Evan Rodgers

Tech

Hands-on with the Surface Pro 8

Microsoft’s classic Surface tablet gets its biggest design upgrade yet.

An image of the Surface Pro 8

What we’ve been waiting for

Let’s be honest, the Surface Pro 7 was starting to look a little bit dated. Today Microsoft unveiled the Surface Pro 8 with a new design, bigger screen, and updated internals.

Ray, our reviews editor, and I were able to check out Microsoft’s new tablet at a press event in Manhattan. But before we get to that, let’s go over the specs.

Top-level specs:

- A 13-inch, 120hz display

- Quad-core 11th Gen Intel processors

- 8GB to 32GB of RAM

- 128GB to 1TB of storage

- Starts at $1,099

The design

The most notable change in the new Surface is the physical design. We can see the influence of the Surface Pro X and even the Surface Go in the Pro 8’s new exterior, which is now gentler and more rounded.

The display

In-person, the first thing you notice is the display. Not only are the bezels even smaller, but the bright, 120hz display really pops when you turn it on.

Adaptive color

We didn’t get this demo on the ground at the press event, but apparently the Surface Pro 8 will adapt the color balance of the screen based on the light in the room you’re in, similar to Apple’s True Tone feature.

Surface Pro Signature Keyboard and Slim Pen 2

Even though they’re still sold separately, Microsoft’s Surface Pro Signature Keyboard and Slim Pen 2 make an appearance here, giving you a handy spot to store your pen while on the move.

Is it good?

Surface tablets have been high-quality computers with few glaring flaws for a few generations now, but the growing question is whether Windows 11 will finally make tablet computing happen for Microsoft in a more meaningful way.

If you’re asking me if the tablet looks hot, then I would say yes. Microsoft also offers the Surface Pro 8 in a “graphite” color, and even though I literally do not need another computer, I’ll admit I would think about it.

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