Surface Pro Copilot+ Review: The Best Surface Tablet Ever Made, No Thanks to AI

Ironically, though, the Surface Pro’s much-hyped AI features are far less compelling than the one-two punch of speed and solid battery life. At launch, the Surface Pro and other Copilot+ PCs can use the Cocreator in Paint to generate AI images alongside text prompts and doodles. They can also translate over 40 languages into English using Windows 11’s Live Captions feature. The controversial Recall capability, however, is nowhere to be seen (Windows Insiders will be able to test it in the coming weeks, according to Microsoft, but there’s no official public release date yet).

Surface Pro (2024)

The Surface Pro is the fastest and most efficient Microsoft tablet we’ve seen yet, especially when paired with its Flex keyboard. The new OLED screen is wonderful to behold, and its NPU allows for powerful AI features.

Pros

• Snapdragon X Elite and Plus chips are wonderfully fast: The new chips deliver impressive performance and power efficiency, making the Surface Pro a formidable competitor in the tablet market.
• Solid battery life: The efficient power usage of the Snapdragon X Elite chip ensures that the Surface Pro can last throughout the day on a single charge.
• Excellent OLED screen option: The vibrant and crisp OLED display elevates the visual experience, making it perfect for both work and entertainment.
• NPU allows for powerful AI features: The Neural Processing Unit (NPU) enhances the tablet’s AI capabilities, allowing for advanced features like image generation and language translation.
• Flex keyboard makes it more versatile: The addition of the Flex keyboard transforms the Surface Pro into a more versatile device, suitable for various use cases.

Cons

• All keyboards sold separately: Despite the benefits of the Flex keyboard, it is an additional purchase, which can be a drawback for those looking for an all-in-one package.
• Still hard to use in your lap: The tablet’s form factor and design can make it challenging to use comfortably on your lap for extended periods.
• Gets expensive quickly: With the cost of add-ons like the Flex keyboard and other accessories, the total price of the Surface Pro can add up quickly.

What’s Copilot+ Again?

Announced ahead of its Build developer conference last month, Copilot+ is Microsoft’s latest initiative aimed at generating excitement among consumers and device makers about AI-powered PCs. Similar to Intel’s Evo PCs, Copilot+ systems are required to meet specific minimum specifications:

• Neural Processing Unit (NPU): Must feature an NPU with at least 40 TOPs (trillions of operations per second) of AI performance.
• Memory: A minimum of 16GB of RAM.
• Storage: At least a 256GB SSD.

While Intel and AMD have both promoted the concept of an “AI PC” over the past year, practical applications have been limited, largely revolving around enhancements like Windows Studio Effects for video chats. Copilot+ aims to change that by establishing a higher standard for AI capabilities and performance in consumer PCs.

To power the initial Copilot+ systems, Microsoft is partnering with Qualcomm to optimize Windows 11 for the chip maker’s new Snapdragon X Elite and Plus models. These processors are based on mobile ARM technology, rather than the x86 and x64 chips produced by Intel and AMD. Historically, ARM designs have led to poor performance and software incompatibility on Windows (as seen in our reviews of the Surface Pro 9 5G and Surface Pro X). However, Microsoft asserts that it has finally optimized its OS to work better with the mobile architecture, and its new Prism emulator can run older software far more effectively than previous solutions.

What’s Up with Recall?

Recall is a clear example of Microsoft’s reach exceeding its grasp. It was designed to help you find anything you were doing on your computer through a natural conversation with the Copilot AI assistant. However, Recall continuously takes screenshots of your system, storing them on your hard drive. Researchers quickly found some glaring security gaps: it wasn’t difficult for other accounts to access your Recall data, and it was also vulnerable to remote hackers.

In response to the criticism, Microsoft announced that Recall would become an opt-in feature. They also added that it would only be accessible with biometric Windows Hello authentication and that your database would be encrypted by default.

The lesson for Microsoft (and every other AI-hungry company) is clear: you need to build trust by prioritizing privacy and security before introducing overbearing AI features to your customers. The backlash against Recall highlights how unaware the company was of the low level of trust people had in it.

Hardware: The Surface Pro Remains Impressive

We’ve encountered various issues with the Surface lineup over the years, but the hardware has consistently stood out above typical PC laptops and tablets. This remains true for the new Surface Pro: it’s impressively thin and light, measuring just 9.3 millimeters thick and weighing 1.97 pounds. Its recycled aluminum case gives it a premium feel, and the Surface Pro continues to be one of the most unique-looking devices on the market.

While testing it in public, I noticed plenty of furtive glances and curious faces — people were clearly intrigued by its appearance. (Or perhaps they were just surprised to see one for the first time.)

And when I say familiar, I’m mainly referring to the Surface Pro’s built-in kickstand. It lets you prop up the tablet however you’d like, from a laptop-like angle to a nearly easel-like position when it’s completely opened. While it still gets the job done (and is something the iPad Pro and most other tablets don’t have), it also limits how you can use the Surface Pro. While you could always use it on a table, I’ve grown weary of balancing the metallic kickstand on my legs when working on the couch, hanging out in my backyard, or watching videos in bed.

Microsoft hasn’t updated the Surface Pro’s ports either: You’ve still got the magnetic Surface Connector for power, as well as two USB-C USB 4 connections on the opposite side. Sure, that’s more than you’d get on an iPad Pro, but that device isn’t being marketed as a full-fledged computer. There’s also no wired headphone jack on the Surface Pro, either, even though its case clearly has room for one. I’ve come to understand why some PC makers would rather have thin devices instead of a 3.5mm connection, but that reasoning doesn’t apply at all in this case.

Under the hood, the Surface Pro comes equipped with either the 10-core Snapdragon X Plus chip or the 12-core Snapdragon X Elite. The base $1,000 model comes with 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, but you can upgrade that to a 1TB SSD and up to 32GB of RAM. Microsoft also made the Surface Pro’s SSD easily accessible under the kickstand, so it’s a cinch to upgrade storage on your own down the line. (I’d still like to see an SD or microSD card slot, though.)

The Surface Slim Pen 2 ($130) remains the go-to stylus for Microsoft’s tablets, and it’s still a great device for doodling or jotting down notes. I don’t think it’s nearly as essential to the Surface experience as Microsoft used to claim, but for some users it can be helpful. It’s well-balanced and easy to hold, and it charges easily as long as you get a keyboard with a Slim Pen slot.

Keyboard sold separately, as usual

Since the Surface is just a tablet, Microsoft doesn’t offer any of its keyboards in the box. So if you’re considering the Surface Pro, be sure to set aside at least $140 for the Pro Keyboard. If you’re interested in the Surface Slim Pen ($130 on its own), you can also get it bundled with the Surface Pro keyboard for $280. The new Surface Flex keyboard – which can still work when it’s detached from the tablet – is a whopping $350, or $450 together with the Slim Pen 2. That’s a hard price to stomach, admittedly, but I’ll explain later why the Flex may be worth it.

Keyboard sold separately, as usual

Since the Surface is just a tablet, Microsoft doesn’t offer any of its keyboards in the box. So if you’re considering the Surface Pro, be sure to set aside at least $140 for the Pro Keyboard. If you’re interested in the Surface Slim Pen ($130 on its own), you can also get it bundled with the Surface Pro keyboard for $280. The new Surface Flex keyboard – which can still work when it’s detached from the tablet – is a whopping $350, or $450 together with the Slim Pen 2. That’s a hard price to stomach, admittedly, but I’ll explain later why the Flex may be worth it.

Display: Finally, a glorious OLED

The PixelSense screens on all of Microsoft’s Surface PCs have always impressed us – but in the end, they were just finely polished LCDs. The Surface Pro marks the first time Microsoft has offered OLED, which delivers better contrast, bolder colors and inky dark blacks. You’ll have to pay at least $1,500 to get the OLED screen, but in my testing it’s well worth the premium, since it makes everything on the Surface Pro look incredible

The benefits of OLED were particularly noticeable when I watched The Acolyte, a Star Wars show that features plenty of bright colors alongside dark backgrounds. I’ll never stop being impressed by seeing truly pitch black scenes on OLED – on an LCD, they typically look more dark gray due to their backlights. The new display tech also impressed me while I was streaming Forza Horizon 5 or simply browsing websites, since it made text a bit easier to read and also made colors pop off the screen. The downside of living with OLED? It will quickly make every LCD in your life seem woefully outdated.

Performance: Shockingly fast

It’s not too often that I’m genuinely shocked while testing a device – chalk that up to writing about technology for 15 years and working in IT for eight years. But I’ll admit, I was blown away by the Surface Pro the instant I started using it. As soon as I opened it up, it was ready to set up Windows and get to work. I didn’t notice any of the usual slowdown or app incompatibilities I previously encountered on Arm-based Surfaces. Everything simply felt zippy. It was the same feeling I got when testing the M-series MacBooks: The Surface Pro is so fast and responsive I forgot it was using a mobile processor.

Then I started running benchmarks, and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Our review unit with the Snapdragon X Elite scored 12,615 points in PCMark 10 — the highest we’ve ever seen on a laptop. In comparison, the next fastest PCMark 10 result we saw this year was the Framework Laptop 16, which reached 8,129 points with its beefy Ryzen 7840HS chip. The Surface Pro was also more than twice as fast as the Surface Pro 10 for Business (now it’s clear why Microsoft didn’t want to push that model on consumers).

Now benchmarks aren’t everything, but the Surface Pro’s PCMark 10 score mirrored everything I was seeing during my usual workflow, which involves running dozens of tabs across Chrome and Edge, sending notes in Slack, editing images in Photoshop Elements 2022 and writing in Evernote. Most of the apps I used, including Slack, Spotify and Chrome, ran natively on the Surface Pro’s Arm chip, but I didn’t notice any hiccups on emulated apps like Evernote and Photoshop Elements.