Customer Ratings & Reviews

There are some real advantages and a few disadvantages to this Surface Pro 11. You get the portability and long battery life of a tablet with the processing power of a laptop. Beyond this you get the cutting edge AI capabilities offered by Microsoft and possible AI applications that are just being released. But you also have to worry about possible compatibility issues due to the ARM64 architecture used in the Surface Pro especially if you are a gamer. Most programs are written to run on the older x64 architecture but more programs are now being written to run the Windows-on-Arm (ARM64) natively. Those that are not native to ARM64 use Microsoft’s emulation software to operate but this is not the preferred approach. Overall this Surface Pro 11 matched with the Surface Pro keyboard provides an opening into the AI computing world and the ARM64 architecture. How significant this Surface Pro is over other Windows x64 capable devices will be determined as more AI apps are released and more apps become ARM64 compatible. Here are the benefits as I see them: - The new Snapdragon Plus has 10 Cores and scored high in Geekbench testing see below - The display is a touch screen with a resolution of 2880 x 1920 with a 120 hz refresh rate - There are two USB-C ports and a proprietary power port - It comes with 16 gb of DDR 5 memory but this memory also gets used to support video processing and it’s not upgradeable - There is a 512 GB SSD that can be easily upgraded but not necessary for most uses - Front and rear facing cameras for conferencing - Matched with the Surface Pro keyboard it becomes a competitive Windows laptop - Wi-Fi 7 wireless capabilities Here are some counter points as I experienced them: - If you are gamer its best to research your games. Using my Steam library War Thunder and Forza 5 will not play but Humans Fall Flat worked fine. In time I expect more games to be compatible. - The lack of a dedicated GPU means the 16 GB of memory is shared for video and cpu processing and accounts for the poor benchmarking scores for video see below - Not all the popular programs run natively in ARM64 as can be checked in Task Manager Overall Thoughts: The Surface Pro does not come with a keyboard or pen, its more tablet than laptop. After using it though I would highly recommend purchasing the Microsoft Surface Pro keyboard because it really adds to the overall value and use of the Surface Pro. The keyboard magnetically connects to the Surface Pro so you remove it when you want a tablet or install it when you want a laptop. The display and speakers are good and typical of what you get in a laptop in this price range. The kickstand allows you to adjust the viewing angle to your preference. The touch screen is responsive and using the optional Slim Pen 2 enhances the capabilities. The proprietary power plug has a magnetic attachment but it still seems to come undone too easily. I am a fan of CoPilot so having AI capabilities built in makes this even better. So far the only issues I have had are that many of my games are not compatible. I continue to research and monitor which programs work on Windows-on-Arm natively and which are being emulated. So far McAfee, Steam Client, DuckDuckGo and HP Smart are not native to ARM64 and are being emulated but work just fine. You can check this by viewing the Details tab in the Task Manager and looking for x64 vs ARM64. Before I install any new programs I use CoPilot to help research any compatibility issues because the emulation can cause problems. I have also used CoPilot to give me a list of the best AI programs to explore based upon my interest and I am just starting to look into those. Setup and Testing: Once I charged the Surface Pro and attached the Surface Pro keyboard I updated all the software and set the System power setting to Performance. I then ran it through several benchmark test including Geekbench 6 and 3DMark. The Geekbench scores were comparable to laptops that I own with Intel i7 and AMD R9 processors so this has great computing power. But without a dedicated GPU the video scores were quite low. For 3DMark I tested using the new Steel Nomad Light which is geared towards Windows-on-ARM laptops. Because this software is so new it does not give fps scores for various games yet. Geekbench 6 Single Core = 2453 Multi Core = 13191 Open CL = 19743 Vulcan 23542 3DMARK 3DMARK score for Steel Nomad Light Graphics = 1965 3DMARK Steel Nomad Graphics test = 14.56 fps

This is the third Surface Pro that I've owned, and it's by far the best. The Snapdragon X Plus Chip has added power, speed and long battery life to this hybrid tablet/laptop that I've not experienced before. I opted for the "Plus" chip instead of the "Elite" Snapdragon chip for this particular device. I'm using the Surface Pro as a portable computer than I carry at work to meetings and on trips. This chip is plenty quick enough for basic tasks like note taking, writing documents/emails, surfing the web and using Copilot for research. The display is crisp and bright. The detachable keyboard is serviceable. The battery life is a marked improvement over earlier Surface Pro versions, lasting an entire work day without a charge. This machine is great for what it is -- a light weight, full operating system packaged in a small form factor for people who need maximum flexibility and portability. But if you're primarily going to be using this as a laptop and you don't need the tablet function much, I'd suggest that you just buy an ultra portable laptop instead. As a tablet, this is not as good as the iPad Pro. And as a laptop, there are comprises, especially with the keyboard, the small trackpad and minimal port selection. I wouldn't characterize this as a workhorse device for power users. If you need a hybrid device with a complete operating system and long battery life, then you should go for this. Otherwise, I'd recommend an ultraportable laptop like the new Lenovo Slim 7x, the new Surface Laptop 7 or the Dell XPS. For what it's worth, I LOVE the Sapphire color.

The new Surface Pro 11 is remarkably fast and power-efficient, thanks to the new Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite CPU. It blazes through native apps and, more importantly, emulates older apps without much struggle. Essentially, it’s a killer laptop – or more accurately, a killer tablet with amazing battery life. This leads to perhaps my main issue. While a tablet is certainly useful in certain situations, as a general productivity tool, it’s not the most practical. For instance, I’m writing this review on the Surface Pro, but doing so with the virtual keyboard would be excruciating. I received this Surface, but the optional Flex Keyboard, which was supposed to come with it, was delayed over a week. I ended up relegating the Surface to the corner of my desk and waited for the keyboard to arrive. Once it did, the narrative changed immediately. The Flex keyboard is easy to attach and a joy to use – you can even detach it, leave the Surface on the desk, kick back in your chair, and use the keyboard from your lap. It gives the Surface a different personality and makes it a joy to use. The crisp display makes it easy to use for extended periods, the keyboard has a great feel, and you can use it just about anywhere. So why is this an issue? Well, the keyboard (which comes with a pen) is optional, and it’s a significant investment that drives the price of the total package up considerably. It’s an excellent keyboard, but is it worth the cost of other inexpensive laptops by itself? So, what’s this Copilot+ AI thing? Other than a marketing term to get consumers excited about AI, it doesn’t offer much in my opinion. Microsoft has held back the main AI feature, leaving the AI features of Copilot+ largely pointless. There’s an AI restyle that lets you experiment with images, but I found it doesn’t do much. There’s an automatic language translator that might be useful in specific instances, but unless the speaker is clearly enunciating the words, it’s slow and not particularly accurate. You can also do AI image generation, which happens on the device using the NPU (neural processing unit), but it’s very underwhelming compared to what you can do in the cloud. There may be some better uses for the NPU with new apps that leverage the chip, which I haven’t tried, but given the built-in uses, I don’t have high expectations. The battery life is exceptional – I used it all day for off-and-on work and still had 50% remaining at the end of the day. The Surface did get warm a few times (mainly when I was playing Forza Horizon), and it has fans you can hear in a quiet room, but it’s not distracting in most situations. The webcam was of good quality, and the speakers were very good for such a small device. Audio from movies and YouTube videos was heard clearly. Overall, I found the Surface to be fast, and with the Flex keyboard, I could work with it just about anywhere. Battery life was superb, and while there are some compatibility issues, none of the apps I ran exhibited any. The Surface Pro 11 isn’t a revolution—it’s an evolution, bit in my opinion it’s the best Surface Pro yet. Whether you’re a creative pro, a student, or just someone who wants a sleek 2-in-1 companion, this little marvel deserves a spot on your radar. Just remember to budget for those peripherals…

The Microsoft Surface Pro 11 is one of most exciting tablets/laptops to come out in many years. The main benefit of using ARM64 instead of Intel/AMD is in power efficiency. Devices using ARM64 can usually run longer on battery without charging and provide exceptional performance while generating less heat and noise. The main drawback of using ARM64 for Windows is that there are fewer native applications so good emulation of legacy x86/x64 software is essential for it to succeed. With the new Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus SOC and Microsoft’s Prism emulation layer, Microsoft is now in the same position as Apple was with their first M1 based MacBooks. Emulation of legacy x86/x64 software is now more than “good enough” for a successful expansion of the Windows OS to ARM64. --Quick Specifications— My review unit comes with the following specifications: 1. Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus 10-core X1P6400 SOC with Adreno GPU and Hexagon NPU 2. 16GB LPDDR5x Memory (non-upgradable) 3. Samsung MZ9L4512HBLU 512 GB SSD (upgradable but it’s only recommended for repair and security purposes) 4. Qualcomm FastConnect 7800 Mobile Connectivity System for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 5. PixelSense 13-inch Touch Screen LCD Display with 2880 x 1920 resolution, 1200:1 contrast ration and dynamic refresh up to 120Hz. 6. Built-in kick stand 7. Surface Connect port 8. Surface Pro Keyboard port 9. 2 USB-C ports (supports charging, data transfer, DisplayPort 1.4a) 10. 1440p Quad HD Front camera (supports Windows Hello) and 10MP Ultra HD rear camera. --Setup and First Impressions-- The Microsoft Surface Pro 11 comes in a premium looking but echo friendly box where the unboxing experience is very Apple-like. Inside the box is a 39W Surface Connect magnetic charger, a Quick Start Guide, and warranty and safety pamphlets. You can also charge through either of the two USB-C ports. The build quality is excellent and has a very premium feel. Setup is identical with other Windows based devices and was very quick and easy. Just turn the device on and follow and answer the prompts. The ability to seamlessly run both native ARM64 Windows applications and x86/x64 Windows applications side by side is so well executed that I would never have known the Microsoft Surface Pro 11 was using an ARM64 processor instead of an Intel/AMD processor without looking at the specifications. The display is sharp, vivid and provides rich colors so watching videos is fantastic. It probably has some of the best speakers I’ve ever heard in a tablet/laptop. The sound is crisp and clear while providing a surprisingly spacious soundstage and decent bass for a tablet. As a result, it is an excellent media consumption device. It is also the quietest Windows laptop I have ever used. Even during firmware and software updates, I didn’t hear any fan noise. On all other laptops these types of activities have always caused the fan noise to rev up. The only time I heard any fan noise and noticed that it got slightly warm was when I used Handbrake to transcode some video during my benchmarking. The webcams are also very good (much better than a lot of other tablets and laptops) so this would also make a great video conferencing device. --Application Experience— I have successfully run x86/x64 legacy applications like Quicken, KeePass 2, and Handbrake and they all ran without problems. For Quicken and KeePass2, I didn’t feel any difference at all compared to running these applications on an Intel/AMD based laptop. Starting up the applications felt normal, and they both felt zippy. With Handbrake, the transcoding process was noticeably slower compared to my newer Intel/AMD computers. I was getting only about 70 fps on the Microsoft Surface Pro 11 vs 1359 fps on an AMD Ryzen 7 7700 based desktop system. However, I think the reason for this was because Handbrake currently doesn’t support hardware encoding on the Qualcomm Snapdragon X SOC. If Handbrake ever gets this support, then I would expect much better performance. Even so, it’s amazing to me that Microsoft’s Prism emulation works as well as it does. The type of x86/x64 legacy software that I have experienced trouble running has been drivers for odd devices that I have in my home. I have a Silex USB network hub that allows me to share USB devices (such as older USB printers) with my computers at home. This requires installation of some client software on each computer that needs access to the shared USB printer. This driver software didn’t work. If you have some esoteric hardware, and there isn’t any native ARM64 based drivers for it, then it will probably not work. So, if you absolutely require some x86/x64 based application to run or need to have your laptop be able to work with some hardware, you should do some research before buying this tablet/laptop. The best experience will be using native ARM64 Windows applications such as Microsoft Edge and Microsoft 365. There is an ARM64 version of Visual Studio that I installed and from my brief experience with it, it seems to function exactly like the Intel/AMD based version that I have on my other computers. I did a quick little experiment with Visual Studio. I have a project that I created a few years ago for a BitString library that allows the user to easily manipulate bits in memory using a string like notation. There is a benchmark in my project that takes 14 seconds to run on my AMD Ryzen R7 7700 based computer. On the Microsoft Surface Pro 11, it takes 31 seconds to run the x86/x64 version of the benchmark using the Prism emulation layer. When I compiled the library to target ARM64, the benchmark took only 17 seconds. In my opinion, this illustrates how impressive Microsoft’s Prism emulation layer is (emulating an Intel/AMD processor only seems to cut performance in half for this situation) and it also illustrates that we can expect even better performance if an application is targeted to native ARM64. For general computing tasks (surfing the web, paying bills, creating reports, software development etc.) and media consumption (watching videos and listening to music), most people would probably be very happy with the Microsoft Surface Pro 11. --Gaming Experience— I personally wouldn’t buy this device solely for gaming, but it can play some games in a pinch. For my brief test, I installed the Steam client and downloaded my current gaming obsession “Age of Wonders 4” which was released in 2023. I was surprised both installed successfully, and the game plays! There were some graphical glitches in the game menus, but I didn’t see any glitches during actual gameplay. I was only getting about 14 fps at full resolution and 30 fps using 50% render resolution, so it wasn’t the best playing experience, but it was playable. --A.I Features— For the most part, I think that the A.I features are cool but somewhat gimmicky for now. I played around with Cocreator in Paint, and you can use it to generate one-shot artwork for stuff like posters, greeting cards, and video thumbnails. But it doesn’t seem suited to help with generating artwork for something like a comic book where you would need to generate multiple images containing a consistent looking character in a consistent world. One feature that I was excited to try was Live Captions. I wanted to see how it performed in translating foreign language films. I tried it with a French language movie and a Cantonese language movie. I think it handled translating French to English better than translating Cantonese to English. It didn’t quite handle Cantonese well, but I was impressed with the attempt. I see a lot of promise with this feature. Another feature that I think could be very useful is the Teleprompter feature (where it makes it look like you are looking at the camera instead of reading text from a teleprompter), but I didn't have a chance to test it. The last A.I feature I played around with was Windows Studio Effects in the Camera app where you can enable settings such as Automatic Framing so that even if you move around, the camera keeps you centered on the screen. It works very well. Other features that work well are background blurring. They also had Creative Filters (which makes your image look as if it was Illustrated, in Watercolor, or Animated). I had a hard time seeing the difference between the three effects. --Battery Life— Battery Life has been very good. I’ve been getting about 10 to 12 hours doing stuff like writing this review and watching YouTube videos in the background. It seems to drain about 10% for every hour or more of use. For me, the most impressive thing was how quiet and cool it was during these activities. --Summary— The Microsoft Surface Pro 11 is a very exciting tablet/laptop. It would be an excellent choice for anyone who wants a new tablet/laptop for general computing tasks and media consumption. It would also be an exciting choice for a software developer who wants to develop native ARM64 Windows applications. Surprisingly, it can run games, but I would not buy this expecting it to be your sole gaming system. The A.I. features are promising but somewhat gimmicky now. This wouldn’t be the primary reason I would buy this device. But it’s good to have as a differentiating feature from other devices. If you have a specific need to use some older peripherals or legacy x86/x64 applications, you should do some research to make sure they are compatible before purchasing. As more and more native ARM64 Windows applications arrive, the Microsoft Surface Pro 11 will only get better. And Microsoft did a great job with making the internal SSD user upgradable so you can expand it as your needs grow. Overall, I can easily recommend this exciting new tablet/laptop.

The Surface Pro CoPilot+ tablet has a nice display (the OLED version seems better though) and is just the right size for reading and for working on the road. The 512GB SSD storage is more than adequate when combined with any cloud or NAS storage. The 16GB memory is fine for routine productivity software and light gaming. What’s in the box: • Surface Pro 13” tablet • 65-Watt Power supply with cord (proprietary connector but you can also charge via USB-C) This Surface Pro has a Snapdragon X Plus – X1P64100 Qualcomm Adreno GPU, a Snapdragon X 10-core – X164100 (3.40 GHz) CPU and 2880 x 1920 screen resolution. I haven’t yet received the keyboard and pen bundle, so I’m reviewing just the tablet here. I really wanted to love this tablet. It has some really nice features, but there are a few things I don’t like too. The display is clear, it’s light and easy to hold, the built in easel is handy and it runs (almost) all of my Windows compatible software just fine. These are definitely on the plus side. One small irritation is that the touch screen is not as responsive as I’d like, and I haven’t found a way to increase the sensitivity. The instructions for recalibrating lead to menu items that aren’t found where the instructions say they are. Another irritation is that the Surface Pro gives an error that the drivers for my aging Canon ImageClass printer are not compatible, even though it works fine with my other Windows 11 devices. CoPilot+ is fun to play with. I prompted it to develop a test plan for illustrating the features of the Surface Pro. It came back with a decent plan outline. I was also hoping to test CoPilot+ with Excel, but alas, that seems to be a paid extra. If you have an artistic side, Cocreator is fun. I tried that out by drawing a smiley face and prompting Cocreator to draw a modern Mona Lisa with a pleasing smile, in modern attire and with flowers in the background. It worked. I ran 3DMark's Steel Nomad Light test on the Surface Pro. The Steel Nomad Light score was 1 924. Not great, but respectable for a tablet. Overall NovaBench score was 1301 and PassMark scores were: • Overall, 4120.4 (45th percentile) • CPU Mark 22767.0 (76th percentile) • 2D Graphics Mark 585.2 (47th percentile) • 3D Graphics Mark 2569.9 (28th percentile) • Memory Mark 3392.8 (82nd percentile) • Disk Mark 23617.7 (78th percentile) In summary, the Surface Pro CoPilot+ tablet has enough power for work and leisure. It’s great for kicking back and reading the e-Version of your favorite publication or book. Plus, it is very portable. It’s not perfect but it’s very good.

I’ve been intrigued by the Microsoft Surface for many years but I haven’t had the chance to try it out until now. I’m an Apple user for the most part but I do use Windows machines for gaming and my fiancé uses them sometimes for work. But neither of us have had the chance to try out the flagship tablet from Microsoft. My fiancé was immediately taken with it. She said the screen was breathtaking and one of the first things she wanted to try was watching high-quality video on it. We set up Netflix and Disney+ on it and watched some videos. The speaker quality is very good on the Surface Pro and we didn’t feel the need to immediately connect it to external speakers. The tablet comes with a full version of Windows 11 on it. My fiancé works with software developers so she’s done a lot of prompt training with bots and she asked a variety of questions to Copilot+. It was quick with responses and one of the things that we both really liked was that it provided references for where it found its answers. We tried image creation and looking up answers to some basic questions and it worked just as well as ChatGPT. The best part is that it’s integrated into the system. There are other system enhancements that Copilot+ provides, but they are a work in progress. We ran a Geekbench test on it to see how it compared to the benchmark. The single-core score was 2440 and the multi-core score was 13196. Both of these scores surpassed the top Android device listed in Geekbench’s Benchmark Charts (Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, 2.3 GHz) and was in line with Intel Core i5 13th and 14th generation processors. The tablet is quiet and it doesn’t seem to get overly hot — even with prolonged use. The battery life is very good. We had it on standby for a couple of days and it still had 18% battery left when we picked it up again. It seems to be very efficient power-wise. The only thing I would change about its power features is its charging method. While it will charge using USB-C the charging option that came with it is a magnetic connector and a two-part power supply/cable that is quite bulky to lug around. The Surface Pro is sleek and easy to transport — except for the charging cable. One of the most remarkable things about this tablet is that it’s running Windows 11 — and running it very well. It’s a fluid experience and even though there was pre-installed software on it, the system didn’t seem to be bogged down at all. Overall, the Surface Pro Snapdrago X Plus is a remarkable device that provides a high level of productivity for the end-user. We certainly like having it as an additional machine in our home.

Note that the picture shows a keyboard, but no keyboard comes with it. You will need to purchase that separately. I ordered this thinking it would be a good replacement for my old Surface Pro 2-in-1 that has a detachable keyboard and stylus. However, I was disappointed to learn that it was necessary to buy an additional key card, stylus, and source dock so that it could use USBs of varying sizes. It’s probably a great machine, but I didn’t need an iPad replacement, so it was returned. I purchased a regular Surface Pro laptop instead and source dock, & it was an excellent choice.

Really enjoy using the Surface Pro! Performance is great and battery life is amazing. App compatibility could be an issue for some. I recommend checking which apps you might want to use and if these are compatible. The LCD screen also looks better than the OLED display. The display of the OLED variant seems pixelated and not as crisp. Speakers sound amazing as well. It’s comparable to that of an iPad Air 13 inch! I recommend this tablet for those looking for a windows PC in a thin and light package.

For me, who was used to convencional laptops, switching to the Microsoft SURFACE was the best thing I did in terms of multitasking. Great battery life and design as well.

Nice little computer I bought for my daughter to use in college. Has worked well with my other children at school. does everything they need it to do to keep them on track in school.

I bought this device to replace my old Surface pro 8 and it does not disappoint. I would like to buy the new type cover but I believe it's too expensive for what it is. Also, I decided to go with this one instead of the OLED elite plus because of the $500 difference. I have no complaints about this device. I've only heard the fan once when I was updating it, and it stays pretty cool unlike my old surface pro 8.

The new surface is the best of them all. This new surface while based on the current ARM architecture as of now has good compatibility with most programs users will need in today’s market. Of course it’s advisable to check all software you currently use with a web search or through the software developers website to ensure you will be able to use it with the new windows on ARM system. Hardware wise this computer has become my most used device. I love the flexibility that it offers and there’s nothing like a full OS compared to an app based OS. The battery life on the X Plus is incredible, especially for a device this slim. I find myself doing a lot of work on it, consuming media and it still keeps going. If you can afford it, I highly recommend the Microsoft Flex Keyboard. This offers the ultimate flexibility when using the pen and keyboard together and also in how you can place the computer in tight spaces. Makes it feel like a desktop. If your interested is also recommend watching a bunch of YouTube videos to see how others are using this device. Highly recommend

**"High-End Surface Pro with Snapdragon"** - **Vibrant Display:** 13” screen offers clear and vivid visuals. - **Powerful Performance:** Snapdragon X Plus ensures fast and efficient operation. - **Large Memory:** 16GB RAM supports smooth multitasking and heavy applications. - **Spacious Storage:** 512GB SSD provides ample space for files and apps. - **Sleek Black Finish:** Stylish and modern design in classic black. - **Device Only:** Standalone unit without accessories or additional peripherals. - **11th Edition:** Features the latest technology and advancements. - **Portable and Versatile:** Ideal for professionals needing power and mobility. - **Enhanced Productivity:** Perfect for demanding tasks and professional use. - **Streamlined Design:** Combines high performance with a sleek form factor.

Great product. For a person who does basic school tasks and emails. This is like if an iPad air and MacBook air combined to one. Can do all my stuff on this while also being able to take notes in class. However, the base model is a better buy unless the colors are important to you or the tablet is on sale. The oled version is way too expensive for what it is.

I love this little tablet, even playing the call of duty bop6, love zombies. Downside, need to buy extra accessories to plug in extra monitors, wired mouses, etc

Nice form factor with an excellent display and despite needing to emulate some programs the performance is excellent even with programs that not natively coded for ARM processors

So light and easy to use, the color is very sleek. long battery life, perfect for high school student, fast processor and wifi connection was very smooth and easy between school and home.

Excellent product and customer service to match. Bought on Black Friday. Super busy but customer service kept themselves cool and calm. Surface meets expectations. Runs smoother and faster than previous surface I’ve owned. I was worried slim pen might fall out but it’s magnetized so no issues. Only draw back, sometimes mouse doesn’t connect. I have disconnect keyboard and reattach so can detect. Other than that no problem.

Love the convenience and speed of the surface pro. My far the best PC I have had.

I like the speed and responsiveness of this new MS Surface Pro! I own 2 other MS Surfaces, including the early Microsoft Surface RT (which still works!). I purchased this Surface due to its larger memory and 512GB SSD because I needed more storage than my previous models. I've used a Macbook Air in the past and I will choose a Surface any day!