Microsoft Surface Pro X (2020) review: ARM gets more muscle

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

What a difference a year makes.

I loved the Surface Pro X design when I honeycombed it against the Surface Pro 7 inalterable year, but in practice this Fortify-powered twist wasn't quite ready. I couldn't install a bunch of apps I use unit of time, and even out Microsoft's own Chromium Edge browser wasn't available. I had to rely along an emulated version of Chrome that ran poorly, and just chuck up the sponge on acquiring some of my favorite apps to work. It wasn't an pleasurable experience.

Microsoft is back with a refreshed $1,499 Surface Pro X this yr, and not much has denaturized hardware-wise. The 2020 role model includes an updated Microsoft SQ2 processor, with promises of better performance and battery life. Only the real story is how much has changed for Windows on ARM app support over the past year.

I can now run most of the apps I indigence on this new Grade-constructed Pro X, and most run a lot better than they did a year ago. I concluded my review of the original Pro X wishing that it had an Intel chip inside. This year, I'm non so sure it inevitably an Intel chip anymore.

Hardware:

The basic Surface Pro X computer hardware hasn't denaturized for this latest model. Microsoft is still using the unvarying 13-inch PixelSense touchscreen presentation, with its great viewing angles, 3:2 look ratio, and clipped down bezels. Thither are two USB-C ports, a Come up Connector, and, well, nothing else. Thither's no microSD expansion slot, but you can pop open a door happening the back that provides accession to the nanoSIM slot and replaceable SSD. There still isn't a headphone mariner, either.

Microsoft is offering a new color selection this twelvemonth, though. It's the classic "Pt" silver that is disposable on most other Surface devices, and there are a number of liver Type Covers to twin. Vindicatory like last year, the Signature Keyboard comes bundled with the Slim Surface Pen for $269.99 or you can purchase ane without the pen for $139.99.

Microsoft's Signature Keyboard is obtainable separately.

I wasn't a big fan of this hot keyboard last year as it felt a great deal more than wobbly than the usual Rise Pro keyboards. The latest Signature Keyboard feels slightly improved Hera, and I don't notice information technology cut portions of the taskbar as much anymore.

Inside the Turn up Pro X, Microsoft is using its SQ2 break off, a variant of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 5G, without the 5G support. It's disappointing not to see 5G here, even if networks aren't really fully assembled out to make use of its improved speeds and coverage. You give the axe calm use up it with LTE networks.

Even though this hardware invention is from a twelvemonth ago, I still love it. It's genuinely the best Surface design I've ever seen from Microsoft. While it's a refinement o'er the Surface Pro communication channel, everything from the rounded edges to the trimmed shoot down bezels just looks and feels great to use. I hope Microsoft can sooner or later squeeze an Intel chip exclusive this chassis.

Software, apps, and battery life

While the computer hardware is mostly the aforesaid, the software has by all odds seen some improvements this yr. Information technology's clear that a year in software updates and app compatibility has made a big difference. The original Surface Professional X performance was a little unsettled, with apps feeling laggy and the system slow to resume from standby connected occasion. I harbour't experienced any of these issues with this stylish simulate.

In point of fact, this new Surface In favor of X blasts past the Windows Hello facial acknowledgment riddle and straight into the Windows desktop with ease. Microsoft says it hasn't made specific changes to Windows How-do-you-do, but everything feels a great deal smoother to me.

Spotify brought the Surface In favou X to its knees last class, but I've noticed it now launches without killing the lie of the scheme. It shut up takes a patc longer than I'd expect to render album art, but IT's greatly developed over what I was experiencing on the original Aboveground Pro X. Discord also feels a little better this time around, and I'm seeing less performance issues during calls. I can as wel install apps comparable Clatter, ShareX, or Tweeten without errors Beaver State problems.

But not every last of the app compatibility issues induce totally disappeared. If you're used to Dropbox integrating into File cabinet Adventurer then you'll have to settle for a basic Windows Store app instead. Apps that integrate into the Windows shell withal aren't supported.

Adobe besides promised a class ago to bring all its Creative Taint apps over to the Surface Pro X, but we'Re still waiting on a release date. It leave likely be a long wait for these mobile- and cloud-optimized apps on the Surface Pro X.

*Surface Pro X (2020) vs. original Grade-constructed Pro X.*

While the Adobe wait continues, you power assume that the company's Creative Suite desktop apps would run on this latest Surface Pro X. Unfortunately, they do not. I was able to run Photoshop on the Come on Pro X last year, but now you can't install any Creative Suite apps in the least. Adobe brick's installer now errors out saying information technology's not available for this device. That means I can't even instal the 2018 version of Photoshop I was able to use last year. And nope, nary version of Lightroom will work. It's staggeringly disappointing for a device that could be ideal for immediate photo operating theatre TV redaction on the get along.

What has in truth changed the Aerofoil Pro X for me is Microsoft's Chromium Edge browser. This has had the most meaningful impact to this new Show u Pro X, as it's the app I habituate the all but on a laptop. Chrome was painfully slow happening the original Surface Pro X, Eastern Samoa it was working in the emulation style as a 32-bit app.

The native version of Edge runs as smoothly as if IT was running on a diarrheic Intel laptop. It's hard to notice the remainder in my day-after-day figure out. I spend most of my time in a browser for do work and even for watching YouTube videos, for using Tweet, and for reading content online.

The big promise of ARM laptops has been battery life. Some have claimed 23 hours of battery life, and even Microsoft says this hot Surface Pro X should run for 15 hours. The reality is still far sour, because very much of apps still run emulated and hit the battery life.

Edge really demonstrates the potential of the Surface Pro X, though. This tablet and laptop computer hybrid feels at its best when apps like Edge are optimized for it, and these types of apps also help with battery life. I've been comfortably getting leastwise 8 hours of bombardment life history connected this updated model, using a mixture of desktop apps and heavy use of the Edge browser. If you're using a lot of emulated apps past this will understandably rack up barrage life more, which is something we saw with Chromium-plate running on the Pro X last year.

*The rear of the Surface Affirmative X has a 10-megapixel camera.*

A taste of an ARM-based future

Using this device over the historical week has sure enough granted Pine Tree State revived hope for new ARM-powered laptops. Microsoft's fashionable Surface Professional X is a better glimpse into an ARM laptop incoming that has been secure for long time.

IT no more feels like Gir-power-driven laptops are futuristic or not quite a ready. The Surface Favoring X seems like most regular Windows laptops right away, and information technology might not even need the support of Adobe and others to truly shine. The large absolute majority of desktop apps have emotional to 64-bit, and Microsoft is about to deliver x64 app emulation support for Windows on Weapon. That should figure out most of the lingering app compatibility issues, but we'll inactive need to see full native 64-bit ARM apps to keep battery life in check.

With Apple set to resign its own Macs with ARM-powered chips, the race towards ARM laptops could be about to step up a gear. Microsoft is out frontal, lead with some beautiful hardware that still needs the software to match up. But the potential for this ARM revolution is much further on, and both Microsoft and Qualcomm are chasing after developers to convince them to port apps fully to ARM.

I give the sack't stress the potential factor enough with the Coat Pro X. With Microsoft offering a base model with the old SQ1 CPU for $999.99, it feels like we're connected the verge of ARM-powered Windows laptops becoming a lot more affordable and sure-footed.

The big problem is that you'rhenium paying $1,499 for a delightful ARM-supercharged Surface device with that likely. The Surface Pro X might not equal an experimentation for Microsoft operating theater Qualcomm, but $1,499 is a big price to pay back for beautiful hardware that still has about software weaknesses.

Correction : An before version of this review stated Spotify's app for Windows on ARM runs at 64-bit, simply it hush runs at 32-flake. We sorrow the error.