A new portable gaming PC, which features a 14-inch OLED display and AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor, is being teased by One-Netbook on social media. We got an email from the firm, best known for its handheld gaming PCs and eGPUs, sharing a few other tantalizing details of this Microsoft Surface-like 2-in-1 design, which it has dubbed the OneXPlayer Super X.

The above video shares only a meager amount of specifications, but One-Netbook tells us the headline specs are:

• AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor & Radeon 8060S graphics (which One-Netbook claims delivers “RTX 4060 Ti level” performance in this instance)
• 14-inch 2.8K AMOLED HDR display with 100% DCI-P3 & VRR
• Up to 128GB LPDDR5x RAM, dual SSD expansion, and 83.5Wh battery
• And there’s an XDNA 2 NPU onboard delivering 50+ TOPS for local LLM execution

Now well past the mid-point of 2025, the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 field is starting to become crowded, with all sorts of devices. However, there’s already a tablet packing this potent SoC, from PCs and components Goliath Asus. It is, therefore, natural to want to compare the upcoming OneXPlayer Super X with the established Asus ROG Flow Z13 2025. Thankfully, One-Netbook produced exactly such a comparison chart for its Discord followers, and you can check through it below.

One-Netbook has had plenty of time to prepare a solid ROG Flow Z13 competitor, and according to this table, it can beat the Asus machine by every important metric. Probably the most pleasing ways it seems to outclass the Asus are in its screen, expandability, and battery capacity. However, it also boasts an impressive 50% greater TDP. On paper, of course.

At WWDC this year, Apple announced iPadOS 26, which will finally introduce proper windowing support to the iPad. If you're looking to get in on the new features, the 11-inch iPad Air with Apple's M3 chip is on sale for Prime Day.

• Check out all the deals in Amazon's Prime Day Sale

The 11-inch, M3 iPad Air is going for $479. This is the lowest price we've seen on the iPad Air with M3, which has a list price of $599.

For this sale, you can get 128GB of storage, Wi-Fi connectivity (cellular boosts the price to $629), and your choice of color. The 11-inch Air uses Touch ID for authentication, boasts 12-megapixel front and rear cameras, and is compatible with Apple Pencil Pro and the Magic Keyboard.

M3 also supports Apple Intelligence features. At the moment, those aren't terribly. useful in my opinion, though it does mean you should eventually get the new Siri and anything else that comes down the pipe.

iPadOS 26, which is expected to be released this fall, should greatly improve multitasking. Beyond a "liquid glass" redesign, the big feature for iPad is vastly improved windowing, letting you arrange them as you would on, well, most other computers. It should make that Magic Keyboard accessory far more useful if you opt for it. The new OS version will also add menu bars to apps.

Apple's M-series chips have long felt overpowered in iPads, but iPadOS 26 may greatly enhance multitasking, which means you can make better use of the M3 in the iPad Air. Then again, the 11-inch form factor is pretty portable, so it'll be just fine as your go-to ebook reader, too.

We are working hard to find the best computer hardware deals for you this Amazon Prime Day. We cover the hottest deals in real-time at our Best Amazon Prime Day Deals Live page. If you're looking for more savings, check out our Amazon Prime Day deals for a range of products, or dive deeper into our specialized SSD and Storage Deals, Hard Drive Deals, Gaming Monitor Deals, Graphics Card Deals, or CPU Deals pages.

Every now and again, a tech deal can really change your life in a very immediate and critical way. That happened to me just this weekend ,when I purchased the Lenovo M9 tablet at Best Buy for $79 and gave it to my six year old daughter.

For months, I had been pushing aside a growing problem. My daughter loves watching videos on YouTube Kids, but she can't run the YouTube or YouTube Kids apps on her Amazon Fire for Kids tablet.

So my daughter would frequently come to me and ask to borrow my phone so she could run those apps. Being a doting dad and a sucker, I let her borrow my phone and she even learned how to unlock it herself and launch the apps.

However, lending your phone to a kid is not without its issues. And here's where the problems started.

I missed a lot of alerts on text messaging apps, including Slack, which I use for work. My daughter would bring me the phone if I was getting a call, but she would just swipe away notifications if they appeared while she was using my handset.

I ended up late to get some messages and this became more and more of a problem. But I didn't want so spend a lot of money just so my daughter could watch YouTube Kids. Then I saw a sale.

The Lenovo M9 tablet is now just $79 at Best Buy. This 9-inch tablet is has a 1340 x 800 resolution screen, a MediaTek Helio G80 processor with 8 cores, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. It charges over USB-C and seems to have a long battery life.

The M9 is not an Android tablet that runs standard Google apps such as YouTube and YouTube kids. Unlike many Android tablets, it has Google Kids Space that provides a custom child-friendly UI with parental controls baked in.

I bought the tablet via Best Buy's in-store pickup so I could get it in time for the weekend.

So my daughter got a tablet that is kid-safe, she gets to watch her favorite videos and I got my phone back so I can get alerts from work right away. It's a win-win for $79. The tablet seems light, bright and fast enough for what she's doing with it.

Whether you're shopping for a kid or an adult, this $79 Lenovo M9 deal is hard to beat.

Microsoft has new flagship AI PCs. The company today announced a 13-inch Surface Laptop and a 12-inch Surface Pro with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Plus 8-core processors. These new Copilot+ PCs will be available starting May 20, while business versions will ship on July 22.

Both systems share similar specs, including 16GB of RAM and up to 512GB of SSD storage, though the Pro has a faster, higher-resolution display than the Laptop and also comes with Windows Hello support in the webcam, which the laptop relegates to a fingerprint reader.

The Surface Pro 11th Edition and Surface Laptop 7th Edition, which debuted last year with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus (10 Core) processors, each starting at $799.99 as of this writing. Unless the prices for those more powerful models go up, potential buyers may want to consider one of those more powerful systems if they don't care about having the thinnest, lightest designs. It's possible that these Snapdragon X Plus (8 Core) models are priced higher due to tariffs, but Microsoft hasn't commented.

Update: May 6, 10:04 a.m. ET: Microsoft's Surface Laptop 13.8 now starts at $999. The Surface Pro 11th Edition still starts at $799.99. The story continues below.

Surface Pro, 12-inch

This new Surface Pro is a smaller size than the existing 13-inch device and offers a fanless design. Microsoft claims it's the "thinnest and lightest Copilot+ PC yet," and it seems to fill in the gap left by the Surface Go (the Surface Go 4 was only released for businesses).

This tablet is 1.5 pounds before adding the optional 0.27-pound keyboard. That keyboard, which will be a must-have accessory for many, will start at $149. The $129 Surface Slim pen is also sold separately. Microsoft says that the new keyboard lies flat "for a grounded and quiet typing experience," and that it folds back flat against the Surface Pro for when you want to write or draw.

The new Pro will come in three colors: the default platinum seen on so many Surface devices, a bold new violet, and a dark, blue-green color called "ocean."

Perhaps the other biggest physical distinction is that this system won't have Microsoft's proprietary Surface Connect port, instead relying entirely on USB Type-C for charging. In fact, the two USB Type-C 3.2 ports are the only I/O on the entire system.

The system will come with a USB Type-C cable for charging, but it won't include a wall charger in the box. It's possible this is a result of European Union rulings requiring USB-C charging on tablets, meaning that a charger isn't strictly required, like with phones. You'll need at least a 45W charger in order to fast charge the new Surface Pro.

The Surface Pro has two cameras: a 1080p webcam with support for Windows Hello facial recognition, and a 10MP rear shooter for people who like to take pictures with tablets.

The Surface Pro starts at $799 in platinum with the Snapdragon X Plus (8 core), 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. For $899, you bump up to 512GB of storage and can also get the violent or ocean color options.

Surface Laptop, 13-inch

The new Surface Laptop, which Microsoft claims is the thinnest and lightest Surface Laptop to date, is a more straightforward update. It's smaller than the existing Surface Laptop, which comes in 13.8-inch and 15-inch screen sizes.

Like the Surface Pro, the new Laptop cuts the Surface Connect port and charges over USB-C. The Surface Laptop has a pair of USB-C 3.2 ports, a USB-A 3.1 port, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. Unlike the tablet, the Surface Laptop will come with a 45W USB-C wall charger in the box (though you need a 60W charger for fast charging).

The laptop's anodized aluminum casing will come in the same violet, ocean, and platinum colorways as the new Surface Pro.

The Surface Laptop has a 1080p webcam like the Pro, but it doesn't support facial recognition. Instead, the Laptop has a fingerprint reader in the power button, similar to the MacBook Air.

Microsoft claims that the Surface Laptop and its Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus (8 core) processor is "50% faster than Surface Laptop 5 and even outpaces the MacBook Air M3." While that might be what some users are upgrading from, the Surface Laptop 5 launched in 2022 with 12th Gen Intel processors, while the MacBook Air is now on its next iteration with the M4 chip.

Unlike the Surface Pro, Microsoft is using a fan here for improved sustained performance.

Like the Surface Pro, the $899 base model has the 8-core Snapdragon X Plus, 16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and only comes in platinum. The $999 configuration that jumps to 512GB of storage also comes in violet or ocean.

Copilot+ and new feature

Alongside the new Surfaces, Microsoft is announcing a series of new Copilot+ features that will show up in Windows Insider builds over the next month.

These include an update to settings to let you use natural language to search for and change settings on your PC. There will also be a new AI-based Snipping Tool to perfectly crop screenshots, a sticker generator in Paint for chats or documents, and more updates to Narrator for better image descriptions.

A tool in photos called Relight will let you adjust light sources in photos. This will debut on Snapdragon X Series PCs and come to AMD and Intel later on.

Additionally, there will be a redesigned Start Menu that adds a sidebar showing recent activity from your phone, as well as AI actions in File Explorer.

Microsoft is continuing to push the Copilot+ as the future of the PC, especially with support for Windows 10 ending on Oct. 14, 2025.

The company has been slowly expanding Copilot+ features that run on the NPU, including launching Recall to find what you previously looked for and an improved Windows Search. AI PCs haven't been a huge boon for upgrades, and despite being called Copilot+, Microsoft's Copilot chatbot doesn't actually run on device. But the clock running out on Windows 10 may drive more sales as potential buyers look for the latest updates, features, and security patches.

At its Surface event scheduled for May 6th next week, Microsoft is expected to unveil two new compact offerings under its Surface Pro and Surface Laptop families, according to WinFuture. It's important to note that these smaller variants are not a new generation, but rather expand the existing Surface Pro 11 and Surface Laptop 7 product lines. Information about technical details, pricing, and availability remains in the dark, but Microsoft is expected to reveal more on Tuesday.

Microsoft offers a range of Surface devices, designed for various use cases. The Surface Pro family features 2-in-1 tablets that can function both as a tablet and a laptop with the detachable keyboard (purchased separately). The Surface Laptop series, on the other hand, sticks to the basics with a traditional clamshell laptop form factor.

Starting in June 2024, Microsoft revealed the Surface Laptop 7 (15-inch and 13.8-inch) and Surface Pro 11 (13-inch) families, initially equipped with Qualcomm's Arm-based Snapdragon X chips, for the mainstream. Variants with Intel's Lunar Lake followed, targeted towards business users.

12-inch version of the Surface Pro 11

Microsoft is reportedly extending these product lines with compact offerings, starting with a 12-inch version of the Surface Pro 11. In terms of display, we're looking at a PixelSense Flow LCD panel (likely IPS), though the refresh rate has not been specified. Under the hood, it reportedly features the Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100 SoC with 8 Oryon cores, along with a 45 TOPS capable Hexagon-based NPU.

The SoC is connected with 16GB of LPDDR5x memory (likely 8448 MT/s), which is non-expandable. The laptop is expected to be available in 256GB and 512GB storage capacities, supplied by a UFS-based solution, which, unlike SSDs, is not upgradable. Microsoft claims 16 hours of local video playback, but real-world usage will vary. The leaked press slides only mention two USB Type-C ports for data transfer, charging, and hooking up external displays.

13-inch version of the Surface Laptop 7

Microsoft is reportedly working on a new Surface Laptop powered by Intel's Lunar Lake processors, following leaks from Chinese marketplace Goofish discovered by Windows Central. The recently launched Core Ultra 200V processors are expected to bring improved power efficiency and better graphics performance compared to the Qualcomm Snapdragon X chipsets currently used in Microsoft’s consumer Surface Laptop lineup.

The leaked prototype suggests that the new Surface Laptop, potentially the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7, will feature the Core Ultra 7 268V, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD, offering notable enhancements for power users. The launch is speculated to happen in 2025, possibly around CES or later in spring.

While the leaks are not highly credible, they echo a similar situation from previous years, when a Surface Pro 7 Plus prototype was leaked before its release. Additionally, the prototype’s "NOT FOR SALE" engraving further indicates that the device could be a legitimate early sample unit.

Notably, the design of the leaked device appears to retain the same aesthetics as the Surface Laptop 7, meaning that the refresh will mainly focus on internal upgrades. The possibility of a 2025 release aligns with Microsoft’s typical product update schedule, and many speculate that CES 2025 could be the platform for the official unveiling.

Microsoft partnered with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X chipsets earlier this year, receiving exclusive access to its new consumer Surface Laptop and Surface Pro releases. As the company continues to refine its Surface line, including Lunar Lake processors, it may offer users more powerful and versatile hardware options, addressing the growing demand for efficient and performance-oriented laptops.

Intel’s Lunar Lake processors prioritize power efficiency while delivering robust performance, especially in GPU-intensive tasks like gaming. Initial impressions of Intel’s Lunar Lake architecture on laptops like the Asus ZenBook S 14 have been primarily positive. The new Core Ultra 200V outperforms Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite by a good margin, especially in games offering playable frame rates at 1080p resolution, a feat beyond the capabilities of current Snapdragon-powered Surface devices.

As with all leaks, the final specifications and design are subject to change until Microsoft provides official confirmation.

Yesterday, Juno Computers launched its Juno Tab 3, a 12.1-inch, 3:2 PC tablet based on an Intel N100 CPU and one of three pre-installed Linux flavors, starting at $699 for the 512 GB model and quadrupling storage to 2 TB for $799. All models of this new tablet also have 12 GB of soldered LPDDR5 RAM, which is an excellent baseline, though soldered RAM handily removes your usual memory upgrade options. The most exciting aspect of this tablet for most should be the operating system options— proper Linux tablets are incredibly uncommon, after all.

The Intel N100 is an Alder Lake-N chip with a quad-core design without Hyper-Threading. Clocked at 3.4 GHz, it isn't as fast as the N200 or Core i3-N300, but the chip should be more than adequate to power the Juno Tab 3. The fact that the table utilizes the Linux operating system means that the N100 doesn't have to do a lot of heavy lifting.

The three flavors of Linux that can be pre-installed on the Juno Tab 3 are Mobian Phosh, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, or Kubuntu 24.04 LTS. Ubuntu and Kubuntu are pretty standard desktop Linux flavors, but Mobian Phosh is a derivative of the also-standard Debian distribution that provides a more touch-friendly interface.

Juno Tab 3 Core Specifications

All that being said, it's difficult not to address the elephant in the room here: the pricing of this tablet for its specifications isn't excellent. While a small US-based hardware vendor like Juno Computers probably shouldn't be expected to be price-competitive with the biggest PC manufacturers, $700 is still a lot of money to ask for any single piece of hardware— particularly when much cheaper tablets of the same spec for close to half the price still exist.

Overall, more robust Windows machines will be available if you're willing to spend $700. But if your desire to use (and support) Linux is strong enough and you don't want to bother with the risks and tedium of installing Linux yourself, Juno Tab 3 could be a nice companion. Your mileage may vary, though.

DeepComputing, one of the leaders in RISC-V development, just announced its DC-ROMA RISC-V Pad II tablet. This mobile device is powered by a SpacemiT Key Stone K1 SoC, the same processor found in its upgraded DC-ROMA Laptop II. Thus, it is easier for developers already familiar with the system to use the new tablet.

The Pad II runs Ubuntu Desktop 24.04 and supports touch inputs, too, allowing developers to test and develop RISC-V mobile apps directly on it. Of course, writing code using an on-screen keyboard will likely be a punishment for a developer, so DeepComputing ensured that the Pad II also supports external keyboard connectivity.

The DC-ROMA RISC-V Pad II starts at $149 for the 4GB RAM version and is already available for pre-order on the DeepComputing store. If you get the 16GB RAM variant, the tab is compatible with the Android Open-Source Project (AOSP) Android 15 operating system. Here are the complete specifications of the DC-ROMA RISC-V Pad II tablet.

The Premium variant of the tablet is expected to be available starting September 15, 2024, while the Android 15 upgrade should arrive by 4Q24 for all 16GB-equipped Pad IIs. This RISC-V-powered tablet is helping developers build more mobile apps for the open standard, which suggests that DeepComputing is seeing a future where more users use it daily.

This development is crucial for companies in China, especially as the U.S. is continuously trying to block access to proprietary hardware via bans and sanctions to hold back its progress. Since RISC-V is an open-standard instruction set, with the entity overseeing its development, RISC-V International, based in neutral Switzerland, the U.S. cannot legally stop anyone, including Chinese companies, from using this technology.

Washington D.C. has tried to investigate how it can prevent its East Asian competitor from using the technology, saying that the Chinese government is using RISC-V to develop chips it needs to overcome American dominance in semiconductors. However, Callista Redmond, the chief executive of RISC-V International, is adamant that it remains open to all. Redmond said, “RISC-V is an open standard and has incorporated meaningful contributions from all over the world. As a global standard, RISC-V is not controlled by any single company or country.”

Nevertheless, owing to RISC-V’s open-standard/open-source nature, advancements in this technology will benefit the entire world, not just China. So, as DeepComputing and other entities continue investing in this technology, we hope to see a future where we have multiple competing processor architectures, giving consumers the option to pick and choose what works best for them.

Earlier today, the product page for the upcoming GPD Pocket 4 handheld/tablet/mini laptop went live on GPD's website. The product page reveals a full set of system specifications and a fairly expansive list of optional expansions and potential use cases, focusing on creativity and productivity.

While the gaming utility is somewhat understated, the Pocket 4's status as the first Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 handheld, physical keyboard, multi-touch interfaces, and motion controls should all have it fairly equipped for those scenarios, too. Steam Input used with a device with this power and this range of utility shows some promise despite gaming not being the focus of the form factor.

Of the four expansion modules listed on the original product page to be slotted in with the module system, only the microSD card Reader Module is actually included with the device. The other three listed Modules (EIA RS-232 Module intended for use in Terminal Display use cases; KVM Control Module intended for use in data center/server and multi-PC use cases; 4G LTE Module self-explanatory) are all separate purchases.

GPD Pocket 4 Specifications

 *Both these USB-C ports support USB power delivery.

At this point, all that's missing is an OCuLink eGPU Module, though GPD touts the Pocket 4's support for USB4 eGPU docks as an intended use case. However, OcuLink is still faster, so if these Expansion Modules use enough PCIe lanes, there could be more potential.

While the general CPU and iGPU specs are quite impressive, one important caveat is worth noting. This PC can only run its Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 at up to 28 Watts, the default TDP of a CPU that can otherwise be configured to use a 54-watt TDP.

Such a TDP tweak on this handheld is intended. However, a higher TDP could result in dramatically fast battery depletion or overheating, which isn't ideal for its intended handheld enthusiasts or tech professional environments. It also means that the true GTX 1070-esque highs of the new top dog iGPU, the Radeon 890M, aren't quite explorable on this device.

That said, the most impressive aspect of the GPD Pocket 4 was never its hardware power— the sheer versatility of input and use case potential is staggering. All that on top of an 8.8-inch multi-touch tablet display with 97% DCI-P3 coverage and ICC calibration support, and the Pocket 4 looks to be an enticing offer— but no word is yet available on pricing or release date, and the usage of 45W TDP Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 benchmarks on the Pocket 4's page is misleading of GPD.

Bluegen has launched a dual-screen OKPad tablet on Kickstarter, joining the dual-screen PC party at a much lower price point — and with a unique caveat that the lower screen is an E-Ink display rather than a duplicate of the top screen, which is usually an IPS panel. The unit starts at $199 through Kickstarter's Super Early Bird pricing, but the final price is telegraphed to double up to a $399 MSRP.

The unique combination of dual-screen panel types is also supplemented by a 360-degree hinge form factor that allows for tablet, tent, and stand modes adjusted precisely to your surface of choice. And of course, you can also choose to use a single screen at a time and turn off the other entirely.

The Kickstarter campaign quickly reached 321 backers and hit full funding at $84,011 of the $5,054 goal at the time of writing, so the Bluegen OKPad is already funded and should be guaranteed for a release in the coming months. Technically, it met its funding goal within two hours of the original campaign launch, but of course, the funding available to Bluegen now exceeds that number significantly and, on paper, should allow for lots of happy preorder-ers.

OKPad Dual-Screen Tablet Specifications

• Operating System: Android 10
• Battery: 7,000mAH
• CPU: Snapdragon Kyro 250, with 4x each Perf and Efficiency cores based on Cortex-A73 and Cortex-A53, respectively. All cores go up to 1.8 GHz.
• RAM: 4GB RAM
• Storage: 64GB onboard storage (likely eMMC)
• Top Screen: 8.8-inch IPS at a resolution of 800 x 1,280 pixels
• Bottom Screen: 7.8-inch E-Ink at a resolution of 1,404 x 1,872 pixels
• Stylus: 4,096 pressure levels
• I/O: 1x USB Type-C Port, 1x 3.5 mm audio jack
• Wireless Technologies: Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac max), Bluetooth 4.2

Bluegen's OKPad does have a few caveats, like not running Windows or being particularly powerful compared to modern mid-range or high-end laptops, but it's not meant to compete with those devices. 

Compared to the range of most other Android tablets, the OKPad looks a lot more interesting and useful, and should still be price-competitive with those units when the Early Bird pricing wears off. With its current $199 Early Bird pricing, though, it's genuinely a great value for anyone who appreciates E-Ink displays or just wants a super portable tablet experience adjustable to nearly any given sitting or laying position.

It is a little unfortunate that the device is still using Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 4.2 instead of newer Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5, respectively, but this is probably a cost-cutting measure that helps keep it affordable. We'd also like to have more RAM, a newer Android release, and an estimate of decent battery life. However, the real selling point here is the form factor, not the internals.

At the time of writing, there aren't many OKPads left at the Super-Early Bird price of $199. The next tier up is still reasonable at $249 though, if you accept the inherent risks of crowdfunding campaigns.

Microsoft’s new Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 7 are shipping, and the folks at iFixit have already started examining the repairability of the devices. Surprisingly, the team has almost nothing but praise for how Microsoft enables technicians to service the latest Surface tablet and laptop.

Releasing its typical walkthrough of disassembling both devices on YouTube, Shahram Mokhtari from the iFixit crew goes through the process of removing just about every component to demonstrate how easily someone could repair their new Surface device at home. In the end, iFixit gives both the Surface Pro 11 and the Surface Laptop 7 a repairability rating of 8 out of 10, almost the highest possible score.

Once you get into the case of either device, you can see several labels and QR codes with wrench symbols above them. Microsoft calls them “Wayfinder Markings,” and they detail how many and what kind of screws are used to secure components, making it easy to know exactly which Torx driver bit to reach for. Not only that, but the QR codes take you straight to Microsoft’s download page for the official service guides. 

Yes, Microsoft has already published the service guides for both the Surface Pro 11 and Surface Laptop 7. As Mokhtari demonstrates, common tasks like removing the battery and SSD are relatively simple tasks on both tablet and laptop.

In the case of the laptop, battery removal can be accomplished without removing anything else from the computer other than the bottom feet and back cover. Previous Surface Laptop models buried the battery, making it necessary to remove several components just to replace the only consumable part inside the case.

The video proceeds to remove every component from the laptop, down to and including the motherboard. While replacing the SSD is easy, Mokhtari points out that the memory is soldered to the motherboard and is, therefore, not easily user-replaceable.

The Surface Pro 11 is also easy to work on. Mokhtari shows that the SSD can be replaced without disassembling the tablet. Tearing down the tablet for battery replacement or other repairs is slightly more involved than working on the laptop. The adhesive securing the screen could cause some frustration for a PC DIY enthusiast replacing the battery. That said, iFixit says the display removal is easy compared to other tablets.

Microsoft has taken great pains to make the tablet and laptop easier to repair. In the video, Mokhtari notes that when it comes to serviceability and modularity, “the Surface laptop line of devices started as some of the worst devices we’ve ever seen.” This new generation of devices shows that Microsoft is embracing the consumers’ right to repair by not only providing helpful labels and information inside the case but by publishing the service guides for them on launch day.

Apple's newest iPad Pro 13 may be cutting consumers short, with 12GB onboard RAM being artificially limited to 8GB. MacRumors forum user layerstack posted their detective work, seeking to independently verify the listed RAM capacities of Apple's newest iPad Pro lineup.

Apple's newest M4 iPad Pro 13 releases with two models, a 256GB/512GB storage model with a 9-core CPU and 8GB of RAM or a 1TB/2TB storage variant with the flagship 10-core CPU and 16GB of RAM. With teardown videos and blogs finally releasing, revealing the iPad's shiny new M4 silicon, internet sleuths are investigating every revealed inch of these machines. 

The condensed FBGA codes for Micron's RAM modules are clearly seen on some teardowns, revealing the exact chips Apple used for their iPads. The 16GB iPad, sure enough, contains 16GB of Micron LPDDR5 RAM. But the 8GB model has two 48Gbit modules onboard. 48 gigabits converts to 6 gigabytes, meaning the lower-grade iPad Pro model has 12GB of RAM available from its RAM module. But in use, the iPad Pro has only its advertised 8GB RAM accessible. 

Why Apple would artificially limit its RAM modules is unknown. Theories floated on comment sections across the web suggest a few possible solutions — some more charitable than others. Perhaps no 4GB chips exist with enough dies to supply the bandwidth Apple demands, the chips are binned for performance, or none of the major RAM manufacturers offer 4GB chips as standard for LPDDR5 memory and Apple couldn't afford to commission custom chips for a poorer-selling product. Maybe the part number is wrong after all, and Apple is using new custom RAM that coincidentally has the exact same part number as Micron's 6GB chip.

The most flaunted reason from web users is that Apple is artificially limiting the performance of these modules for product segmenting, keeping a traditional 8GB or 16GB RAM dichotomy between its iPads. This seems like a likely answer, which would mean that Apple has four unused gigs of RAM just sitting on its logic boards doing nothing. Apple's goal may be to avoid the unfamiliar "12GB RAM" spec which may alienate some consumers; Cupertino is likely looking to avoid any possible drop in sales after a bad year for iPad in 2023. 

Our thorough summary of Apple's new M4 iPad Pros and their teardowns can be found here. The newest iPad Pros are mostly remarkable due to the brand-new M4 chip, Apple's fresh silicon being introduced on an iPad for the first time. In its current form, its only major improvement over the M3 is its NPU for AI workloads, but a bit of liquid nitrogen can take it far beyond its rated performance.

Apple hasn't always been the friendliest company in terms of third-party and self-repair options. However, the YouTube channel Phone Repair Guru recently did a teardown of the M4 iPad Pro, Cupertino's latest tablet. The disassembly process seemed a bit straightforward this time, with the creator commenting, "This is so much easier than how it used to be."

Suhaib El-Komy, who owns the Phone Repair Guru YouTube channel, is a Canada-based YouTube creator who focuses on creating videos that show him repairing smartphones, tablets, and other electronics. In the teardown video, we see El-Komy open the 13-inch iPad Pro M4 to reveal its internals and see how Apple managed to cram so much technology in such a thin package.

The 13-inch iPad Pro was launched on May 7, 2024, at Apple's 'Let Loose' event. During the launch, the company boasted that the new 13-inch iPad Pro with the M4 chip is its thinnest device ever. The iPad Pro is just 5.1 mm, or about three pennies thick, making it the thinnest Apple product.

It brings to mind the iPhone 6 Plus, launched in 2014, which suffered from the 'Bendgate' controversy — where the phone would unintentionally bend when placed in tight places like the back pocket of a pair of jeans. The issue blew to the point that Apple boycotted a German tech publication because it posted a video showing the host intentionally bending a 6 Plus with his bare hands.

Apple's new tablet included an internal shield that protected the central motherboard and added strength to the iPad, preventing a future 'Bendgate' problem. This addition made it pretty difficult to bend the 13-inch tablet when held in landscape. Even JerryRigEverything found it impressive, as he failed to fold the tablet vertically with his bare hands even after applying significant pressure (though he did damage the tablet's seal around the screen). However, the tablet quickly gave up when he folded it horizontally, as the USB-C port became the weak point that broke the device.

Aside from providing strength, the shield also helped dissipate heat from the powerful M4 chip and the tablet's other components. Another exciting feature of the new tablet is how it uses the Apple logo on the backside of the iPad as a heat sink. That's because the logo has copper, allowing it to efficiently extract heat from the SoC and radiate it into the air.

Apple has made self-repair much more accessible these past few years, and this new iPad seems to show its commitment to that. El-Komy says, "Thiteardownwn has been enjoyable so far, and the removable pull tabs on the battery are icing on the cake. Assuming everything on here isn't serialized to oblivion, this device is pretty repairable."

However, the tablet's advantage in terms of ease of repair could be negated if the company serializes everything, making it difficult to conduct repairs without using expensive Apple parts. While we understand that the company needs to do this for crucial elements like the motherboard, we hope that the process of moving parts from one device to another will become much easier.

The 13-inch iPad Pro M4 is a good change, especially for consumers fighting for their right to repair their devices. With this tablet, Apple seems to be taking a step in the right direction — let us hope that other companies follow suit, allowing for cheaper repairs and helping us reduce our e-waste output.

The Minisforum V3 tablet is the latest Ryzen 7 Hawk Point-powered PC to join the market. This time, it breaks from Minisforum's usual Mini PC flair in favor of the 3-in-1 tablet form factor popularized by Microsoft Surface and Lenovo Yoga tablet PCs. The Minisforum V3 has a 14-inch screen that can operate in a standard handheld tablet mode, a solo kickstand, and an included magnetic attachable keyboard for more laptop-typical use.

Most of the Minisforum V3's specs are somewhat standard for Ryzen 7 8840U devices, but there are some highlights here. 

The 8-core,16-thread Ryzen 7 8840U has been paired with a 2560 x 1600 16:10 IPS screen that runs at 165 Hz and has a reported 100% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage. Combined with the unique form factor, this should make this device particularly compelling for professionals on the go, especially after some manual calibration is done for color accuracy and not just gamut coverage. The screen is rated for 500 nits, which is a bit brighter than some other laptops.

According to Minisforum, the cooling system should enable the Ryzen 7 8840U and its onboard Radeon 780M iGPU (RDNA3 with 12 Compute Units; AMD's current best iGPU) to run at a stable 28 watts at all times. 

This means that this laptop's performance should be on par with the ROG Ally Z1 Extreme when plugged into a wall — or likely better, considering the Minisforum V3's default configuration includes 32 GB of DDR5-6400 MT/s RAM. 

Besides core performance aspects, the rest of the device is most likely what you'd expect. The AI bandwagon is in full force, so there is touted "Ryzen AI" support and a dedicated Copilot key. Your enthusiasm about these particular features may vary, but they are present if your workflow has any use for them.

In any case, the Minisforum V3 does look like a nice Windows 3-in-1 tablet, with decent internal specs and features like quad speakers, display-in support for other devices, and full DCI-P3 coverage being a particular highlight. The official listing starts at $1,199 on Minisforum's site and includes 32 GB of DRR5-6400 MT/s RAM alongside a 1 TB NVMe Gen 4 drive.

This tablet is recommended firmly for people who can leverage its form factor and high color gamut coverage. The lack of a dedicated GPU in this price range hurts the pure-gaming value argument too much for anyone else. Performance-per-dollar-minded consumers should likely consult our list of the Best Gaming Laptops or the Premium Laptop roundup for other high-end tastes.

Dorland, a ruggedized device specialist from China, has launched the Intrinsically Safe Tablet PC Ex Screen K10. The new tablet is claimed to be “explosion proof,” and capable of withstanding “extreme temperatures and pressure.” Another interesting feature of this tablet is that Dorland has decided to adopt the Kirin StarKylin Operating System 1.0 (StarKylin OS 1.0).

How rugged is it?

We would hate to be skeptical about Dorland’s ruggedness claims. However, according to the press release and promotional material, this device has obtained certification to ISEO ATEX Ex ib IIC T4 Gb and ATEX Ex ib IIIC T130°C Db. This reference PDF will help you decode these certifications, but the T130°C mentioned refers to the maximum temperature the exposed surfaces of the device will be able to endure. In this case, that temperature is 130 degrees Celsius (266 degrees Fahrenheit).

The ruggedness and durability claims don’t stop there. Dorland also claims that the Ex Screen K10 satisfies MIL-STD-810H certification requirements. These US military test standards assess a product's resistance to ingress, extremes of temperature, shocks, vibration, and many more. Dorland has specifically highlighted two rugged aspects of its Ex Screen K10, though. It claims the tablet is impact resistant and can withstand drops from 1.22m (4ft), as well as saying it is crushproof, and can withstand being run over by a 1.5-ton vehicle.

As far as ruggedness goes, the Ex Screen K10 also sports a familiar IP rating. It is IP65, meaning it is thoroughly dust-tight (6), but it shouldn’t be subjected to direct liquid jets or be submerged at all (5).

Normal tablet tech specs

While the durability of the Dorland Intrinsically Safe Tablet PC Ex Screen K10 is admittedly impressive, we have seen much better key component choices delivered by well-known brands. Starting from the outside, the Ex Screen K10 uses a 10.1-inch IPS screen with 1280 x 800 pixels, but no screen brightness or color specs are shared.

Under the hood, there is a pretty old Rockchip RK3568 SoC with a quad-core Cortex-A55-based CPU and Mali G52 2EE graphics. Dorland seems pretty proud that this is a “domestic” processor though. The 4GB of RAM seems rather stingy in 2024. Built-in storage is either 64 or 128GB, depending on how much you want to pay, but the device is compatible with the best microSD cards, up to 512GB.

Other features include a 5MP front camera, an 8MP rear camera, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5, GPS, Glonass & Baidu support, USB 3.0 Type-C with HDMI, and a 10,000mAh battery. As a bonus, the battery is also claimed to be “explosion proof.”

We don’t know much about the OS. Some say that the StarKylin OS 1.0 is a smart device-friendly version of Kylin yet it is still based on Linux. Meanwhile, Dorland described the OS on this tablet as an alternative to “Android 12.”

Customers are expected to be mainly from power, petroleum, chemical, and other heavy industries, as well as companies who have operations in places classified as Zone 1 and Zone 2 hazardous areas.

We don’t have product pricing or availability information. Dorland hasn’t uploaded an official product page at the time of writing.

Compact PC manufacturer Minisforum has expanded the company's product portfolio to tablets. The brand has unveiled the Minisforum V3, an upcoming 2-in-1 Windows tablet powered by one of AMD's Ryzen 8000 (Hawk Point) processors.

AMD hasn't shown any roadmaps with Hawk Point on it. The current rumor on the street is that Hawk Point is a 4nm mobile APU with Zen 4 cores and RDNA 3.5 graphics. If you're unfamiliar with AMD's existing Ryzen offerings, AMD utilizes a similar recipe for its current Ryzen 7040 (Phoenix) processors. This suggests that Hawk Point could be a simple refresh of Phoenix but with improved graphics. Phoenix leverages RDNA 3 cores, while Hawk Point reportedly has RDNA 3.5 cores. Therefore, Hawk Point's core specifications should be similar to Phoenix's. We expect a monolithic design that maxes out at eight Zen 4 cores and up to 12 RDNA 3.5 cores.

The Minisforum V3 press release lends some credence to the Hawk Point rumors. According to the vendor, Hawk Point is a 22W to 28W chip that belongs in AMD's U-series category. Although Minisforum was careful not to leak any details, the Minisforum V3 potentially uses a Ryzen 8040U series, which would be the successor to the Ryzen 7040U series. Phoenix's Ryzen AI engine will transition to Hawk Point, allowing the Minisforum V3 to exploit the AI features baked into the Windows operating system.

Minisforum V3 Specifications

Minisforum revealed the preliminary specifications and renders for the Minisforum V3, which should only be used for reference — the final specifications and design could vary a bit. Although the manufacturer didn't specify the quantity, the Minisforum V3's Ryzen 8000 APU will be accompanied by LPDDR5-6400 memory. Minisforum didn't specify the storage capabilities of the tablet.

The Minisforum V3 is a 14-inch touchscreen with a QHD+ resolution, meaning 2,960 x 1,440 pixels. It flaunts a high refresh rate of 165 Hz for a buttery smooth viewing and gaming experience. Minisforum armed the tablet with four low and two high speakers for a captivating audio experience. 

There are two high-resolution cameras onboard. A two-megapixel camera serves as the webcam with Windows Hello support, while the five-megapixel snapper is at the rear. The power button also functions as a fingerprint reader.

The Minisforum supports a detachable keyboard and MPP2.0 Stylus pen with 4,096 pressure levels.

The device's lengthy list of ports includes two USB 4 ports, one 3.5mm audio jack, a super-fast SD UHS-II card reader, and one USB Type-C port with DP-in support only. Wireless connectivity comes in the shape of Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2. Minisforum plans to equip the tablet with a battery capacity of 50Wh or higher, so the device should be able to get you through the day, depending on how power-efficient Hawk Point is.

Minisforum didn't reveal the pricing or availability for the Minisforum V3. Since the vendor is highlighting the usage of AMD's Ryzen 8000 Hawk Point chip, it's reasonable to expect the Minisforum V3 will launch around the same time as the Ryzen mobile APUs.

Apple fans tend to invest in the Apple ecosystem, and when you have a few Apple gadgets, you’ll find that they can work together in various ways. If you happen to have both an iPad and a Mac, you can extend your Mac desktop to the iPad and use it like an attached monitor.

This is useful to turn your Macbook into a mobile multitasking marvel, or to get around the external display limit on modern Apple Silicon Macs. Some iPads also have professional-grade color-accurate screens, making them useful for various creative jobs.

If you’re looking for a more traditional portable monitor solution, head over to our portable monitor review roundup.

What You’ll Need

In order to get your iPad and Mac to play well together, you’ll have to do a little prep work and gather a few items:

• Both devices must be signed in to the same Apple ID.
• Your Mac must run macOS Catalina or later.
• You’d need a fairly modern Mac: a 2016 or later MacBook or MacBook Pro, a 2018 or later MacBook Air, a 2017 or later iMac, an iMac Pro, a 2018 or later Mac Mini, a 2019 or later Mac Pro, or a Mac studio.
• On the iPad side, you’ll need iPadOS 13 or later running on any iPad Pro, 6th generation or later iPad, 5th generation or later iPad Mini, or 3rd Generation or later iPad Air.
• Both devices must be within 10m/33ft of each other, with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Handoff activated (these are on by default).
• Internet connection sharing must not be active on either device.
• If you want to use a USB connection instead of a wireless one, you’ll need an appropriate USB cable to connect both devices.

Tip: If you’re using a USB cable to connect your iPad and MacBook, you’ll experience faster battery drain on the MacBook, since it will start charging the iPad. So we recommend connecting the MacBook to a power source such as a wall adapter or a power bank. Otherwise, you should consider sticking to the wireless mode instead.

Universal Control vs. SideCar

Before we get into the specific steps to extend your Mac desktop to your iPad, it’s important that you know the difference between SideCar and Universal Control.

SideCar is the feature we’re specifically dealing with here, where your iPad acts as an extended display for your Mac. As far as we can tell, in the latest version of MacOS as of this writing, the feature isn’t referred to as SideCar anywhere during the process of activating it, but that’s what it was called when first introduced. It’s still referred to as “SideCar” in Apple’s documentation.

A more recent feature is known as Universal Control. Here, your iPad and Mac have a different relationship. You can freely move your mouse and keyboard control between the two devices, and easily copy files or copy and paste content as if they were one computer, but the iPad is running its own software, separate from the Mac. So you can’t, for example, drag an app window from your Mac to your iPad using Universal Control.

Universal Control is on by default, so if you have a Mac and an iPad logged into the same Apple ID close to each other, you might find that you accidentally move your mouse pointer through the edge of your Mac’s screen onto the iPad.

Now that you know the difference, let’s look at how to activate SideCar.

How To Extend Your Mac Display To Your iPad

With your iPad open and unlocked, follow these steps:

1. Open Apple Menu > System Settings > Displays. You can also search for “System Settings” using the Command + Space shortcut.

2. Click the “+’ button.

3. Select “iPad” under “Mirror or extend to.”

Your iPad screen should now change to an extended Mac desktop version. If the iPad isn’t on the right side of the monitor, do the following:

1. Click Arrange.

2. Drag the image of the iPad to the correct side of your screen. This can also be above or below it, depending on your preferences and how you physically arrange the devices.

You can also activate SideCar by using the quick menu:

1. Click the Quick Menu icon. It’s the small icon in the menu bar left of the Siri icon and clock.

2. Click on Screen Mirroring.

3. Under “iPad,” select under “use as separate display”

That’s all there is to it. To disable this mode, simply repeat the above steps and select iPad again to stop SideCar.

Microsoft's Surface Laptop 5 looks familiar in a lot of ways. It comes in 13.5-inch and 15-inch sizes, has Alcantara and metal options, a 3:2 display and a classic, clean design. What it doesn't have, however, are AMD Ryzen CPU options. The Surface Laptop 5 is all Intel, all the time.

This is also the first time the Surface Laptop (outside the Surface Laptop Studio) is getting Thunderbolt 4. Every single Surface Laptop this year, both business and consumer, are Intel Evo certified.

Microsoft started offering AMD Ryzen processors on the Surface Laptop 3 in 2019, and did so again on the Surface Laptop 4 in 2021, though they were typically on older silicon. Last year's Surface Laptop 4 used Ryzen 4000 chips and still managed to make our list of the best ultrabooks, for awhile.

"With every product and with the goal of delighting customers, we select the right components for the form, scenarios, and customer we envision," A Microsoft spokesperson told Tom's Hardware in a statement. "It is a deliberate process whereby we work closely with our partners to tune and perfect the overall experience. For this product, we are excited about the 12th Gen processors from Intel. Built on the Intel Evo platform, this chipset will help Surface Laptop 5 to achieve the perfect balance of style and power. This balance has consistently led to Surface Laptop being our most loved Surface device."

The 12th Gen Intel chips should still be a nice upgrade for the Surface Laptop lineup, which are a step up in performance over both those AMD chips and also the 11th Gen Intel CPUs. Both the 13.5 and 15-inch Laptop 5 variants use the Core i7-1255U, while the smaller laptop also can use a Core i5-1235U. Commercial versions ship with a Core i5-1245U or Core i7-1265U.

The Laptop will continue to come in platinum and matte black at both the 13.5 and 15 inch sizes, while the smaller model will also get sage and sandstone color optoins. Only the 13.5-inch platinum version will come with an Alcantara wrist rest.

Both laptops will have 3:2 displays with Dolby Vision IQ (on the speaker side, you get Dolby Atmos). Notably, neither of them are getting the bump to 120 Hz that we've seen on the Surface Pro or Surface Laptop Studio, which would have been a nice touch, even if you are less likely to use a stylus with a clamshell notebook. The Surface Laptop is also still on a 720p webcam, unlike the Surface Pro and Laptop Studio.

Storage on the Surface Laptop 5 starts at 256GB and goes up to 1TB. Microsoft suggests the SSDs are removable, though for previous Surface Laptops, that has meant removing the feet and taking off the keyboard. That's likely why the company recommends only having authorized technicians take care of replacements.

Neither model has a ton of ports, but they're a decent mix. You get a single USB Type-C port with Thunderbolt 4, a USB Type-A 3.1 port, a 3.5 mm headphone jack and, of course, the proprietary Surface Connect port.

We'll have to test Microsoft's performance and battery claims ourselves, but otherwise, it seems like not too much changed here. I suppose I can live with that, especially if Microsoft kept its keyboards to the same quality as previous versions.

The new Surface Laptop 5 lineup will launch on Oct. 25, starting at $999 for the 13.5-inch model with a Core i5, 8GB of RAM and 256B of storage and $1,299.99 for the 15-incher with an i7 and 8GB of RAM.

I often applaud PC companies for trying out new features and form factors. At the very least, if it doesn't result in one of the best gaming laptops, a new idea will lead to slow but sure innovation. But the Asus ROG Flow Z13 ($1,799.99 to start, $1,899.99 as tested, $3,299.99 if you include the XG Mobile graphics dock), takes it a bit too far.

At first, the idea of a gaming tablet in the shape of Microsoft's Surface Pro doesn't seem crazy; it's extremely portable, making it ideal for trips where you might want to squeeze in some play when you're done sending emails. The Intel Core i9 brings some CPU power, even if it's a bit inappropriate for the relatively low-powered RTX 3050 Ti.

But the Flow Z13 is also designed around pushing Asus' XG Mobile graphics dock. With its RTX 3080, the Core i9 starts to make sense, as does its 120 Hz screen.Asus’ tablet dependent on the this dock to stand on its own, especially for what Asus is charging.

Design of the Asus ROG Flow Z13

The Asus ROG Flow Z13 is a detachable gaming tablet. It looks, in some senses, like Microsoft's Surface Pro, with the tablet held up by a kickstand, while a separate keyboard cover is used for both typing and protecting the screen. Unlike Microsoft, Asus includes the cover in the box.

But the silhouette is where the similarities end. This is because Asus has gone full gamer here, covering the rear of the tablet with so many over-the-top decorative elements that it looks like a toy. Those include vents in the shape of an "06" (the ROG brand was established in 2006);  the "For Those Who Dare" tagline; and my personal favorite —  a window that lets you peek at a small portion of the motherboard, with RGB lighting. Yes, Asus built an RGB sunroof into its gaming tablet. It's a lot, and the window even juts out a bit from the back. That means if you place it with the back down, it will wobble on a table.

On the left edge of the kickstand, there's a small orange tab, which is the easiest spot to open the kickstand. The opening mechanism is a bit stiff, but you can get the stand to just about any angle you might reasonably want to use. Asus claims it goes 170 degrees.

Beneath the kickstand, there's some more ornamentation, detailing where parts like the battery, speakers, microSD card and M.2 SSD go. This is tone-on-tone with the rest of Asus's black color palette. 

The front is just a 13.4-inch, 16:10 display with a noticeable but unobtrusive bezel. Usually, 3:2 is a better aspect ratio for tablets, but for gaming, I understand the choice to go with 16:10.

The type cover is black, with a felt material on the outside that is sure to attract debris. The inside consists of a soft, rubbery material. It feels thicker than some other keyboard covers, though that may be due in part to the fact that the keys are RGB backlit.

Like most Windows tablets, there are only a handful of ports. On the left side, Asus has a Thunderbolt 4 port, which you'll use for charging. Like the Alienware x14, Asus is fully charging this gaming device with a USB-C charger, which is a nice plus. There's also a small silicone cap that covers the XG Mobile interface. That's a mix of a proprietary port and a USB Type-C port. If you're not using Asus's eGPU, you can use that USB Type-C port for power or data.

On the right side of the laptop, you'll find the power button (which includes a fingerprint reader), a volume rocker, a USB 2.0 Type-A port and a headphone jack. Under the kickstand, there's a microSD card slot for expanded storage.

The fingerprint reader worked most of the time, though I sometimes found it to be fidgety. It's on the side of the device, and you have to touch it in the exact right spot, even if you can't see it. You have to really take the time to get used to the location.

The Flow Z13 weighs 2.6 pounds (1.18 kg) without the keyboard and 3.35 pounds (1.52 kg) with the keyboard. I found that a bit cumbersome for a tablet, especially when the Surface Pro 8 is 1.96 pounds (0.89 kg) and a 12.9-inch iPad Pro is 1.5 pounds (0.68 kilograms). In other words, the Flow Z13 weighs significantly more than  a Steam Deck (1.47 pounds)

Asus' tablet measures  11.89 x 8.03 x 0.47 inches without the keyboard, and grows to 0.69 inches thick with the keyboard attached.

While being heavier than most tablets, it’s significantly smaller and lighter than regular gaming laptops , which typically use clamshell form factors. The Alienware x14 is 4.06 pounds and 12.66 x 10.36 x 0.57 inches, heavier but thinner than the Flow with its keyboard cover. For those also using the XG Mobile graphics dock, you'll find you may save some space over something like the MSI GE76 Raider, which is 6.39 pounds and 15.63 x 11.18 x 1.01 inches, though that has a 17-inch display and the most powerful parts.

Asus ROG Flow Z13 Specifications

Gaming and Graphics on the Asus ROG Flow Z13

In order to make the ROG Flow Z13 a gaming-grade tablet, Asus paired an Intel Core i9-12900H with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti. Pairing one of the highest end Intel CPUs paired with one of Nvidia's budget graphics cards only makes sense if you assume that users will buy the Asus ROG XG Mobile, a graphics dock with an RTX 3080 inside. For more information on the XG Mobile, see our review of the Asus ROG Flow X13, a laptop that used it when it debuted.

I used the ROG Flow Z13 to play Guardians of the Galaxy at 1920 x 1200 on medium settings, to mixed results. In the very busy city of Knowhere, which has a lot of non--playable characters walking around, the game ran as high as 50 fps but was typically in the high 30's to low 40's, albeit with a few stutters.

Then, I plugged in the XG Mobile with an RTX 3080 to try the same part of the game. At the same resolution on the ultra preset, the game ran between 90 and 115 frames per second,

On Shadow of the Tomb Raider's benchmark on the highest preset, the Flow Z13 ran at 41 fps at 1080p and 38 fps at native 1200p. With the XG Mobile attached, that boosted to 95 and 91 fps.

But the Flow's 3050 Ti didn't match up with the RTX 3060 in the Alienware x14 (62 fps), and the RTX 3080 in the MSI GE76 Raider outperformed the Flow in combination with the XG Mobile (112 fps).

We saw a similar pattern in Grand Theft Auto V, when the Flow achieved scores of 47 fps (1080p) and 43 fps (1200p) on very high settings. (With XG Mobile, those boosted to 118 and 110 fps, respectively). Again, the Alienware x14 beat out the Flow at 70 fps, while the Raider hit 139 fps, surpassing the tablet with the graphics dock.

On Far Cry 6 (ultra settings), the Flow Z13 hit 43 fps at 1080p but an unplayable 26 fps. With XG Mobile, it reached 88 and 82 fps, respectively.

The Alienware x14 ran the Far Cry benchmark at an even 60 fps, but the Raider was four frames behind the XG Mobile-armed Flow.

Red Dead Redemption 2 on medium was a challenge for the Flow, which ran the benchmark at 32 fps at 1080p and 31 fps at 12900p. The Alienware sailed past the Flow at 48 fps.With the XG Mobile attached, the Flow reached 72 fps at 1080p and 69 fps at 1200p, both falling short of the Raider's 82 fps at 1080p.

On Borderlands 3 ("badass settings") the ROG Flow Z 13 was just playable at 35 fps 1080p and 34 fps at 1200p, but the Alienware surpassed it at 54 fps. With the XG Mobile, the Flow hit 89 fps at 1080p and 85 fps at 1200p, but the Raider won again at 106 fps.

We also ran our Metro Exodus stress test, in which we run the benchmark 15 times in succession to simulate about half an hour of gaming. For the Flow with the RTX 3050 Ti, we ran it on high settings, since it was unplayable at the RTX preset.

During the test, the CPU's performance cores ran at an average of 1.8 GHz, which is quite low. The E-cores ran at an average of 1.5 GHz, and the CPU package measured an average of 62.46 degrees Celsius.  The GPU, meanwhile, ran at 1,195.79 MHz and measured 62.79 degrees Celsius. In this version of the test, Metro Exodus ran at 41.64 fps and was fairly consistent across runs.

With the XG Mobile's RTX 3080 attached and the benchmark running on the RTX preset, the P-cores ran at 3.36 GHz and the E cores at 2.64 GHz and the CPU measured 60.1 degrees Celsius. The GPU ran at 1,383 MHz and measured 76.03 degrees Celsius. This time around, the game ran at 66.29 fps.

Productivity Performance on the Asus ROG Flow Z13

Asus crammed an Intel Core i9-12900H into the Flow Z13's small tablet body. The 14-core processor has six performance cores and eight efficient cores. There is also 16GB of LPDDR5 memory and a 1TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD.

These are largely top-end specs, but in our benchmark testing, we found that it doesn't match the performance of larger systems with more room for cooling. The ROG Flow Z13 will serve you fine for lighter workloads that involve web browsing, email, spreadsheets and more, but creatives might want to consider where they can get more performance for their money.

On Geekbench 5, the Flow Z13 achieved a single-core score of 1,860 and a multi-core score of 12,603. For single-core, that's higher than the Alienware x14 (Core i7-12700H, 1,471) and the MSI GE76 Raider (Core i9-12900HK, barely edged out at 1,833.) In multi-core scores.owever, both Alienware's Core i7 and MSI's Core i9 won out.

On our file transfer test, the ROG Flow copied 25GB of files at a rate of 674.17 MBps, falling behind both the Alienware x14 (1,156.07 MBps) and MSI GE76 Raider (the fastest at 1,774.47 MBps).

And on our Handbrake video transcoding test, Asus' tablet took far longer than its competitors, converting a video from 4K to 1080p in 6 minutes and 48 seconds. The Alienware did it in 5:04, while the MSI took just 4:44.

Display on the Asus ROG Flow Z13

The 16:10, 1920 x 1200 touchscreen on the ROG Flow Z13 gets plenty bright and offers vivid colors, although they aren't perfect.

I used the Flow Z13 to check out the trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and despite the fact that the video has a lot of dark scenes (I guess that explains the madness,) the display was luminous enough that everything was clear. 

A sunrise over New York City  early in the trailer looked great, showing off a blend of blues, reds and yellow in the sky over a gray landscape, and Strange's blue cloak was vibrant even when he was being held prisoner in a dim, cement room.

When I played Guardians of the Galaxy, the game looked excellent. It's vibrant and colorful, and the seedy underbelly of Knowhere was bright with lots of neon lights.

In our measurements, we sound that the Flow Z13 covered 72.4% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and 102.2% of the sRGB gamut. That's only slightly under the Alienware x14 (77.7% DCI-P3,  110% sRGB) and MSI GE76 Raider (74.5% DCI-P3, 105% sRGB).

But the Flow more than made up for those slightly smaller color ranges with a ton of brightness. It measured 455 nits on our lightmeter, far surpassing both the Alienware (377 nits) and the Raider (259 nits).

The ROG Flow Z13, in all of its current configurations, uses a 120 Hz display. I think that's overkill, considering the graphics card that's in it. I think it would have been prudent for Asus to add a cheaper 60 Hz model for those who don't want XG Mobile.

Keyboard and Touchpad on the Asus ROG Flow Z13

The Flow Z13's keyboard and touchpad are on a detachable cover, just like Microsoft's Surface Pro type covers. It attaches magnetically with a series of pins, and can be used flat on a desk or at a slight angle. Of course, in true gaming fashion, the keys here are backlit with RGB lighting.

Typing on the keyboard isn't as good as on a regular laptop, but it's decent (this is almost always the case with detachables.) While the Flow's attachment is a bit thicker than I expected, it still does bow in the middle when you're typing, and the travel isn't exactly deep. I hit 106 words per minute on the 10fastfingers.com typing test, which is good for me, but with a higher-than-usual error rate of 5%.

Gaming on it is OK. I really don't recommend using the ergonomic angle for it, but rather letting the keyboard lay flat on a desk. That will reduce a lot of bounce. If you like deep travel on your gaming keyboards, this won't get you too far. In an adventure game like Guardians of the Galaxy it did the job, but if you're mashing buttons, this will get uncomfortable.

The touchpad is small. It's big enough to navigate and perform Windows 11 gestures, but there's plenty of space on the trackpad to make it wider. Additionally, it feels cheap and plasticky compared to the rest of the computer.

One worry I have is about how long the keyboard will last. Followers of the Microsoft Surface know that these type covers tend to have a limited shelf life and get gross or start to fall apart with heavy use. That might take awhile, but at least Surface owners can buy replacements. While I appreciate Asus including one in the box, a representative for the company confirmed that there are currently no plans to sell new keyboard covers, which I find worrying for those who invest almost $2,000 in a machine.

Audio on the Asus ROG Flow Z13

Despite the ROG Flow Z13's size, its dual speakers can hang with most 13-inch laptops. That's not to say it's some sort of revelation, but they're satisfactory.

The tablet didn't fill my whole apartment with sound, but the speakers brought enough volume to alt-J's "The Actor," including its moody vocals and dark synths. Some details, like the bass and drums, were on the weaker side, however.

The speakers were only OK on Guardians of the Galaxy. The dialogue sounded a bit flat, though the music sounded alright.

If you're holding the tablet and listening to music or watching a video, you'll need to be careful where you place your hands. In landscape mode, I found the speakers, which are at the bottom of each side, are exactly where my hands were most comfortable. That made for muffled, quiet, distorted audio. This isn't a problem in portrait mode or when you have the Flow on a desk.

Upgradeability on the Asus ROG Flow Z13

The only part of the Asus ROG Flow Z13 you can replace or repair is the SSD.

When you flip out the kickstand, you'll see a small door near the right side of the device that is held in with a single Phillips head screw. Once you remove that, you'll need to use your nail to lift the plastic cover off.

The M.2 2230 SSD is held down by another screw. There's a second spot for a screw if you use a longer drive, but there's really not that much room in there. Don't go buying your standard M.2 2280 for this.

The only other visible screws on the devices are either attached to the kickstand (all Phillips head) or on the bottom corners. Those latter two are pentalobe screws, which are more rare. Of those two, one was stuck in place on our unit.

Asus' SSD door echoes what Microsoft has done on some (though not all) of its Surface Pro models, and it's certainly better than not being able to make repairs at all.

Battery Life on the Asus ROG Flow Z13

Gaming laptops aren't exactly renowned for their battery life, but tablets, as a whole, are typically meant to be portable and long-lasting. With the Flow Z13, that becomes a bit of a paradox, as the powerful components suck power, rather than sip it.

On our battery test, which browses the web, runs OpenGL tests in the browser and streams video with the display set to 150 nits of brightness and the machine connected to Wi-Fi, it lasted 6 hours and 14 minutes.

The Alienware x14 lasted longer, running for 8:44, but the MSI GE76 Raider, which doesn't have the luxury of leaving its RTX 3080 behind in a graphics dock, conked out after 4:05.

Heat on the Asus ROG Flow Z13

The ROG Flow is a tablet, so the primary touchpoints are on the rear of the device. The keyboard, which is detachable, doesn't see any particular changes in temperature when the system is running.

We took skin temperature measurements while running our Metro Exodus stress tests. And, like in our performance testing, we did it twice: once with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti inside the tablet running and a second time with the XG Mobile, utilizing an RTX 3080.

Using the internal GPU, the hottest point on the back measured about 41.9 degrees Celsius (107.42 degrees Celsius). But when using the XG Mobile, that same spot hit 37.7 degrees Celsius (99.86 degrees Fahrenheit). It ends up that having the GPU outside of the chassis makes cooling far more efficient!

If you were to touch the XG Mobile, we found the hottest point there was 50.4 degrees Celsius (122.72 degrees Fahrenheit).

Cameras on the Asus ROG Flow Z13

There are two cameras on the ROG Flow Z13: a front-facing 720p webcam for calls and an 8MP shooter on the back for taking photos.

The front camera is decent. I wish Asus could've found a way to jam a 1080p camera in here, but in tests at my desk, my olive green shirt appeared on screen as it looked in real life, and details like my hair and beard were fairly distinct.

While there is a fingerprint reader on the side of the device, I feel that adding a front-facing IR camera, as on the Surface devices, would have been a better option, as most people pick up their tablets and point them directly at their faces anyway.

I don't quite get the inclusion of the rear camera on this device. I get that Apple has one on the iPad and Microsoft has one on the Surface, but those are both productivity tablets that occasionally get used in field work. Have you ever heard  jokes about people who take pictures with iPads at concerts? Imagine someone busting this out on their family vacation: "Look at the RGB and say 'cheese!'"

But since it's there, we did test it. It ended up being a mixed bag, having issues focusing on anything in shadow. It is also zoomed in more than expected by default, so be sure to take a few steps away from anything you want a picture of.

Software and Warranty on the Asus ROG Flow Z13

Asus has slowly added more software to its gaming portfolio, and I don't think it's all necessary on the Flow Z13.

Armoury Crate, a hub app that shows performance statistics, lets you control RGB lighting and allows owners to create performance profiles makes enough sense. But Aura Creator, a newer piece of software to create lighting patterns. Considering this doesn't have per key backlighting on the keyboard and the window faces away from you, I find it to be of limited utility. It might be better baked into Armoury Crate.

Asus also preloads MyAsus, which includes some useful information like your serial number, but also doubles up on settings that are already in Windows and pushes promotional software offers. 

Otherwise, this is a standard Windows 11 load , including occasional links to software you may not want such as Disney Plus, Spotify, TikTok and Instagram.

Asus sells the ROG Flow Z13 with a one-year warranty.

Asus ROG Flow Z13 Configurations

We tested the ROG Flow Z13 with an Intel Core i9-12900H, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD and a 120 Hz, 1920 x 1200 display. That's available at Best Buy for $1,899.99. A bundle with the XG Mobile graphics dock featuring an RTX 3080, which we also tested, will run you $3,299.99.

The base model is $1,799.99 at Newegg and Amazon. While it has the same display and RAM, it uses an Intel Core i7-12700H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 and a smaller, 512GB SSD. Considering that AAA games like Elden Ring can take 60GB or more of disk space, that’s an unacceptably low amount of disk space on a system this expensive.

Bottom Line

It's hard for me to recommend the Asus ROG Flow Z13 to anyone outside of a very specific group of people. If you want a Windows 11 gaming PC in a tablet form factor similar to the Surface Pro, this is really your only option. 

But a bright screen and a thin form factor don't make up for some of the questionable choices Asus has made. Using a Core i9 with an RTX 3050 Ti, for instance, doesn't make a lot of sense, unless you're choosing to also buy the XG Mobile graphics dock with an RTX 3080. The same goes for the 120 Hz display screen. It often feels like this device was designed to work only with the graphics dock; as a result, it's hobbled as a standalone product.

Add in the fact that you can't buy a replacement keyboard for a tablet that starts at $1,799.99, and you get an investment that seems questionable in the long term.

Unless having a gaming tablet is the most important thing to you, consider  one of the many 14-inch gaming laptops, which have gotten thinner and more portable in the last few years. The Alienware x14, for instance, starts at $1,599.99 for the same specs as the base ROG Flow Z13, resulting in $200 in savings. For $1,899.99, which is the cost of the Flow we tested, you can get that Alienware with a Core i7 and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 for stronger gaming performance and still get a 144 Hz display.

At the moment, however, the combination of the Flow Z13 and XG Mobile may be cheaper than some top-of-the-line gaming laptops such as the MSI GE76 Raider. But the extra cost of those laptops gives you bigger displays, better keyboards, upgradeability and portability that doesn’t involve carrying a dock in your bag. 

This all makes the Flow Z13 extremely niche in a way that often feels like it was designed to show off the XG Mobile rather than provide a comprehensive gaming experience. The performance and price make it an odd entry-level gaming machine, and the design makes for an odd productivity machine.

I don't think Asus' idea for an eGPU dock is one without merit, but the products should be enhanced by it, not designed around it.

Today, Asus has announced a new 2-in-1 tablet known as the ExpertBook B3 Detachable designed for professionals. It's a unique device that features a Snapdragon processor paired with Microsoft's Windows 11 Pro operating system.

The tablet specs include a Snapdragon 7c Gen2 eight-core processor along with 8GB of LPDDR4 RAM and a storage capacity of just 128GB of eMMC memory. This tablet is one of the first Windows 11 based machines to come with an ARM processor, which should boost battery life significantly compared to more power-hungry x86 solutions.

As the name implies, this tablet is aimed more towards professionals who need a small tablet for jotting down notes, looking at Excel sheets, or other similar light-use tasks. Given the device's specs, don't expect to do any professional video editing or heavy Photoshop work without encountering massive slowdowns.

To turn the tablet into a true 2-in-1 device, Asus paired the B3 with its ExpertBoard keyboard that magnetically connects to the tablet and functions very similarly to Microsoft's own touch covers for its Surface tablets.

However, the keyboard itself can't do all the heavy lifting. As a result, Asus also pairs the B3 with its homemade ExpertStand, allowing you to prop the tablet when needed to work as a laptop or propping up the tablet vertically for other uses.

We don't have the B3's entire spec sheet, so some details, like display specifications, are unclear. But Asus does mention the screen has a 16:10 aspect ratio, which should provide some extra screen real estate over traditional 16:9 displays. The resolution remains unknown, but we're assuming it'll be around the 1080P ballpark.

The only I/O on the device appears to be a single USB-Type C connection and a single headphone/mic jack on the right side. To the left, you get your power button plus volume buttons.

For notetaking, the B3 includes a stylus with a built-in charging holder inside the table. The charging rate of the pen is impressive, with Asus promising up to 45 minutes of use if you leave the pen to charge inside the tablet for just 15 seconds.

Asus has also specced out the ExpertBook B3 to the MIL-STD 810H U.S. Military standard, so you can expect the B3 to be very durable and reliable. Some of the qualifications include 15,000 insertion and removal cycles for the USB type C port, and the ability to withstand eighteen 40G shocks while the device is powered on.

Asus' 2022 gaming lineup is comprehensive, covering almost its entire existing product stack with updates to the latest from Intel, AMD and Nvidia. But perhaps the most interesting among them is a gaming tablet, the Asus ROG Flow Z13. That comes amid other updates, including a 16-inch ROG Zephyrus Duo and revamps of the TUF line of budget notebooks.

The ROG Flow Z13 is a 13.4-inch tablet that kind of resembles a Surface device for gamers. In fact, it even looks like a slightly more reasonable version of the ROG Mothership from 2019, which also had a detachable keyboard (but was huge and far more powerful for its time).

Asus is using 12th Gen Intel processors in the ROG Flow Z13, ranging from a Core i5 up to an Intel Core i9-12900H with either an RTX 3050 or RTX 3050 Ti on board. But like last year's ROG Flow X13, it can use the XG Mobile dock with up to an RTX 3080 laptop GPU over a proprietary connection for faster gaming. This new graphics dock is slightly bigger and heavier than the original. 

The tablet itself weighs about 2.42 pounds and is just 12 mm thick. It can be separated from the keyboard cover, which has RGB lighting because how else would you know it's for gaming? Asus claims the cover offers 1.7 millimeters of travel.

Unlike Microsoft, which uses a 3:2 aspect ratio in it's (decidedly non-gaming) tablets, Asus is using 16:10. There will be a 120 Hz pane option, which Asus is saying is "FHD," but is likely higher than the standard 1920 x 1080 due to the extra height. The same goes for the "4K" panel, which will run at 60 Hz. Additionally, there are both front- and rear-facing cameras on this device.

Asus is cooling the tablet with the help of a vapor chamber over both the processor and graphics, as well as liquid metal on the CPU. With the kickstand opened for more airflow, Asus claims that the Flow Z13 can run under 32 decibels, even under intense workloads.

There's a door behind the kickstand for an m.2 2230 SSD, which is similar to what Microsoft has done on the Surface Pro. 

If you're looking for something bigger and more powerful, Asus has kicked the ROG Zephyrus Duo up to 16-inches. The dual-screen laptop will use processors up to AMD’s Ryzen 9 6900HX and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, including a MUX switch to ensure you get the performance you expect on the main display. The GPU will offer up to 150W of TGP, with dynamic boost.

That main screen is now 16-inches, and Asus is debuting what it calls "Nebula HDR," with Mini LEDs in 512 zones and 1,200 nits of peak brightness. That's on a QHD display at 165 Hz, though again, the resolution should be slightly higher than 2560 x 1440 due to the 16:10 aspect ratio. The half-height secondary panel goes up to 3820 x 1100 and measures 14.09 inches diagonally.

The new design minimizes the gap between the two displays, making the transition between the two panels appear more seamless, and Asus is promising better viewing angles on that ScreenPad Plus–which is good given that was an issue with previous iterations of the Zephyrus Duo.

The cooling system has been upgraded again, too. The ScreenPad Plus actually slides backwards now, to show off a part of the motherboard (with, of course, RGB lighting for good measure). It has fans that are 0.7 mm higher, which the company claims offers 11% more airflow than the previous Zephyrus Duo, and the CPU is being cooled with Conductonaut Extreme thermal compound, which Asus says drops temperatures up to 14 degrees Celsius lower than typical thermal grease.

Other features include an IR camera to log in with Windows Hello, a six-speaker audio system (four speakers and two tweeters) and up to 64GB of DDR5 RAM.

For traditionalists, the AMD ROG Zephyrus G14 is getting a refresh with a 16:10 display and, thank heavens, a webcam (and an IR webcam, for Windows Hello). We’re eager to see if the new model will also earn a spot on our best gaming laptops list.

The G14 is still an all-AMD machine with up to AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS CPU and Radeon RX 6800S GPU (Asus is claiming up to 105W of GPU power with AMD's SmartShift technology). Both the CPU and GPU will be cooled with liquid metal and a vapor chamber.

But the G14 has been redesigned on the outside, too: The display has 50% slimmer bezels on the sides and bottom, and the touchpad is twice as big as the previous model.

And yes, the Anime Matrix display on the lid is back, now with smaller perforations, more holes, higher brightness and better contrast. Asus is also adding minigames that you play on the lid using a mouse, though I would imagine the games you play on the real screen will be far more interesting.

The G15 is seeing less of a shift. It's getting a bump to the Ryzen 9 6900HS and RTX 3080 Ti, and it too will now have a webcam. But it's maintaining a 16:19 display.

Other laptops being updated to the latest silicon include the Asus ROG Strix G15 and G17, the Strix Scar 15 and 17, Asus TUF Dash 15 and the TUF Gaming A15, A17, F15 and F17.

Pricing and availability were not immediately made available.

Microsoft has grown its Surface portfolio to a slew of devices, including the Surface Pro, Surface Laptop, Surface Go, Surface Laptop Studio and Surface Laptop Go. Some of those may find themselves discounted and among the best deals. 

Some of the newest devices, like the Surface Pro 8 and Surface Laptop Studio are unlikely to see deep cuts. But some older Pros and Surface Laptops may see some discounts, if you're willing to go for an older device. For the 2-in-1, there's a chance you might find bundles that include a keyboard or stylus.

For the laptops, you may find a mix of older models of the Surface Go, and, if you're lucky, the Surface Laptops that launched earlier this year.

Here are some of the deals we've found so far:

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 Deals

Beyond these deals, Microsoft is offering an $100 Microsoft Store gift card to those who purchase a Surface Pro 8 directly through its store.

Microsoft Surface Pro 7 Deals

Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 Deals

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go Deals

Microsoft Surface Book 3 Deals

The Surface Book 3 is being supplanted by the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio. It's likely that once it goes out of stock, you may not be able to get this detachable design again.

Microsoft Surface Go 2 Deals

Microsoft Surface Accessory Deals

You can check in on deals on Surfaces in real time with the widgets below:

More Surface Pro 7 Deals

More Surface Pro 8 deals 

More Surface Laptop 4 Deals

More Surface Laptop Go Deals

More Surface Laptop Studio Deals

You can find even more savings at our best Cyber Monday PC gaming deals page. We're also tracking the best Cyber Monday monitor deals, best Cyber Monday CPU deals, best Cyber Monday SSD deals, best Cyber Monday gaming laptop deals, best Cyber Monday keyboard deals, best Cyber Monday gaming mouse deals and the best Cyber Monday PC hardware deals overall. Makers and hobbyists will find sales by checking out the best Cyber Monday 3D printer deals, best Cyber Monday Raspberry Pi deals and best Cyber Monday robot deals. If you're shopping for a graphics card, we even have advice on how to find the best RTX 3080 deals, best RTX 3070 deals and best RTX 3060 deals you can find in this challenging market.

The Microsoft Surface Pro 8 is finally here, introducing Windows 11 to the Surface line, plus a 120 Hz display and a bunch of refreshed internals that put the Surface Pro’s power back on par with the market’s best ultrabooks, even if it’s a little late to the Intel 11th Gen party.

While you won’t find too much added functionality here, what you will find is a refinement of everything that makes Surface Pro tablets great, which when combined with the added touch friendliness of Windows 11, easily makes this the best Surface Pro yet.

Specifications

Design of Microsoft Surface Pro 8

The Surface Pro 8 looks roughly the same as the Surface Pro 7 on first blush, in that it’s a mostly plain looking tablet with a kickstand that can attach to an optional type cover for expanded usability. But when you look past the, well, surface, you’ll see just how many changes the Pro 8 brings to the Surface Pro line.

First up, the 3:2 display has significantly thinner bezels, which many Surface devotees have been asking for for years. It’s also 120 Hz now, which makes for smoother writing and drawing. The right hand side of the tablet also no longer has a USB Type-A port, as Microsoft opted to replace it with a Thunderbolt 4 port. The optional Surface Pro Signature type cover now has a magnetic charging slot for a Surface Slim Pen 2, and you can actually remove the device’s SSD by lifting up the kickstand and using a SIM card removal tool.

Aesthetically, it's the biggest change since the Surface Pro 3, with rounded corners and anodized aluminum. It's refreshing to see the Pro get a makeover.

Note that the SSD removal is meant for technicians to be able to recover data more than anything else, and that swapping out the SSD on your own will void your warranty.

Still, it’s a nice bit of internal accessibility for a tablet. Unfortunately, there’s also some losses here that haven’t made it over from the Surface Pro 7 yet. LTE models of the Surface Pro 8 won’t be available until 2022, and while you can technically get the Surface Pro 8 in black, several configurations are currently only available in silver. 

As a general tablet, the Surface Pro 8 is a fairly small device when compared to 13 inch laptops and convertibles with comparable specs. Its 11.3 x 8.2 x 0.37 inch footprint is compact when compared to the 11.6 x 7.8 x 0.6 inch footprint on the Dell XPS 13 laptop and the 11.75 x 8.67 x 0.67 inch footprint on the HP Spectre x360 14 convertible. Even the ThinkPad X1 Nano, which makes size a top consideration, is still generally larger than it at 11.75 x 8.67 x 0.67 inches. Of course, those all have built in keyboards.

At 1.96 pounds, The Surface Pro 8 is also lightweight. The ThinkPad X1 Nano is close to it at 1.99 pounds, but the Dell XPS 13 and HP Spectre x360 14 are much heavier than it at 2.8 pounds and 2.95 pounds respectively.

Unfortunately, as a tablet, the Surface Pro 8 doesn’t have many options when it comes to ports. You’ll only have access to two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a proprietary Surface Connect port for either charging or connecting your device to a dock.

Productivity Performance of Microsoft Surface Pro 8

Aside from its move to Windows 11, you won’t find any major changes to the Surface Pro 8’s components except for a generation refresh. Apple may have iPads with its proprietary M1 chip now, but the Surface lineup is sticking with Intel. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though. In testing with our Core i7-1185G7 review model with 16GB of memory, the Surface Pro 8 generally outperformed other 13-inch computing options.

In Geekbench 5, a synthetic benchmark for testing general PC performance, the Surface Pro 8 had the highest multi-core score among all of the 13-inch laptops we tested, though it had the lowest single-core score. Meanwhile, the Dell XPS 13 was right on the Surface’s tail on multi-core performance, plus it boasted the highest single core score.

The Surface Pro 8 assumed a hefty lead in our Handbrake video encoding test, where we track how long it takes a computer to transcode a video down from 4K to FHD. In this test, it finished the transcode at least 3 minutes faster than rivals, with the ThinkPad X1 Nano being the next quickest machine. 

Our file transfer test, where we measure how quickly a machine can move files, is the only place where the Surface Pro 8 and its 256GB SSD definitively stumbled. With a file transfer rate of 415.17 MBps, it was the slowest of the devices we tested. By comparison, the Dell XPS 13 was able to reach transfer speeds of 806.2 MBps.

We also ran the Surface Pro 8 through Cinebench R23 for 20 simultaneous runs, in order to simulate a long work session. During this test, the Surface Pro 8’s CPU clock speed averaged 2,576.58 MHz, while its CPU temperature sat at an average of 55.41 degrees Celsius. Scores began in the 5000s and eventually fell off to wind up mostly in the high 3000s, with a short-lived spike happening on run 17.

Display of Microsoft Surface Pro 8

The Surface Pro 8 comes with a 2880 x 1920 3:2 display that’s bright and vivid in both light and dark environments, but most importantly, it’s also got a 120 Hz refresh rate now. I tested it first by watching the trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home on it, and found that I could accurately make out the picture regardless of the viewing angle. Glare was also virtually nonexistent, and the bright colors on Spider-Man’s suit stood out as rich and vibrant. Blacks were a little shallow, but not enough to be distracting against the vivid colors.

I also used the Surface Pro 8 to take notes, write, and browse the web. Here, the display’s aspect ratio helped it feel almost as natural to work with as paper, especially in portrait mode. Meanwhile, that new 120 Hz refresh rate made the pen feel way less laggy and contributed to the feeling of working with a real notebook.

Still, the 13-inch laptop space is full of great screens. The Surface Pro 8 only took second place in both color and brightness among the devices we tested, with the HP Spectre x360 14 being more colorful and the Dell XPS 13 being brighter. But for a great balance across both color and brightness, the Surface Pro 8 was the clear leader.

Keyboard, Touchpad and Surface Slim Pen 2 with Microsoft Surface Pro 8

If there’s one thing the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 has over more traditional laptops, it's a wide variety of input methods. The device comes with touchscreen controls by default, which are now easier to handle thanks to the larger icons and more tap friendly UX in Windows 11, but buying a type cover will also give you a full-sized tenkeyless keyboard complete with an Fn row, touchpad and media keys. And, of course, the Alcantara fabric is soft on the wrists. Plus, you can get the Type Cover now in a bundle with the Surface Slim Pen 2 stylus, complete with a magnetic charging cradle that can be hidden away while you type. This is similar to what we first saw on the Surface Pro X's type cover.

The Signature Type Cover bundled with the Surface Slim Pen 2 costs $279.99 on top of the Surface Pro 8, while a Signature Type Cover on its own is $179.99. 

The Type Cover itself has pleasant to use chiclet style keys with surprisingly generous feeling travel for how thin it is. In my time with the Surface, these keys didn’t leave any marks on the tablet screen when I closed the type cover, but it’s possible that this could change over the course of long-term ownership. I was also impressed with how fast I could comfortably type on the type cover, reaching up to 85 words-per-minute on 10fastfingers.com. I’m a conscientious typer, so that’s a fairly high score for me.

That said, the Type Cover does feel unstable and bendy in its default, angled position. You can sit it flat against your desk if you prefer, although I found this was less comfortable and cut my wpm down to 78.

The precision touchpad that comes with the Surface Pro 8 is surprisingly large at 4 x 3.25 inches and is arguably smoother than the touch screen. I had no issues using it to input two-finger multi-touch gestures like scrolling. Unfortunately, I couldn’t reliably input three-finger gestures like switching apps, usually having to perform the gesture multiple times to get the tablet to do what I wanted.

The Surface Slim Pen 2 provides a smooth and tactile writing experience with plenty of programmable buttons. I didn’t notice its new haptic feedback feature, which uses rumble to help simulate the feeling of writing on paper as well as let you know how much pressure you’re exerting, at first. But after I adjusted the rumble to 75% intensity, I had a comfortable level of haptics that made writing feel just a little more natural. Setting the effect to 100% intensity made it a little too overbearing to actually tell how much pressure I was using, plus a little too distracting to be useful. But once you find a level that you’re comfortable with, it is a nice if not entirely life-changing bonus. Writing by hand became more satisfying, at the very least, although I’m not sure my doodles got any better.

If you don't get the Slim Pen 2 with the Type Cover, it costs $129.99 on its own.

The new magnetic charging cradle for the Slim Pen 2 that’s built into the Surface Pro 8 Type Cover makes storing the stylus a breeze, and to be honest, I don’t know if I would bother using the stylus much without it.

Audio of Microsoft Surface Pro 8

The Surface Pro 8 has better speakers than any 13 inch device has a right to have. Sound comes out of the side of the laptop with the webcam on it (top-firing if resting on its kickstand), and presents clear vocals and deep bass with very little lost information.

In fact, when I listened to Montero (Call Me By Your Name) on the Surface Pro 8, I had an easier time making out some lyrics than I do on my Sennheiser headphones. Audio can also get loud, with the speakers easily filling my entire 2-bedroom apartment with music at 100%. My comfortable listening volume was around 35%.

The only downside here is there’s no included audio software, so you’ll have to go to third-party solutions if you want to play with an equalizer.

Battery Life of Microsoft Surface Pro 8

As a tablet that’s designed to serve as a daily sidekick for both work and play, battery life is important for the Surface Pro 8. Unfortunately, it had only decent results in our in-home battery life benchmark, which continually streams video, browses the web, and runs OpenGL tests over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of average brightness. While it lasted for just over 9 hours under these conditions, competing devices were able to reach up to 12 hours. 

Heat on Microsoft Surface Pro 8

Since the Surface Pro 8 is a tablet with a detachable keyboard, I only measured the heat on the tablet part of the device. I did this during the 15th of 20 consecutive Cinebench R23 runs, to get a feel for how hot this device gets during heavy workloads.

At the center of the tablet, I read a temperature of 42.6 degrees Celsius (108.68 degrees Fahrenheit), although there was a hotspot slightly above it that came in at 44.9 degrees Celsius (112.82 degrees Fahrenheit). While these temperatures aren’t hot enough to damage your device, I would recommend propping the Surface Pro 8 up on its kickstand for heavy workloads. Unless, of course, you need to warm up your hands.

On that note, we didn’t notice any change in the Surface Pro 8’s temperature based on whether it was propped up on its kickstand or not.

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 Webcam

With rear cameras and the ability to remove the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 from its keyboard and hold it like a phone, having a good built-in webcam is more important for this device than the average 13-inch laptop. Luckily, the Surface Pro 8’s 1080p front camera and 4k rear camera deliver on this use case, although not without the occasional artifact or oversaturated color.

The first issue I noticed with this webcam is that bright colors tended to be oversaturated in photos I took with the front camera. I normally picture myself as a dirty blonde, but my hair hardly looks faded at all in photos taken with the front camera. That’s not necessarily a problem, and can be flattering in a way. But if you’re looking for accurate colors, it’s something to keep in mind. On the plus side, this issue became less noticeable in photos I took under dimmer lighting.

The rear camera fidelity is perhaps the bigger problem here. Despite featuring a technically more advanced sensor, I found photos I took with this camera appeared far dimmer and more full of artifacts than photos I took with the front camera. If you’re just planning to make video calls with the Surface Pro 8, this won’t be a problem. Just don’t expect to shoot your next 4K masterpiece on it.

Front Camera Pics

Rear Camera Pics

Software and Warranty Included With Microsoft Surface Pro 8 

A benefit to buying a device straight from Microsoft is that you don’t have to deal with much bloatware. Most of the time, at least. Our Surface Pro 8 only came pre-installed with Surface-based utility apps and the default Windows 11 programs. This is roughly the same assortment of apps the Windows 10 ships with by default, although there is a new, free, browser-based video editor called Clipchamp hidden away in the new Start menu. Microsoft acquired Clipchamp in September of this year, so be prepared to see it more often across the company’s devices.

Of course, Windows 11 is here. You can read more about Windows 11 over in my colleague Andrew E. Freedman’s launch day impressions, but it makes the Surface Pro 8 feel far more usable. While we’ve expressed complaints about the Windows 11 UX refresh before, it’s plenty at home in a touch environment. That’s thanks to larger icons, a Start menu that’s organized like a phone’s app tray and the ability to quickly snap where apps show up on your screen to match preset layouts.

As far as utility apps go, there is an app simply named Surface that shows you your warranty and serial number, plus lets you adjust your Surface Slim Pen 2 settings if you own one. Microsoft Whiteboard also gets some more prominence here, as while it’s been around for a while, there’s now a dedicated (but reprogrammable) button on the Surface Slim Pen 2 to open it.

The Microsoft Surface Pro 8 comes with a 1-year limited warranty.

Configurations of Microsoft Surface Pro 8

The Surface Pro 8 currently has 8 configurations up for order, with the one we reviewed having an Intel Core i7-1185G7 CPU, 16GB of LPDDR4x RAM and a 256GB SSD. This model costs $1,599 for just the tablet. 

On Microsoft's site, it is promoting the Surface Pro Signature Keyboard with Slim Pen 2, a bundle with both peripherals for an extra $279.99. That Type Cover by itself is $199.99 (and still has the slot for the pen), while the Slim Pen on its own is $129.99.  A version of this keyboard with a built-in fingerprint reader is $199.99.

If you need to save some money, you can lower your specs down to a Core i5 model with 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD. This costs $1,099 (without the type cover). Other i5 permutations with varying RAM and SSD capacities exist up to $1,399 (again, without the type cover), but you can also go more expensive than our review configuration if money is not an issue. 

The most decked out configuration of the Surface Pro 8 you can get right now costs $2,599 (for just the tablet) and comes with the same CPU as our review configuration but has 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.

Microsoft did confirm to us that you can continue to use Type Covers from some older Surface models on the Surface Pro 8, which might make upgrading more approachable than buying this as your first Surface. Unfortunately, the company did not give us details on which covers are backwards compatible.

Bottom Line

Much of what makes the Surface Pro 8 unique compared to previous models comes more with the move to Windows 11 and an upgrade to its accessories than in any changes to the device itself. The thin-bezeled, 120 

Hz, 3:2 screen is brilliant and convenient for both play and productivity, and the refreshed internals make this tablet powerful for a 13-inch device, but you won’t find too much has changed in terms of functionality.

The Surface Slim Pen 2’s new haptic feedback feature is also a nice touch, although it isn’t worth upgrading for on its own. It's also helpful to have a place to store it and charge it in the Type Cover. It's nice to see this come over from the Surface Pro X.

But aside from these changes, you’ll probably continue to use the Surface Pro 8 as you used previous Surface devices. You’ll just be doing so with a new 120 Hz display that’s more suited for productivity, surprisingly high fidelity audio, better webcams, a more touch friendly operating system and more powerful processing.

If you want a device that has most of those benefits but is also cheaper, you might want to opt for the Dell XPS 13, which offers a more traditional laptop experience. True, it’s actually more expensive than the Surface model we reviewed, but that’s no longer the case once you add on a type cover.

Meanwhile, the ThinkPad X1 Nano mostly keeps up with the Surface Pro 8 on power, but has a longer battery life and is still fairly thin despite being a laptop as opposed to a tablet. Unfortunately, it’s also about the same price as the Surface Pro 8 (with a type cover) if you buy it with comparable specs.

Finally, the HP Spectre x360 14 is generally weaker than the Surface Pro 8, but will give you a similar experience for cheaper (assuming you buy a type cover for your Surface) thanks to being a convertible.

In releasing its most powerful, flexible Surface ever, Microsoft has built a device that’s a celebration of Windows 11. The Surface Laptop Studio ($1,599.99 to start, $2,699.99 as tested) switches between a laptop and a drawing tablet, with a display mode in between.

The Surface Book, with its detachable screen, is no more. The Laptop Studio puts its non-detachable screen on a hinge that lets the 14.4-inch display pitch forward or lean back, depending on if you're typing, watching video or sketching. The 120 Hz screen is smooth, fast and works with Microsoft's new Surface Slim Pen 2 ($129.99).

The move away from the detachable Book design means that Microsoft can use more powerful processors. And for the first time, we're seeing an H-series Intel processor in a Microsoft device, in the form of a "Tiger Lake H35" Intel Core i7-11370H. However, some of the best ultrabooks still offer more power in both clamshell and convertible form factors. 

Design of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio

At first glance, the Surface Laptop Studio looks to be an ordinary laptop. Microsoft uses a magnesium and aluminum enclosure with a reflective Microsoft logo on the lid. The big giveaway that anything is special here is that the logo is on the lower third, beneath a line that’s actually the hinge that lets the Surface move into a few different positions. It's not beautiful, but it's not offensive, and I'll take function over form.

With the lid lifted, the Surface Laptop Studio is, well, still a traditional laptop--at first. It has moderately thick bezels surrounding a 14.4-inch screen, which features rounded corners to match the hardware (and the software that is Windows 11). The keyboard is a darker gray than the rest of the "platinum" colored body, which is a lighter tone. There's a decently sized touchpad here. If you've seen Microsoft's Surface Laptop 4, the design language hasn't changed much, not that we’re complaining.

But that's where the hinge comes into play. The Surface Laptop Studio is Microsoft's replacement for the Surface Book, which let you detach the screen and use it as a tablet while keeping extra batteries and discrete graphics in the base. Here, all of the components are in the bottom of the laptop, rather than behind the screen. This allows for more powerful parts for creative professionals, but it also means the screen can't detach. Microsoft calls the adjustable articulation the "dynamic woven hinge," and there is what seems to be some fabric beneath the screen. 

Instead of popping off, the screen can be used in three different stances. There's the default laptop stance, which needs no explanation. Then, you can pull the screen forward and place it at the end of the keyboard, leaving the touchpad open for use. I could see this being used for giving presentations, watching video or gaming, though ultimately I think it's the least useful. Finally, you can pull the screen down further, into a near-flat tablet mode. This echoes Microsoft's Surface Studio desktop, and similar designs have been used in laptops from Acer, HP and even Sony/Vaio before. 

There's one other unofficial stance, which is that you can also turn the laptop around and simply flip the screen over on itself to see only the display. This might be a good option for watching movies or if you're using it with an external keyboard and mouse. The screen will rotate to match this position.

There will be debates among Surface users as to whether this design is an improvement. The Surface Book was effectively one-of-a-kind in the market. Those who loved it were diehards. This design allows for H-series processors that wouldn't work behind a screen, but I suspect some will miss their detachable tablets.

One interesting design choice Microsoft made is on the bottom of the notebook. Curiously, the base of the laptop, where most of the components are held, has a smaller footprint than the rest of the device. Effectively, this design puts the Surface Laptop Studio on a literal pedestal. Leaving room on the sides provides a space for the Surface Slim Pen 2 to magnetically attach (more on that later), but I can't help but feel that letting the components take up the full base of the laptop could provide room for a larger battery, better cooling or other benefits. While the Slim Pen does fit great in that little nook and slides in magnetically, getting it out typically means lifting the laptop up.

The pedestal also has the effect of making the laptop appear thinner than it is. You can't see that part when it's on a desk, so the device appears to float.And the slides, which stick out, look really slim.

This design choice also seems to affect port selection. On the left side, there are two USB Type-C 4.0 ports, with support for Thunderbolt 4. (Finally!) On the right is Microsoft's proprietary Surface Connect port for charging and docking, as well as a single 3.5mm headphone jack. And that's it. The Surface Laptop Studio, despite its size, offers  the same port selection asthe far smaller Surface Pro 8. I can't help but wonder if by extending the base to full width, Microsoft couldn't have fit a USB Type-A port (yes, we still use those), Ethernet, or even an HDMI port for external monitors. Yes, Thunderbolt does these things, but many creative professionals have existing equipment and don’t want to deal with dongles.

The unorthodox shape might make some think the Laptop Studio is extra thick, but that's not the case. At 12.72 x 8.98 x 0.75 inches and 4 pounds (3.8 pounds for the Core i5 models without Nvidia graphics), it’s actually fairly svelte for its class. The clamshell Dell XPS 15 is 13.57 x 9.07 x 0.71 inches and 4.31 pounds, while the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 is 14.14 x 9.99 x 0.70 inches and 3.99 pounds. In the convertible realms, the HP Spectre x360 14 is 11.75 x 8.67 x 0.67 inches and 2.95 pounds. But as we’ll see later in testing, the Spectre x360 is in a lesser performance league.

The only time the Surface Laptop Studio fel tbig was when using it as a tablet. You can't detach this screen, but if you fold it down, it's still a big tablet, just one that's far bigger and heavier than taking an iPad Pro off of its keyboard.

Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio Specifications

Productivity Performance on the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio

Finally, a Surface with an H-series processor. While the Surface Book couldn't handle these chips due to limited room behind the display, with the change in design, the Surface Laptop Studio boasts Intel's 11th Gen "Tiger Lake H35" processors. They're not the most powerful of Intel's H-series chips, which range from 45W to 65W, but they're still an improvement.

Ours came with a 4-core/8-thread Intel Core i7-11370H, paired with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB NVMe SSD. For all the word processing, web browsing, video streaming and even light architectural drawing I did, the laptop was up to the task.

On Geekbench 5, the Surface Laptop Studio earned a single-core score of 1,538 and a multi-core score of 5,820, surpassing the HP Spectre x360 14 and its U-series Intel Core i7-1165G7. While it held up in single-core performance against the XPS 15 and ThinkPad X1 Extreme, their 8-core Intel Core i7-11800H processors use 45W of power and provided much faster multi-core performance.

Microsoft's 1TB SSD copied 25GB of files at a rate of 1,051.2 MBPs, coming in faster than Dell's 512GB offering in the XPS 15 we tested. The ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4's 512GB SSD was the fastest of the bunch at 1,303.58 MBps, and the HP Spectre x360 14's 1TB drive was sluggish at 533.61 MBps.

On our Handbrake test, in which computers transcode a 4K video to 1080p, the Surface took 11 minutes and 25 seconds. Both the XPS 15 and ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 4 were several minutes faster, thanks to more powerful parts. But the HP system was much slower.

We stress laptops by running Cinebench R23 on a loop 20 times. The  Surface Laptop Studio’s performance under load was quite stable. It started with a score of 5,570.18 and dropped into the high 5,400's (and, in one instance, just over 5,500) for the rest of the test. The CPU ran at an average clock speed of 3.4 GHz and at an average temperature of 74.01 degrees Celsius (165.22 degrees Fahrenheit).

Gaming and Graphics on the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio

Our configuration of the Surface Laptop Studio came with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, giving the laptop a boost over integrated options when it comes to graphics performance. In this laptop, the RTX 3050 Ti has a 50 watt max graphics power, a 1,035 MHz boost clock and uses Max-Q technology.

I used the Surface Laptop Studio to play Splitgate at the display’s native 2400 x 1600 resolution on a mix of high and epic settings. The game typically ran around 150 frames per second, minus a few slowdowns, though a couple times it ran as high as 200 fps. That's more than enough to take advantage of the 120 Hz screen.

You could use the Studio for some light gaming. It ran the benchmark Sid Meider's Civilization VI: Gathering Storm at 66 fps at 1080p, just a frame difference from the XPS 15 with the same GPU.

If you get the version with Intel's Xe graphics, it won't do as well for gaming. Microsoft has been pushing Xbox Game Pass hard on Windows 11, and yes, I could use its xCloud streaming service to play Forza Horizon 4 without much of an issue, but your results will depend heavily on your internet connection. 

Display on the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio

Microsoft equipped the Surface Laptop Studio with a 14.4-inch, 2560 x 1600 touchscreen. It's keeping the standard Surface 3:2 aspect ratio, which is great. But this is the first time Microsoft has gone with a 120 Hz display, which Microsoft is calling PixelSense Flow.

Compared to the Surface Book, this screen is a bit of a compromise. It's bigger than the 13.5-inch on the smaller models, but not as large as the bigger 15-inch options. I think that for most productivity users, this will be great, though I could see some creative types missing the larger canvas.

Let me tell you though, the screen looks good. It gets nice and bright, with solid colors. I used it to watch the trailer for The Matrix: Resurrections, and all of the subtle nods to the blue pill and red pill (like actor Neil Patrick Harris' glasses) popped off the screen. And some of the series' well-known green code was vivid over a city. At some points, the colors looked a bit warm, however.

In our lab measurements, we found the Surface Laptop Studio to cover 75.8% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, falling a bit behind the Dell XPS 15's OLED screen and the HP Spectre's absurd showing (139.7%).

The Surface Laptop Studio was the brightest of the bunch, at 487 nits. The ThinkPad X1 Extreme came closest (426 nits), while the XPS 15 and Spectre fell behind.

Despite being told earlier that the Surface Laptop Studio would come out of the box at 60 Hz, our review unit was at 120 Hz as soon as I finished setting it up. A Microsoft spokesperson told me that all Surface Laptop Studios will be shipping this way.

My only concern about the screen came with the laptop in tablet mode. While many touch screens have a bit of flex, I noticed the screen here had a bit more than I’d like while using the Surface Slim Pen 2. It only occurred when I put pressure straight down on the screen to draw thicker lines — it's far less noticeable holding it at an angle — and while I don't think it will cause the screen to break, I was surprised.

Keyboard and Touchpad

It's no secret that I really like Microsoft's keyboards. In my opinion, they're the most consistently good part of Microsoft's devices (even when you take into consideration Type Covers). And Microsoft has nailed it again here.

I hit 115 words per minute on the 10fastfingers.com typing test, with an error rate of less than 2%. That's about as good as I get. The keys are firm enough that they keep me from bottoming out, but still feel clicky and responsive. You can control the white backlighting with a function key.

Because the wrist rests overhang the pedestal, it may seem that your arms would hang in the air while you type. But really, it's just like resting your wrists and typing on any thick laptop. The deck is little high up, but if you've used a gaming laptop or workstation, it won't be a new feeling.

The touchpad has some new tricks. Microsoft has moved to haptic feedback, so there's no physical button to press. Instead, you can click anywhere on the touchpad, whether at the bottom or even in a top corner. If no one told me, I may have been fooled by the effect — it’s quite good.

In settings, under Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad, you can change the intensity of the feedback, though I really did like the medium option out of the box. You can also adjust how sensitive it is to taps, though I didn't find a ton of difference there.

The new trackpad also worked great with Windows 11's most complicated three and four-finger gestures, like swiping to switch apps or change desktops. I think this is the best touchpad Microsoft has ever made, and, dare I say it, as good as on Apple's MacBooks.

Surface Slim Pen 2

The stylus, in this case, is the Surface Slim Pen 2, a $129.99 add-on. The original Surface Slim Pen should and older Surface Pens should also work here, but this new one has some tricks.

The Slim Pen 2 can fit right under the lip of the laptop, where it charges wirelessly while you use it. You have to lift the laptop a bit to get it out, however. Undocking it also brings up a quick bar with tools you might want to use with the stylus, like the Whiteboard app or Snip & Sketch. (The magnets also love to stick to the palm wrests, but the pen won't charge there.)

But the real trick is that this pen, like the touchpad, uses haptic feedback. It works in concert with Microsoft's custom G6 processor in the laptop to inform very slight rumbles. I find it to be a neat trick, but I'm not sure that it's going to make or break this. I got more feedback when I pressed down hard for thicker brushstrokes, while on lighter strokes I felt nothing at all. Selecting new tools in compatible applications can also provide a satisfying, acknowledging thump.  

Tactile signals, as it's described as in Settings, is an on/off switch. You can't make it more or less powerful.

What was noticeable to me was how the stylus works with the 120 Hz display. Whether I drew or wrote, the digital ink flowed more seamlessly on the more responsive screen. It's subtle, but you don't have that split second of lag between inking and having the result show on the screen.

You can also get the pen feedback in Office 365. Adding to a list of numbers in Excel or marking up a Word document still felt smooth (and they automatically switch to the draw ribbon when the pen is removed), but the haptics, while they work, just don't feel as useful here.

Audio

The Surface Laptop Studio's quad speakers, with Dolby Atmos support, are pretty solid. They produce loud, quality sound. In Paramore's Misery Business, a record sound effect at the beginning was more clear than on some headphones, while the vocals, guitars, and drums were well-balanced.

That said, if you tunr the volume up too high, sound can get a bit tinny. I was personally enjoying the sound at around 75%, and you can go higher, but hitting 100% definitely made the quality noticeably worse.

Also, the different screen postures can have some effect on the volume, some of which seems to come up from the keyboard. There's not a huge difference between laptop and the display mode, but moving it down into a tablet muffles the sound a bit, so artists might want to use external speakers or headphones while they work.

There is no preinstalled software to adjust the audio.

Upgradeability

Technically, the Surface Laptop Studio has an upgradeable SSD. In practice, that's only the case for those with access to authorized technicians or who are willing to void their warranties.

While Microsoft mentions the removable SSD in the device's spec sheet, there's a footnote that reads "Hard drive is not user removable. Hard drive is only removable by skilled technician [sic] following Microsoft provided instructions."

And while the Surface Pro has an easy access door, the Surface Laptop Studio doesn't have that. Since the device has a unibody chassis, it's also unlikely the keyboard lifts up like the regular Surface Laptop does. There are no obvious screws on the device — they're under the two strips on the bottom of the notebook. Microsoft didn't respond to queries regarding how the laptop opens up.

That said, it’s great that, over the past few years, Microsoft has been adding at least some upgradeability and repairability to its Surface line. Previously, there had been none at all. But constantly telling users not to do it themselves and making it more difficult than other laptop companies do is a shame, especially on a professional-grade device. 

If a user has a problem under warranty, they could get it replaced, assuming there is an "authorized technician" nearby. But if you need a new SSD outside of warranty? You may need to get a whole new laptop. This comes from the same company that announced a mouse with recycled ocean plastic alongside this laptop.

Battery Life

The Surface Laptop Studio should give you all-day battery life for simple tasks. It ran for 10 hours and 42 minutes on our test, which continuously browses the web, streams videos and runs OpenGL tests in the browser, all while connected to Wi-Fi with the screen at 150 nits of brightness.

I imagine that some of the longevity has to do with Windows 11's support for dynamic refresh rates.

Either way, battery life was hours ahead of the ThinkPad X1 Extreme, which utilizes more powerful discrete graphics (7:50) as well as the XPS 15 and Spectre x360 with OLED displays.

Heat

If you really stress the Surface Laptop Studio, it can get a bit toasty.

We take heat temperatures when running our Cinebench R23 stress test, in which we run that benchmark 20 times in a row to simulate intensive work.

Between the G and H keys at the center of the keyboard the Surface Laptop Studio hit 38.1 degrees Celsius (100.58 degrees Fahrenheit), while on the bottom, it reached 34.4 degrees Celsius (93.92 degrees Fahrenheit).

It's not impossible to use, but it's also not the most comfortable. On the plus side, the laptop was surprisingly quiet during the test. I checked several times to make sure it was still running. But I would rather the fans run a bit louder and make the device entirely cooler as a result.

This is one spot where there's a huge benefit over the Surface Book design. The screen stays cool, because the components aren't below the display. So if you're using it to draw while on a desk, heat won't be an issue.

Webcam

The Surface Laptop Studio has a 1080p webcam in the top bezel, as any laptop should in an age where people are working in remote or hybrid situations.

Is it as good as the best webcams that you buy separately? No. And higher resolution doesn't inherently mean better image quality. But I found that the Surface Laptop Studio's camera was color accurate and fairly sharp, which is good enough for most people.

The Laptop Studio also has an IR camera to use facial recognition to log in with Windows Hello. It worked consistently and quickly every time, starting from when I first set the PC up. 

Software and Warranty

Perhaps the obvious statement here is that Microsoft has included Windows 11 on the Surface Laptop Studio. Check out our impressions of Windows 11 at launch for more information on the new operating system.

Otherwise, there are two major apps. One is Get Started, which guides you to the File Explorer, recommends you back up with OneDrive and suggests a handful of apps from the Microsoft Store. This feels like something that should run once at startup rather than being a full app.

But the Surface app is useful. It provides device and driver information, connectors you to basic support and provides warranty status for your hardware. It's also where you can adjust the pen pressure for the Surface Slim Pen 2 and see it's battery level.

Sadly, Windows 11 didn't kill the grand Microsoft tradition of filling the start menu with links that download (or run preinstalled) software you may not have wanted. On the Surface Laptop Studio, these include Clipchamp, Whatsapp, PicsArt, Amazon Prime Video, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook.

Microsoft sells the Surface Laptop Studio with a one-year warranty, which you can extend (and add accidental damage coverage to) for an additional fee.

 Configurations

We tested the Surface Laptop Studio in a $2,699.99 configuration with an Intel Core i7-11370H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. The Surface Slim Pen 2 we used alongside it is an additional $129.99.

The base model is $1,599.99, which uses a 35W Intel Core i5-11370H, 16GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD and integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics. You can bump that up to 512GB of storage for $1,799.99.

If you require discrete graphics, you'll need to pay at least $2,099.99, and get the Core i7, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. The top-of-the-line is identical to our review unit, except it has 2TB of storage and costs $3,099.99.

Bottom Line

The Surface Laptop Studio is the most powerful laptop that Microsoft has ever built, but it's design is sure to divide, at least for this first generation.

In most ways, the Surface Laptop Studio is a more balanced device than the previous Surface Book ever was. And not just because the Surface Book was top heavy! The Surface Laptop Studio's design ensures that whether you're in laptop mode, tablet mode or in between, you get the full amount of compute power and battery life that Microsoft intended.

But Intel's H35 processors hold it back from being as powerful as the creator laptops from other companies. The Dell XPS 15 and Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme (Gen 4) have far better multi-core performance. In some configurations, they're also quite a bit cheaper.

But Microsoft's form factor is rare. If the Studio setup will help with your workflow, this is one to consider. Microsoft has made it an excellent laptop, and a fine drawing device. But you have to be willing to pay for both and give up some power to get it. 

If you thought the Surface Pro was getting stale, it's time to check it out again. The Microsoft Surface Pro 8 sports a full redesign, making it the biggest change to the device since the Surface Pro 3 put the lineup on the map.

The Surface Pro 8 is far and away a more beautiful device than its predecessors. The 13-inch screen has thinner bezels than ever before, and the chassis is no longer magnesium, but rather a sleek anodized aluminum that comes in either platinum or graphite colors. Frankly, it looks like the ARM-based Surface Pro X, just with ventilation. It's thinner than before, with rounded corners, and it just looks so much nicer than the previous chunky versions. The Pro 8 measures 11.3 x 8.2 x 0.37 inches and weighs 1.96 pounds. 

There's still a kickstand, this one going to 165-degrees, and you still attach the keyboard magnetically. Yes, it's still sold separately -- some things don't change. But in almost all senses, the Surface Pro 8 has caught up the Surface Pro X in design. The big difference is that the Pro X, which runs on an ARM-based processor, is fanless.

Microsoft brings big changes internally, too. A representative told me that while the previous Surface Pro was developed with a 15-watt thermal envelope, this Surface Pro 8 moves that up to 23W. So sustained performance should get a solid boost.

Like the new Surface Pro Studio, the Surface Pro 8's display goes up to 120 Hz (though it's set to 60 Hz by default) for a smoother experience. The 13-inch panel has a resolution of 2880 x 1920 and a 3:2 aspect ratio. Microsoft's screen uses a custom G6 chip, which works with the company's $129.99 Surface Slim Pen 2, to provide haptic feedback using a motor in the stylus. Microsoft claims that the new display is 12.5% brighter, 11% larger and has a 10.8% higher resolution. 

The consumer version of the Pro 8 uses 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 or i7-1185G7 processors, while the commercial version offers up three options: the dual-core i3-1115G4, or quad-core Core i5-1145G7 or Core i7-1185G7. The business model will also have LTE options on the Core i5 and Core i7 versions. Microsoft is promising up to 50% higher sustained CPU performance and 74% faster graphics.

The removable SSD ranges from 128 GB to 1TB, though Microsoft continues to caveat that users aren't supposed to replace these themselves, but instead take them to Microsoft-authorized repair technicians. 128GB and 256GB drives will be in both Wi-Fi and LTE models, while 512GB and 1TB drives are restricted to the Wi-Fi version.

This is also the first Surface Pro that supports Thunderbolt 4. There are two USB 4.0 Type-C ports on the left side, with Thunderbolt 4, while the right side has proprietary Surface Connect for charging and docking, as well as a headphone jack. This version of the Pro has ditched USB Type-A entirely, unless you get an external dock. 

Microsoft's new type covers for the Surface Pro 8 are different in that they can house and charge the Surface Slim Pen, like the Surface Pro X's covers do. In fact, the covers are interchangeable between the two devices.

Microsoft will sell consumer models of the Surface Pro 8 with Windows 11 Home. Commercial customers will be able to pick between Windows 11 Pro and Windows 10 Pro.

Microsoft's other announcements today include the Surface Laptop Studio, Surface Go 3, Surface Duo 2 and a Wi-Fi version of the Surface Pro X.

The Surface Pro 8 will start at $1,099.99 and is available for pre-order today. We hope to be able to get a more extended look soon and get a chance to benchmark and test the machine. But what do we know from our limited time with the device so far? It sure is pretty.

Microsoft is taking a second swing at its dual-screen smartphone with the Surface Duo 2. The newAndroid device is meant to provide a massive update in performance, functionality and camera quality over the original Duo, which launched just over a year ago.

The new Surface Duo bumps up to the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G chipset, 8GB of RAM and a new triple-camera system, making up for two of the original's biggest weaknesses.

The two new displays are also larger, with smaller bezels. Together, they're 8.3 inches diagonally, up from 8.1 inches on the original, and they're both 5.8-inches individually (up from 5.6-inches). Interestingly, both are listed at slightly lower resolutions than the predecessor. That being said, they have the same pixels-per-inch at 401 PPI.

Microsoft claims other updates to the screens, however, that may make up for that, including 800 nits max brightness and a 90 Hz adaptive refresh rate, as well as support for HDR. . The displays are covered in Corning Gorilla Glass Victus.

Additionally, the screens are slightly more curved toward the hinge than the original. That makes them slightly visible when the device is closed, letting you know if you missed a call or a text as soon as you take it out of your pocket (though you can still peek by slightly opening the screens, as well). This is a neat trick that Microsoft calls the Glance Bar, but considering the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 has a full outer display and the Galaxy Z Flip 3 has a small screen on the exterior that shows slightly more information, this just doesn't seem as helpful.

The new camera system includes a 12MP wide camera, a 12MP telephoto camera and a 16MP ultra-wide lens. That's far more impressive, at least on paper, than the single 11MP camera on the original Duo.

Microsoft will offer the Duo in two colors: glacier and a new obsidian black, the latter of which looked nice but got covered in fingerprints in my limited time with it. The phone feels far more substantial than the original, perhaps due to the extra weight. At 284 grams, it’s 0.07 pounds (34 grams) heavier than the original. I don't think it's heavy -- it just feels like a premium device.

It will come with Android 11, the latest release of Google's operating system. Microsoft is promising three years of updates and security fixes.

At 5.5 mm thick when it's open, Microsoft says this is the thinnest 5G phone, though it's 11 mm thick when it's closed. And now the cameras jut out, though that's not as big a deal as I expected. They're at a small angle, and yes, there’s a gap when you have the covers back to back. The lenses have a small rubber gasket protecting from damage, and it still felt decent, albeit a bit awkward, in the hand without them flush. 

There are also some serious quality of life improvements, including NFC for payments, Wi-Fi 6, better audio, and the fingerprint reader has moved onto the power button. There's also dual batteries adding up to 4,449 mAH and 23W fast charging.

Microsoft is also pushing this as, effectively, a gaming phone. The boost to 90 Hz displays makes games, whether local mobile games like Asphalt 9, which uses both screens at synced frame rates, or when using xCloud to stream console-grade games to a single display. The company is pushing 5G as a great way to stream movies and games to the Duo 2, though I could see that leading to some serious data overage charges. Microsoft is also listing the device as unlocked for all carriers.

There's also a new case you can use to magnetically attach the Surface Slim Pen or Slim Pen 2. The case also transfers power from the phone to the stylus, keeping it powered (There is no wireless charging for the phone, however.)

Otherwise, you'll still get a ton of Office 365 apps preinstalled, making it an ideal environment for Microsoft power users on the go.

We only had a short amount of time with the Duo 2, but it feels more premium than ever — far more like a premium device than the original did. The question, now, will be how it performs in the long term, and if more apps support a two-screen phone to make it a more useful device. The Surface Duo 2 is available for pre-order today, starting at $1,499.99, and will shop on October 21.

Microsoft's other announcements today include the Surface Laptop Studio, Surface Pro 8, Surface Go 3 and a Wi-Fi only version of the Surface Pro X.

HP is announcing a new lineup of computers in time for the launch of Windows 11, including a new, 16-inch HP Spectre x360 convertible and an 11-inch tablet PC in the style of Microsoft's own Surface line. The new range of portable PCs, which also includes a budget laptop and an all-in-one, will launch with Windows 11 installed. It seems HP is hoping it has the best ultrabook for anyone who wants to run Microsoft’s latest OS.

The HP Spectre x360 16 is the flagship laptop, with up to an 11th Gen Intel Core i7 "Tiger Lake H35" processor and an option for an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 GPU for a bump with creative work. It goes up to a 16:10, 3840 x 2400 OLED touch screen. This new laptop will replace the 15-inch Spectre x360 in HP's lineup. 

HP is packing the Spectre with software features, including reminders not to sit too close to the screen, presence detection, attention tracking that dims the screen when you're not looking at it, and a "shoulder surfing" mode that blurs the screen when the laptop detects someone looking over your shoulder.  

Those who are working remotely or with colleagues elsewhere (and who isn't these days?) may be excited about what HP is calling the "GlamCam," a 5MP camera with autoframe, artificial lighting correction and a "beauty mode" that "to touch up skin, teeth, and eyes."

The Spectre x360 16 will be available on HP's website in October starting at $1,639, and will show up at Best Buy later this year. 

HP also has an 11-inch tablet called, well, the "HP 11-inch Tablet PC." This feels like a competitor to Microsoft's Surface Go, with an Intel Pentium Silver N6000 CPU. The tablet, which will be sold both on its own and with a keyboard, depending where you buy it and the configuration, is designed to be used both in portrait and landscape mode, even with the keyboard. 

But the showcase feature on the tablet may be the 13MP camera, which you can rotate from its spot on the rear of the device to use as a front-facing webcam. I do expect that some people may be displeased with its placement on the side when using it with a keyboard in landscape (this happens a lot with the iPad Pro), but at least it doesn't leave you with a lackluster camera on the front.

A stylus pen will be an optional accessory. The tablet will also use HP's Palette software, which includes photo searching with face recognition, HP Quick Drop to share photos and images to other devices, "Duet" to use a second device as another monitor, and "Concepts," a quick idea sketching tool.

The tablet has a kickstand on the back, similar to Microsoft's Surface Go and Surface Pro, and uses a magnetic keyboard that connects to the bottom or side with pins. It will come with Windows 11 in S Mode, meaning that you can only install apps from the Windows Store, unless you change that in settings.

The HP 11-inch Tablet PC will launch in December on HP's site starting at $599. Best Buy will have it for $499 without a keyboard and $599 with one.

HP's other announcements today include the HP Laptop 14, running on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 with 8GB of RAM, 128GB eMMCC storage and a 14-inch, 1080p screen, which will launch in October, though pricing hasn't been released yet. (While plenty of old Qualcomm machines will be eligible for an upgrade, this is the first we've seen launching with Windows 11 preinstalled.) There is also a HP Envy 34-inch all-in-one-desktop, starting at $1,999 in October with a dedicated external webcam, 11th Gen Intel, a 34-inch 5120 x 2160 IPS display and discrete graphics. There will also be more standard all-in-ones under the HP and HP Pavilion names, as well as a pair of standalone monitors.

Of these devices, all of the PCs will run Windows 11, which launches on October 5, out of the box.

PINE Microsystems, producer of Raspberry Pi alternative single board computers, has announced the PineNote, an e-ink tablet powered by the same SoC as found in the Quartz64 single-board computer. The first batch of units comes with a caveat, don't expect to write your dissertation or read too many e-books, unless you have the coding skills to make it happen.

For those unfamiliar with the Quartz64, it was released in June 2021, and packs a Rockchip RK3566 Quad-Core ARM Cortex A55 64-Bit Processor with a MALI G-52 GPU. Key features include a PCIe x4 open ended slot (on the model A, which also has the e-ink interface) or M.2 (for the model B) using one Gen 2 lane electrically, and up to 8GB of LPDDR4 RAM.

The CPU in the PineNote is clocked at 1.8 GHz, and uses the full complement of eMMC, plus 4GB of RAM. Wireless connectivity is taken care of by Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5, and the 10.3in e-ink screen has a resolution of 1404x1872 pixels, for a density of 227ppi. The screen can be rotated thanks to a built in rotation sensor. The screen may only be able to display 16 levels of grayscale, but is a full multi-touch panel with a pen digitizer, and the front light has 36 levels of intensity. There are stereo speakers and four microphones built in, but no webcam. Charging the onboard 4000mAH LiPo battery is via USB-C.

At just over 7mm (0.27in) thick, it’s thinner than a Kindle Oasis 3, and should be available later this year for $399 - though there are some pretty sensible warnings on the web page about the state of its software when you first get it: “...you must expect to write software for it, not to write notes on it. The software shipping from the factory for the first batch will not be suitable for taking notes, reading e-books, or writing your dissertation. It may not even boot to a graphical environment”. So be warned.

A debate over whether this is a tablet that doubles as an external display or an external display that happens to run Android will no doubt rage following Lenovo’s announcement of the Yoga Tab 13. It’s an Android tablet with a micro HDMI input, which sees the tablet pulling a double duty as an external screen. 

With a 10,000mAh battery inside, Lenovo's Yoga Pad 13 should run all day as an external monitor, accompanying laptops on trips out of the office to really nail that dual-screen productivity feeling wherever you are without having to buy the best computer monitor. The 13 inch display has a resolution of 2160 x 1350 and a brightness of 400nits, a refresh rate of 60Hz and 100% sRGB Dolby Vision support. It’s also a 10-point touchscreen, though possibly only in tablet mode. There’s a kickstand at the back to enable it to stand upright, an 8MP front-facing camera, and four speakers supporting Dolby Atmos.

Should you wish to use it as a tablet, you’ll find Android 11 running Google’s Entertainment Space launcher, on a Snapdragon 870 (the same chip found in the Samsung Galaxy S8) and 8GB of LPDDR5. Graphics come via the Qualcomm Adreno 650 GPU, and storage tops out at 256GB. Connectivity comes via Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5, and there's a USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 port for charging and compatible devices.

The screen/tablet comes as part of a tablet refresh from Lenovo, which also announced the Yoga Tab 11 (sadly without the HDMI port), the Lenovo Tab P11 Plus (which comes with a keyboard and stylus) and some entry-level tabs: the M7 and M8. The Lenovo Yoga Tab 13 starts at $680 and should be available in July.

When Apple introduced its all-new iMac 24-inch all-in-one desktop and iPad Pro tablet based on its M1 system-on-chip earlier this month, it said that the new products would be available in the second half of May, but never revealed when exactly they were set to hit the shelves. On Thursday Apple finally unwrapped details about availability of its new devices. 

Apple and its partners will start to take pre-orders on the latest 24-inch iMac, iPad Pro, and Apple TV 4K starting April 30, 2021. Meanwhile, the new AIO desktop, professional tablet, and set-top-box will be available starting May 21, 2020, reports MacRumors citing UK retailer John Lewis. Since the date comes from an unofficial source, it should be taken with a grain of salt. Meanwhile, Jon Prosser, a tech analyst and a leaker, also states that the 21st of May as the launch date for Apple's latest products. 

Apple's new M1-based iMac comes in seven colors and is equipped with a 23.5-inch display featuring a 4480 × 2520 resolution and a 500 nits brightness, a major upgrade for entry-level AIOs that previously featured a 21-inch LCD panel. The system can be equipped with up to 16GB of LPDDR4 memory and up to 2TB of solid-state storage. Pricing starts at $1,299. 

Apple's upcoming iPad Pro also represent a huge advancement when compared to predecessors as they are powered by PC-class M1 SoC and can be equipped with up to 16GB of memory. Meanwhile, the new iPad Pro 12.9-inch is the world's first tablet to use a Mini LED display. The new iPad Pros start at $799 for 11-inch SKU and $1,099 for a 12.9-incher.

The iPad Pro now uses M1, Apple's homegrown processor that is also in the 21-inch iMac, 13-inch MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and Mac Mini. That's a lot of power, but don't expect the iPad to merge with the Mac line anytime soon.

In an interview with The Independent, Apple hardware lead John Ternus and marketing chief Greg ‘Joz’ Joswiak were steadfast that the two platforms are separate.

"There’s two conflicting stories people like to tell about the iPad and Mac," Joswiak told The Independent.  "On the one hand, people say that they are in conflict with each other. That somebody has to decide whether they want a Mac, or they want an iPad. Or people say that we’re merging them into one: that there’s really this grand conspiracy we have, to eliminate the two categories and make them one. And the reality is neither is true. We’re quite proud of the fact that we work really, really hard to create the best products in their respective category."

Indeed, the iPad Pro is far and away better than any other Android tablet. Between the M1 and, if you splurge on a keyboard cover, the iPad Pro can easily handle many workflows with aplomb.

“We don’t think about well, we’re going to limit what this device can do because we don’t want to step on the toes of this [other] one or anything like that,” Ternus said. “We’re pushing to make the best Mac we can make; we’re pushing to make the best iPad we can make. And people choose." He pointed out that some people have both, and that their workflow spans both devices.

But it also highlights what some consider the Mac's biggest weakness: its lack of a touchscreen. Apple has long suggested that the Mac and macOS weren't designed for touch, while critics have bragged about the flexibility some Windows PCs have gained from touch screen options. The iPad, however, is getting its most advanced touchscreen ever, with mini-LED technology with extreme dynamic range borrowed from the desktop Pro Display XDR.

The Mac, as of macOS Big Sur, can run some iOS and iPad OS apps. This doesn't yet go the opposite way, and Apple can't show the same pro apps running on both the iPad and the iMac in stage demos.

Yesterday, The Verge's Monica Chin wrote an op-ed entitled "Put macOS on the iPad, you cowards," suggesting perhaps the ultimate convergence. If you're not going to put touch on the Mac, let users run their Mac apps on the iPad. After all, they share the same processor.

But with rumors of iPadOS 15 getting a significant change, perhaps one differing it more from iOS on the iPhone, it doesn't seem like the Mac and the iPad will become one anytime soon. Or perhaps ever.

"[W]e’re just going to keep making them [the iMac and iPad Pro] better. And we’re not going to get all caught up in, you know, theories around merging or anything like that," Ternus said.

In its fourth iteration, Microsoft's clamshell notebook has been polished to a sheen. The 15-inch Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 ($1,299.99 to start, $1,699.99 as tested), with a custom processor from AMD, is more powerful and lasts longer than its predecessors, while retaining a sleek (if aging) design. Microsoft is making one of the best ultrabooks with this laptop.

Sure, the Ryzen 7 4980U isn't using the latest tech from AMD, but it proves to be pretty darn fast, though that's not the case for the SSD. The whole experience largely puts the focus on your work, on Windows 10, and sometimes you might forget the laptop is there at all. That is, except for when you're thinking about how great the keyboard is.

Design of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 (15-inch, AMD)

If you follow the Microsoft Surface Lineup, you won't notice any changes to the Laptop 4. On the outside, it's effectively identical to the prior Laptop 3, with a clean, slick aluminum design (ours came in black, but the 15-inch variant also comes in platinum), with a reflective Surface Logo on the back. It has rounded corners, but is otherwise just a rectangular slab.

The 15-inch touchscreen display is still 3:2 with a 2496 x 1664 resolution, and, unfortunately, thick bezels. The black deck and wrist rest is also spartan, with the exception of a backlit keyboard. The 15-inch version doesn't offer the Alcantara fabric that the Surface Laptop is known for (though it made optional on the Laptop 3). For that, you'll have to go to the 13.5-inch version, which also includes more colors, like the ice blue that first debuted on the Surface Laptop Go in 2020.

It's a plain design, which I happen to like. But in the years since the Surface Laptop first debuted, Microsoft's partners, like Lenovo, Dell and HP have continued to make strides in sleek and portable laptops, so Microsoft isn't necessarily leading when it comes to style.

Most of the ports are on the left side of the laptop, including USB Type-A, USB Type-C and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. It's not surprising that on this AMD-based model, Microsoft hasn't opted for Thunderbolt 4, but it's also not on the Intel versions, either. And instead of the latest USB 4, the USB-C port is  USB Type-C 3.1 Gen 2. 

There's only one port on the right side of the notebook: the proprietary Surface Connect port. Its benefit continues to be three-fold: it's magnetic, so it will fall out if you trip over the charging cable; it has a light so you can tell that it's charging from the hardware; and it offers fast charging. Some of Microsoft's docks also use the connector, and there's an extra USB port on the included charger's brick. If you want, you can charge over the USB Type-C port if you have a different charger.

The chassis measures 13.4 x 9.6 x 0.58 inches and weighs 3.4 pounds. The closest competitor we chose in size is the Dell XPS 15, which is 13.6 x 9.1 x 0.7 inches and 4.5 pounds, though it also includes a discrete GPU, which the Surface doesn't.

The HP Spectre x360 14, a 2-in-1, also has a 3:2 display but is smaller at 11.75 x 8.67 x 0.67 inches and 2.96 pounds. The MSI Prestige 14 Evo, another slightly smaller competitor, is 12.6 x 8.6 x 0.6 inches and 2.8 pounds.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 (15-inch, AMD) Specifications

Productivity Performance on the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 (15-inch, AMD)

We reviewed the Surface Laptop 4 with an AMD chip, the AMD Ryzen 7 4980U, or, as Microsoft calls it, the Microsoft Surface Edition.

Yes, this is Zen 2, not Zen 3. It's Ryzen 4000, not the latest Ryzen 5000. AMD and Microsoft worked on a custom processor for the Surface, and it seems that the time it took to make means that it's not based on the latest technology. That isn't to say it doesn't offer impressive performance. This chip has 8 cores and 16 threads, 8 GPU cores, a 2.0-GHz base clock and a 4.4-GHz boost clock. That offers higher frequencies than the standard Ryzen 7 4800U (and in fact are closer to the Ryzen 7 5800U). Microsoft also claims it worked with AMD to squeeze as much battery life as possible out of the laptop by tuning the bespoke silicon.

In our configuration, that chip was matched with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD.

On Geekbench 5, a synthetic benchmark that measures overall performance, the Surface Laptop 4 achieved a single-core score of 1,173 and a multi-core score of 6,748. The Dell XPS 15, with a Core i7-10750H "Comet Lake" chip and 32GB of RAM, had a higher single-core score (1,232)  but a lower multi-core score (6,179). 

The MSI Prestige 14, with an Intel Core i7-1185G7 "Tiger Lake" part followed a similar pattern, with a higher single-core result and a lower multi-core score. The HP Spectre x360 14, with a more mainstream i7-1165G7 had the lowest multi-core score of the bunch.

The Surface Laptop didn't fare particularly well on our file transfer test, in which it reads and writes 25GB worth of files. Microsoft's clamshell hit a transfer rate of 372.49 MBps, which is not particularly speedy, though it was faster than the Dell’s 298 MBps. The Spectre x360 was faster at 533.61 MBps, while the Prestige blew the rest of them out of the water at 999.29 MBps.

Notably, our system claimed in settings that the 512GB drive measured 951GB, with 514GB in use and 437GB free. A spokesperson for Microsoft told Tom's Hardware that this is "a known bug with the way disk size is reported in the Storage UI in Windows Settings. Performance and available storage on the device are not impacted. The team is aware of the issue and working on a fix."

We use Handbrake to have laptops transcode a 4K video to 1080p. The Surface Laptop 4 really showed off with its Radeon graphics and multi-core performance. It took 8:21 to finish the task, several minutes faster than all of the Intel machines.

Of course, our laptop reviews aren't complete without the Cinebench R23 stress test. We run that 20 times on a loop to simulate a prolonged, heavy workload. It started with a score of 8,800, gently curving through the 8,600 and 8,500's before settling slightly above 8,000 for the duration of the test. The CPU ran at an average of 2.58 GHz and an average temperature of 71.39 degrees Celsius (160.5 degrees Fahrenheit).

Display on the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 (15-inch, AMD) 

The bigger Surface Laptop 4 has a 15-inch touchscreen display with a 3:2 aspect ratio and a resolution of 2496 x 1664. The 3:2 aspect ratio means the screen is taller than your usual 16:9, allowing you to see more of whatever you're reading, writing, drawing or the spreadsheets you're filling out. For work, it's absolutely the way to go.

Video, of course, will have some letterboxing, though that's not a dealbreaker. A 1080p trailer for Black Widow showed off decent color reproduction with blazing orange fires on a highway and bright green trees behind a flashback to a young Natasha Romanoff. At high brightness, however, the screen temperature appeared on the warm side. The display sure is reflective, though viewing angles were good.

The screen on the Surface Laptop 4 covers 77.8% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, similar to the MSI Prestige 14 Evo. The XPS 15 was higher at 93.7%, and the Spectre x360 14, boasting an OLED display, was the outlier at 139.7%.

Microsoft's display is in the middle of the pack on brightness. It measured an average of 334 nits, just under the Spectre (339 nits) and below the XPS 15 (434 nits).

Keyboard and Touchpad on the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 (15-inch, AMD) 

I've long been a fan off the keyboard on Microsoft's Surface Laptops, so that's one thing I'm glad has gone untouched. The keys are clicky and comfortable to type on, even if another millimeter or two of travel would be beneficial. On the10fastfingres.com typing test, I reached 118 words per minute with a 3% error rate. I would prefer if Microsoft moved the half-sized up and down arrows into an inverted-T shape, but that's not a deal breaker.

The 4,5 x 3-inch touchpad is sensitive and serviceable. Unsurprisingly, it uses Windows precision drivers, and it was responsive to multi-finger gestures and simple navigation. My only qualm is that with so much room on the 15-inch deck, It could have been even slightly larger.

Audio on the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 (15-inch, AMD) 

The speakers on the Surface Laptop 4 get loud. Once you adjust the volume to a comfortable setting, (I found that to be between 60 and 70%), you'll appreciate some of the detail in the sound. For instance, I blasted the "Techno Syndrome 2021" from the upcoming Mortal Kombat movie, and the EDM-inspired banger's bass drums thumped, some drums really snapped, and there was significant depth between the highs and lows (the lows are particularly good for something this thin).

Many Windows laptop manufacturers include software from third parties like Dolby or Bang & Olufsen to further tune the sound. Microsoft hasn't done that here, but luckily the default sound is pretty darn good. This time around, the speakers support Dolby Atmos for select content that works with it.

Upgradeability of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 (15-inch, AMD) 

As with the Surface Laptop 3 before it, Microsoft says that the Surface Laptop 4 has a removable SSD. This is true, but it's with an asterisk, as the teardown is a bit more complicated than usual for the average person, and the company says that only authorized technicians should make the swap.

When asked for more information, a Microsoft spokesperson told Tom's Hardware:

"The SSD is not removable by users. SSD is only removable by skilled technicians following Microsoft instructions.  Please do not attempt to remove it yourself as you may cause injury to yourself or others or you may cause damage to your device. Microsoft is not liable for any damages or injuries sustained. Further, any resulting damage will not be covered under the Hardware warranty. Additionally, all repairs must be serviced by a Microsoft authorized service provider. Users can contact Surface support for more information."

The process for opening the Surface Laptop 4 is the same as it was for the Surface Laptop 3 it includes removing the laptop's non-skid feet and the Torx screws under them, which provides access to the area beneath the keyboard. The keyboard is connected with a cable that you have to be careful with, but you should then have access to the SSD.

Microsoft uses M.2 2230 disks, signifying a shorter drive than in many other computers, which typically use an M.2 2280. The smaller drive is becoming more popular, though, and isn't terribly difficult to find online.

I hope that in the future, Microsoft redesigns the Surface Laptop to be more like the Surface Pro X, which allows you access to the SSD with a SIM card tool or bent paperclip, rather than making you take the device apart.

Battery Life on the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 (15-inch, AMD)

The Surface Laptop 4's battery life doesn't quite meet Microsoft's lofty claims, but still, it's very impressive, and you won't need to worry about charging throughout the day. On our test, which includes web browsing, video streaming and OpenGL tests with the display set at 150 nits and the laptop connected to Wi-Fi, it lasted for 12 hours and 4 minutes.

That time was beaten only by the MSI Prestige Evo 14, at 12:25. The XPS 15 ran for 8:01 while the Spectre lasted for 7:14.

Heat on the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 (15-inch, AMD)

We took skin temperature measures on the Surface Laptop 4 while running our Cinebench R23 gauntlet.

The hotspot was right at the center of the keyboard, between the G and H keys, which measured 41 degrees Celsius (105.8 degrees Fahrenheit), so not too hot to touch.  The touchpad was cooler at 30.4 degrees Celsius (86.72 degrees Fahrenheit).

On the bottom of the laptop, the hottest point measured 43.5 degrees Celsius (110.3 degrees Fahrenheit).

Webcam on the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 (15-inch, AMD) 

There's a 720p camera with infrared sensors embedded in the Surface Laptop 4's top bezel. It's serviceable, with accurate colors, like the bright yellow in the shirt I was wearing when I tested it at my desk. It made out some, but not all details. I caught a hair sticking up in my head, even though my beard looked blurry. As with most laptops, you’ll benefit from buying one of the best webcams and plugging it in via USB.

The IR sensors are fast. This may be anecdotal, but logging in with Windows Hello felt almost instant. I've always enjoyed the feature, and it works really well on the Laptop 4.

Software and Warranty on the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 (15-inch, AMD) 

Microsoft continues to include very little software on its laptops, choosing to let Windows 10 shine.

The big addition is the Surface app, which lets you make customizations to the Surface Pen, if you have one, check specs and warranty status. Otherwise, there is the same bloat built into most Windows machines, like Roblox, Spotify and Facebook Messenger.

Microsoft sells the Surface Laptop 4 with a one-year warranty.

Configurations of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 (15-inch, AMD)

We tested the 15-inch version of Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 in black with an AMD Ryzen 7 4980U (Microsoft Surface Edition), 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, which sells for $1,699.99.

The 15-inch lineup starts at $1,299.99 with the same processor, but 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage and a platinum chassis. For $1,499.99, you can get the Ryzen 7 with 8GB of memory and 512GB of storage. The Intel versions, with 11th Gen Core i7's, start at $1,799 with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage and go up to a maxed out version with 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage for an eye-watering $2,399.99.

Microsoft also has a 13.5-inch valiant, which starts at $999 with an AMD Ryzen 5 4680U, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, with prices increasing to the same maxed out specs as the 15-incher for $2,299.99. The 13.5-inch Surface Laptop 4 doesn't have Ryzen 7 options, but includes both 11th Gen Intel Core i5 and Core i7.

Bottom Line

If you're going to iterate, not renovate on your product line, those little changes need to add up to be a real success. And while the Surface Laptop 4 doesn't look like it has changed much, the small adjustments and the custom AMD processor add a lot of power and squeeze out extra battery life, making this a notable system. In fact, for the configuration in this review, AMD really shines almost as much as Microsoft does.

For those who often work with big files, it's a shame that the SSD isn't faster. But the keyboard is comfortable, the 3:2 display is still great for productivity and the 12+ hours of battery life is nothing to sneeze at.

If you want a discrete GPU, the Dell XPS 15 is probably the option for you, and that comes with a 10th Gen Intel Comet Lake CPU. It's also a bit less sleek, but you'll get more graphics power. Those who want a 2-in-1 and still want the 3:2 display will be well served by the HP Spectre x360 14, our favorite 2-in-1, but it's less powerful.

Microsoft has refined the Surface Laptop 4, especially on the AMD processor side, to be truly impressive in many aspects. Sure, the design could use an update (and the bezels could use a trim), and the latest Ryzen processors would be desirable. But this is a significant update over the Surface Laptop 3. Now if only we could see the configurations.

Microsoft today announced the next iteration of its Surface laptop, the Surface Laptop 4. It will start at $999 when it goes on sale on April 15. Perhaps its biggest selling point is choice, with options for both 11th Gen Intel Core processors or an 8-core AMD Ryzen (again called the Microsoft Surface Edition).

Both the 13.5-inch and 15-inch version of the Surface Laptop 4 will offer Intel and AMD options. This is a change from the Surface Laptop 3, which offered Intel in the 13.5-incher and AMD in the 15-incher (with the exception of business models). 

The design of the Surface Laptop 4 is largely unchanged, with a 3:2 touchscreen display with 201 pixels per inch, options for Alcantara fabric or a metal deck. There is, however, one new color, ice blue, which debuted on the Surface Laptop Go last year. 

Many of the biggest changes can't be seen. For the first time, Microsoft is offering a 32GB RAM option on the Surface Laptop (with an Intel Core i7 at 1TB of RAM on both sizes). The company is claiming up to 19 hours of battery life on the smaller device with an AMD Ryzen 5 or 17 hours with a Core i7. On the bigger size, it's suggesting up to 17.5 hours with an AMD Ryzen 7 and 16.5 hours with Intel Core i7. Microsoft is also claiming a 70% performance increase, though it doesn't say with which processor.

The new AMD Ryzen Microsoft Surface Edition chips are based on Ryzen 4000 and Zen 2, rather than Ryzen 5000 and Zen 3, which is just rolling onto the market. We understand Microsoft's chips are somewhat customized, including frequencies similar to the newer chips. But these new processors should, in theory, lead to increased stability and battery life.

While Microsoft is being more flexible on allowing both Intel and AMD options on both size machines, you won't find them with identical specs when it comes to RAM and storage. The 13.5-inch laptop will offer Ryzen 5 with 8GB or 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, while the Intel 11th Gen Core process range will include a Core i5/8GB RAM/512GB SSD option to start, as well as both Core i5 and Core i7 models with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage and a maxxed out version with a Core i7, 32GB of RAM and 1TB storage drive. The Ryzzen versions only come in platinum, while all but the top-end Intel model also include ice blue, sandstone and black. 

On the 15-inch model, you can get a Ryzen 7 with 8GB of RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of storage, or an R7 with 16GB of memory and a 512GB SSD. For intel, You can choose between an Intel Core i7  with either 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage or 32GB of memory and 1TB of storage. These only come in platinum and black.

Commercial models will add more configurations for businesses, including a 13.5-inch model with 512GB of storage and a Ryzen processor. Overall, there are a lot of configurations, so hopefully people are able to find what they want. But there are definitely more options on the Intel side of the Surface fence.

The port situation is largely the same as last year, including USB Type-A, USB Type-C, a headphone jack and the Surface Connect port. Microsoft still isn't going with Thunderbolt, and will be using USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 on both the Intel and AMD models. The replaceable SSD is back, though Microsoft continues to state that it isn't user serviceable, and that it should only be removed by authorized technicians.

It's been a long wait for the Surface Laptop 4. The Surface Laptop 3 was introduced at an event in October 2019 and went on sale that November. Last year, Microsoft revealed the cheaper, smaller Surface Laptop Go but didn't update the flagship clamshell. We'll go hands on with the Surface Laptop 4, so let's hope the wait was worth it.

Microsoft is also revealing a slew of accessories designed for virtual work. They include the $299.99 Surface Headphones 2+ for Business, which is certified for Microsoft Teams with a dongle, shipping this month; Microsoft Modern USB and wireless headsets ($49.99 and $99.99, respectively, releasing in June); the Microsoft Modern USB-C Speaker ($99.99, releasing in June); and the Microsoft Modern webcam, a $69.99 camera with 1080p video, HDR and a 78-degree field of view that will go on sale in June. 

The creator of the Aya Neo Ryzen powered gaming tablet has decided to finally launch the Aya Neo worldwide. Next month, the Aya Neo will go on an Indiegogo campaign where you can purchase the tablet for $699. The campaign will last just 30 days.

The Aya Neo is a one-of-a-kind gaming tablet packed with full-blown mobile PC components in a form factor, similar to the Nintendo Switch. Specs-wise, the Aya Neo features a Zen 2 based hexa-core Ryzen 5 4500U (with its integrated Vega IGP), 16GB of LPDDR4X 4266Mhz RAM, an NVME SSD, an 800P display, and a 47WH battery.

While those specs don't scream fast in a traditional gaming laptop, it's not that bad for a tablet. In fact, the Aya Neo can pull off a stable 30 fps in Cyberpunk 2077 (at low settings) at its native resolution. With how small the Aya Neo is, that is quite an impressive feat. So if you're looking for a tablet to play your PC games on, the Aya Neo is probably your best option right now.  

Microsoft has unveiled the Surface Pro 7 Plus, an upgraded version of the Surface Pro 7 intended for business customers (and perhaps education). The tablet has been upgraded to 11th Gen Intel Core processors, has a larger battery and, perhaps most surprisingly, a removable SSD. The design is otherwise largely the same on the outside.

It will start at $899 with an Intel Core i3-1115G4 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB SSD for $899.99. If you want LTE, the entry option is with a Core i5-1135G7, 8GB of RAM and 128GB SSD. Bumping up to a Core i5, 16GB of RAM and 256GB SSD brings you to $1,649.99, while the top-end version with a Core i7-1165G7, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD is $2.799.99. Of course, the Type Cover is sold separately no matter which option you pick. It will begin shipping by the end of the week.

The SSD, however, is removable, like it is on the Surface Pro X and Surface Laptop 3, which should be a boon for IT departments looking to replace drives for repairs or simply to add more storage for users that need it (the Surface 7 Pro Plus is using an m.2 2230 SSD, which is slowly becoming more popular).

But much of it is the same, including the 12.3-inch, 2736 x 1824 display (and the thick bezels around it) as well as the port selection. On the Wi-Fi model, there is still a microSD card beneath the kickstand, though on LTE versions that is replaced with a nano SIM slot.

One difference is in weight, however, as Microsoft claims it's 23% lighter than the previous generation of machines.

The battery appears to be larger, with Microsoft rating it at 15 hours on Wi-Fi or 13.5 hours on LTE, up from 10.5 hours on Wi-Fi on the regular Surface Pro 7.

It's unclear if the Surface 7 Pro Plus will become available for non-business or education users, as LTE and 11th Gen will likely tempt some people

This is a announcement from Microsoft, which doesn't announce its own hardware around the CES 2021 timeframe. Additionally, Microsoft announced that its 85-inch Surface Hub 2S will begin shipping out in select markets later this month.

Driven by the needs of working from home and remote education, shipments of personal computers and tablets surged significantly this year. This month sales of PCs promise to increase well beyond expectations as demand for systems for home working and learning will be amplified by the holiday spending. Analysts from IDC expect demand for PCs to remain high next year, which might mean that shortages of certain components may persist. 

IDC projects that sales of desktops and laptops will increase 18.2% year over year in the fourth quarter of 2020, whereas shipments of mobile devices will surge 26.4% YoY in Q4 2020. In general, sales of PCs this year will increase 11.2% compared to 2019 mainly because of work from home and remote education needs. In fact, shipments of all devices that could be used for work, learning, and/or entertainment are up this year. 

"The momentum in the PC market has been impressive to say the least," said Ryan Reith, program vice president with IDC's Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers. "Consumers seem to be buying all ranges of notebook PCs from low-end entry level systems to high-end gaming machines. It is important to note that all of this is happening at a time when other device categories like smartphones, PC monitors, TVs, and gaming consoles are also growing. A clear shift in consumer spend has happened." 

It is no secret that it is hard to get AMD's newest CPUs and GPUs, Nvidia's GeForce RTX 30-series graphics cards as well as the latest game consoles from Microsoft and Sony. Meanwhile, it is unreasonable for semiconductor and electronics manufacturers to expand their manufacturing capacities significantly just to meet existing demand as soon as possible and then depreciate additional production tools for years. As a result, there are huge backlogs both in consumer and education segments will go into 2021. 

"Earlier this year it seemed like this would be a six-month bump to the industry, but as we look at the supply chain pipeline into 2021, it's clear that the surge has more legs," said Reith. "The education backlog remains extensive and many school districts around the world are doing everything they can to secure inventory." 

Demand for desktops and notebooks will remain high next year as well. In fact, IDC predicts that shipments of PCs will rise 1.4% in 2021. 

"Not only do we expect more PCs to ship this year and next, but the fundamental shift in everyone's workflow is also expected to have a lasting impact on the PC market in 2022 and beyond," said Jitesh Ubrani, research manager for IDC's Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers. "Longer term forecasts for PC shipments and average selling prices have increased as households inch towards one PC per person while buying PCs further up the stack." 

One thing that is noteworthy about increasing shipments of PCs is that sales of notebooks are growing, whereas sales of desktops are declining even when the whole market is up. IDC projects that 291.3 million of computers will be shipped this year, of which 215.8 million will be laptops and 75.5 million will be desktops.  

But after WFH, distance learning, and home entertainment needs will be satisfied, sales of PCs will drop in 2022, based on IDC's projections. However, starting from 2023 they will return to slow growth. 

Black Friday is almost here, and there are plenty of deals to pick through already on some of our favorite hardware. We know it's not always easy to tell which discounts and offers are genuine, so we're sharing the best deals on tech we can find to make the shopping process a little easier.

Today we're sharing a deal we found on the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 tablet. We've got more deals on laptops and tablets you can explore, as well as a list of best laptops for 2020 if you want to see what specs are leading the market.

This tablet features a 12.3-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 2736 x 1824. It's designed for portability and has a battery with an expected life of 10.5 hours, according to the specs.

This tablet comes with a 10th Gen Intel Core i5 processor. It has 16GB of memory and an internal SSD with 256 GB of storage space. 

Visit the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 product page on Amazon for more spec details, reviews and checkout options.      

As we get closer to Black Friday, vendors are ramping up their offers and deals to provide discounts on some of our favorite hardware. We're working around the clock to bring you the best deals on tech, including the best laptops.

Today we're showcasing a $400 discount on the Microsoft Surface Pro X. We reviewed the Surface Pro X 128GB model in the past, but this offer is for the 256GB edition, which is going for just $899 at Amazon.

The Surface Pro X has a 13-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 2592 x 1458. It features a Microsoft SQ1 processor and an SQ1 Adreno 685 integrated graphics processor.

This edition includes 8GB of RAM and a maximum internal storage capacity of 256GB. This surface is easy to take on the go as it not only comes with built-in Wi-Fi support but can also use 4G LTE.

This offer is for the tablet only, so you won't get any keyboard or pen accessories. Visit the Surface Pro X product page on Amazon for more details and checkout options.

If you’re like me, you’ve been working (or learning) at home since March. And for many, that has meant that a computer like one of the best ultrabooks has become an increasingly important tool. In that regard, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go ($549.99 to start; $899.99 as tested) is here at a good time. People need affordable devices, and being the lightest Surface Laptop ever doesn’t hurt. 

Microsoft made some sacrifice to get to that $549.99 price. It cut biometrics (there is a fingerprint reader on more expensive configurations) and the machine’s partially plastic with a lower resolution screen. There’s also a last gen Intel Core i5-1035G1 CPU across the lineup. But with premium construction, it could still win some people over in the budget department.

However, the Surface  Laptop Go also scales up to $899.99, and when you get there, some of those cuts seriously stop making sense. 

Design of the Surface Laptop Go 

I was enamored with the Surface Laptop Go from the first glance. It truly is a smaller Surface Laptop, and that’s fine with me. Our review unit came in “ice blue,” a grayish blue that provides just a hint of whimsy. The lid is made of aluminum and entirely plain except for curved edges and a reflective Microsoft logo.

There are a few small changes once you unfold the machine. The 12.45-inch display has curved edges, just like bezels, which is new for the Surface lineup. Those edges are thin, except on the bottom.

You won’t find a Windows Hello IR camera for facial recognition log-ins alongside the regular webcam here. Instead, you can login with your fingerprint via a sensor inside the power button. A ring around the power button lights up when the computer is locked to indicate where to place your finger once you’ve set up Windows Hello.

Unlike the lid, the keyboard deck is also made of aluminum, but the bottom of the laptop is made of plastic. It has a mylar touchpad, rather than glass, and the keyboard isn’t backlit. These aren’t necessarily deal killers, just the types of sacrifices you make to get to a $549 starting price.

The left side of the laptop is where you’ll find most of the ports: USB Type-A and USB Type-C, as well as a 3.5 mm headphone jack. On the right there is only the proprietary Surface Connect port, which you use with the charger. I would’ve much preferred to see Microsoft put another USB Type-C port here for charging, but the company shows no signs of getting rid of it.

At just 2.5 pounds and 11 x 8.1 x 0.6 inches, the Surface Laptop Go is plenty portable, whether you’re carrying it from room to room or actually taking it to work or school in person. Of course, it’s not as light as the Surface Go 2, a tablet (1.2 pounds, 9.7 x 6.9 x 0.3 inches),  but the MacBook Air (2.8 pounds, 12 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches) and Acer Swift 3 (2.7 pounds, 12.7 x 8.6 x 0.6 inches) are both larger and slightly heavier with 14-inch and 13-inch screens, respectively. 

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go Specifications 

Productivity Performance 

The Surface Laptop Go is powered by an Intel Core i5-1035G1, no matter which configuration you choose. Our review unit paired that with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.

For our productivity tests, we’re comparing it to Microsoft’s other latest Go product, the Surface Laptop Go 2, released earlier this year with an older Intel Core m3-8100Y, the Acer Swift 3 with AMD’s Ryzen 7 4700U, and the Apple MacBook Air, with another 10th Gen Intel processor, the Core i5-1030NG7.

On Geekbench 5.0, the Surface Laptop Go notched a multi-core score of 3,117. The fact that it beat the Surface Go 2 (1,563), with its older processor meant for fanless designs wasn’t surprising. The Swift 3 with Ryzen 7 did better (4,862), but the MacBook Air fared worse (2,738).

Microsoft’s petite laptop transferred 5GB of files at a rate of 278.4 MBps. That’s faster than the Surface Go 2 (181.8 MBps) but far slower than both the Swift (462.7 MBps) and MacBook Air (508.9 MBps).

It took 25 minutes and 55 seconds for the Surface Laptop Go to transcode a 4K resolution video to 1080p resolution with Handbrake. That’s a bit faster than the MacBook Air (27:10) and far faster than the Surface Go 2 (48:14).

As a stress test, we run Cinebench R20 30 times on a loop and check for heat and stability. The Surface Laptop Go had an expected drop after its first run of 1,005.2, down into the 700’s. By run 4, the CPU had stabilized in the mid 800s.

During the Cinebench test, the CPU hit an average clock speed of just under 1.5 GHz and an average temperature of 66.7 degrees Celsius (152.1 degrees Fahrenheit).

While the Intel Core i5-1035G1 is built on Intel’s 10th Gen “Ice Lake” architecture, it doesn’t get the graphics benefits that the higher-end chips offer. Instead, it uses Intel UHD graphics. The Surface Laptop Go 2 earned a score of 1,229 on 3DMark Fire Strike. While that beat the Surface Go 2, the Acer Swift 3, with AMD’s most recent Radeon graphics, was far better (2,848).

Display on the Surface Laptop Go 

The 12.45-inch display is likely to be the most controversial aspect of the device. It’s a touchscreen in the 3:2 aspect ratio, just like all of the other Surfaces before it. But this screen has a resolution of 1536 x 1024. On this small diagonal, that’s 148 pixels per inch (PPI).

It’s definitely usable. When I watched the trailer for Wonder Woman 1984, it got bright enough, and while colors weren’t amazing, the heroine’s red and blue outfit still stood out among the white walls enduring a battle against the Cheetah. The 3:2 aspect ratio is good for seeing more of your work, thanks to the extra height. But when you get close at this low resolution? Yeah, you can make out some pixels. 

While something sub-1080p is, (unfortunately), still considered acceptable on budget machines, this system goes up to $900. And that display doesn’t change. If Surface is supposed to be leading on Windows, I wish Microsoft would have gone with a 1080p equivalent to show other companies what can and should be done.

The Surface Laptop Go’s screen covers 76.8% of the sRGB color gamut, in line with the Surface Go 2 (76.1%). close to the MacBook Air (80%) and way better than the Acer Swift 3 (44.2%).

Microsoft’s panel measured an average of 319.4 nits of max brightness. That’s better than the Swift 3 (251 nits) but below the MacBook Air (386 nits) and Surface Go 2 (408 nits).

Keyboard and Touchpad on the Surface Laptop Go 

One continuous strength on the Surface Laptop line (and its sibling, the Surface Book), has been its keyboards. That is still the case on the Surface Laptop Go. It’s big omission is that the keyboard isn’t backlit.

It feels a tad less clicky than the keys on its more expensive cousins, but ultimately there is still a tactile feel, even if it’s slightly more bouncy. I hit 110 words per minute on the 10fastfingers.com typing test with my usual error rate. 

The 3.9 x 2.6-inch touchpad is a decent size considering how small the laptop is. It’s mylar, not glass, but still feels smooth to the touch, just with slightly more friction. Of course, it has Windows Precision drivers, and I didn’t have any issues with navigation or gestures.

Audio on the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 

When I listened to The Ataris’ “The Boys of Summer,” the music was plenty loud but kind of flat. The vocals and guitars were clear enough, but the drumline wasn’t particularly powerful, and I could barely make out the bass at all. That type of performance is pretty average for a budget machine, but this configuration is out of budget territory.

For uses that don’t have that level of audio detail, like video conferencing, the Surface Laptop Go is fine, though that’s where I’m most likely to use headphones anyway.

Upgradeability of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 

Unlike Microsoft’s more recent efforts in the Surface Laptop 3 and Surface Pro X, the Surface Laptop Go isn’t user upgradeable. There are no exposed screws on the bottom of the chassis. Be sure to get a configuration that will last you in the long term (see the Configurations section below).

Battery Life on the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 

The Surface Laptop Go may be incredibly portable, but you’ll need to top it off if you’re using it for long periods of time. On our battery test, which continuously browses the web, streams video and runs OpenGL tests all over Wi-Fi with the screen at 150 nits brightness, it ran for just 7 hours and 42 minutes. Good thing the charger is small, too.

The Surface Go 2 lasted the longest out of the comparison group, at 11:38, while the AMD Ryzen-based Acer Swift 3 ran for 11:09. The Apple MacBook Air also offered more endurance at 9:31. 

Heat on the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 

We took skin temperatures while running our Cinebench R20 loop (see th ePerformance section above) to test the laptop under a heavy load. The laptop fans definitely whirred throughout (with a bit of an occasional whistle), but the laptop wasn’t untouchably hot.

The center of the keyboard, between the G and H keys, measured 43.8 degrees Celsius (110.8 Fahrenheit). This wasn’t exactly comfortable but not usable either. The touchpad was cooler, hitting 32 degrees Celsius (89.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

The hottest spot was on the bottom of the laptop, by the hinge. It reached 49.5 degrees Celsius (121.1 degrees Fahrenheit). Could I stand this heat on my lap? Yes. Would I prefer it on a desk? Also yes.

Webcam on the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 

Microsoft put a 720p resolution webcam in the bezel above the Surface Laptop Go’s display. Like the majority of laptop webcams out there, it’s not very special. In a still from my desk, there was some graininess. The colors were accurate – my bright red shirt was just the right shade – and there was more detail than in some other webcams, but it’s nothing amazing.

But it's more disappointing to see this on the Surface Laptop Go than on other laptops because with the Surface Go 2, released earlier this year, Microsoft used a 5 megapixel front-facing camera that was capable of video chatting at 1080p. Right now, where so many people are working or studying from home, I wish that carried over to the Surface Laptop Go. 

Software and Warranty on the Surface Laptop Go 

Perhaps one of the best, albeit lesser hyped, parts of the Surface line is just how little included software there is. 

The big app that comes with it is Microsoft’s Surface software, a place to check your Surface serial number, drivers and warranty coverage and connect accessories. There are also trails of the Office 365 suite.

Otherwise, the bloat only consists of what you would get on any Windows 10 machine, including Hulu, Spotify, Facebook Messenger and Hidden City: Hidden Object Adventure.

The laptop comes in Windows 10 Home in S Mode, which Microsoft claims is more secure and keeps the laptop fast. This, however, limits you to software from the Microsoft Store. If you’re only using a web browser and software in that store, you may be OK. But to test it, we needed to make the free change to regular Windows 10 Home, which lets you install anything you want. 

Microsoft sells the Surface Laptop Go with a 1-year warranty. 

Configurations of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 

We tested the top-end, $899.99 configuration of the Surface Laptop Go, with an Intel Core i5-1035G1 CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. This version also includes Microsoft’s One Touch fingerprint reader in the power button.

You can get our model with 16GB of RAM, but you have to buy it through Microsoft’s business program. That costs $1,199.99.

The base model is $549.99, and while it has the same processor, it offers just 4GB of RAM and 64GB of slower eMMC storage. This version also doesn’t include the fingerprint reader. It’s hard to recommend this model unless you prefer the Surface aesthetic above all else.

In the middle, there’s a $699.99 option with the same chip and 8GB of RAM but just 128GB of SSD storage. This configuration also has a fingerprint reader.
 

Bottom Line 

The Surface Laptop Go fills a huge need in Microsoft’s hardware lineup, providing a somewhat affordable entry into the company’s ecosystem and showcase for Windows 10. Right now, as so many people work and learn from home, the standard laptop form factor is more useful than ever, so that fills a need.

Microsoft’s $549.99 starting point may attract many who want something that looks and feels premium. Some cuts, like the backlit keyboard and IR camera and use of a partially plastic chassis, aren’t big deals. But a sub-1080p display (or in this 3:2 case sub-1920 x 1280), feels cheap, especially for Surface, especially in 2020.

The Core i5 Ice Lake chip in there, while not the latest, will give people with largely browser-based workloads enough headroom. But 4GB of RAM doesn’t really cut it beyond a few browser tabs, and just 64GB of eMMC storage isn’t an enticing proposition, which could effectively force a jump up to the mid-range $699.99 configuration with 8GB of memory and a real SSD, albeit it a 128GB one.

Which brings me to hesitations I had about my $899.99 review unit. It has the sacrifices expected of a $549.99 laptop, especially when it comes to display resolution and storage space.

Perhaps the best comparison is the Acer Swift 3. It’s $649, which is $100 more than the Surface Laptop Go, and I understand that’s a lot. But you also get a 1080p screen (albeit a lackluster one), a much more powerful AMD Ryzen 7 4700U, far more battery life and a larger 512GB SSD. 

Part of what you’re paying for with the Surface Laptop Go is the premium name and feel. How much is that worth to you? If you opt for the low-end specs, it’s questionable. At the high end, it isn’t really worth it, as you’re getting into entry-level Surface Laptop 3 territory.

One other suggestion: the Surface Go 2. If you need small, that tablet starts at $549.99 with less power and the same lackluster RAM and storage, though it has dropped in price so that you can get it, as of this writing, with an M3, 8GB of RAM and 128GB for the same cost on Amazon. You’ll have to pay more for the keyboard, of course, but you’ll also get a 1920 x 1280 display, 1080p webcam and facial recognition.

The Surface Laptop Go is built with purpose, but at this price it has a ton of competition from the greater Windows 10 ecosystem, not to mention premium Chromebooks. The 3:2 screen here is rare, and so is the premium construction. Some will rightfully want this. But as you get higher up the configuration stack, you can find better deals. While I was generally happy while using the Surface Laptop Go, if I were to actually buy a new laptop, I know I could get more. 

A portable Raspberry Pi setup is the dream for many Raspberry Pi fans. There have been a few attempts in the past, some homebrew methods such as Motorola Atrix lapdock hacks, and others which are commercial products such as the pi-top laptop and the Elecrow CrowPi2 learning notebook kit. RasPad 3 from Sunfounder is the company’s third attempt at a portable “tablet” Pi. Priced from $150, not including a Raspberry Pi 4 we have a potentially powerful portable platform for learners.

A small-ish case, onboard battery, speakers and a large touchscreen would seem to be the ideal but just how convenient is it and can it replace bulky Raspberry Pi setups? The answer really depends on your expectations.  

Specifications and Design of the RasPad 3 

RasPad 3 comes in two pieces of injection moulded plastic which friction fit together and are secured using five machine screws. The main part of the case houses the 10.1 inch 1280 x 800 pixels touchscreen and electronics. The second part is merely a plastic shell that encloses the electronics and provides a mounting point for a small fan position over the center of the Raspberry Pi in fact it is rather close to the included heatsink on the Raspberry Pi, so take care when assembling. The design of RasPad 3 is more of a wedge than a tablet, which is 1.8 inches (47mm) at the thickest point and 0.6 inches (15mm) at its thinnest. This is a tablet in name only, in form factor this is far too bulky to be something that slips into a bag. Rather it is a wedge form factor necessary for the electronics. Inside we see two boards, a custom board that provides connectivity for the Raspberry Pi and the outside world. And another board used for battery management and On Screen Display (OSD) controls. 

Internally the Raspberry Pi 4 connects to the custom board using a series of connectors. A short Ethernet and USB 3 cable provides wired networking and three USB 3.0 ports. On our supplied review unit, the Ethernet port was non-functional and had an added quirk where inserting an Ethernet cable would turn off WiFi on the Raspberry Pi. 

The dual micro HDMI ports are connected to the board, one of which is routed to the touchscreen and the other to a full size HDMI port which enables dual screen support but will disable the touchscreen on the main unit. The board also provides power to the Raspberry Pi 4 via a USB C cable. The power offered can be sourced from the internal 18650 Lithium-polymer batteries or via the included 15V DC charger. 

On the board, just next to the batteries is a two pin JST connector that connects to the onboard fan, a fan that you will soon disconnect as it is far too loud, approximately 49db which is the same volume as a conversation but it does provide adequate cooling when used with the heatsinks. During a Stressberry test with the heatsinks and fan connected we saw an idle temperature of 37 Celsius and a max temperature of 52 Celsius and the case temperature was 25.7 Celsius. Repeating the same test with the fan turned off we saw an idle temperature of 42 Celsius and a max temperature of 70 Celsius and with a case temperature of 29 Celsius. For general use the heatsinks provide plenty of cooling, but if you wish to overclock or push the Raspberry Pi to its limits then active cooling via the fan will be needed.

On the other side of the case is a smaller board which is a breakout for a micro SD card reader, buttons for volume and brightness control, along with a power button. A series of LEDs provide visual indication of battery charge, but they are on the opposite side of the case from the power socket, a small issue but an annoyance. 

Assembling RasPad 3 is straightforward and the included instruction manual details the steps necessary. The kit also comes with heatsinks for the CPU and USB controller, and a small Accel SHIM which is an I2C device responsible for detecting the orientation of RasPad 3. Support for this sensor is built into the RasPad OS and the screen will automatically rotate once we are at the desktop.

A top tip is to always check for a micro SD card in the external card slot. Removing the case with a card in the slot will damage the slot.

Using RasPad 3

RasPad 3 is designed to be used as a tablet and the wedge design lends itself to a slanted angle which means it can be used on a table. Placed down with a shallow slant, RasPad 3 is comfortable for short term use. If it’s placed upright, the viewing angle improves, but using the touchscreen is difficult as the unit is unbalanced. However, this upright mode is great for use with a wireless keyboard and mouse. 

Using RasPad 3 flat on a table, we inserted a micro SD card with RasPad OS installed and powered up. RasPad OS is based upon Raspberry Pi OS 32 bit but it has a custom skin which is a little more finger friendly. After following the first boot steps, we are presented with the desktop, which is bright and colorful. Applications are available via a menu along the left side of the screen which groups them into categories. A typical desktop is underneath this menu and while it may be very yellow, it still functions just like Raspberry Pi OS.

RasPad 3 is designed to be a tablet and it  comes with two on-screen keyboards. One of these keyboards is only available via Sunfounder’s own apps such as Exblock Studio. It looks like a typical tablet / smartphone keyboard and it works rather well, despite taking up half of the screen. 

The second keyboard is available for other applications, such as Thonny, Terminal etc. It is hard to use given the small key size and we encountered many errors. It also covers most of the screen so a wireless keyboard and mouse would be a much more productive choice of input.

The internal speaker is decent, nothing an audiophile would praise but it provided sufficient volume and clarity for playback of music and videos.

GPIO Access on the RasPad 3

GPIO access is possible but there is only a small slot on the thick end of the case where we can feed wires through. The best option here is to use a GPIO breakout board such as Pimoroni’s HAT Hacker HAT or a Pi T-Cobbler Plus from Adafruit. These breakouts enable us to use the GPIO pins with a breadboard and without them we cannot easily use the GPIO. Not all breakout cables are created equally and in our tests we used a long IDE style cable to break out the GPIO, but this proved too thick for the case to safely close. It could be forced down and held in place by screwing the case closed, but do check your cable before forcing the case closed.There is a slot cut on the rear of the case which can be used with a sufficiently long flat flex cable but it does leave the camera unsecured to the case which is not great. 

Battery Life of RasPad 3

Powering the RasPad 3 is the 3000mAh battery which is claimed to have five hours of charge. In our tests, watching a YouTube video at half brightness and volume with the fan constantly on, we saw 2 hours 40 minutes which was far below the advertised duration. When the battery gets low, we see an onscreen prompt, coming from the OSD of the screen rather than the Pi, but if we carry on the unit will abruptly power off, no safe shutdown.Charging the internal battery talks just over three hours with the included 15V 2A power supply.

The power button on the side of the case turns on the device and we can safely shutdown the device using the power menu in the OS, but be aware that this does not turn the unit off completely. The fan and screen will still be active, requiring a long press of the power button to cut the power.

Use Cases for RasPad 3

If you just want a learning device that’s compact and portable, the RasPad 3 is a workable choice. We have a small all-in-one form factor that enables on-the-go learning. As it runs a modified version of Raspberry Pi OS, we have great compatibility with projects and applications created to use that OS. Children, students and makers will get a lot of mileage from this device as it removes the need for much of the clutter that comes with a typical Pi setup. However, the difficulty of accessing the GPIO pins is a big drawback, should you want to experiment with lights, sensors, motors or HATs, all things that make the Raspberry Pi special.

If you are thinking about using the RasPad 3 as a laptop / tablet replacement then this is where common sense must take priority. As a tablet / laptop replacement the RasPad 3 is a poor choice. With an initial cost of $150, and then we need to add the cost of a Raspberry Pi 4 which is $35 for a 2 GB model or $55 for the 4GB or $75 for the 8 GB and then add the cost of a wireless keyboard and mouse, roughly $40. We are looking at $215 as a basic price for the kit. 

Bottom Line 

The RasPad 3 had an opportunity to blow us all away. Instead we get something that is interesting in concept but underwhelming in execution. Don’t think that we dislike RasPad 3; it is a nice piece of kit but the flaws are there for all to see. If you already have a Raspberry Pi 4, then $150 is a decent price for the portability provided by the form factor. If you are starting from scratch, then the CrowPi2 for $260 comes in a laptop form factor, a 1080P screen and a complete electronics lab hidden under the keyboard. 

The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 is in a weird situation. It’s a powerful, portable laptop that goes up to AMD Ryzen 7 4800U. In our testing, it proved to be a powerful, efficient monster of a processor. If you want this laptop, you want this CPU.

Except you can’t in the United States. Here, it is marketed under a different name, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7. And in the U.S., as of this writing, that comes in one configuration with a Ryzen 7 4700U, paired with 8GB of RAM for $899.99. The 4700U has a total of 8 cores with 8 threads and a maximum rated boost clock of 4.1 GHz while the 4800U uses multi-threading to give you 16 threads (double the amount) while it boosts up to 4.2 GHz.

We got a Yoga in an IdeaPad’s clothing. The box said IdeaPad. The sticker on the laptop said IdeaPad. Even the system name in Windows is IdeaPad. It has a 1-year American warranty in Lenovo Vantage. But Lenovo told me that the model I had won’t be available here.

In fact, it was hard to find it anywhere in the world. After searching much of western Europe, we finally found a listing for it on Lenovo’s website in Amsterdam for €999.00 (roughly $1,181.97)

As a (largely) North American-based website, we generally test configurations that you can get in North America. But that wasn’t going to stop us from testing the Ryzen 7 4800U, in what happens to be one of the best ultrabooks that we’ve seen this year. 

Design 

It used to be that you couldn’t find a Ryzen processor in a nice-looking system, but that’s clearly no longer the case. The Yoga Slim 7 feels like a premium machine. In that way, it’s the type of laptop that Intel should be very afraid of.

While it’s called IdeaPad in North America, it has the Yoga logo on the lid, as well as Lenovo’s own. Yoga is Lenovo’s most premium consumer brand. And it shows; our iron gray model was made entirely out of metal and feels truly solid.

The 14-inch display has a very thin bezel around it, especially on the sides. Lenovo couldn’t even fit it’s own name on the bottom, where most manufacturers leave their marks. Instead, there’s another Lenovo logo on the metal wrist rest. The chiclet keyboard is backlit and has speakers on either side. 

The bezel above the webcam juts out ever so slightly (with a Yoga 7 Series stamp, again with the mixed nomenclature), which makes room for infrared cameras. This also makes it easy to open the laptop with just one hand.

Port selection is also good for a laptop. There are two USB Type-C ports on the left side (you’ll use one for charging), as well as an HDMI output and a headphone jack. The right side of the machine plays host to a microSD card reader, a pair of USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, and the power button.

It’s weird to see the power button on the side. This is a clamshell device, so it would make sense to put that on or near the keyboard. This is great for business users who may want to dock their laptops, but if they’re buying Lenovo, they’ll likely go for a ThinkPad anyway.  

At 12.6 x 8.2 x 0.6 inches, the Yoga Slim 7 feels nice and compact. It weighs in at 3.8 pounds. It’s not as small as the 2.8-pound Dell XPS 13 9300 11.6 x 7.8 x 0.6 inches). The HP Spectre x360 (13-inch) is 2.7 pounds and 12.1 x 7.7 x 0.7 inches, and Lenovo’s own ThinkPad X1 Carbon is 2.4 pounds and 12.7 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches. 

Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Specifications 

Productivity Performance 

The AMD Ryzen 7 4800U is really goddamn fast. The 8 core/16 thread processor slaughtered Intel’s U-series rivals in some of our benchmarks.

On Geekbench 5.0, the Slim 7 earned a multi-core score of 6,669, handing the 4-core, 8-thread Intel machine’s butts to them. The XPS 13 (Ice Lake, Core i7-1065G7) scored 4,848, the Spectre x360 (Ice Lake, Core i7-1065G7) scored 4,074 and the ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Comet Lake, Core i7-10610U) notched a score of 3,913.

The Yoga Slim 7 transferred 4.97GB of files at a rate of 937.7 MBps, blazing past most of the competition, except for the ThinkPad X1 Carbon (997.9 MBps).

Perhaps the most dramatic difference was in Handbrake. The Slim 7 transcoded a video from 4K to 1080p in 8 minutes and 55 seconds. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon took 18:28, the XPS 13 ran for 15:40, and the Spectre lagged at 21:13.

We also ran our usual Cinebench R20 stress test for ultrabooks, looping the program 20 times. The scores were largely stable, in the 2800’s, with one dip into the high 2700’s early on. The average score was 2820.5.

The CPU ran at an average speed of 2.5 GHz. While it did often spike to AMD’s promised 4.2 GHz, it didn’t stay there for long periods of time. The average CPU temperature was 72.8 degrees Celsius (163 degrees Fahrenheit).

The Ryzen 7 4800U also showed off its graphics muscle in Civilization VI: Gathering Storm, running the benchmark at 35 fps, which is playable. That’s far and away better than the XPS 13 (19 fps) or ThinkPad X12 Carbon (8 fps). 

Display 

There aren’t a lot of Ryzen machines with great displays, and the one on the Yoga Slim 7 is only good. It’s a 14-inch, 1920 x 1080 IPS panel with decent colors, but my first instinct was to try to make it brighter. Sure, the trailer for The Batman is already a bit dark, but it made some items, like a bright green envelope holding a note to Batman, not stand out as much as it does on other screens. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it could be better.

Lenovo’s panel covers 80.4% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, 1% behind the XPS 13 but above both the Spectre and the ThinkPad.

On our lightmeter, the Slim 7 measured an average of 353 nits of brightness, which is less than the XPS 13’s 417 nits (on its 1920 x 1200 variant), 369 nits on the Spectre and 364 nits on the X1 Carbon.

Keyboard and Touchpad 

Lenovo’s keyboard is a bit shallow, but still feels clicky and tactile. On the 10fastfingers.com typing test, I hit 108 words per minute with a 2% error rate.

Some of the keys have non-traditional function options, including opening Lenovo Vantage, showing all of your desktops, and activating the Snipping Tool.

The 4.1 x 2.5-inch touchpad feels just a tad small (I wish it were wider), but the important thing is that it’s responsive with Windows precision drivers. I never had any issues with gestures or navigation.

Audio 

Most thin laptops don’t produce the richest sound, and this Slim 7 isn’t an exception here. Don’t get me wrong - it’s totally serviceable. When I experienced middle school flashbacks listening to Good Charlotte’s “The Anthem.” I found that the sound was even and clear. It just lacked detail, and the drums didn’t stand out among the guitars.

I got some help from the Dolby Atmos Speaker System software, though. It has a handful of preset equalizers (or you can set you brown), but I found the “Detailed” setting added back the drums and even gave a bit more edge to the guitars. The bass, like most laptops, was lacking. 

Upgradeability 

There are seven screws on the bottom of the Yoga Slim 7. You’ll need a Torx T5 screwdriver to remove them. The three along the hinge came out easily, but the four closer to the palmrest were in tight and required a bit of patience.

Once those are out, you’ll need a tool to pry carefully along the edges to get the bottom of the chassis off.

When you get inside, you’ll see that the battery and SSD are immediately accessible. The RAM, however, is soldered to the board. The SSD is wrapped in foil, but you can still remove it by simply removing the screw. If you replace the drive, you can slide the little foil jacket back on. 

Battery Life 

AMD’s efficiency shows here. On our battery test, which has laptops browse the web, run OpenGL tests and stream video over Wi-Fi, all at 150 nits, the Slim 7 ran for 17 hours and 21 minutes on a charge. Wow.

That surpasses some of the longest-lasting Intel laptops we’ve seen of late, including the Dell XPS 13 (12:39 FHD, 8:14 4K), ThinkPad X1 Carbon (10:45 FHD, 7:23 4K) and HP Spectre x360 (13:19).

Heat 

We took skin temperature measurements  while running our Cinebench R20 stress test.

Between the G and H keys, the Slim 7 measured 42.3 degrees Celsius (108.1 degrees Fahrenheit), but was cooler on the touchpad, at 31.4 degrees Celsius (88.5 degrees Fahrenheit).

The hottest point on the bottom of the laptop hit 50.2 degrees Celsius (122.4 Fahrenheit), which is definitely on the toastier side.

Webcam 

The 720p webcam on the Yoga Slim 7 is of poor quality. In images, I appeared grainy and out of focus, as did the backgrounds behind me. I highly recommend using one of the best webcams with this device.

It did, however, work great in conjunction with its IR sensors to log me in with facial recognition via Windows Hello, which was always fast and accurate. 

Software and Warranty 

Lenovo ships the Slim 7 largely free of bloat. In fact, there’s just one piece of software you’ll want to delete right away: a trial of McAfee LiveSafe.

Other than that Lenovo Vantage is the other big piece of software, and that’s a place to check your warranty status, run hardware scans and get support. Glance for Mirametrix is there for people who want to use the IR cameras to move windows from the laptop screen to another monitor.

Otherwise, you can expect the same bloatware you find built into almost every Windows 10 installation, including Facebook Messenger, Hulu, and Hidden City: Hidden Object Adventure.

Lenovo sells the IdeaPad Slim 7 with a one-year warranty in the U.S.

Configurations 

We reviewed the IdeaPad Slim 7 (known as the Yoga Slim 7 outside of the United States) with an AMD Ryzen 7 4800U CPU with integrated Radeon graphics, 16GB of RAM,  and a 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD. This version won’t be sold in the United States, but will be available internationally. We found it listed on Lenovo’s website in the Netherlands for €999 (other sites had pages up for it, but not prices).

It showed up in a weird - way: in US packaging, with US (IdeaPad) branding, and a US keyboard layout. Lenovo Vantage also recognized it and gave it a US warranty. In a way, what we reviewed is unique.

What is being sold, however, is an $899.99 version with a Ryzen 7 4700U, 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. We would expect similar or better battery life from this model, along with the same screen and build quality. 

Bottom Line 

The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7, IdeaPad Slim 7, whatever you want to call it, is the type of ultrabook that Intel should be wary about. Luckily for it, the best version of it is very hard to find.

The Ryzen 4800U has proven to be one hell of a processor. While on price, this laptop is more of an ultraportable, it brings CPU performance you could expect in some mid-range gaming laptops. And in that ultrabook space, both Intel’s Ice Lake and Comet Lake laptops didn’t meet Ryzen.

It’s not perfect. The computer can get toasty, and the screen isn’t quite as good as those on its Intel counterparts. But beyond the performance, the battery life is truly incredible and the design

The problem is that this laptop, in the configuration we got it in, is effectively not for sale (lesser versions are). I’ve seen threads on Reddit and elsewhere with people hunting for this version. And if you’re in the market for something like this and find it, I would recommend from my testing that you snag it.

But this version is also the definitive version of a premium Ryzen 4000-series laptop. The AMD Ryzen 4800U is incredible, and 16GB of RAM is simply recommended these days. Hopefully this top-of-the-line configuration of the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 becomes more available soon.  

Microsoft has finally pulled the wraps off of the Surface Duo, its Android-based foldable (that it won't call a phone). It will start at $1,399 for a 128GB model when it launches on September 10. Microsoft made the announcement in a blog post this morning.

That price puts it among the most expensive phones on the market (it's $1,499 for the 256GB model). Some of that is due to the Surface name, as well as the fact that you're getting two screens that total 8.1-inches when the device is open. But with a last-gen Snapdragon 855 processor, it's a bit behind on compute.

The Surface Duo's two 5.6-inch displays are both 1800 x 1350 resolution AMOLED screens that Microsoft has dubbed "PixelSense Fusion." They should work with any Surface Pen (not included).

The not-a-phone is also coming with an 11MP camera, 6GB of RAM and a 3,577 mAh battery.

At 4.8mm (0.2 inch) when opened, Microsoft is calling this the thinnest Surface Device ever.

Microsoft's Surface Duo will support LTE on AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon in the United States, but availability and carriers have not yet been announced worldwide. The Duo will be available for pre-order at  Microsoft's online store, AT&T and Best Buy.

This is also the first piece of Surface hardware to run something other than Windows. It's full-on Android, including Google Search, Google Calendar and the Play Store. But Microsoft has also included a bunch of its own software, including Office apps, OneDrive, Edge, Teams and LinkedIn. That's where we're most interested: to see how this portable device fits into our daily lives and integrates with our workflow when we get back to our computers.

The Surface Duo is Microsoft's first foldable. It was announced alongside the Surface Neo, a Windows foldable at an event in October, but the Neo has seemingly been shelved while the company continues to work on Windows 10X.

For a long time, a project called Andromeda, thought to be a Windows-based, pocketable foldable, was rumored, seemingly taking up the mantle of the canceled Courier.

Editor's Note, July 9: This review has been updated with a comment from a Microsoft spokesperson about throttling issues we experienced in our stress test. The score and test results are unchanged.

Microsoft’s detachable Surface Book has always been in its own category. It’s a laptop with gaming-grade graphics, but also a tablet for simple tasks. They detach. And in its third iteration, the Surface Book 3 (15-inch), ($2,299.99 to start, $2,799.99 as tested) hasn’t changed much on the outside. The inside, however, has been refreshed with an Intel Core i7 Ice Lake processor and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q graphics.

If you’ve been waiting for the latest specs to hit the Surface Book 3, this is for you. But for the price, other laptops with a clamshell design offer a lot more power for the money. Whether or not the Surface Book 3 is for you depends on if you value a versatile design over computing power.

Design

Microsoft launched the original Surface Book in 2015. Five years later, the Surface Book 3 doesn’t look or feel that much different. In some ways, I can’t complain; the Surface Book 3 is built solid with a spartan gray magnesium outer case. The back of the tablet has the shiny Windows logo that has come to define the line.

And in its third iteration, the Surface Book 3 is the only laptop on the market to serve as a tablet with additional battery life and discrete graphics in a detachable keyboard (Porsche Design tried something similar in 2017 with the pricey, limited-run Book One, though without a GPU). For those who want the flexibility of a device that serves as both tablet and laptop, the Surface Book 3 is really the only choice, other than some 2-in-1s with flatter, type cover-style keyboards.

Lifting the lid reveals the tablet’s 15-inch, 3240 x 2160, 3:2 aspect ratio display with Microsoft’s PixelSense touchscreen technology. The display is surrounded by a thick black bezel that I wish Microsoft would make thinner to increase the screen size in a similar chassis.

The screen is attached to the keyboard base with a fulcrum hinge and disconnects with a button on the keyboard. Microsoft sped up the disconnect process this year, but it’s still not instant. And after you reconnect, you still have to wait a second or two until you can use the keyboard and touchpad.

With previous Surface Books, there were issues with disconnecting and reconnecting the display and base and problems with the tablet recognizing the GPU in the base. Unfortunately, I was able to replicate that on this model.

The age of the Surface Book 3’s design (or at least, it’s limitations), are starting to show. For one, it’s been five years, and there’s still an unsightly gap in the middle of the fulcrum hinge when the laptop’s closed. But perhaps the bigger deal is that Microsoft can’t take advantage of more powerful processors, despite the premium price and positioning the Surface Book 3 takes in its lineup.

Because the tablet disconnects from the base, the processor, RAM and storage are all behind the screen (and why there are vents around the back edge of the tablet). That’s seemingly not enough room for Microsoft to fit Intel’s H-series processors, so the Surface Book 3 continues to use Intel’s lower power Ice Lake U-series CPUs. But more traditional laptops, like the 16-inch MacBook Pro and the Dell XPS 15 9500 do use H-series chips. While Microsoft describes the Surface Book 3 as having “next-gen, pro-grade performance,” physical limitations mean it doesn’t have the parts to match.

The magnesium base is the same color as the back of the tablet. On its left side are a pair of USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A ports and an SDXC card reader. On the right side of the base are the USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C ports and the proprietary Surface Connect port for charging and docking. There’s a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top-right hand corner of the tablet itself and another Surface Connect port on the bottom. There is no Thunderbolt 3 support on this machine; Microsoft has previously described Thunderbolt 3 as a security flaw, but it’s a convenience that most of its competitors have, particularly at this price. (The flaw Microsoft describes also involves freezing the RAM, which you can’t remove on this device.)

By nature of its two parts, the Surface Book 3 is a bit larger than clamshell laptops, though not incredibly so. Microsoft’s device is 4.2 pounds (with the keyboard included, of course) and 13.5 x 9.9 x 0.9 inches. The 16-inch MacBook Pro is 4.3 pounds and 14.1 x 9.7 x 0.6 inches. The Dell XPS 15 is 4.5 pounds and 13.6 x 9.1 x 0.7 inches. And just to get an AMD Ryzen comparison, the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is 3.5 pounds and 12.8 x 8.7 x 0.7 inches (though it has a smaller, 14-inch screen).

Microsoft Surface Book 3 Specifications

Productivity Performance

Most laptops, especially those aimed at creatives and in this price bracket, opt for Intel’s H-series processors, which have more CPU cores and offer better performance than the more mainstream oriented U-series for ultraportables. But the Surface Book 3 has an Intel Core i7-1065G7 Ice Lake part. In our review unit, that was paired with 32GB of LPDDR4x RAM, 512GB of NVMe-based storage and, in the keyboard base, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q.

The differences in CPUs showed in Geekbench 5.0. The Surface Book 3 earned a score of 3,831, falling far below the 16-inch MacBook Pro (7,201, Intel Core i9-9980HK), Dell XPS 15 (6,174, Intel Core i7-10750H) and Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (7,895, AMD Ryzen 4900HS).

It took 6 seconds for the Surface Book 3 to copy 4.97GB of files, a rate of 848.2 MBps. While that’s faster than the XPS 15, the MacBook Pro and Zephyrus were both faster.

On our Handbrake video editing test, we use the laptops to transcode a 4K resolution video to 1080p. The Surface Book 3 took 21 minutes and 31 seconds. The Dell XPS 15 took less than half that time, and both the MacBook and Zephyrus were even faster.

To stress the machine over time, we ran the Cinebench R20 benchmark 20 times on a loop. During that test, we saw erratic scores. We thought this may have been a one-off issue, but across three runs, we saw different, unpredictable behavior. It looks like a normal score might fall between 1,300 and 1,400. Based on our monitoring, it appears that all four cores on the Intel Core i7-1065G7 exceeded power limits and perhaps lowered performance to accommodate. 

"Surface Book 3 is the most powerful Surface built to date," a Microsoft spokesperson told Tom's Hardware. "Performance may be throttled in some scenarios of prolonged, intense usage. To optimize performance, we recommend setting the performance slider (accessed by clicking on the battery icon in the system tray) to ‘Best Performance’."

During its 20 Cinebench runs, the Surface Book 3’s CPU reached an average clock speed of 1.7 GHz and measured an average temperature of 69.6 degrees Celsius (157.3 degrees Fahrenheit).

Gaming and Graphics

While the Surface Book 3 isn’t a gaming laptop, the GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q inside does allow you to play video games. I spent time playing Borderlands 3 at 2160 x 1440 (have to take advantage of the 3:2 aspect ratio) at high settings, and the game ran between 39 and 44 frames per second (fps) in heavy combat.

The Surface Book 3 ran both the Shadow of the Tomb Raider (highest, 1080p resolution) at 42 fps and Grand Theft Auto V (very high, 1080p) at 55 fps. Don’t try upgrading the resolution to 4K, though, as the GPU just isn’t strong enough for that. Neither of those came close to what the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, a gaming laptop that can be had for a fraction of this price with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060, offers. However, the Surface Book 3 did outperform the XPS 15 in gaming.

If you’re playing with a controller, the Surface Book 3 has a built-in Xbox wireless adapter. Microsoft alsos ships the Surface Book 3 with a 127 watt power adapter. On the Surface Book 2, some users saw the battery discharge while gaming because the power adapter wasn’t large enough, but that has been remedied here.

For a gaming stress test, we ran Metro Exodus 15 times on a loop at high settings to simulate 30 minutes of gaming. The game ran at an average of 43.7 fps and tended to be within a few tenths of a frame of that score with each run.

During the test, the CPU reached an average clock speed of 2.3 GHz and an average temperature of 74 degrees Celsius (165.2 degrees Fahrenheit). The GPU hit an average speed of 1.3 GHz and an average temperature of 66 degrees Celsius (150.8 degrees Fahrenheit).

Display

With a 3:2 aspect ratio, the Surface Book 3’s 15-inch, 3240 x 2160 display is a great size for getting work done. Unlike many 16:9 screens, the 3:2 ratio is taller, showing more text on the screen as you read, write or code. It does mean there’s letterboxing for video playback and some games, but that’s a tradeoff I’m willing to make. Additionally, the colors on the display are vivid and it gets fairly bright.

The Surface Book 3’s screen isn’t quite 4K (3840 x 2160), I used the 4K, open source short film Tears of Steel to test it. It’s a colorful movie, and some stark differences, like an orange box of mango juice next to the sniper Barley during a dark blue dawn were striking.

And while the Surface Book 3 has a vibrant screen that covers 71.2% of ths DCI-P3 color gamut, competitors did even better. The MacBook Pro measured 80.7%, the XPS 15 covered 93.7% and the Zephyrus reached 82.9%.

Microsoft’s panel measured 401 nits of max brightness, beating the gaming-oriented Zephyrus’s display, which has a 120 Hz refresh rate, but was literally outshined by the MacBook Pro and XPS.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The keyboard on the Surface Book 3 truly nails it. If Microsoft ever makes significant changes to the device, it couldn’t make the keyboard better, in my opinion, without adding mechanical switches. The keycaps feel premium, there’s proper spacing between the keys, and there’s enough travel that I never felt like I was hitting the bottom. On the 10fastfingers.com typing test, I hit 117 words per minute, which is about as fast as I usually get on a laptop keyboard, with my usual 2% error rate.

At 4.1 x 2.8 inches, the Surface Book 3 touchpad isn’t small, but there’s so much space available that there’s no reason it shouldn’t be wider. As it stands now, the touchpad’s roughly centered below the spacebar, but there’s a little bit of vertical space and plenty of horizontal space around it. Other premium devices, like Dell’s XPS line and Apple’s MacBooks, have larger touchpads. That being said, the SurfaceBook 3’s touchpad uses Windows precision drivers and works well with gestures and navigation.

Audio

The two front-facing speakers on the Surface Book 3’s tablet support Dolby Atmos and are surprisingly good, considering they’re packed in with the rest of the hardware.

When I played Deep Blue Something’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” it filled my living room with sound, which was enough for me in my shoebox of an apartment. The vocals, drums and guitars were all clear, though like most speakers in mobile devices, the bass lacked.

Upgradeability

Like the Surface Go 2, the Surface Book 3’s tablet is sealed shut. You should pick the specs you want and need when you configure it because there’s no changing them later.

Microsoft has made some devices, like the Surface Pro X and Surface Laptop 3, easier to upgrade, and I hope we start to see that come to the Surface Pro, Go and Book lineups.

Battery Life

With two batteries (22.3 Whr in the tablet, 59.7 Whr in the keyboard base), the Surface Book 3 lasts a long time on a charge, at least as a laptop. All together, it ran for 11 hours and 10 minutes on our battery test, which continuously browses the web, runs OpenGL benchmarks and streams video, all over Wi-Fi and at 150 nits of brightness.

Without the base, the tablet lasted for only 3:27.

The only competitor to last longer than the Surface Book 3 was the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 at 11:32. AMD’s Ryzen 4000-series mobile chips have shown incredible energy efficiency. Apple’s 16-inch Macbook Pro came close at 10:55, while the Dell XPS 15 endured for 8:01 (with a 4K screen).

Heat

 To check skin temperature on the Surface Book 3, we took measurements during two stress tests. For the tablet, where the CPU, RAM and storage is located, we checked during our Cinebench R20 gauntlet. To add the base with the GPU, we measured while running Metro Exodus on a loop.

When we ran Cinebench, the back of the tablet reached 44.6 degrees Celsius (112.3 degrees Fahrenheit) at its hottest point.

Then, we turned to Metro Exodus. The center of the keyboard, between the G and H keys, measured 43.5 degrees Celsius (110.3 degrees Fahrenheit), and the touchpad was cooler at 30.8 degrees Celsius (87.4 degrees Fahrenheit). 

The bottom of the laptop measured 47.5 degrees Celsius at its hottest point while running the game (117.5 degrees Fahrenheit).

The back of the tablet measured 41.7 degrees Celsius (107.1 degrees Fahrenheit) while running Metro Exodus.

Cameras

Just like we saw in the Surface Go 2, Microsoft invested in the camera in the Surface Book 3: a front-facing 5.0MP webcam and a 8.0MP camera on the back of the tablet, both of which shoot video at 1080p. Considering the Book was released during the COVID-19 pandemic, the webcam is appreciated.

The Surface Book 3’s webcam is sharp and color-accurate. It caught individual hairs in my beard and the exact shade or light blue in my shirt. It also supports Windows Hello with infrared facial recognition.

I found that the rear camera had a bit of a fog over it. It took fine pictures, though honestly the 15-inch Surface Book 3 is unwieldy enough that it’s a pain to use it as a camera. Digital zoom on the back camera was poor and led to pixelated images.

Software and Warranty

Microsoft’s Surface line is about as clean as Windows 10 gets on laptops. The only software the company adds is the Surface app, which provides basic support information, configures the Surface Pen (if you buy one) and helps easily connect to Bluetooth accessories.

Otherwise, there’s a bit of the same bloat that’s in every copy of Windows 10, including Spotify and Netflix.

Microsoft Sells the Surface Book 3 with a 1-year warranty.

Configurations

Our review unit, with an Intel Core i7-1065G7, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q, 32GB of RAM and 512GB of NVMe SSD storage costs $2,799.99.Every 15-inch Surface Book 3 has the same CPU and GPU as our review model.

The $2,299.99 base model has 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

For $2,999.99, you get 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, while the bump up to 2TB of storage will put your price tag at $3,399.99.

You can also get the Surface Book 3 with Nvidia Quadro graphics, though that’s limited to business customers. That starts at $ 3,499.99 with the same Core i7-1065G7, 32GB of RAM and 512GB of storage in our unit and increases with more RAM and storage.

There is also a 13.5-inch variant of the Surface Book 3, which starts at $1,599.99 with a Core i5-1035G7 with Iris Plus graphics, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. For $1,999.99, you get an i7, 16GB of RAM, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q and 256GB of storage. Prices go up from there.

Bottom Line

For better or for worse, the Surface Book 3 is still one of the most innovative PC designs on the market. If you want the versatility of having both a tablet and GPU for gaming and creative work, this is for you. Microsoft is the only one that offers something like this.

Here’s the rub: this is a device priced at a premium for that versatility. On top of that, Microsoft pushes it as its high-performance device for creatives. In making a tablet that detaches from the keyboard with an innovative hinge mechanism, Microsoft has designed itself into a box. Specifically, a 15-inch tablet-sized box that can’t fit the same, more powerful processors as its competition.

As of this writing, a 16-inch MacBook Pro that is similarly specced (9th Gen Core i7, 32GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, AMD Radeon RX 5500M) is $2,899.99. A Dell XPS 15 with a 10th Gen Core i7, 1TB of storage, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti, 32GB of RAM and 4K touchscreen is $2,400. The latter is cheaper than the $2,799.99 Surface Book 3 we reviewed, and the MacBook Pro is $100 more. Both offer stronger performance and premium experiences. You can get the Surface Book 3 cheaper, but you’d have to sacrifice RAM or storage.

The Surface Book 3’s rivals are traditional clamshells. The Surface Book 3 is a clamshell, but also a tablet and even an easel. The question is if creative types want to trade raw power for that experience. The design might be aging, but nothing else does what this PC can do. For some people, that will be enough.

Microsoft’s Surface 2-in-1s, headed up by the Surface Pro line, are among the most portable computers out there in thin, light designs. The Surface Go 2 ($399.99 to start; $729.99 as tested, plus an additional $129.99 Type Cover), is the company's second shot as a device meant to, as the name hints, go with you anywhere. The company has clearly taken feedback, delivering a bigger screen and better battery life. The option of an Intel Core m3 CPU also provides more power, though not as much as other devices in this price range.

That makes the Go 2 a device for those who want a premium portable with budget performance, rather than cutting corners on screens and materials. But the Surface Go 2 was released at a time when most of us are stuck inside. Is there room for a new Go when there is nowhere, to, well, go? 

Design 

As soon as you look at the Surface Go 2, you’ll notice that something big has changed. The unsightly bezels from the original Surface Go have been shrunken down, making more room for the display. The new device has a 10.5-inch panel, half an inch larger than its predecessor. There’s still enough bezel to comfortably hold the Surface Go 2 as a tablet, but you get more screen real estate.

Otherwise, the Surface Go 2 is effectively a clone of its predecessor. It comes in platinum gray with a reflective Windows logo on the back, as well as the rear camera. There’s no ventilation -- the low-powered Intel CPUs Microsoft used allow for a fanless design. The hinge is sturdy and feels reliable, but this design, like the original Surface Go and Surface Pro for years, is better on a desk than on your lap, where it isn’t as stable as I’d like it to be.

Almost all of the Surface Go’s ports are on the right side of the tablet, including the USB Type-C port, proprietary Surface Connect port for charging, as well as the headphone jack. There’s a microSD card slot under the hinge and, on our model with LTE support, a SIM card tray on the right side. If you get a Type Cover keyboard, that attaches magnetically to the bottom of the device.

The Surface Go 2 measures 9.7 x 6.9 x 0.3 inches and weighs 1.2 pounds, far smaller than the average budget or mainstream notebook. The Acer Swift 3 we recently reviewed was 2.6 pounds and 12.7 x 8.6 x 0.6 inches in a traditional clamshell form factor that weighs 2.8 pounds. 

Microsoft Surface Go 2 Specifications 

Productivity Performance 

Our review unit of the Surface Go 2 came with a dual-core Intel Core m3-8100Y. It’s a chip that debuted in 2018 based on Intel’s Amber Lake architecture, but still offers significant gains over the Pentium chips offered in the original Go. However, that doesn’t put it in a place to match some mid-level laptops at similar prices. Our device also had 8GB of LPDDR3 RAM and a 128GB PCIe-based SSD. Note: We had to move from Windows 10 Home in S Mode (as the device ships) to Windows 10 Home in order to run our benchmarks.

To compare the Surface Go 2 to the original, we used Geekbench 4.1. The Surface Go 2 earned a score of 6,764, handily surpassing the Intel Pentium Gold 4415Y in the original model (both had 8GB of RAM).

On Geekbench 5.0, which we used to test the Acer Swift 3, the Surface Go 2 earned a score of 1,563, falling quite short of the Swift’s score of 4,862 with an eight-core AMD Ryzen 7 4700U(and 8GB RAM).

It took 28 seconds for the Surface Go 2 to copy 4.97GB of files in our file transfer test, a rate of 181.8 MBps. That’s with a 128GB SSD, and we imagine the rate would be slower with the 64GB eMMC storage option (see the configuration section below). That is faster than its predecessor (154.2 MBps), but slower than the Acer Swift 3 (462.7 MBps).

The Surface Go 2 took 48 minutes and 14 seconds to complete our Handbrake video editing test, which transcodes a 4K resolution video to 1080p. That’s ahead of the original Go (59:43) but much slower than the Swift 3 (11:00).

We stress tested the Surface Go 2 by running Cinebench R20 on a loop 20 times. It started with a score of 479.8 but then dropped into a consistent range in the 440’s from run 2 on. The CPU ran at an average clock speed of 1.8 GHz and measured an average temperature of 61.9 degrees Celsius (143.4 degrees Fahrenheit). 

Display

The Surface Go’s 10.5-inch, 1920 x 1280 resolution display uses Microsoft’s proprietary PixelSense touchscreen technology and is bright and vibrant. With thinner bezels, it has a 0.5-inch larger diagonal length than its predecessor, though we measured it to be slightly dimmer. Unlike most sub-$1,000 devices, the screen isn’t where Microsoft made sacrifices. When I watched the 1080p trailer for The King of Staten Island, the titular borough’s ferry was a bright orange, and the greenery in many shots was lush.

The Surface Go 2’s panel covers 107% of the sRGB color gamut, which is behind the 130% on the original but far better than the 62% coverage on the Swift 3.

Microsoft’s screen measured 408 nits of brightness, just a few nits brighter than the original Go and much more luminous than the Swift 3 (251 nits).

Keyboard and Touchpad (Type Cover) 

As will previous Surface tablets, the Surface Go 2 doesn’t come with a keyboard in the box. The Type Cover, which also protects the screen, is an extra expense. We tested the Signature Type Cover, which costs $129.99 and uses Alcantara fabric. For a less-luxurious option, there’s a $99.99 microfiber Type Cover as well. These are the same options as the original Surface Go, and the accessories are compatible with either device.

There’s only so much room for keys on a 10.5-inch device, so the typing experience on the Surface Go 2 isn’t ideal, but I will say it’s the best it possibly could be on a keyboard this small, and I got used to it pretty quickly. The keys are small and close together. The function keys are tiny. But it works, and I typed a large portion of this review on it without issue. On the 10fastfingers.com typing test, I reached 100 words per minute, which is good for me, with a higher-than-average 3% error rate.

The 3.8 x 2.1-inch touchpad is small, but with Windows precision drivers it responded flawlessly to all of my gestures.

Additional accessories that we did not test with the Surface Go include the $99.99 Surface Pen and the $99.99 Surface Dial. I suspect the Pen may be helpful to some, like students or field workers taking notes, but the Dial, aimed more at creatives, will probably be less helpful to the majority of Go 2 owners.

Audio 

There are a pair of 2W stereo speakers on the front of the Surface Go 2 that face you. They don’t get incredibly loud, but they’re good enough, and the sound is otherwise as detailed as competing laptops in its price range.

When I listened to Eminem and Juice WRLD’s “Godzilla,” the sound filled the living room in my New York City apartment, though it wasn’t as loud as it sounds on larger clamshell laptops. The Surface Go 2 did the job, however, and Eminem’s raps and Juice WRLD’s singing were clear over synth beats. But the bass was very weak.

Upgradeability 

Microsoft has glued the Surface Go 2 shut, so there’s no upgrading this or repairing it yourself. Make sure you get the storage and RAM options you want when you buy, because that’s what you’re going to have for the lifetime of the device. That’s similar to the Surface Book 3 and Surface Pro 7, though Microsoft made strides last fall with upgradeable storage on the Surface Laptop 3 and Surface Pro X, and I wish we could see similar improvements here. 

Battery Life 

We saw huge battery life gains over the original Surface Go with this device. (Note that our battery test won’t function in Windows 10 Home in S Mode, so we needed to move it to regular Windows 10 Home for testing.) 

The Surface Go 2 endured for 11 hours and 38 minutes on our battery test, which continuously browses the web, runs OpenGL benchmark and streams video, all at 150 nits while connected to Wi-Fi.

The original Go only lasted 6:06, and the Acer Swift 3 ran for 11:09. 

Heat

Despite the fanless design, the tablet doesn’t get too hot to touch. While running the Cinebench R20 stress test on a loop, we took surface temperatures. The hottest point, near the top of the device, measured 42.6 degrees Celsius (108.7 degrees Fahrenheit).

Cameras 

There are two cameras on the Surface Go 2: a front-facing 5MP webcam and a rear-facing 8MP lens. 

In today’s work-at-home environment, I was thankful they both support 1080p video. The day after I got the Surface Go 2, I used the front-facing camera to call into a standing meeting with my team and was told I appeared far sharper than usual. The front camera also has infrared sensors for facial recognition with Windows Hello, which worked quickly and accurately.

The same way you don’t see people taking too many pictures out and about with iPads, I couldn’t imagine doing it much with the Surface Go 2’s 8MP rear camera, either. A picture I took of a tall building down the block was nice and crisp, as were close-ups of flowers, which turned out nicely, and a picture of a street. The zoom, however, was all but useless and turned my pictures into a blurry mess. One bicyclist I zoomed in on looked as if he were in witness protection. 

Windows 10 S, Software and Warranty 

Microsoft’s Surface lineup has among the cleanest start menus that you’ll see on a Windows 10 device, and the Surface Go 2 is no exception. The only piece of software that Microsoft added is its Surface app to adjust stylus settings, check battery levels and access support.

Out of the box, the Surface Go 2 comes with Windows 10 Home in S Mode. Windows 10 S doesn’t allow you to install or run software that didn’t come from the Microsoft Store, which the company says leads to a more secure and stable experience.

Previously, I would have absolutely recommended that anyone take the free upgrade out of S Mode to regular Windows 10 Home. But this is the first device that has come into our labs with the new Chromium version of Microsoft’s Edge browser. It has enhanced privacy features and can use all of the same extensions that you can with Google Chrome. So if installing Google Chrome is all you need, I think you should give the new Edge a shot. 

But I suspect most users will still want something outside of Microsoft’s attempt at a walled garden, and the option is there.

The only other software is the bloat that comes with every copy of Windows 10, like Hotspot Shield Free VPN, Netflix, Spotify and Gardenscapes.

Microsoft sells the Surface Go 2 with a 1-year warranty.

Configurations

We tested the top-end Surface Go 2, a $729.99 tablet with a dual-core Intel Core m3-8100Y, 8GB of RAM and 128GB SSD. Our model is also the only one with LTE Advanced support, so you can use a SIM card or eSIM to get connectivity on the road. The Go 2 doesn’t come with a keyboard in the box; we tested with a $129.99 Signature Type Cover covered in Alcantara fabric. That’s a total of $859.98 without any other accessories, like a Surface Pen or a Surface Dial.

The base model is $399.99 with an Intel Pentium 4425Y, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of slower eMMC storage. You can pair the Pentium with 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD for $549.99. Neither of those offer LTE.

For $629.99, you bump up to the Core m3 in our review unit, along with the 8GB of RAM and 128GB SSD. That model, however, only has Wi-Fi, not LTE, for connectivity.

If $129.99 sounds like a lot for a keyboard, Microsoft does sell a version of the Type Cover without the Alcantara for $99.99.

Bottom Line

The Microsoft Surface Go 2 addresses most of the major problems with the original Go released two years ago. The Go 2 has smaller bezels, longer battery life and an option with LTE Advanced support at launch. As far as build quality and the display go, this is the most premium budget machine around.

The addition of the Core m3 in our review unit provided more power than the Pentium Gold chips, but by time you get to that price point, you’re over $600. For around that price, the Acer Swift 3 we reviewed had a far more powerful, eight-core AMD Ryzen 7 4700U. Most devices in the mid-range don’t sacrifice power; they sacrifice the display and build quality. Go for something else if you want performance. The Surface Go 2 is about quality portable hardware. For many who do everything in the browser, even a lesser model should be OK.

I still wish the tablet came with the keyboard, which adds to the expense. And the $399.99 price is attractive, but the $549.99 configuration is a better starting point (that’s all before accessories). For people with powerhouse workstations, the Surface Go 2 is a good secondary device. It’s the type of thing I wish I had to take on trips (whenever we get back to trips). I could also see the Go 2 used for education, especially from home.

Alternatively, there's the iPad Pro, although it costs more. And while iPadOS is getting more intricate all the time, Windows 10 is still more complex and intricate. For those who need or want that deep level of control and software support, the Surface Go 2 is a premium, well-built and small Windows 10 device, even if it isn’t the most powerful.

We may soon see Microsoft Surface devices with AMD Ryzen 4000 CPU options. That's based on a listing in the 3DMark 11 database spotted by hardware leaker @_rogame that shows a Surface sporting an AMD Ryzen 5 4500U APU and a AMD Radeon RX 5300M mobile graphics card. 

The listing didn't reveal if the unit tested was a Surface Laptop, Surface Book or Surface Tablet. Regardless, the device tested seemingly packs decent firepower.

The Ryzen 5 4500U (codename Renoir) is based on AMD's latest Zen 2 microarchitecture and manufactured on TSMC's 7nm FinFET process. The hexa-core processor has a 2.3 GHz base clock and a boost clock that climbs to 4 GHz. The Ryzen 5 4500U runs within the 15W envelope, so it'll be a good fit for Microsoft's slim devices.

The Ryzen 5 4500U has its own integrated graphics with six Vega Compute Units (CUs) that tick up to 1,500 MHz. However, it would appear that Microsoft might kick the graphics aspect of the Surface device up a notch by pairing it with a discrete graphics card from the AMD camp as well.

The 3DMark 11 submission doesn't specify the exact model of the device's graphics card but points to 3GB of onboard memory. AMD currently has four Navi-based mobile graphics cards, and of those four, only the Radeon RX 5300M comes with 3GB of (GDDR6) memory.

The Radeon RX 5300M is built around the Navi 14 silicon that also benefits from TSMC's 7nm node. The graphics card features 22 CUs, equivalent to 1,408 Stream Processors (SPs), and operates with a 1,181 MHz game clock and 1,445 MHz boost clock. The memory is clocked at 14 Gbps across a 96-bit memory interface, which works out to a memory bandwidth of 168 GBps.

It's refreshing to see manufacturers going all in with AMD. Nowadays, you can find a lot of laptops that either use an AMD processor or graphics card, but rarely do you see one that employs both (the MSI Alpha 15 is one example). There are still a lot of options in AMD's arsenal, such as the Ryzen 7 4800U, Ryzen 7 4700U for CPUs and RX 5500M or RX 5600M for graphics. It'll be interesting to see what combination Microsoft might come up with in future Surface products.

Apple has updated its iPad Pro line with its new iPad Pro, which comes with a host of new upgrades including the 8-core A12Z Bionic processor and trackpad support in iPadOS. 

The new iPad Pro is coming in 11-inch and 12.9-inch version, with the basic version packing 128 GB of flash storage. For those craving more, capacities will range all the way up to 1 TB, which is huge for a tablet. Naturally, the usual WiFi-only variants will exist alongside the WiFi + cellular data models.

Under the hood, the iPad Pro comes with the new A12Z Bionic chip, which Apple claims makes it faster than most Windows laptops. This new silicon comes with eight CPU cores, along with a Neural Engine. Apple claims to be powerful enough to handle 4K video editing and designing 3D models.

One of the biggest changes coming along with the new iPadOS 13.4 is the addition of trackpad support, which is what enables the new keyboard. The new Magic Keyboard has a trackpad built-in, and will 'float' the iPad Pro above it, presumably to keep it in balance, as a common problem with tablet keyboards is their tendency to fall backwards.

Other new features include a wide-angle camera, "studio-quality mics", along with a LiDAR scanner for improved photography. The new Pro Display comes with wide DCI-P3 color support and a 120 Hz refresh rate.

Apple is claiming that battery life is set to last up to 10 hours.

Pricing starts at $799 for the 11-inch 128 GB WiFi-Only iPad Pro, with the 12.9-inch version costing $999, with both available for order immediately. The Magic Keyboard accessory will set you back a further $299 for the 11-inch tablet and $349 for the 12.9-inch version and will be available in May.