Before anything, I must state that if you are looking for a laptop with full PC functionality, better look elsewhere. This thing is for portability, always connected and for being used as a tablet if you need a tablet on a regular basis.
I won't got into ARM processor and such, since I am not a hardware/software techie and there is a lot of info on the internet about it, I am reviewing this strictly under a user perspective and under my specific needs. I also won't go into comparing it with Apple products since I prefer Windows (just in case, I am not implying that Windows is better than iOS). I will indeed compare it somehow with the Surface Pro 7 which I owned.
Since I NEED a convertible because I need a tablet also, and I don't do photo editing or play games, but instead I use it for MS Office tasks, internet browsing, JW apps, Zoom meetings and playing videos, I consider this a pretty good machine to own.
Yes, it is expensive (although I bought it while Microsoft threw a discount on it) for what it sounds like, but I still find reasons to buy it again if this one gets lost or damaged. As a tablet is so much comfortable to handle than the Pro 7 because it doesn't have the 7's rough edges, this one is rounder and even though they both weight almost the same, the X is a lot more comfortable to handle, specially in portrait mode with one hand.
It is really blazing fast on what it can do. It even seems to be faster than the Pro 7 while using the Microsoft Edge browser, and it seems as fast when using Office and others. Speaking about the new Edge browser it is very good now that has adopted a Chrome like using experience. I was a Chrome user and switched happily to Edge with no issues, maybe there could be something that I may be missing (perhaps on a more deep and technical analysis but as I said, I am not a tech guy in those aspects) but I am very happy with the new Edge and how fast it works with the Pro X
Sure there are a lot more of apps that it can not run but there are a few internet websites that can guide you with that.
As far as battery life, while it obviously depends on usage and screen brightness, I think it easily doubles the Pro 7's (which is by the way very bad), it can stand almost 8 hours of Zoom use before going out of juice. Charging is pretty fast, just 20 min of charging can get you an additional couple hours of battery life.
The new pen works excellent, it is more comfortable than the previous one, and the ability to have it store within the keyboard while it also charges is an excellent plus.
Keyboard is otherwise similar than the previous Surface line but I do find that the touchpad clicking sound of the X is notably louder and prefer the previous one on this regard.
Screen is absolutely beautiful, it can get very bright if need to be used outside in the sun, and the touch is very responsive
The only thing I need that this machine doesn't have up to today, is compatibility with a good VPN app such as NordVPN or some of the sort but in the end to me it isn't a deal breaker. I would have substracted half a star if possible because of this.
Maybe it shouldn't bare the name "Pro" as it may imply that can do tasks that "Pro" machines can do like photo editing, gaming and so, but like I said, if it fills the need you have for portability, it will surely make you happy. If many find "Surface Pro X" as misleading, think of it as "Surface X".
As for the price, as it works on many things like clothes, cars, etc, it will always depend on everyone's budget but I didn't find a SIMILAR machine I like with a Windows OS that was cheaper than this one.
Being September and that it is almost likely that MS will bring a new line within the next weeks or just a few months, it could be wise to wait if you can until those arrive. It can even mean that you can get a good discount on this one if, again, it fills your needs.
Hope this review helps anyone to decide to buy or to pass on this machine
| Standing screen display size | 13 Inches |
|---|---|
| Screen Resolution | 2880x1920 |
| Max Screen Resolution | 1 |
| RAM | 8 GB LPDDR4 |
| Memory Speed | 1600 MHz |
| Hard Drive | 128 GB SSD |
| Graphics Coprocessor | Microsoft SQ1 Adreno 685 GPU |
| Chipset Brand | Microsoft |
| Card Description | Integrated |
| Graphics Card Ram Size | 8 GB |
| Wireless Type | 801.11ac |
| Average Battery Life (in hours) | 13 Hours |
