Surface Pro X review

The Surface Pro X is a middling Microsoft tablet that just doesn't tick the right boxes.

The Microsoft Surface Pro X on a wooden desk
(Image: © Future)

Our Verdict

The Microsoft Surface Pro X is a lightweight device for everyday browsing and general office work, but the lack of native support for creative applications for Windows on ARM makes it a very hard sell for people working in a creative industry. It makes for a sufficient secondary tool if you already have dedicated hardware to run the software you need, but even then it's outshined by older, Intel-powered Surface Pro devices.

For

  • Beautiful 13-inch display
  • Lightweight and ultra-portable
  • Fantastic cameras for a tablet

Against

  • Lack of app support for Windows on ARM
  • No Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 4
  • Stylus and keyboard come sold separately

Why you can trust Creative Bloq Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

The Surface Pro X is a hybrid style tablet device from Microsoft, much like its Surface Laptop Studio, created to appeal to consumers looking for all the benefits of an ultra-portable laptop, but with the battery life of a smartphone. This is thanks to Microsoft ditching Intel and instead, moving over to its own ARM-based chip, created in partnership with chipmaker Qualcomm (who typically create chips for mobile devices), but the resulting product fails to live up to the hype of what an ARM-based Windows device could really offer.

Let us explain. There are some great advantages in regards to devices being based on ARM rather than the x86 chip architecture that has been around for decades, such as the aforementioned increase to battery life, built-in 4G (or even 5G), and the ability to achieve an ultra-slim chassis, but this all comes at the cost of software compatibility.

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

The Verdict
6

out of 10

Surface Pro X review

The Microsoft Surface Pro X is a lightweight device for everyday browsing and general office work, but the lack of native support for creative applications for Windows on ARM makes it a very hard sell for people working in a creative industry. It makes for a sufficient secondary tool if you already have dedicated hardware to run the software you need, but even then it's outshined by older, Intel-powered Surface Pro devices.