I snagged this Surface Pro 7 w/ keyboard (i3/4GB RAM/128GB storage) model for just under $630, and at that price this thing is a steal. I was debating between this or a Surface Go (pentium gold/8GB RAM/128GB storage) at the same price-point and am ultimately glad that this is the model I went with. Some observation after a few days of use and testing below:
Best Features:
- Portability. I've tried convertible laptops like the Lenovo Yoga and a variety of tablets looking for a true "replace your laptop with a tablet" experience. The Surface Pro actually does it and does it very well. Some might find the Go to be a more/better option for portability, but personally I found the Go to be too small for typing and productivity uses.
- Screen. The quality of the screen on the Surface Pro is incredible. Colors are vibrant, the picture is sharp, and as a tablet that you'll likely get a lot of media playback out of, this is a definite plus.
- Kickstand. I was always skeptical of the kickstand on the Surface devices; everyone raves about them but they never seemed that impressive. Well, you'll find that the versatility it provides combined with the quality of its engineering deserves the praise the kickstand receives.
The Good:
- Price/Performance. The price performance ratio of the i3/4GB RAM/128GB storage model is pretty good. Occasionally due to the 4GB ram you'll see occasional slowdowns when you have multiple applications open (Chrome being a major offender), but it's nothing that truly hinders usability. The i3 is snappy and does well for regular productivity uses, and performs about 2x higher than the Pentium Gold processor found in the Surface Go ... but this device is not built for gaming or intensive photo/rendering software (no surprise there).
- Keyboard. The Type Cover keyboard has clicky and responsive keys with a good amount of travel in the keystrokes, and there is little bend or flex to the keyboard with regular use. In terms of a laptop keyboard, it's surprisingly good.
The Bad:
- RAM. In today's day and age, any computer running Windows 10 should really come with 8GB of RAM, 4 just is not enough because you WILL run into a RAM bottleneck. Is it a major problem with everyday use? No. But given the Surface Pro is a device starting at $600+ dollars that cannot be upgraded from its factory hardware, it's a clear ding.
- Windows 10 Tablet Mode. It exists, but it needs a lot of work. This isn't a fault specific to the Surface, but Windows 10 generally. You can certainly use a Surface Pro just fine without a keyboard and as a tablet, but Windows doesn't make it as easy or intuitive as it probably could/should be.
Overall, I'd recommend this Surface Pro to any students or office-goers who want a portable and well engineered device for everyday use. The Surface won't replace your desktop (assuming you have one), but it fills all the needs of an entry-level laptop very well.
| Standing screen display size | 12.3 Inches |
|---|---|
| Screen Resolution | 2736x1824 |
| Max Screen Resolution | 5120x3200 |
| Processor | 1.2 GHz core_i3 |
| RAM | 4 GB LPDDR4 |
| Memory Speed | 2400 MHz |
| Hard Drive | 128 GB |
| Graphics Coprocessor | Intel UHD Graphics |
| Chipset Brand | Intel |
| Card Description | Integrated |
| Wireless Type | Bluetooth, 802.11abg |
