Review Summary
Expert Rating
Microsoft’s Surface lineup always manages to be at the centre of attention, thanks to its excellent designs, premium build quality, and mostly absurd pricing. However, with the latest 11th-gen Surface Pro, things are a bit on the positive side. The base variant starts under Rs. 1.15L, and offers an overall compelling package for a 2-in-1 laptop.
I’m talking about an ARM-based Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus processor, an optional OLED display, and cutting-edge features boosted with the help of Copilot AI. The convertible is designed for professionals, students, and creative individuals who demand a high-performance device that can adapt to their ever-changing needs. That said, to get the full experience, you will have to spend more money on the stylus and keyboard, which will bump up the cost. So, is the combined cost worth it? Let’s find out in our in-depth Microsoft Surface Pro (11th Edition) review.
Table of Contents
Design and Display
Starting off with the design, the Surface Pro retains Microsoft’s signature sleek aesthetic that looks premium and minimalistic. It features a durable magnesium chassis available in attractive colours like Platinum and Sapphire Blue. Its hallmark kickstand is sturdy and versatile, providing an excellent viewing angle range.
Before getting to the display, I want to start with the bezels that surround it. These are quite even on the sides, with the top and bottom bezels being a bit bolder to house the webcam and necessary magnets. The added width is actually quite helpful, since it aids the overall grip while holding the Windows tablet in one hand as it gives a bit more space to hold the device securely without the risk of accidental inputs. It’s also quite compact and lightweight, weighing just under 900g, making it ideal for on-the-go use.
Of course, that’s by design. The Surface Pro is intended to be used as a Windows Tablet. That experience is also facilitated by its excellent 13-inch PixelSense Flow Display. Its resolution of 2880x1920p is pretty good, ensuring content looks crisp on the panel. It’s well aided by the 120Hz refresh rate, which makes things look quite smooth, whether it’s for general browsing or even casual gaming. The touchscreen is responsive, and while it does capture fingerprint smudges, I wouldn’t go as far as to call it a fingerprint magnet.
In terms of colour accuracy, the panel is quite good, making it ideal for creative professionals. Speaking of which, the 3:2 aspect ratio also works well for productivity. However, it’s a double-edged sword, since it results in bold letterboxing while watching movies made in a 16:9 aspect ratio.
There’s support for HDR here as well, and credit where it’s due, the panel looks really good, especially with the feature turned on. However, if you are going to be doing a lot of content consumption on this, I’d strongly urge you to spend a bit extra and opt for the OLED panel. It’s essentially the same panel with all the same features, but it looks way crisper and vibrant. Not to forget, the deeper blacks definitely steal the show for folks in it for entertainment.
Ports, Audio and I/O
The display is well aided by the dual 2W stereo speakers on the Surface Pro, which deliver surprisingly good sound quality, with clear vocals and decent bass response. The speakers are positioned on the front of the device, providing a more immersive audio experience. There’s also support for Dolby Atmos support to enhance the cinematic experience, though audiophiles might prefer to opt for something a bit more robust in the form of dedicated headphones.
Speaking of which, one thing you need to keep in mind is that the Surface Pro doesn’t feature a 3.5mm headphone jack. In fact, the only ports you’ll find on this tablet are dual USB-C ports, which support USB4 data transmission, alongside DisplayPort output and charging. There’s also the Surface Connect port for the latter if you prefer something proprietary.
As for the cameras, the Surface Pro comes with both a front webcam and a rear camera. The 1440p QHD camera up front uses an ultrawide lens, which definitely feels weird at first. However, combined with Microsoft’s Studio Effects and Automatic Framing, it actually works very well. The picture quality is quite detailed, and the coupled dual Studio Mics also does an excellent job of making you audible during video calls.
At the back is a 10MP camera that can click decent shots and is easily one of the best rear cameras on a 2-in-1 laptop in the market. That’s not a high bar to beat, if I am being very honest, but well, the Surface does outperform its competition, so there’s that.
Keyboard and Trackpad
The Surface Pro doesn’t come with a keyboard or pen included in the box. So you’ll have to buy one yourself separately if you want to get the complete experience. Thankfully, Microsoft was gracious enough to send over the Surface Pro Keyboard with Slim Pen to us with the tablet for review. As a consumer, you will have to fork Rs. 24,990 for the bundle. That’s a decent value, considering that if you opt for an iPad, which is the Surface Pro’s direct competitor, you will have to spend Rs. 29,990 for the Magic Keyboard alone, and an additional Rs. 11,900 for the Apple Pencil Pro.
There’s also the Surface Pro Flex Keyboard available to buy (Rs. 34,990), with the only difference being that it connects over Bluetooth, enabling one to use it while detached from the Surface Pro. However, for most users, including me, the normal Surface Pro Keyboard is more than enough.
Despite its slim form factor, the keyboard features a satisfying key travel, combined with nice feedback, which translates to an excellent typing experience. As mentioned before, it’s not the most comfortable experience when used on a lap, but on a desk, there’s nothing to complain about. The backlight underneath looks subtle, while the Alcantara fabric adds to the premiumness. It will get dirty over time, so that’s something to keep in mind, but the overall comfort definitely feels nice to have.
There’s also the adequately sized touchpad below it. The glass surface is smooth to the touch, and gestures work very well on it. I love the tactile feedback to it when clicking, which I feel most MacBook users would also appreciate.
You can choose to get just the Keyboard without the Slim Pen, but as I’ve always said, if you’re buying a tablet, do yourself a favour and buy the stylus for it. The Slim Pen works as a fantastic accessory, with not one but two physical buttons that can be customized for enhanced productivity. It also makes interacting with the touchscreen display better as opposed to using your hands, because, well, it’s Windows.
Performance and Battery Life
Coming to the performance then. Microsoft’s vision for the Surface lineup has been to create powerful machines that are portable, but also have excellent battery backup, which wasn’t possible earlier. Thankfully, that is now possible with Qualcomm’s ARM-based processors. While the top model of the Surface Pro 11th-gen can be outfitted with the Snapdragon X Elite, our unit comes powered by the Snapdragon X Plus chipset coupled with 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD from Samsung. It is a Gen4 SSD, but the speeds are not that great, to be honest.
Upgrading it isn’t going to be any easier either, since it’s an M.2 2242 form factor. You can pry open the storage section with ease though, with a single press using your finger. Apart from that, however, accessing the internals requires you to pry open the display, so we don’t recommend doing that. Anyway, everything else is soldered on, so you won’t feel the need to open the laptop.
Now, moving on to the performance, the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus processor manages to hold its own against our suite of benchmark tests. Being an ARM processor, there are certain benchmarks that just fail to run, especially for the GPU part, such as 3DMark Time Spy and Time Spy Extreme. Thankfully, the ones that did work very well, with excellent scores across the board.
For comparison, I put the laptop against the HP OmniBook X with the Snapdragon X Elite processor. Surprisingly, the Surface Pro 11 manages to outshine it in the Cinebench R24 benchmark, for both Single Core and Multi Core scores. That said, the OmniBook X does hold the advantage in GeekBench, so there’s that.
Benchmarks aside, the Surface Pro works flawlessly in day-to-day usage, with the 16GB RAM being good enough for multitasking. I’ve switched to using Microsoft Edge, but Chrome users might face bottlenecks in certain scenarios. Other than that, web browsing with multiple tabs open, with the Spotify app playing in the background, and some lightwork in Adobe Photoshop all works fine. That last bit is important to note since Photoshop does work natively on ARM processors.
In fact, all the applications I use in my day-to-day activities have a native ARM version available, so compatibility hasn’t been an issue. Of course, your mileage may vary, though Microsoft has claimed that their Prism Layer (part of Windows 11 on Surface laptops) should perform the emulation process without much hassle. One downside that the end-user might face, though, is that apps that work through emulation will consume more battery.
On that note, the Surface Pro 11 comes with a 48Wh battery, which coupled with the Snapdragon X Plus, managed to last me for a little under 10 hours in the PCMark 10 Video Loop test. That’s a pretty good number, and in the real world, I was comfortably able to use the convertible throughout a normal day of work. It’s worth noting that if you opt for the OLED panel option, the battery is bumped up to 53Wh, and when coupled with a Dark Mode, you can expect better battery life on that variant.
Verdict
The Surface Pro 11th-Gen comes at a starting price tag of Rs. 1.15L, and impresses with its refined design, premium build quality, and versatile 2-in-1 functionality. Additionally, the shift to an ARM-based processor brings significant improvements in battery life and overall efficiency, making it a compelling option for professionals and students who prioritize portability and all-day productivity. The vibrant display, excellent audio quality, and comfortable keyboard further enhance the user experience.Further, the OLED panel comes at a hefty price tag, and both the Surface Pen and Keyboard also cost extra. Furthermore, the base storage of 256GB is quite low, similar to how Apple prices storage on their laptops. That being said, the easy upgradability for the storage is a slight saving grace. Ultimately, if you value flexibility and premium aesthetics and are willing to invest in the full Surface ecosystem, the 11th Gen Surface Pro is a compelling choice. For others, more affordable 2-in-1s or ultra-light laptops may be worth considering. The Apple iPad Pro 11-inch with 512GB of storage will set you back close to Rs. 1.2L, which arguably is the best tablet experience on the market. As for proper Windows experience in an x86 platform, the Lenovo Ideapad 5 2-in-1 powered by the Intel Core i7-13620H is regularly available for under Rs. 90K, and offers excellent performance and value for money.
Editor’s Rating: 7.5 / 10
Pros:
- Lightweight, premium design
- Excellent display with OLED option
- Versatile kickstand and tablet functionality
- Long battery life without compromising on performance
- Accessories sold separately
- Limited ports
- Not ideal for lap use