Microsoft Surface Pro (2017) High-end Windows 10 tablet

This long-awaited successor to Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4 (which comes with Windows 10 Pro) starts at £799 with a basic Intel m3 low-power processor, 4GB of memory and 128GB of storage. Those specifications are meagre for an 800-quid laptop, but for a tablet they’re decent. And this is a tablet that happens to run the full version of Windows 10.

But Microsoft sent us the more expensive model – no doubt to show off how much capability could be packed into the slim magnesium shell. It looks much like before, just a little bit neater. In our photo-editing tests, the i7-7660u processor performed like a good i5 desktop PC, such as the Mesh Home PC (see page 20). For video editing it was slower, but still possible.

Despite the i7 label, this is a mobile processor with only two cores, so even for over two grand you can’t expect miracles. But you’d be pushed to match the performance with any other laptoptablet. Dell’s XPS 13 2-in-1, for example (see our review, Issue 500), only reaches about half the speed. Then again, it’ll leave you with several hundred pounds more to spend on something else.

The Surface Pro isn’t even a laptoptablet – until you add a keyboard. Microsoft sent us a nice fabric-finished Signature Edition Type Cover, with its beautiful big glass trackpad, but it won’t send you one unless you pay an extra £150. Without it, the Surface Pro would be an odd fish. A more adjustable kickstand supports the new Studio drawing mode, but not even we got the updated Surface Pen that you’ll need for this – that’s another £100.

Fortunately, Microsoft hasn’t yet figured out a way to do away with the screen and charge you extra for it. Speaking of which, the screen covered 94.3 per cent of the SRGB colour range with excellent accuracy, making it suitable for photo editing, and we had no complaints about brightness or contrast. The optional Enhanced mode didn’t seem to enhance anything, but it’s easy to turn off.

Lots of people will buy the Surface Pro for business, and they’ll no doubt enjoy using it. The battery lasted us 11 hours 30 minutes, and lower-end models could last even longer. It’s a shame the USB 3.0 port still isn’t Type-c.

We’d hesitate to pay £799 (plus accessories) for an m3 processor, though, which makes Windows 10 usable but no more. The i5, from £979, seems a better bet, but 8GB of memory and a 256GB SSD bumps it to £1,249.

If you have the budget, it gives you fast Windows 10 on a great tablet screen

SPECIFICATIONS 2.5GHZ Intel i7-7660u dual-core processor • Intel HD Graphics 640 • 16GB memory • 512GB SSD • 12.3in 2736x1824-pixel touchscreen • 8-megapixel rear camera • 5-megapixel webcam • Microsd slot • USB 3 port • Mini Displayport • 802.11ac Wi-fi • Windows 10 Pro • 292x201x8.5mm (HXWXD) • 786g • Oneyear warranty www.snipca.com/25111