Microsoft Surface Pro 6 review: An already exceptional 2-in-1 gets even better
The Surface Pro is entering its sixth year in existence, and then information technology seems relevant for a "Surface Pro 6 model" to match. While the older numbering organisation for the proper name has returned, the hardware remains mostly the same as 2022's Surface Pro, at present dubbed the Surface Pro "fifth gen" by Microsoft.
Featuring a new jet-black color option and a bump to Intel quad-core processors, the Surface Pro half dozen may non be revolutionary. But information technology'southward still the best at what it does.
About this Surface Pro 6 review
Microsoft supplied a loaner Surface Pro half dozen for this review. The unit tested is blackness with an Intel Core-i5 8250U, with 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage priced at $1,199. The package also included a black Surface Pro Type Cover ($129) and black Surface Pen ($99) for a total of $1,427. Starting price of the new Surface Pro 6 is $899 (platinum only) for a Core i5 with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage and it maxes out with a Core i7, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage for $ii,299 in platinum (plus Type Embrace and Pen).
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Microsoft Surface Pro 6
New Surface Pro half-dozen with 8th Gen Intel Core CPUs.
The latest Surface Pro 6 now comes with quad-core eighth Gen Intel Core i5 or i7 CPU, improved thermals, and a new black color option.
Microsoft Surface Pro 6: What'south new?
Compared to the 2022 Surface Pro, there are only ii notable changes in the Surface Pro vi.
-
New Intel 8th Gen processors – Jumping from dual-core to quad-core is a big deal for performance. With about double the multi-core executions, the new Surface Pro half-dozen is substantially faster (more than than 67 percent faster, co-ordinate to Microsoft) than last year's model. That'southward thanks to the Intel Core i5-8250U and Cadre i7-8650U processors now being used. Matching that is a new thermal solution to proceed the heat at bay without running fans too loudly.
-
Blackness color scheme - If you're new to the Surface Pro, you lot may not know that the original Surface Pro (2012) and Surface Pro two (2013) were simply bachelor in black. Microsoft shifted to "Surface grey" for Surface Pro 3, but at present, a new all-black model is back for Surface Pro half-dozen. Everything is blacked-out on the new Surface Pro 6 Yet, the regular platinum color is still available.
At that place are some other modest changes including no $799 selection for an Intel Core m3 or 4GB model. Instead, Surface Pro 6's entry model starts at $899 but doubles the RAM to 8GB and jumps to a stronger Core i5 processor. That model notwithstanding comes with 128GB of storage but is $100 cheaper than final year'south similar configuration, which was $999. Likewise, all the configurations are $100 cheaper than last yr's Surface Pro.
Microsoft beginning the $100 price drop by switching to a standard Windows ten Home license for all models (except for school or enterprise purchases, which remain on Windows 10 Pro). Users can still upgrade to Windows 10 Pro through the Microsoft Shop for a $99 license purchase.
In that location also seem to be some slight lower-level tweaks to Surface Pro half dozen. For instance, the instant-on feature combined with Windows Howdy facial recognition is notably faster. Likewise, the solid-country drive (SSD) speeds for storage have likewise been substantially improved. To accommodate the new quad-core processors, Microsoft also redesigned the thermal solutions for both the Cadre i5 and i7 versions. Despite the increased core count, the i5 version is still fanless and silent.
Due to Intel not making any Iris Plus option for 8th Gen 15W processors, the Core i7 Surface Pro six features Intel Graphics UHD 620 instead of the more powerful Iris Plus 640.
Finally, every bit of October 2022, Microsoft has not nonetheless committed to a Surface Pro 6 with LTE support. For those who withal want a Surface Pro with 4G LTE Avant-garde there is the Surface Pro (2017) with LTE, which became bachelor in the spring of 2022.
Dual to quad
Microsoft Surface Pro six tech specs
While the specifications have remained mostly unchanged from the 2022 Surface Pro, the configuration options accept shifted slightly.
| Category | Specification |
|---|---|
| Colors | Platinum or blackness |
| Fabric | Magnesium |
| Display | 12.iii-inch Pixel Sense display x betoken multi-impact |
| Display resolution | 2736 10 1824 (267 PPI) Aspect Ratio: 3:2 |
| Software | Windows 10 Home |
| Processor | 8th Gen Intel Cadre i5-8250U (quad-core) 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8650U (quad-core) |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB SSD |
| Memory | 8GB or 16GB RAM LPDDR3 |
| Graphics | Intel UHD Graphics 620 |
| Rear photographic camera | 8.0MP autofocus camera with 1080p HD video |
| Front end camera | 5.0MP photographic camera with 1080p HD video Windows Hello face-authentication |
| Speakers | 1.6W stereo speakers with Dolby Sound Premium |
| Ports | 1 full-size USB iii.0 Mini DisplayPort Headset jack Surface Connect microSDXC card reader |
| Sensors | Ambient low-cal sensor Accelerometer Gyroscope |
| Network | Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 a/b/one thousand/n/ac compatible Bluetooth Wireless 4.1 applied science |
| Security | TPM 2.0 |
| Battery life | xiii.v hours of apply |
| Pen | Surface Pen |
| Weight | 1.7 lbs to 1.73 lbs (770 one thousand to 784 m) |
| Dimensions | 11.l inches x vii.9 inches x 0.33 inches (292 mm ten 201 mm x 8.5 mm) |
Jumping from dual- to quad-core processors for the i5 and i7 models has been a trend since late 2022, which is when Intel introduced the Core i5-8250U and Core i7-8650U processors. That makes these processors part of the "Coffee Lake" era of Intel chips and not the slightly improved "Whiskey Lake," which are but now hitting laptops. The uptick is the drivers used for these processors are very mature, giving users a stable experience. But the quad-core boost is massive, specially for such a sparse device like Surface Pro.
The Core i5 Surface Pro 6 is fanless despite having a more than significant processor, while the i7 version even so needs one due to the increased operation.
The lack of Iris Plus graphics, which doubles the pipelines to 48 (compared to 24 in the UHD 620) is a bummer, but Microsoft had petty option hither – Intel does not make Iris Plus graphics for its eighth Gen processors. All the same, the Intel Graphics UHD 620 used is very good, especially at the i5 level.
black is back
Microsoft Surface Pro half-dozen design
Cipher has changed for pattern when comparing the Surface Pro 6 to Surface Pro (2017). That is fine every bit Microsoft all only said the 2022 Surface Pro, which was rebuilt from the ground up, was perfect in its design. Those changes carry over to Surface Pro 6 including a restructured chassis with smoother and more rounded edges, thinner radial vents with a new "whisper tranquillity" thermal system, a kickstand that now tilts back a full 165 degrees, and blacked-out Windows Hello IR lenses that better blend into the bezel.
One new pick though is the power to go the Surface Pro six in blackness. The process to make the Surface Pro black does not involve anodizing, only instead, there is a "thin, tough" ceramic oxide layer that Microsoft tells united states of america is "grown directly on the magnesium metal enclosure." On summit of this ceramic layer, Microsoft adds multiple coats of blackness end.
The finish makes Surface Pro half dozen slightly thicker at the micron level (1 micron =0.001 millimeters) requiring a custom black enclosure to brand certain all the parts fit together, but it's barely noticable. Additionally, all the ports and buttons are entirely blacked-out likewise. The effect is stunning. The black is matte and is surprisingly very good at resisting fingerprints. While it's too early on to tell if the black will scratch, Microsoft assures us the in a higher place process is meant to safeguard durability.
For ports, nothing has changed. Microsoft had been expected to jump to USB Type-C 3.i instead of retaining its old mini DisplayPort, just that didn't happen. Users will accept to brand do with USB Blazon-A and mini DisplayPort. Microsoft cites ongoing defoliation and enterprise reliance on Surface Connect as reasons to not go to USB Type-C – or the more powerful Thunderbolt three – simply the excuse is starting to band hollow in late 2022.
yet brilliant
Microsoft Surface Pro vi display
Microsoft keeps the 12.3-inch, 2736 10 1824 (267 PPI) Pixel Sense display for the Surface Pro 6 with a 3:ii aspect ratio. Information technology is an IPS LCD with ten-point multi-bear upon and sleeky edge-to-edge glass.
There are two color profiles including Enhanced (default) and sRGB, which has less contrast but is more than color authentic, making it ideal for photography and media editing. Color accuracy is splendid at 99 percent Adobe sRGB and 76 percent Adobe RGB co-ordinate to a color scale exam under the sRGB color profile.
There is no unevenness for LED hot spots (or "edge bleed") in this review unit (while LCD will too suffer from some low-cal leakage at the edge when in Windows 10 and daily use, there is nothing discernable). The display bezels are the aforementioned as the Surface Pro (2017) – non to0 thick, merely not radically thin either.
Overall, the Surface Pro half dozen's screen is excellent. It's near-perfect for color accuracy, touch works well, and the display brightness is outstanding with a superlative of about 470-nits in the display center.
apps are getting better
Microsoft Surface Pro 6 Pen inking
If you want to apply digital ink on the Surface Pro, you need to shell out an extra $99 for the Surface Pen (although there are cheaper alternatives.
The pen still has the aforementioned 4,096 levels of pressure, supports tilt, rotation, and Bluetooth. Activation forcefulness – the amount of force per unit area required earlier the pen activates – is 9 grams. Microsoft besides maintains just ii.1 milliseconds of inking latency from final year's model due to the inking co-processor that's role of the Surface Pro 6 display. That co-processor connects the GPU to the screen's digitizer and helps speed upwardly pen calculations.
Microsoft has steadily improved both the firmware for Surface Pen and made better apps with more significant support, such as Microsoft To Exercise, OneNote, and Gluey Notes 3.0.
In black simply cheaper
Microsoft Surface Pro 6 Blazon Cover
Unless y'all want a pure tablet feel with Surface Pro vi, which is not recommended, buyers will demand to catch a Surface Pro Type Cover.
Again, nothing is new here compared to last yr. If users want the black Surface Pro Type Cover, information technology volition cost $129 extra. That'south not cheap, only it is less expensive than the Surface Pro Signature Type Covers that feature the soft Alcantara fabric. Those $159 keyboards come in cobalt, platinum, or burgundy colors and all expect great with the black Surface Pro 6. To exist clear, the black Type Cover does not accept Alcantara fabric.
Everything you need to know almost Alcantara
The keys are three-phase backlit with one.3mm of travel. The trackpad is Microsoft Precision and still one of the best found on any Windows 10 PC. Those upgrading from Surface Pro 4 can reuse their current Type Encompass, but the redesigned ones from 2022 feature dedicated keys for the display brightness.
Seems faster
Microsoft Surface Pro six Windows Hello and resume
Microsoft is however male monarch of the onboard photographic camera for tablets and laptops. The 8.0MP rear photographic camera is expert enough for snapping a moving-picture show of a whiteboard or presentation. The forepart-facing 5.0 MP camera is easily the best on the market for whatsoever laptop or PC. It's sharp, colorful, and is perfect for Skype.
Flanking the front-facing camera are the Windows Hi infrared sensors for facial recognition. The engineering science remains the same, merely Microsoft must take tweaked the performance and resume times for Surface Pro 6. It takes simply 2 seconds at present from the moment you hit the power push button until you are logged into Windows ten – which is remarkably fast.
Photo taken with the Surface Pro 6's front-facing camera.
Qualcomm and its ARM-based Windows PCs accept touted the instant-on feature, but it's clear Microsoft is making huge strides with Intel-based systems. This speed comeback is worth mentioning because I found it extraordinarily noticeable compared to the Surface Pro (2017), or any other Windows 10 PC.
quad-cadre is here
Microsoft Surface Pro 6 benchmarks
The big deal nearly the Surface Pro 6 is the jump to quad-cadre processors from the previous dual-core ones in prior Surfaces. Intel bumped its dual U-serial processors (found in Ultrabooks) in tardily 2022, and Microsoft is now just getting on lath.
*Nosotros have since added the Surface Pro Core i7 Geekbench scores to this review.
CPU
For synthetic benchmarks, the Cadre i5-8250U is outstanding, nearly beating last yr's similar Core i7 model for single-cadre and obliterating the i7'south multi-core functioning.
Geekbench 4.0 benchmarks (higher is better)
| Device | CPU | Single cadre | Multi core |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surface Pro 6 | i5-8250U | 4,287 | fourteen,031 |
| Surface Pro 6 | i7-8650U | v,037 | thirteen,864 |
| Surface Pro 5 | i5-7300U | 4,302 | 8,482 |
| Surface Pro 5 | i7-7660U | 4,513 | 9,346 |
| Surface Pro 4 | i5-6300U | 3,319 | 6,950 |
| Dell XPS 15 (9570) | i5-8300H | iv,822 | 16,203 |
| Dell XPS 15 (9560) | i7-7700HQ | four,503 | 13,587 |
| Surface Laptop | i5-7200U | 3,725 | 7,523 |
| Surface Laptop ii | i5-8250U | 4,203 | 13,233 |
A reasonable conclusion is that this year'south 15W Core i5 Surface Pro 6 is close to 2022'southward 45W Cadre i7-7700HQ – a remarkable achievement.
GPU
While not as powerful equally the Iris Plus 640 , the Intel Graphics UHD 620 is admirable.
Geekbench four.0 OpenCL (higher is meliorate)
| Device | GPU | Compute score |
|---|---|---|
| Surface Pro 6 i5 | UHD 620 | 36,516 |
| Surface Pro 6 i7 | UHD 620 | 35,074 |
| Surface Pro 5 | HD 620 | xx,688 |
| Surface Pro 5 | Iris 640 | 30,678 |
| Surface Pro 4 | Hd 520 | 17,395 |
| Surface Laptop | HD 620 | xix,256 |
| Surface Laptop | Iris 640 | 31,010 |
| Surface Laptop 2 | UHD 620 | 35,473 |
| Surface Volume | HD 520 | 18,197 |
| Surface Volume | GTX 965M | 64,108 |
| Surface Book 2 | GTX 1060 | 138,758 |
The results may be surprising, merely at least on Geekbench'due south OpenCL exam, the Surface Pro 6 UHD 620 outperforms the Iris Plus 640 from final yr.
SSD
Raw SSD speeds have never been a force of the Surface line, and they tend to fall in the in a higher place boilerplate range but are never top performers. That's still the case in 2022, but the Surface Pro 6 does notably improve upon last year's model.
CrystalDiskMark (higher is better)
| Device | Read | Write |
|---|---|---|
| Surface Pro 6 | 1,632 MB/s | 814 MB/south |
| Surface Pro v | 847MB/south | 801 MB/s |
| Surface Laptop | 486 MB/s | 244 MB/s |
| Surface Laptop 2 | 1,509 MB/s | 811 MB/s |
| Surface Volume | ane,018 MB/s | 967 MB/south |
Note that the speeds for Surface Pro vi were with a 256GB SSD which was model SK Hynix BC501. The 512GB and 1TB models are likely to have better results due to having more channels (NAND flash chips) that run in parallel.
Testing the 512GB option for Surface Pro vi yields similar read speeds every bit the 256GB model, but write did get upwardly from 814 MB/southward to 1,095 MB/s.
PCMark
Looking at PCMark Domicile Accelerated (where it uses the GPU) – which is an overall performance exam - the new Surface Pro half-dozen also does well.
PCMark (Home Accelerated three.0)
| Device | Score |
|---|---|
| Surface Pro 6 (i5) | 2,522 |
| Surface Pro v (i5) | 2,351 |
| Surface Pro 6 (i7) | 3,451 |
| Surface Pro 5 (i7) | 3,746 |
| Surface Laptop two (i5) | 3,451 |
| Surface Laptop (i5) | two,720 |
As expected, this year's Core i5 Surface Pro 6 beats out last year's Core i5 model for PCMark Home Accelerated. But, due to the lack of Iris Plus the new Core i7 (3,451) falls behind last year's i7 (iii,746).
For casual gaming, the Surface Pro 5 with Iris Plus gets around 52 frames per second (FPS) versus the Surface Pro 6 (Cadre i5) at 33 FPS. Still, comparing this year's Core i5 Surface Pro (33 FPS) to last yr's Cadre i5 (25FPS), we can encounter a notable improvement. Finally, the new Core i7 Surface Pro half dozen managed 42 FPS, which is a big bump from the i5'southward 33 FPS, just all the same behind concluding twelvemonth's i7 at 52 FPS.
Overall, the Surface Pro half dozen – even at the Core i5 level – is a substantial performer. The quad-cadre boost is considerable coming shut to what the Dell XPS fifteen Core i7 achieved only 18 months ago. Graphics are improved as well over last year'due south model, and the SSD is much faster.
All these improvements add up to a very fast, lag-free, and enjoyable experience with the Surface Pro vi.
all day use?
Microsoft Surface Pro 6 battery and thermals
Despite the doubling of cores and a massive increase in performance, we tin can conclude two things about the Surface Pro 6 when straight comparing to the aforementioned configuration in Surface Pro (2017):
- Bombardment life is essentially better.
- Temperatures are slightly cooler.
PCMark's bombardment rundown test aggressively loops through multiple tasks using the CPU and GPU including video conferencing, casual gaming, web browsing, and give-and-take processing. Brandish brightness was kept at 50 pct for both Surface Pros:
PCMark eight Home Battery Accelerated
| Device | Time |
|---|---|
| Surface Pro six (i5) | 5 hours and 25 minutes |
| Surface Pro v (i5) | 4 hours and 30 minutes |
For those concerned that these numbers seem depression, proceed in mind that the PCMark test is very believing at using the CPU and GPU. Casual usage with discussion processing, web browsing, and watching movies will yield significantly longer results. An initial conclusion is that the Surface Pro six should yield an actress 60 minutes of battery compared to last yr'south model. That should put casual usage well by the eight-hour mark depending on screen brightness.
For thermals during the PCMark battery rundown examination, the Surface Pro 6 was consistently around four degrees Fahrenheit (F) cooler than the Surface Pro (2017). The Surface Pro 6 never felt hot with a top temperature of 84 degrees F (29 degrees C) on the back, versus 89 degrees F (32 degrees C) for the Surface Pro (2017).
Considering both machines are fanless and rely on passive cooling it is evident Microsoft did an splendid task at reworking the thermals for Surface Pro 6.
Better than expected
The bottom on line on Microsoft'due south Surface Pro vi
For fans of the Surface Pro, it is easy to dismiss the 6th generation equally a rehash of last year's model with an pick in black. That'due south a fair assessment, only it besides misses the larger signal that the CPU and GPU performance in the Surface Pro 6, combined with the improved battery life and faster resume times, consequence in a marvelous experience.
Just let'southward telephone call out the elephant in the room: those ports. Microsoft missed an opportunity to bring the Surface Pro 6 into the future with USB Type-C. Putting bated the more powerful Thunderbolt 3 controversy, a Type-C port would merely have been more useful than mini DisplayPort as information technology tin can handle charging, data, and display. Microsoft even used the port on the Surface Become and Surface Studio two.
Does the lack of Type-C matter? For some users, it is a deal breaker. For others, it's much ado about nothing. Ultimately, that'due south upward to you
However, using the Surface Pro vi is fantastic. The battery life, performance, and overall feel – similar instant-on and no fan – are excellent. Plus, the blackness color looks tremendous.
Those with a Surface Pro (2017) will have very little reason to upgrade, but if you did yous would appreciate the performance and bombardment improvements. Of form, rumors are that Microsoft will do a more substantial revision to Surface Pro onetime in tardily 2022 – probable including Blazon-C and more – making this yr's purchase a tougher sell.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 6 is a minor upgrade, but the unabridged parcel is a major winner.
For nigh users, your all-time bet is to purchase the model tested here ($1,450 with pen and keyboard). The Core i5 is perfect, and 8GB of RAM with 256GB of storage is fine for about people (there's microSD for expansion). Students, casual-to-moderate users, businesses, and even pros will be very pleased with the fanless Core i5 choice.
For $899, Microsoft sells the Surface Pro 6, but only in platinum, not black. If you want blackness, you need to get the $ane,199 model, which doubles storage from 128GB to 256GB. That'southward a $300 premium for an actress 128GB of storage, which is crazy. Too, if yous like the black Surface Pro 6, you tin but get up to 512GB of storage – there's no 1TB option (right now).
You could too complaining the downgrade to Windows x Home for Windows 10 Pro, only I don't recall that's a big bargain. Users who need Windows 10 Pro should pay for the license instead of Microsoft making anybody else subsidize the cost.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 6 is a minor upgrade, but the entire package is a major winner. Those who want the most flexible, powerful, and frankly fun PC around will be hard pressed to find annihilation better. Last year, I said the Surface "is the culmination of the previous releases with naught but improvements all around. Information technology's astonishingly beautiful, reliable, and delightful to use." That statement is more than true than ever.
Give me a Blazon-C port and add LTE next time, and the Pro will be perfect.
Pros
- New CPU is substantially more powerful.
- Improved battery life; runs cooler.
- Black is awesome.
- Excellent build quality and blueprint.
Cons
- No Blazon-C or Thunderbolt 3.
- No LTE option (nevertheless).
- Odd pricing levels.
Get information technology now
Microsoft Surface Pro six
New Surface Pro half-dozen with eighth Gen Intel Core CPUs.
The latest Surface Pro 6 at present comes with quad-cadre 8th Gen Intel Core i5 or i7 CPU, improved thermals, and a new black colour option.
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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/surface-pro-6
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