Microsoft just unveiled the Surface Pro 8, which the company claims is “designed for a Pro like you.” With Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, a 13-inch 120Hz display, and an 11th Gen Intel CPU, we’re inclined to agree, but we’ll save our full thoughts for our upcoming review.
The new Surface Pro 8 makes room for some impressive upgrades to the internals, display and battery life. This includes a 40% higher sustained CPU performance, 74% faster-sustained graphics performance, 5MP front-facing and 10MP rear-facing cameras, support for the new Surface Slim Pen 2, and support for multiple 4K monitors via Thunderbolt 4.
The Surface Pro 8 will start at $1,099.99 and is available for pre-order today.
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Microsoft Surface Pro 8 design, display and performance
The most noticeable difference is the display, as the screen gets a revamp in size (13-inch over the 12.3-inch Surface Pro 7), resolution (2880 x 1920 pixels) and refresh rate (up to 120Hz variable).
Keeping Windows 11 running smoothly is a choice of 11th Gen Intel Core CPUs up to an i7-1185G7 with integrated Iris Xe graphics, a TPM 2.0 chip for security, and up to 32GB LPDDR4x RAM (up from the maximum of 16GB in the Surface Pro 7). Storage is now removable and upgradeable with SSD options maxing out at 1TB.
At 11.3 x 8.2 x 0.37 inches, the anodized aluminum body is slightly bigger and thicker than the outgoing Microsoft Surface Pro 7 (11.5 x 7.9 x 0.33 inches), and the weight has gone up slightly too at 1.96 pounds (compared to the Pro 7’s 1.74 pounds).
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 battery, connectivity and ports
Connectivity options offer the potential for remote working wherever you are with both Wi-Fi 6 and a Qualcomm Snapdragon X20 LTE Modem with removable SIM and eSIM support. Plus, for all your wireless accessories, Bluetooth 5.1 ensures a strong connection.
Battery life has also been bumped up too, as Microsoft claims the Surface Pro 8 offers up to 16 hours over the Surface Pro 7’s 10.5 hours. And thanks to fast charging, you can juice the Surface Pro 8 to 80% in just over an hour.
Finally, you’ll see another big upgrade in the ports with two Thunderbolt 4 connectors. Convenience takes a hit, as the USB-A port and MicroSD card reader from the Surface Pro 7 is now absent, but the increased data transfer and power rates of these updated ports give the Surface Pro 8 access to a world of dongles, external GPUs and large external storage options.
