Skip to main content

The Microsoft Surface Pro X has 3 times the performance than the Pro 6

Microsoft surprised attendees and onlookers at its big Surface event in New York by unveiling a new Surface device known as the Surface Pro X. It comes with a Microsoft designed processor, a new A.I. engine, and huge leaps in battery life and performance — it’s said to be three times more powerful per watt than the Surface Pro 6.

Right from the get-go, it was clear that the Surface Pro X was something different. At just 5.3mm at its thinnest, it is the slimmest Surface device ever made and weighs 1.68 pounds for ultra-portability.

The SQ1 onboard system on a chip (SoC) was co-developed between Microsoft and Qualcomm and is built on the Snapdragon mobile design. It includes both a CPU and a GPU and is designed to be extremely powerful, with as many as two teraflops of graphical power. It’s also excellent at A.I. tasks, thanks to its new A.I. engine, all without using much power. It doesn’t even need to leverage the GPU for it.

It’s a 7w chip, but will typically run around the 2w range which means great battery life, and when combined with fast charging, it should help keep the Pro X going for longer than other Surface devices.

It features plentiful wireless connections with the latest generation of Wi-Fi and LTE Advanced support. It has a removable hard drive for expandable storage. The new-generation slim Surface Pen has its own dock in the Pro X chassis, meaning it is always available and always recharging. It’s also hidden away behind the touch cover if you want it to be out of sight and out of mind.

The official size is 12 inches, but it packs a 13-inch screen with a resolution of 2,880 x 1,920. The bezels have rounded corners for a softer look than other Surface devices, although the overall look of the device is still a typical Surface arrangement. That’s not a bad thing, but compared to the still-under-development Surface Neo and Surface Duo, it’s not such a head-turner.

The Surface Pro X is up for pre-order now starting at $999. It will start shipping on November 5.

Editors' Recommendations

Jon Martindale
Jon Martindale is the Evergreen Coordinator for Computing, overseeing a team of writers addressing all the latest how to…
Everything Microsoft didn’t announce at its 2023 Surface event
Microsoft showing off the new Surface laptop Go 3 at its September event.

Microsoft unveiled several new products during its 2023 Surface event. We got lots of updates about Windows Copilot and other AI-driven software upgrades, as well as plenty of hardware, including the Surface Laptop Studio 2 and the Surface Laptop Go 3.

While a lot of our early predictions came true during the Microsoft September event, there are still a few things that were noticeably missing from this year's lineup. Here's what Microsoft could have announced, but didn't.
Surface Pro 10

Read more
Should you buy the Surface Laptop Studio or wait for the Surface Laptop Studio 2?
The Surface Laptop Studio 2 on a white table.

Announced during the Microsoft September event, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 joins a growing family of Surface devices. Equipped with all the same flexibility we'd expect from the best 2-in-1 laptops, the Studio 2 may look very similar to the previous version, but it's a lot more different than it seems at a glance.

How does the new version compare to Microsoft's original Laptop Studio? Below, we'll take you on a deep dive into these two devices and help you make your pick if you're trying to choose between them. Make sure to read our Surface Laptop Studio 2 review, as well.
Pricing and availability

Read more
Surface Laptop Go 3 specs: what’s the best configuration?
Surface Laptop Go 3 at Microsoft debut event.

The Surface Laptop Go 3 is a fast, but affordable new laptop from Microsoft's latest line of Surface devices. Announced at Microsoft's September 2023 Surface event, it offers a speedy modern processor, plenty of SSD storage space, and a range of color options for the chassis. You can get the complete Surface package for $799, but you can configure it with more of less components to make it best suited for your needs.

Those extras do affect the cost, though, begging the question: Which is the best Surface Laptop Go 3 configuration? We've delved through the spec and retail listings to find out.

Read more