Surface Event 2021: With Surface Pro 8, Microsoft finally changes the Surface Pro line
4 min. read
Published on
Share this article
Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial team Read more
Just a bit ago, Microsoft took the wraps off its flagship Surface Pro line as it introduced its eighth generation.
Many Surface fans have anticipated some drastic changes for Microsoft’s aging design language following the unveiling of the Surface Pro X which proved Microsoft could iterate and bring some well-liked design changes to the Pro’s detachable form.
However, Microsoft held fast and kept the Surface Pro 7, which launched alongside the Surface Pro X, mostly unchanged from its historic Pro 4 design.
Now, it seems the company has threaded the needle between making a Surface Pro X clone and bringing some meaningful upgrades to its famed 2-in-1 that include, new screen tech, port upgrades, and SSD accessibility.
Here are the details:
- Surface Pro 8 is over 2 times faster than Surface Pro 7. Delivering over 40% higher sustained CPU performance and 74% faster graphics sustained performance,
- 2 Thunderbolt™ 4 ports. Support for multiple 4K monitors, keep large creative files on hand with an external
hard drive or create a dream gaming setup with an external GPU.2- 11% larger, 10.8% higher resolution, 12.5% brighter, individually calibrated and virtually edge-to-edge, high-resolution 13”
PixelSense™ Flow touch display. Now with up to 120Hz refresh rate (60hz default) for an even
smoother pen experience and more responsive touch.- Full HD cameras with improved low-light performance and consistent brightness across different lighting conditions, Studio Mics, and optimized speakers for
crystal-clear sound delivers an even better video calling experience. HD rear-facing camera with support for 4K video.- The most advanced digital pen experience on a Pro. Unlock new experiences with Surface Slim
Pen. Tactile signals is a new digital pen experience that uses the built-in haptic motor in Surface Slim Pen 2 to give you the same feeling you get with pen on paper when notetaking and drawing. Surface Pro 8 with Surface Pen 2 has greater precision and lower latency when inking compared to Surface Slim Pen. Always charged, ready, and securely stored in Surface Pro Signature Keyboard.
| Surface Pro 8 | |
| Processor | Consumer: Quad-core 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1135G7 Processor Quad-core 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G7 Processor Designed on the Intel® Evo™ platform Commercial: Dual-core 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i3-1115G4 Processor (Wi-Fi) Quad-core 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1145G7 Processor (Wi-Fi or LTE3) Quad-core 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-1185G7 Processor (Wi-Fi or LTE3) Designed on the Intel® Evo™ platform (i5 and i7 processors only) |
| Graphics | Intel® UHD Graphics (i3) Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics (i5, i7) |
| Operating System | Surface Pro 8: Windows 11 Home Surface Pro 8 for Business: Windows 10 Pro or Windows 11 Pro |
| Display | Screen: 13” PixelSense™ Flow Display Resolution: 2880 x 1920 (267 PPI) Up to 120Hz Refresh Rate (60Hz default) Aspect ratio: 3:2 Touch: 10-point multi-touch GPU Ink Acceleration |
| Storage | Removable solid-state drive (SSD) options: 128GB or 256GB (Wi-Fi or LTE3) SSD: 512GB or 1TB (Wi-Fi only) |
| Graphics | Integrated Intel® UHD Graphics Integrated Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics |
| Camera | Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing) 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p full HD video 10.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p HD and 4k video |
| Memory | 8GB/16GB/32GB LPDDDR4x RAM |
| Dimensions | Dimensions: 11.3” x 8.2” x 0.37” Weight: 1.96 lbs (891g) |
| Audio | Dual far-field Studio Mics 2W stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos®6 Dolby Vision® support6 |
| Battery | Up to 16 hours of battery life4 Charge your Surface Pro 8 to 80% in just over an hour5 |
| Color | Mechanical features: anodized aluminum body, kickstand with full-friction multi-position hinge to 165 degrees, magnetic attach for keyboard fold stability Colors: Platinum, Graphite |
| Ports/Slots | 2 x USB-C® with USB 4.0/Thunderbolt™ 4 3.5mm headphone jack 1 x Surface Connect port Surface Type Cover port Compatible with Surface Dial off-screen interaction2 |
|
What’s in the box
|
Surface Pro 8
Power Supply Quick Start Guide Safety and warranty documents |
The Surface Pro 8 upgrade has been a long time coming for the company as competitors such as HP, Dell, Lenovo, and Apple begin to encroach on its perceived detachable dominance.
The Surface Pro 8 will start shipping on October 5 in the US, and the base model starts at $1,099. For consumers and commercial customers alike, today’s announcement should go a long way in keeping Microsoft’s flagship computer front-and-center of buying decisions this Fall and holiday season.
Does today’s upgrade put you in a purchase column for a new Surface Pro? Don’t forget to check out all our Surface Event 2021 coverage here at OnMSFT.com!
