of the DCI P3 gamut favoured by creatives that work in physical culture medium . I ’d want a gadget being market for creatives to comprehend at least 80 % of these gamut out of the box seat .
Performance
Under the hood , the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 is powered by one of Intel ’s 11th Gen CPUs , that ’s compared to newer twelfth Gen chips usable on the Surface Pro 9 . The accurate mainframe and RAM configuration can be customize in the Microsoft Store . The version I tested features an 11th Gen Intel Core i7 - 1185G7 CPU and 16 GB of RAM . Outside of the deviation in CPU , the specs of the Surface Pro 8 are the same as the Surface Pro 9 .
The Surface Pro 8 is more than powerful enough for everyday function . Using it as my work laptop computer , I never had any issues , even when go a quite honestly idiotic act of tabs in Chrome and doing some basic prototype retouching work in GIMP .
Intel ’s integrated XE graphics are n’t a replacement for a dGPU , but the apparatus works well . rightful AAA gaming is beyond it , but during examination I was able to get popular game including Minecraft and Apex Legends to run at playable frame rates , albeit with their graphical preferences lowered .
It also ran creative work load okay . I ’ve been able-bodied to digitally paint in Krita and do basic 3-D model in Blender on the Surface Pro 8 without any real bickering . Though more hard-core workload like large - scale vector projects and video editing will give it intermission .
I was also impressed by how cool the tablet ran . The fan organization works well and ensured the gadget run coolheaded and quiet in most instance . The only time I noticed any warming or dissonance was when running demanding cognitive process for prolonged point , but even then the noise and heating system did n’t become real issues .
place the Surface Pro 8 through our standard entourage of synthetical benchmarks , the figure matched my material - creation findings . you’re able to see a breakdown of its scores and how they compare to contend devices in the table below . The lashings make for interesting reading if you ’re considering the Surface Pro 9 , as there ’s niggling in it .
Up against the Surface Pro 9 , you’re able to see there is small difference in individual - core performance and the Surface Pro 8 outperformed it in our holistic productiveness benchmark tryout , PCMark 10 . In practice , comparing our review experience , those appear for a productivity machine and not something that need multi - core power , like more vivid creative work or steganography , will find piddling difference twenty-four hour period - to - day . Like the Surface Pro 9 though , this model does hang short of more functional clamshell rivals .
The only real carrying into action issues I suffered come about when I essay to use the gimmick as a tab . Windows 11is a great step forward for Microsoft , featuring several UI changes that make it feel importantly more user - friendly than Windows 10 , plus some awesome backend security , stability and performance improvement . But the fact is , no matter what Microsoft says , it ’s not properly optimised for pure feeling comment .
you may voyage through Windows 11 using the on - screen keyboard and touchscreen , but compared to iPad OS the experience feel very inept . The desktop view is also fiddly to sail with even introductory things , like changing display options not feeling as quick and easy to do in a few clicks as it is on Android and iPad OS . This is why I would describe the Surface Pro as a hybrid that ’s designed to be a laptop first and tablet secondly , despite the fact it does n’t arrive with a keyboard .
Battery Life
Microsoft quotes the Surface Pro 8 as offering 16 hour barrage life , and during examination I found that it is possible to get that much use out of the gadget under certain conditions .
How long the battery will last is dependent on a sort of factors , the chief of which is what processes you are running and what screen setting you ’re using . I only induce 16 hour when I completely shut down all superfluous preferences and lowered the screen brightness to levels most mass would n’t obtain comfortable using .
With the screen locked to 60Hz and regular brightness level ( around 150 nit ) the Surface Pro 8 easily live on a full work day ’s use still . log on at 8.30am , run web apps and pull in and convey more Zoom birdsong than I care to admit , with a agile Game Pass session during luncheon , the equipment still had around 10 % of its explosive charge come clock off fourth dimension at 5 postmortem examination .
However , ramp the preferences up and throw a few more demanding workloads at the Surface Pro 8 and it ’ll drain its electric charge a lot quicker . bring graphically - intensive tasks , like 3D modelling in Blender , I managed to drain the battery in less than 3 hours . The 120Hz screen place setting also spill around 2 - 3 hours off the gimmick ’s life , even if you ’re just doing basic situation work and web browsing .
My real - worldly concern findings ring true when I ran PCMark 10 ’s semisynthetic barrage fire test . This is a bench mark that model everyday role workloads , like picture calling , WWW browsing and document redaction , on a closed circuit until the shelling is completely drained .
lead the test the Surface Pro live 8 hours 44 minutes when docked to a Signature Keyboard natural covering , and 9 minute 52 when undocked . These figures are n’t groundbreaking by either tablet or laptop standards . Putting these stats up against the newer Surface Pro 9 , like the public presentation , there is n’t much in it but you might be able to squeeze a bit more from the Old Surface Pro 8 . With the Surface Pro 9 , our answer were around 6 - 7 minute of screen on time when tackling fairly intensive productivity chore .
Thankfully the twist is reasonably flying to charge . Using the let in proprietary charger the Surface Pro took an average of 30 - 40 minutes to go from 0 - 100 % .
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Should you buy it?
If you ’re on the hunting for a gadget that can function as a solid , extremely portable laptop computer for position work that can duplicate as a home amusement place , then the Surface Pro 8 is one of the sound options currently available .
Windows tablets in general are n’t a keen purchase if you just need to watch Netflix or pursue in the odd morsel of digital creative work . Without a keyboard the computer software simply is n’t as well optimised as Apple ’s compete iPad OS . This remain the case with the Surface Pro 8 .
Final Thoughts
The Microsoft Surface Pro 8 is worth considering if you ’ve looked at the newer Surface Pro 9 but retrieve it ’s a bit too much money . There ’s little practical divergence beyond a newfangled Forest gullible color . The Pro 8 is a compelling choice for any buyer on the market place for an extremist - portable laptop computer that can double up as a introductory tablet . The only serious downside is that Microsoft ’s still charging extra for the Signature Keyboard cover and Slim Pen 2 active stylus , which are essential items you ’ll need to get the most out of the equipment .
Trusted Score
How we test
Every laptop or transmutable we review goes through a series of uniform checks designed to gauge key things include build quality , operation , screen quality and barrage sprightliness .
FAQs
The Surface Signature keyboards are not bunch up with the lozenge , you have to purchase them as optional extras .
The Surface Pro 8 ’s screen does not have a variable refresh pace . It can be manually coiffe to run for at either 60Hz or 120Hz .
Microsoft does not offer a 5 constant of gravitation interlingual rendition of the Surface Pro 8 .
