Summary
When it was introduced in 2021, the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 (with a starting price of $1,099) was the newest model in the company’s lineup of 2-in-1 Surface Pro tablets.
This version has two Thunderbolt 4 connections, a detachable SSD, a 13-inch 120Hz display, and an 11th generation Intel CPU. Not to mention that it is compatible with Microsoft’s most recent operating system, Windows 11, and comes with it straight out of the box. The Surface Pro 8 is perfect for usage at home or on the go because of its compact size and lightweight construction.
I tested the item and found it to be reliable for daily usage. I really liked how the tablet and the touch-friendly Windows 11 OS interface. The cameras on the front and back of the device are excellent and produce crisp, detailed photographs. Regretfully, the Surface Pro 8 falls short of expectations when it comes to gaming performance and its 16 hours of battery life.
The Surface 8 Pro is maybe the greatest model in Microsoft’s renowned Surface family, despite a few of these complaints. This is one of the greatest 2-in-1 laptops, so anyone seeking to upgrade from the Surface Pro 7 or find a new laptop should give it some serious thought. To learn why, read my whole review of the Surface 8 Pro.
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 review: Price and configuration
Platinum and Graphite are the two colors that the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 is now available in at the Microsoft Store. There are eight distinct options for the Platinum model, the basic model costing $999 and coming with an Intel Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD. An Intel Core i7, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD are available in a $2,599 variant.
As of this writing, there are only four different options available for the Graphite model. This includes a lower-end $1,199 model with an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. At $1,899, the most costly model has a 512GB SSD, 16GB of RAM, and an Intel Core i7 processor.
Visit our Microsoft promo codes page and choose your desired model to see if we can help you save a few extra bucks off the list price.
- Numerous options for setting
- Models in graphite and platinum are offered.
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 review: Design
The Surface Pro 8′s compact and lightweight size, measuring 11.3 x 8.2 x 0.37 inches and weighing 1.96 pounds, making it a good portable computer.
Not only does the black anodized aluminum case look good, but it also gives the 2-in-1 a robust, robust feel. A gleaming silver Microsoft logo on the kickstand is located on the rear of the device. The two indentations on each side of the device allow you to raise the kickstand. You may also access the detachable SSD in this manner. A webcam is located on the front, and another on the rear.
The Surface Pro Signature and Surface Pro X keyboards, which attach magnetically to the Surface Pro 8, have a connection on the bottom of the device. The new gadget has an 11% bigger display than the Surface Pro 7 thanks to thinner bezels. When positioned on your desk, the Surface Pro 8 feels and looks fantastic overall.
- light-weight and portable design
- thin bezels
- robust casing
- Detachable SSD.
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 review: Ports
The Surface Pro 8’s right side is home to a power button, two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C connectors, and a Surface Connect connection. On the left side are volume controls and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The Surface Pro 8 may be connected to external hard drives, GPUs, and displays. If you want to play games on the 2-in-1, you should definitely take use of the latter option.
Although having so few connectors may seem like a drawback at first, all that’s really needed for regular usage are the two USB-C ports and the Surface Connect port. You may link gadgets like the Microsoft Ocean Plastic Mouse and several Bluetooth game controllers because of Bluetooth connection. The USB-C ports are also freed up when a Surface Pro Signature or Surface Pro X keyboard is snapped to the underside of the tablet.
Just two ports for Thunderbolt 4.
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 review: Display
The 13-inch PixelSense touchscreen display on the Surface Pro 8 has a refresh rate of 120Hz and a resolution of 2880 x 1920 pixels. It also has Adaptive Color and Dolby Vision technologies.
Our tests show that the display reaches 444 nits in the middle of the screen and averages 452.8 nits throughout. This is almost the maximum 450 nits that Microsoft claims the Surface Pro 8 will have. Clear images are seen in both well-lit and poorly-lit areas.
The Surface Pro 8’s screen reaches 103.7% of the sRGB color spectrum and 71.9% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, according to our colorimeter (the closer to 100%, the better). Colors are vivid and fine details are easily visible in games, streaming video content, and almost anything else.
Excellent image quality.
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 review: Audio
The speakers of the Surface Pro 8 are located behind the upper bezel. Portable electronics often have mediocre audio that sounds flat and thin. Although not particularly remarkable, the Surface Pro 8’s audio is good for this sort of tablet.
The Surface Pro 8 produces excellent, sharp audio when you turn the volume down below 75%. This is valid regardless of whether it’s a YouTuber broadcasting live from their studio or a video game including loud music and explosions. While bass isn’t bad, it’s also not great. When it’s on maximum, the audio quality degrades and becomes a disorganized mess. Most of the time, you should keep the audio between 50 and 75 percent.
- shrewdly concealed speakers.
- Excellent audio quality for a tablet.
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 review: Performance
A quad-core 11th generation Intel i7-1185G7 CPU with 16GB of RAM was included with my review device. Throughout my testing, the Surface Pro 8 never gave up—all apps functioned flawlessly, whether I was using it for online surfing, YouTube video viewing, or Spotify listening. The 2-on-1’s remarkable performance is undoubtedly aided by the integrated Windows 11 operating system.
The Surface Pro 8’s total performance score on Geekbench 5.4 was 5,347. This is not even close to the M1-powered 2021 iPad Pro’s 7,298 score, which is more than that of the Dell XPS 13, which earned 5,639 points.
Regretfully, the Surface 8 Pro’s gaming experience was not very good. I thought Scarlet Nexus would be a simple game for the Surface Pro 8 to manage, so I loaded it using the built-in Xbox software on Windows 11. It wasn’t. The game has trouble maintaining 30 frames per second (FPS) right away. I was only able to experience a consistent 60 frames per second by reducing the resolution to 1440p and adjusting all visuals to medium.
On the Surface Pro 8, Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Gathering Storm averaged 37 frames per second at 1080p and 29 frames per second at 1920p. On the Dell XPS 15, in contrast, the game averaged 67 frames per second at 1080p and 41 frames per second at 2160p.
During my testing, I was unable to utilize a GPU or an external hard drive to play games. But if you can, I would advise using such external gadgets. The Surface Pro 8 performs well for daily chores but falls short when it comes to gaming. Better choices if you’re searching for a laptop specifically for gaming are the Alienware m15 R4 and the Razer Blade 14.
- strong performance on routine duties
- Performance in games is mediocre.
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 : Battery life
According to Microsoft, the Surface 8 Pro battery may last up to 16 hours when used normally at 150 nits and without auto-brightness or adaptive color. Nonetheless, our testing reveal that when the tablet is consistently used for online browsing, it lasts for 9 hours, 6 minutes, and 33 seconds (at 60Hz).
In my initial test, I was able to get about 7 hours out of the Surface Pro 8 by playing video games, viewing YouTube, listening to Spotify, and surfing the web. Of course, the most of the battery life was used by gaming. With the exception of games, I was able to get about ten hours of use out of the device after charging it overnight.
Even if 10 hours is more than 7, it’s still less than the 16 hours that were promised. When using the Surface Pro 8, it is recommended to keep it hooked into a charger.
Our tests revealed worse battery life than Microsoft had claimed.
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 : Webcam
The Surface Pro 8 has a 5MP front-facing camera, much as its predecessor. If you take pictures somewhere with good lighting, the camera captures photographs with a lot of detail. The camera captures a quality picture even in less than optimal lighting conditions. Even though I dislike taking selfies and staring at my own photos, the camera performed a great job catching both my finest and worst qualities.
For online meetings, the front-facing camera works really well. If the lighting in your room isn’t too dark, everyone you video chat with ought should be able to see you well. This kind of camera is extremely useful for those of us who have to join virtual meetings while working from home.
More impressive than the front-facing camera is the 10MP rear-facing camera. I was able to identify titles on video game covers and book spines when I took photos of my (cluttered) room. You won’t be sorry whether you utilize the front or back camera.
The back and front cameras both provide crisp quality.
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 : Software
There is no needless bloatware on the Surface Pro 8 screen, except for Microsoft Edge and the recycle bin. However, the main software development news is that Windows 11 is included with the Surface Pro 8.
The Surface Pro 8 will provide many users with their first hands-on encounter with Microsoft’s newest operating system. With Windows 11’s touch-friendly interface, the Surface Pro 8 is ideal. During my testing, I didn’t miss Windows 10 at all. The new applications and features were all easy to use and intuitive.
For a thorough examination, see our entire Windows 11 review.
Installed is Windows 11.
There is no bloatware visible.
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 : Heat
When using the Surface Pro 8 as a tablet, it feels tepid to the touch, especially in the area around the kickstand that houses the SSD.
When playing games, the fans whirr noisily, yet they are silent when not in use. They get so loud that they overpower the audio of the game. I advise you to use the gadget on a desk because of how hot it gets while you play games. To be honest however, I wouldn’t suggest using the Surface Pro 8 for gaming.
- lukewarm while doing in regular tasks
- The tablet becomes heated while playing games.
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 : Surface Slim Pen 2 and Surface Pro Signature keyboard
To get the most of the Surface Pro 8, you’ll need the Surface Slim Pen 2 optional and the Surface Pro Signature keyboard.
The Surface Slim Pen 2’s haptic motors simulate writing or drawing on paper when you use it. Although they won’t give up their Wacom tablets for a Surface Pro 8, digital artists may still make good use of Microsoft’s tablet. Although I wish it was more sensitive, writing or drawing with this pen is still preferable than using your fingers.
The fact that these accessories are offered separately is their biggest flaw. It hurts to spend an additional $129 for the Surface Slim Pen 2 and $179 for the keyboard, even if you decide to go with the $999 Surface Pro 8. The tablet ought to have included these two essential utilities in the package.
- Slim Pen 2’s haptic feedback is excellent.
- The Surface Pro 8’s signature keyboard seems like a logical extension of it.
- Each peripheral is offered individually.
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 : Verdict
The Microsoft Surface Pro 8, the newest model in the company’s 2-in-1 series, seems like a cutting-edge gadget. Its superb display quality adds to the enjoyment of viewing films. You won’t noticeably slow down while using the strong CPU to browse the internet, participate in video chats, or carry out other regular duties. Windows 11 also has a feeling of being designed just for the device.
The Surface 8 Pro’s battery life isn’t as long as Microsoft advertises, and gaming performance is somewhat lacking. Although they cost more, the Surface Slim Pen 2 and Surface Pro accessories work really well with the tablet.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 8 is a good 2-in-1 Windows 11 tablet that is a welcome improvement over the Surface Pro 7, despite its flaws.
