Microsoft launches Surface Pro 7+ tablet with Tiger Lake and LTE
Microsoft began taking orders for the Surface Pro 7+ January 11 via its business partners, with shipments beginning the same week.
Microsoft unexpectedly launched the Surface Pro 7+, a refreshed Surface Pro tablet with Intel’s 11th-gen “Tiger Lake” processors inside, LTE options, and the removable SSD that Microsoft first introduced with the Surface Pro X.
Microsoft began taking orders for the Surface Pro 7+, part of the Surface Pro for
Business line, on January 11 via its business partners. Prices start at $900. Adding the LTE Advanced option essentially tacks on a substantial premium, with the option only available on more powerful configurations whose price begins at $1,150. Neither price factors in a Signature Type Keyboard and Surface Pen, which cost about $160 and $100, respectively. Matte black and platinum
color options are available.
The Surface Pro 7+ name is appropriate, as the Surface Pro 7 ( go.pcworld. com/sfp7) included Intel’s 10th-gen Ice Lake processors but was otherwise just a spec bump from its predecessor. With the Surface Pro 7+, Microsoft is not only upgrading the internal components, but adding the LTE option off the bat, something that it hasn’t always done. (Unfortunately, 5G isn’t yet included.) The only apparent physical change is the SSD drawer.
Microsoft positioned the design of the Surface Pro 7+ as at least a partial response to the pandemic, which has forced many of its customers to work from home and adapt to what you might call extraordinary working conditions. For one, Microsoft said that customers have been forced to move around their homes unexpectedly, and work from odd setups; the unexpected demands of Zoom/teams calls, downloads, and other loads on a home wireless network has made offloading the wireless data burden to a cellular network a convenience, if not a priority.
Internally, users will have a choice of buying versions of the Surface Pro 7+ with either a dual-core Core i3-1115g4 processor, or two quad-core options: the Core i5-1135g7 and the Core i7-1165g7. A change no one will mind: Microsoft has retired the 4GB RAM option, offering 8GB, 16GB, and a new 32GB LPDDR4X memory option.
Users are now accustomed to “camera to camera is the new face to face,” added Robin Seller, the corporate vice president of Microsoft Devices, in a blog post ( go. pcworld.com/msdv). The new emphasis on videoconferencing has turned the highresolution cameras built into the Surface Pro 7 ( go.pcworld.com/msca) and the new 7+ from luxuries to essentials. The 5MP userfacing camera and an 8MP rear camera both capture 1080p video, and a pair of far-field mics to pick up your voice. It appears that the Surface Pro 7+ speakers have been upgraded
to use Dolby Atmos audio technology, which has also been used on the Apple ipad Pro and Amazon Fire HD 10.
Somewhat ironically, the new Tiger Lake processors theoretically offer the new Thunderbolt 4 port option. But Microsoft, which pioneered the high-speed I/O dock with the Surface Dock and its successor, the Surface Dock 2, still chooses to use its own Surface Connector.
Microsoft still apparently hasn’t changed its stance toward the removable SSD that the company built into the Surface Pro X and the Surface Laptop 3. Then, Microsoft Store representatives—when Microsoft still operated Microsoft Stores—told us that the removable SSD was being used as a means to migrate data from one Surface Laptop 3/ Surface Pro X to another ( go.pcworld.com/ mgdt), rather than as a way to allow end users to upgrade their storage options. Microsoft says the Surface Pro 7+ introduces a “removable SSD for data retention.”
MICROSOFT SURFACE PRO 7+ BASIC SPECS
Because the Surface Pro 7+ is a Microsoft Surface for Business device, it ships only with Windows 10 Pro. Microsoft 365 apps come standard, with a 30-day trial period before requiring a license.
Display: 12.3-inch Pixelsense display (2736x1824)
Processor: Core i3-1115g4 (Wi-fi), Core i5-1135g7 (WI-FI/LTE) Core i7-1165g7 (Wi-fi)
Graphics: UHS (Core i3), Iris Xe (Core i5, i7)
Memory: 8GB, 16GB LPDDR4X (Wi-fi, LTE); 32GB LPDDR4X (Wi-fi)
Storage: 128GB or 256GB (Wi-fi or LTE); 512GB or 1TB (Wi-fi)
Ports: 1 USB Type C, 1 USB
Type A, MICROSDXC reader, Surface Connect, 3.5mm audio jack, nanosim
Camera: 5MP front-facing, 8MP rear-facing, w/1080p video
Battery: 15
hours/13.5 hours with LTE Advanced
Wireless: Wifi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5, Qualcomm X20 modem
Operating system: Windows 10 Pro
Dimensions (inches): 11.5 x 7.5 x 0.33 inches (8.5mm)
Weight: 1.7 pounds
Colors: Platinum, Matte Black
Price: $899 to $2,799
Optional accessories: Surface Pro Signature Type Cover ($160 on Amazon; go.pcworld.com/amcv), Surface Pen ($100 on microsoft.com; go.pcworld.com/mscv).
SURFACE PRO 7+ AVAILABLE CONFIGURATIONS
$900: Core I3/8GB RAM/128GB SSD $1,000: Core I5/8GB RAM/128GB SSD: $1,000
$1,150: Core I5/8GB RAM/128GB SSD (LTE): $1,150
$1,300: Core I5/8GB RAM/256GB SSD: $1,300
$1,450: Core I5/8GB RAM/256GB SSD (LTE): $1,450
$1,500: Core I5/16GB RAM/256GB SSD
$1,650: Core I5/16GB RAM/256GB SSD (LTE)
$1,600: Core I7/16GB RAM/256GB SSD
$2,000: Core I7/16GB RAM/256GB SSD: $2,000
$2,400: Core I7/16GB RAM/512GB SSD
$2,800: Core I7/32GB RAM/1TB SSD