Surface Pro 7 review roundup: New hardware, old design

Earlier this month, Microsoft launched the Surface Pro 7 along with Surface Laptop 3 and Surface Pro X. While we are waiting to get our hands on the new Surface devices, multiple media outlets have published their reviews of the new Surface Pro 7 and Surface Laptop 3. Unfortunately for Microsoft, both the devices seem to have received bad reviews. We have compiled the review of Surface Pro 7 from various outlets and there seems to be a common theme. While Surface Pro 7 refreshed the hardware and added USB Type-C, it still has the same old design which now feels boring. If you want specific details about the Pro 7 then you can head down to check out the review roundup.

Engadget:

Engadget highlighted one major issue with the Surface Pro 7 which seems to be a case with all the current Surface devices. Surface Pro 7 still lacks Thunderbolt 3. Unfortunately, not having Thunderbolt 3 on an $800 device is simply unaccepted and Microsoft seems to omit it for some reasons.

The Surface Pro 7 is pretty much the same as the Surface Pro 6, with one important difference: USB-C. You’ll also get improved performance and microphones, but at the expense of battery life. The Pro 7 is a good hybrid PC, especially for those who’ve been waiting for the new port, but it’s otherwise not worth spending $750 to upgrade.

You can check out Engadget’s review of Surface Pro 7 here.

The Verge:

I still love this hardware, and being able to squeeze into a tight train seat and work using full desktop apps is still a big selling point for me. But the Surface Pro X has left me feeling more excited, and it makes the Surface Pro 7 feel even more dated. I want to see a Surface Pro 8 with slimmer bezels, a rounded chassis, built-in LTE, and removable SSDs, all with the power and legacy app compatibility that Intel’s processors provide.

The Surface Pro 7 is still best in class, and it’s undoubtedly the 2-in-1 to beat, but there’s more that Microsoft could do here. I do wonder if Microsoft has been waiting on Intel to get its act together on 10nm and beyond, and perhaps opted for the Surface Pro X design with Qualcomm instead. Either way, the usability of the Surface Pro 7 has certainly improved with quick resume and USB-C this year, but things like the clever Surface Slim Pen that slots into the Type Cover on the Surface Pro X just aren’t here. It’s all too familiar.

You can check out The Verge’s review of Surface Pro 7 here.

TechRadar:

TechRadar came to the same conclusion as Verge and Engadget. While the addition of Type-C and 10th gen processors is great, it feels more like an incremental update than a full-fledged redesign of the device.

We expected a bit more in advancements from the seventh Surface Pro tablet. USB-C is nice, but for a device at this price, its should be Thunderbolt 3. Plus, the display bezels are awfully thick for a tablet in 2019. The Surface Pro 7 isn’t big enough of a leap over the Pro 6 for us to recommend it to either upgraders or folks just getting into Microsoft’s tablet.

You can check out TechRadar’s review of Surface Pro 7 here.

ZDNet:

Don’t mess with success. That’s clearly the driving principle of Microsoft’s hardware engineers when it comes to the Surface Pro line.

The Surface Pro 7, which goes on sale today, is the latest iteration in a line that has remained virtually unchanged in outward appearance since the debut of the Surface Pro 4 in October 2015. It’s exactly the same size and shape as last year’s Surface Pro 6, and you have to look carefully to notice the one change: A new USB Type-C port on the right side, where the mini-DisplayPort connector used to be located.

You can check out ZDNet’s first impressions of the Surface Pro 7 here.

While Surface Pro 7 is far from perfect and while the absence of things like Thunderbolt 3, LTE and thinner bezels can be a deal-breaker for some, it shouldn’t discourage first-time users from buying the device. That being said, you might want to hold on to your Surface Pro 6 for now.

The device starts shipping today and you can get the Surface Pro 7 and the Surface Pro 7 Type Cover from the Microsoft Store.