The Microsoft Surface Pro (2017) Review: Evolution
by Brett Howse on June 15, 2017 9:00 AM ESTThe Microsoft Surface Pro has undeniably carved out a new segment in the PC space. But what was once a powerful, but heavy, thick, and unwieldly tablet when it was first launched, has become a thin, light, and even more powerful tablet in the following years. It was really the launch of the Surface Pro 3 that finally changed Microsoft’s fortunes in the hardware game. This was the first Surface Pro that was able to bring the weight and thickness into check, and the 3:2 aspect ratio screen was a revelation in this product category where 16:9 or 16:10 displays were really all that was offered in the Windows world.
In October 2015, Microsoft launched the refreshed Surface Pro 4 which was a bigger improvement than you would have guessed. The overall dimensions and look of the tablet were similar to the Pro 3, but the display was a big step forward, offering 267 pixels per inch, and outstanding color reproduction. The new keyboard launched with the Surface Pro 4 was really one of the biggest highlights though, offering an edge to edge keyboard with island keys, and a far more useable trackpad as well.
Now approaching the summer of 2017, it’s been a while since the Surface Pro 4 launched, but its successor has finally come to market: the Microsoft Surface Pro (2017). Yes, Microsoft has dropped the numbering system – and this is probably the the most appropriate time to do it, I feel – but far more important than whatever name Microsoft picks is the hardware. Although on the outside it may seem to be a small refresh, Microsoft has over 800 new custom parts inside, improving their flagship 2-in-1 device in several key areas.
The Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book were the first devices launched with Intel’s Skylake-U series processors, and Microsoft had to work overtime to sort out some power management issues with the then-new Skylake platform and Modern Standby. So it’s perhaps not that surprising to see them sit out the initial launch of Kaby Lake until they could ensure they had all the bugs worked out.
But with the launch of the Surface Pro this year, they’ve now moved onto the latest Intel CPUs, which offer both improved performance and thermals. Microsoft has not made any other dramatic changes for processing though, and the Surface Pro keeps the same CPU lineup as the outgoing model, but with 7th generation replacing 6th generation. That means there is a Core m3-7Y30 4.5 W CPU in the base model, a Core i5-7300U in the mid-range, and a Core i7-7660U in the top end. However Microsoft has also extended the passive cooling configuration to the Core i5 as well. This change comes thanks to some important improvements in the cooling system, which we’ll take a look at in a bit.
Microsoft Surface Pro | |||||
Model Tested: Core i7-7660U, 16GB, 512GB, $2199 | |||||
Processor | Intel Core m3-7Y30 (2C/4T, 1.0-2.6GHz, 4MB L3, 14nm, 4.5w) Intel Core i5-7300U (2C/4T, 2.6-3.5GHz, 3MB L3, 14nm, 15w) Intel Core i7-7660U (2C/4T, 2.5-4.0GHz, 4MB L3, 14nm, 15w) |
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Memory | 4 GB, 8 GB, 16 GB Dual-Channel | ||||
Graphics | Intel Core m3-7Y30 Intel HD 615 (24 EUs, 300-900 MHz) Intel Core i5-7300U Intel HD Graphics 620 (24 EUs, 300-1100 MHz) Intel Core i7-7660U Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 (48 EUs, 64 MB eDRAM, 300-1100 MHz) |
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Display | 12.3" 2736x1824 3:2 PixelSense LG Display, Touch and Pen support 100% sRGB color + enhanced color, individually calibrated panels |
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Storage | 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB PCIe NVMe PM971 | ||||
Networking | 802.11ac, 2x2:2, 866Mpbs Max, 2.4 and 5GHz Bluetooth 4.1 Marvell AVASTAR |
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Audio | Stereo Speakers (front facing) Dolby Audio Premium |
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Battery | 45 Wh, 45 W AC Adapter with USB charging port | ||||
Right Side | USB 3.0 Mini DisplayPort 1.2 Surface Connect Port (charging and docking) |
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Left Side | Headset Jack | ||||
Power Button Volume Rocker |
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Keyboard Connector | |||||
Dimensions | 292 x 201 x 8.5 mm (11.5 x 7.9 x 0.33 inches) | ||||
Weight | Core m3: 766 grams (1.69 lbs) Core i5/i7: 786 grams (1.73 lbs) |
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Cameras | Rear: 8.0 MP auto-focus Front: 5.0 MP auto-focus and Windows Hello support |
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Extras | Surface Pen and Dial (sold separately) Surface Dock - 2 x mDP 1.2, 4 x USB 3.0, 1 x Gigabit (sold separately) micro SD card slot TPM 2.0 |
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Pricing | 128 GB Intel Core m3 with 4GB of RAM: $799 128 GB Intel Core i5 with 4GB of RAM: $999 256 GB Intel Core i5 with 8GB of RAM: $1299 256 GB Intel Core i7 with 8GB of RAM: $1599 512 GB Intel Core i7 with 16GB of RAM: $2199 1 TB Intel Core i7 with 16GB of RAM: $2699 |
The new Surface Pro is certainly evolution rather than revolution, but considering the success Microsoft has seen with the Pro, it’s hard to argue with the company's choice. In fact, despite the older generation CPU, it wouldn't be a stretch to state that the Surface Pro 4 was still the top of its category, with the best display, good battery life, and great performance. The new Surface Pro makes more subtle improvements, keeping many of the successful attributes of the outgoing model.
One of the features that many will be happy to see is that Microsoft will finally be offering a 4G LTE model as well, although it won’t be available for a couple of months. It’s one of the requests they’ve had from many of their customers, so it’s great to see it as an option.
Accessories have been one of Microsoft’s strongest suits, especially with the keyboard and pen that launched with the Surface Pro 4. Both the keyboard and pen have seen continuous improvement, and once again, Microsoft has released new versions as well. The flip side to that however is that the one accessory that was included with previous Surface Pros, the Surface Pen, is no longer included. This is a process that started with the Surface Pro 4 – where Microsoft introduced some mid-cycle SKUs that dropped the pen for a lower cost – and has now been extended to the entire lineup.
Overall it's tough to make massive changes when you already have one of the most successful products in a category, but we’ll dig into the changes that are here and see how the latest Surface Pro stacks up both against the competition, as well as the outgoing model.
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Icehawk - Thursday, June 15, 2017 - link
Have they fixed multi-monitor output yet? I support 11 various Surface devices and they are terrible about switching modes/monitors. The stock screen's resolution is unusable for most my users with everything so tiny.gerz1219 - Thursday, June 15, 2017 - link
This is my one complaint with my Surface Book -- it gets all wonky when I plug it into the dock and drive two 1440p monitors, then disconnect it and use it as a laptop. The interface doesn't snap back to normal and I usually have to reboot to get the text rendering properly again. Sometimes the dock automatically switches the resolution properly when plugged in, and sometimes it doesn't.This seems like something that should be fixable with a simple Windows update, but I was still having issues as of the last update.
Brett Howse - Thursday, June 15, 2017 - link
They've made advances here in the last couple of Windows 10 Updates in particular. Due to the short amount of time we've had to work with the device, I've not hooked it up to an external display yet, but I can.melgross - Thursday, June 15, 2017 - link
I am so tired of reading about the success of the Surface Pro, when it's clearly been close to a failure.Consider that Microsoft sold about $4.2 billion worth of products in the Surface division during 2016. That includes Surface Pro, Surface 3, Surfacebooks, keyboards, etc. the most popular Surface Pro is the i5 256GB 8GB RAM model. Most Surface Pros are sold with the keyboard.
You can do some math. That makes the average Surface Pro sale about $1,450. Doing some very simplistic work, ignoring everything else, and pretending that every sale is a Surface Pro. We get a maximum of 2.9 million Surface Pros sold in 2016. The real numbers will be lower once Surfacebooks and Surface 3 models are subtracted out.
That's not a lot. I read in Computerworld, Information week and other places, that the biggest buyers of Surface Pro devices are IT departments, where it fits within their Microsoft based environment.
I know this isn't popular to say here, but it's straight numbers. It's not a lie. This line has never really been successful, despite the joyful writing I see about it. The reality is something else. And now, the last quarter had a 26% drop in sales for the division, so tablet retrenchment has caught up with them. That's likely one reason why Microsoft has slowed down. I doubt this has ever been profitable for them.
Brett Howse - Thursday, June 15, 2017 - link
The success is how it's created a new category of devices. It also happens to be the best device in that category. It's caused everyone in the industry to make a similar, and sometimes, identical, device, but without the build quality and polish.melgross - Thursday, June 15, 2017 - link
I'd like to know just how successful that entire category is. I never see one of the things anywhere. I've never met anyone who has one. I think there's more talk than action.soliloquist - Friday, June 16, 2017 - link
Surface Revenue:2015 over 2014 was an increase of 65%
2016 over 2015 was an increase of 13%
Given that the PC market as a whole over this time was stagnant or decreasing, for Microsoft to produce these gains is pretty significant.
Source: Microsoft 2016 Annual Report
https://www.microsoft.com/investor/reports/ar16/in...
As for the unit volume, with a price close to $1,500 (or more), it is expected that number of units sold would be significantly less than other tablets.
tipoo - Monday, June 19, 2017 - link
I'm sure it's a matter of where one lives. My city isn't that big but I still see a few Surfaces in coffee shops and airports.
amdwilliam1985 - Thursday, June 15, 2017 - link
I see most students on campus(graduate school) are either using MBA or Surface Pro 3/4 now. This says a lot, consider only a couple years ago when most people are using MBA.You're right about IT department buying them, our company has bought a few of them as test drivers. I can see us getting more as the trial has been mostly smooth so far.
Hurr Durr - Friday, June 16, 2017 - link
>selling 3 mil devices>not a success because melgross says so
Woe to Microsoft.