Customer Ratings & Reviews

I wasn't sure what to make of the Surface Pro when I first got it. I spend most of my time using Windows PCs, so I am a light Mac and iPad user at best, but have used Apple products enough to be comfortable with them. Now, after using the Surface Pro for a couple of months, I have to say I prefer it to the iPad (gasp!). I really like the Surface Pro keyboard solutions, especially the tactile feedback unit. It deactivates when folded under, but is readily available when fast typing is needed. Plus the unit comes with it's own kickstand. Plus, the handwriting recognition feature in the virtual keyboard interface is OUTSTANDING. When used as a tablet, I can write with the stylus (both block print, and cursive) in the virtual keyboard at a higher rate than I can achieve using hunt-and-peck with my fingers, or finger+thumb. Also, when used with regular keys (not handwriting mode), the virtual keyboard layout and handling from app-to-app is much more consistent than in the iPad. No need to download specialized tablet-oriented apps, Office 2013 loaded and ran just fine, Outlook setup was also easy. I have even used the unit to demo high-end Computer-Aided Design (CAD) applications without a glitch. The secondary USB charging port on the charger is a nice touch for recharging accessories or the phone, too bad you can't recharge the battery through it. The worst feature is the stylus storage. It attaches magnetically to the charging port, so it is easily dislodged when travelling, and you can't charge the unit with the stylus in place. Saw a Lenovo Window 8 tablet that had a storage tube on the side for the stylus, which is a much better idea. Right now, I clip the stylus in my shirt pocket like a pen, rather than risk losing it. Also, the default fonts on the screen are too small, as are the default fonts used within applications. I had to adjust both of those to make the device really usable as a mobile computing device (and some apps do not support font size changes). The last gripe is the lack of 4G. I have a mobile hotspot I use with my laptop, and I could use my phone, but would really prefer to have the unit be able to stand alone if needed. This is really sort of a nit - I have the 4G service turned off on my iPad most of the time anyway, to save money, and only turn it on when Wi-Fi is not available. In the "not sure if I like it" category...I think Windows 8 as an OS is only 2/3 baked. I really like the Metro interface, and wish that they could have forced everything into the Metro (tiled) mode, rather than the current mish-mosh of Desktop and Metro. But it does everything I need it to do, so I guess I can't complain too much. Overall, a good job! Like I said, I have come to like the Surface Pro quite a bit, and it you're not stuck on the other stuff that Apple brings to the iPad (like the App Store), you should give it serious consideration.

I bought this tablet primarily for school since you can run the full version of Microsoft Office. I like how you can attach the keyboard and use it as a regular laptop. It is powerful enough to use as a regular laptop unless you want to use programs that require a lot of resources such as photoshop. The tablet is large enough that you can see everything on the screen yet small enough that you can use comfortably. The super fast Solid State Drive ensures fast startup times and quick access to all of your files. The SSD is small but you can use an external HDD if you want to save more files/programs. My only complaint is that the back of the tablet gets hot after continuous use.

im gonna do a reverse review. im gonna point out the flaws. as you can see above, i gave this hybrid a good rating and i like it very much. ok... You will have to buy a 30 dollar accessory for hdmi output. battery life is a bit short depending on what you do with it. its not a big concern for me unless i don't have a power outlet near by, like on a plane or something. i haven't used it on a plane yet, but im sure it will last across country, just fine, until i start playing games and processor intensive programs and apps. the Wacom Digitizer is great for the most part, but it loses its accuracy near the corners of the screen. this is for the most part true in legacy programs. there is a way to collaborate the pen but i haven't been able to really change the outcome. the kickstand only has one angle. the power connector goes in the same place as the pen holder so, if your charging your hybrid, you cant store the pen in the holder at the same time. personally, id rather be able to mount the pen rather than lay it down on the table when im not using it. the value for the price is only fair because for me, the type cover is a must have, the surface mouse is a must have and the hdmi cord is a must have. thats another two hundred plus dollars to a already 1000 dollar machine.

Microsoft's surface pro 128 is an exceptional machine. Except for a couple of screen issues running old software (and yes, it does run 5-7 year old software) and its battery life, I've had absolutely no issues with it. The touchscreen is marvelously crisp. Even when using it with a flat screen monitor, my eyes keep going back to the Surface Pro because of the screen's sharpness and character density. Its memory management is marvelous. The machine puts an application in stasis when not in use, and the desktop, with all the programs that have been opened (and in stasis), is available at the click of the desktop tile. There are a management differences between the unit and the old 7 operating system. Programs are not closed in the same way, and even through it uses a touch system, a mouse is necessary for productivity on the desktop applications. Newer flat screen monitors, both VGA and HDMI, install instantly, and the bluetooth mouse that I purchased from Microsoft gives me not only a pointer, but almost another full set of controls to the machine. Could it be improved? Certainly. Is it hard to use? No. I am 67, and have used almost every operating system made to date. After two hours of work on the machine, I felt a strange exhuberance at being at my computer--like maybe a duck on the water for the first time.

Incredibly easy to use right out of the box. Works well as both a tablet and a laptop. Apps are limited but I am sure that is a temporary problem. Battery life appears to be about 25% of an Ipad (my wife has one), or around 2 hours with continuous use. From time to time the touchpad on the keypad freezes. Using the shift key frees it back up. The attached keypad (optional) is better for anything requiring more typing. Some of the apps are only partially compatible with Windows 8, but do have workarounds once you get used to them (i.e. refreshes or activating from the desktop). The biggest adjustment for me was getting use to the smaller screen size from a traditional laptop (this was an upgrade from the 17" screen on my dead laptop). On the positive side - bootup is incredibly fast (approximately 30 seconds) - the overall size is approximately 25% of my old laptop - it supports traditional windows functions as well as Windows 8 apps - is able to run Adobe Flash apps that the Ipad cannot (i.e. facebook games and Yahoo fantasy sports tracking). This was a must for me to switch from a laptop. - the attachment process is ingenious using magnets to ensure both the keyboard (hot swappable) and the charger align properly. It takes a while to get used to Windows 8 from older versions of windows - so expect to be frustrated until you get used to it. In the beginning I spent a lot of time in desktop mode (traditional windows). Now I spend almost no time in desktop mode. For its first pass into the tablet space, I think Microsoft has done an excellent job. That does not mean there are not problems and there is room to grow - but it is a great start. I am not sure the value is fully there for the price and I debated going with a pure tablet. Then I realized I was being an idiot as based on how much I use this, the difference over the life of the devices in pennies per hour of use. So I spent a little more to get the combo of a laptop and a tablet and I have no regrets.

The Microsoft surface is a great mobile device. It gives you the power of a PC and full blown windows in a tablet sized device. The tablet build itself is of great quality. Feels solid and does have an "expensive" feel to it. The kickstand in the back serves its purpose and has a good solid feel to it, doesn't feel like its gonna break off or anything. The screen looks awesome, high def and has a super crisp look. This is my first experience with Windows 8 and it brings all the file exploring greatness windows 7 had to offer plus an awesome tablet-esque OS with the metro apps layout. But this device is not perfect. The issues I have with it is first off, the battery life. Under the hood, the tablet is powering a 1.7gh I5 processor And lasts close to four hours before needing to be plugged in again. That's with very moderate use; file exploring, web browsing and music playing. Gaming brings down the time the battery lasts of course. The other issue I have is the glitchiness with the windows button on the device. Pressing the windows button is supposed to take you to the metro apps screen but this only every other time my device is turned on. Maybe my particular device is defective but, nonetheless, its happening. All in all, this is a great tablet. I'm and android fan but for tablets, I'd prefer something with more power and windows OS user interface: the Surface is that device.

I am writing this on my surface - connected to Internet via my Verizon Jetpack. I carry them with me wherever I go. I looked for two months at everything small, hybrid out there. Too many tradeoffs with the other guys. I wanted/needed to 'have.it all'. I read every customer review of the Surface on every web site that exists. It finally dawned on me -- the scores were overwhelmingly in the top range. No tradeoffs! I rushed to my Best Buy store and even got a 0% for 18-months deal. It was Kismet. I love love love this thing. There is nothing better out there. I love the touch interface the best and Windows 8 is just terrific in that department. Also, the writing tablet feature is to die for. In meetings, I take it out -with the pen- open my One Note folder and write - yes literally Write - my meeting notes onto it..stored immediately to my HDD and to my Sky Drive. I have installed my Windows applications on it. Have everything I need to work away from my desktop at home. The keyboard is nice, but still not advanced enough to make me want to do my work at home on the Surface. At home I prefer desktop interface -unless I want to work in another room of the house for awhile. Then this is great. Screen is gorgeous. Fast boot up and shutdown. Battery is ok -but I don't mind plugging in when I need to. The thing goes a day for me most of the time without charging. Great job Microsoft -AND thanks to Best Buy for their great deals. I just keep finding more and more I love about this thing.

I am new to Windows 8, but am getting used to it. I do like that I can have Office on this "tablet". That was important to me. What don't I like? The machine runs extremely hot. Bing is forced upon you. You MUST use a MSN (Hotmail) ID and this machine is tied to it. I have not yet found how to search in the App "Store". So I am having difficulty finding what I want. So far, I can only see what they present. The touch on the screen does not always work. There is no case for this slippery little thing. You can only get a sleeve. Really ?!?! What do I like? I've already mentioned Office on a tablet. The screen resolution is great. It is small and light and the (black) keyboard has a nice feel, but if I were to do it over I might buy a wireless keyboard or see if one used by "the other" tablet would work with it. Would I buy it again? I've had it about a month and overall, I have not fallen in love with it. I hope to, but given a second chance, I think I'd keep looking.

Great machine. I got the professional upgrade with Word, Excel and Power Point and better keyboard which makes it useful for business also. More convenient on trips than a full size laptop. Windows 8 took a bit getting used to, but now can do everything I need. USB port is useful for transferring files and programs from a flash drive. Have not tried storeing anything in the "cloud" yet. Screen is bright and clear. Really like the disconnectable keyboard for doing excel, word or power point aps. A better battery with a bit longer life would be a great plus. The charger attachment is a bit touchy and have had issue of seeming to be connected, but not. A bit pricey, but so far seems worth it for the functionality.

I've been an iPad user for many years but wanted something that would allow me to do actual work away from the office and the iPad, although great for a lot of things just didn't meet those requirement. The Microsoft - Surface Pro gave me a full Windows experience instead of the Window-like apps available for the iPad, I was able to connect to my work e-mail by plugging a PKI Card reader into the USB port and could even use, with the help of a USB hub, the CAC reader and a USB aircard. Battery life is decent and the 128GB made it easy to not only load plenty of apps and the full MS Office Suite, but I also had plenty of room to download movies and music - so I could also "play" as well as work! My only criticism is I would have liked another USB port but all in all it was a very good purchase and the fact my wife didn't criticize my buying it but actually took it on a business trip a day after I purchased it, and she is in no way tech savvy, is proof of its ease of use and overall utility when you really need a tablet that can match the performance of a laptop but is a much more portable. One more slight criticism is the speaker sound quality, but since I usually use earplugs anyway, it is not a big deal.

Love, love, love my Surface Pro. It is laptop replacement for me, but also serves as a tablet and a notebook replacement for hand written notes via One Note. Loaded with MS Office, VPN software, games on the go - this device really impressed me with MS once again. As stated, battery life is its only real challenge and can be understood with clarity from most major web reviews. The Surface Pro 2 (coming Oct 2013) will address this, among other things, along with the extended batter cover (coming 2014). If you're a mobile professional who carries a tablet, a laptop, and a notebook - this really is a great convergence device. With SP2 release at the time of this post - I will be moving forward with it instead, but expect to see the SP1 drop a bit in retail pricing - improving its ROI. Make sure you understand the difference in the RT vs. the Pro in Gen 1 Surface line - as well as the difference in Surface 2 vs. Surface Pro 2 in the Gen 2. Both are well built, but have a different value-prop. Overall, very well done MS. Very well done.

This is a great purchase, especially at the price point. I have been a network engineer for 5 years and software engineer for 10 years and I have been absolutely against the idea of a laptop or tablet. Give me a full desktop any day. Until I got the Microsoft Surface Pro. With the magnetic keyboard, which snaps in easily and comes out easily, I have a full keyboard with only a little bit of a shortening width-wise. It still feels like I'm not cramped because the keys are not small and are responsive (they feel mechanical!). The 3rd Generation Core I5 processor included in this thing makes the user experience snappy and easy. I can do a full Office installation and play games (I'm about to load Steam on it...just to see). The screen is absolutely beautiful. I get a good long charge when I'm at home unplugged, somewhere around 7 hours. If I'm constantly watching Netflix I get somewhere around 4.5-5 hours. Solid. The navigation on certain websites (Outlook I'm looking at you) is impossible without the included stylus, but that's more of an issue with whoever built the site (ahem, Microsoft) and how it functions with touch screens. The power cord is NOT long and as such you won't be sitting far from an outlet if you want to use it plugged in. The positioning of the magnetic power coupler on the device is not optimal. It just isn't comfortable to hold while plugged in. I can't recommend this enough, as it turned a curmudgeon of mobile computers like me into a true believer. Go for the 1st generation as it costs about half of what the Surface Pro 2 does and only sacrifices an upgrade to the kickstand and the 4th generation Core I5.

Ok is not like you're going to get tired by carrying this tablet but, for a tablet is a little heavy. For instances, if you have one of those 10" notebooks some of them are even lighter than this tablet. Having said the not so good part of this, I also have to say that for the first time windows 8 make sense to me! I have Win8 in my laptop which is not touch screen and Win8 didn't really improve anything for me, since I got straight to desktop mode ALL THE TIME, but when I turned this beautiful Tablet on, immediately Win8 made sense. The metro interface is so easy to navigate. Windows tablets make Android & iPad tablets look like a toy (and I love Android) Plus, if you get a tablet with Win8.1 and not with Windows RT you have all the functionality and compatibility of a Laptop right in your hands! Also since this is straight out Windows YOU DON'T HAVE ANY ISSUES WITH FLASH PLAYER like you would with Android or ipads.

Having an iPad, Android tablet and now the Surface, I must definitely say the Surface is the best all around device for an IT Professional. Yes it is heavier than an iPad and the battery life is only around 4 hours, however the ability to run full PC applications is priceless. It is more convenient than an Ultrabook due to it size and speed. It is expensive in comparison, but definitely in line with the technology that you're getting. When paired with the keyboard, it puts most laptops to shame.

I decided after much research to buy a Surface Pro 128 GB tablet and I've been extremely happy with it. It's sized just right to fit in small drawers rather than have to keep it in cases. The battery last for several hours (I haven't yet measured it since I only work on it in spurts), but the recharge time isn't long, so it's fine. I like the detachable magnetic keyboard and charger. I also like that I can plug in USB devices which are not available on the RT model. The stylus allows me to be functional without having to resize the screen if I don't want to, and it magnetically attracts to the recharge port for safe-keeping. I use my Surface more than my laptop now. Windows 8 was not hard to get used to once I found some online videos which demonstrated how to get around and perform routine tasks. I was functional in a very short period of time.

I've been an iPad user since the first one, always frustrated by the lack of business software. The Surface runs everything I need including OneNote. With the 16:9 screen I get a larger image than my iPad with full HD quality. The display is stunning. Yes, I wish it got more than 5 hours on a charge for those cross-Atlantic flights but it seems a small price to pay for an i5 processor. Don't store the stylus on the Surface - your pocket or a small case will insure you won't lose it.

I was able to replace my laptop, iPad, and now my work PC with this one device. I never have to worry about which machine a certain file is on now when traveling, and most importantly to me I now carry only one device instead of a laptop and an iPad. The Surface is very fast, and handles every program I have used with ease. The battery life is shorter than a traditional tablet, but I have only noticed this a few times over the last month. Most of the time when using it off the battery I rarely need it for more than a few continuous hours, and it works well for this. When I travel I sometime forget to charge it as I am out of my normal cycle, and this is when I have noticed the shorter battery life. Though the typical day to day scenario is not an issue, because I plug it in while in the office and it has enough charge to be my tablet/laptop for the evening when I get home. The graphics card is enough to handle multiple screens if you need this, and the the 64 GB of expandable sdxc space is perfect for my movies and music without taking up space on the hard drive. All in all, this is a great multitasker.

I travel extensively and carrying my Surface Pro is so much easier than carrying my laptop!! I do a lot of photography and being able to run Adobe software (LIghtroom, Photoshop) to do some basic editing while I'm traveling is awesome!! It's also great for reading, Facebook, Twitter, etc, while on a plane. The handwriting translation with the stylus makes it easy to write and capture note. I'm astounded at the quality of the translation on the Surface. I have the Type keyboard, which I like, but sometimes it's actually easier to write with the stylus than type, and the Surface is great in those situation. I'm very happy with mine!!

I absolutely love that this can be a tablet, or a mini laptop. The USB port allows the functionality of a regular laptop which is fabulous! A stylus is included which is a necessity when web browsing. Because you can't adjust windows colors/ settings like older versions; with smaller screens it would be nice to be able to adjust scroll-bar sizes...Maybe I just haven't figured it out yet! I love the ability to use touchscreen, stylus or mouse pad (I also purchased the keyboard) My one downfall...which is why the 4 stars. There are only two positions, flat and completely upright. If you are using as a tablet but don't have the keyboard, using as a touchscreen can be awkward in the upright position. If the kick out had two positions...slightly upright and completely upright, this would make the versatility that much better! This tablet really is awesome!

I am a medical school student and I've been using this device extensively for about a month now. I put a good 8-12 hours of use daily on this machine and it has held up great! It is perfect for note taking (I love that the you can rest your hand on the screen while you write), studying lectures, and even for the occasional game when it is time to unwind. The pen is phenomenal and works perfectly. Not only is it great for note taking, internet browsing and creating documents/ slide shows, but it is also a decent device for gaming. I have run civilization V on this a couple of times and it worked great. The only thing that I am not crazy about with this device is that the screen gets pretty warm and it can get a little uncomfortable when writing notes ect. Other than that though perfect for what I need! I will definitely invest in another surface Pro in the future!