Microsoft’s best hardware for years? Surface Pro 8 surprises not only with a new look [TOPtech]

1. NEW DESIGN

The design of the Surface Pro series devices has not changed practically since 2015, when the Surface Pro 3 model had its premiere. During this time, the visual style of this laptop and tablet hybrid has unfortunately grown old.

Fortunately, Surface Pro 8 cuts itself off from the past with a thick line. Finally, it is fresh and at the same time minimalist. Attention is drawn to the new shape of the device with more rounded edges, and at the same time much narrower side frames of the screen.

The housing was made of anodized aluminumwhich replaced the magnesium alloy known from previous models. Thanks to the matte finish, the laptop does not collect fingerprints. The exception is the silvery Microsoft logo placed on the stand.

2. 120 HZ CHANGES EVERYTHING

Compared to its predecessor, the Pro 8 has a larger, 13-inch PixelSense Flow display with a resolution of 2880 × 1920 and a 3: 2 aspect ratio.

The contrast, color reproduction and maximum brightness of 450 nits are impressive. It is worth adding that Surface Pro 8 has a lighting sensor and a color sensor, thanks to which the display adapts better to the conditions in which we are currently staying.

The device is also compatible with the Dolby Vision standard.

The real “game-changer” is the variable refresh rate. The Surface Pro screen can work in 60 or 120 Hz mode. Higher refresh rate means smoother interaction with the device – both in games, when working with applications using the Slim Pen stylus or while browsing the web.

3. EFFICIENCY MAKES AN IMPRESSION

Surface Pro 8 is Microsoft’s first hybrid built on the Intel Evo platform. We can find here both efficient Intel i5 and i7 systems of the 11th generation with Intel Iris Xe graphics, as well as the necessary connectivity modules, including Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1.

We also have 8.16 or 32 GB RAM and 128/256/512, or 1 TB GB of SSD memory.

Under the housing of the device you will find a fan with a steam chamber, three heat pipes and three graphite heat spreaders, thanks to which the back panel of Surface Pro 8 does not heat up as in the previous models. It is worth adding that, apart from extreme situations, the cooling is really discreet here.

As for the available ports, we will find everything that is necessary here. There are two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4, a 3.5 mm headphone output and a Surface Connect connector that allows us to charge the device.

Microsoft claims that the built-in battery allows 16 hours of work with the device. I have some doubts about this, because during the tests I rarely managed to exceed the 10-11 hour barrier, which is a good result anyway. It is worth remembering that when the screen works in the 120 Hz mode, the battery life is significantly reduced.

4. THE SLIM PEN 2 CAN DO EVEN MORE

An integral, although sold separately, element of Surface Pro 8 is of course the Surface Slim Pen. Its new version has got some interesting improvements

To start with, the new pen is now slimmer and has its own recess in the Signature keyboard for safe storage and wireless charging.

The comfort of writing and sketching has also improved. Surface Slim Pen 2 has a low latency of 12 ms, and the Zero Force Inking technology makes the stylus more precisely detects the moment of contact with the Surface Pro 8 display.

The new pen also supports shading up to 75 degrees and works with Adobe applications. It is worth adding that Microsoft has equipped Slim Pen 2 with a new haptic engine. Thanks to it, when using the stylus, we experience a feeling of “roughness”, which is to imitate analog sketching on a sheet of paper.

5. PRICE MAY CAUSE YOU

Surface Pro 8 in the basic version with the i5 system, 8GB RAM and 128 GB SSD memory was priced at PLN 5,299. The most powerful variant with the chip costs – a trifle – PLN 12 799

And we are talking about a “naked” device all the time – without a Slim Pen 2 stylus and a Signature keyboard, for which we will have to pay an additional PLN 1,349 in the set, which even with the cheapest Pro 8 model raises the total price to over PLN 6,500. .