The Microsoft Surface Pro tablet arrived in stores yesterday and is sold out at just about every location. Consumers seem to love their new device, while the media's response to Microsoft's full Windows 8 tablet has been wildly mixed. The negative reviews that slate the Surface Pro for compromising some tablet and PC capabilities don't get it; consumers want a tablet that has the full capabilities of a laptop and for the most part, Microsoft delivers.
LA Gadget Examiner Rating: B+
Basic specs:
- 10.81 x 6.81 x 0.53 inches
- 2 pounds (without Touch Cover or Type Cover)
- Intel 3rd Generation Core i5, 1.7GHz processor
- 10.6-inch widescreen IPS display with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution
- 4GB RAM, 64GB or 128GB flash storage, microSD card slot
- Intel® HD Graphics 4000
- Windows 8 64-Bit operating system
- One USB-3 port, one micro-HDMI port
Build and design
The Microsoft Surface Pro doesn't have the lightweight feeling of the Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro, but feels more solid and complete. It looks and feels like the Surface RT tablet, but is a little thicker and heavier.
With the exception of the Microsoft logo button on the bottom of the front, it looks similar to an iPad, except the widescreen dimensions. On the (rather thick) left side sits a headphone jack, a volume rocker, and only one USB-3 port. On the right side sits the microSD card slot, magnetic charging dock, and the micro-HDMI port.
The small microphone is on the top along with the power button. On the bottom is the magnetic dock for the Touch Cover or Type Cover as well as future accessories. There is a camera on the back, along with a kickstand. We still haven't figured out where the speakers are, but they sound rather average. Overall, the design is great.
Screen
Microsoft's 10.6-inch 1080p screen is, for the most part, beautiful. At first, the colors appear to be slightly undersaturated and the current graphics driver on the Surface Pro doesn't allow one to change the color saturation. There is an easy solution for this and you can find the full driver, which allows you a lot better control over your graphics, here:
http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?DwnldID=22401#help
Unlike other tablets that have a digitizer, the screen on the Surface Pro isn't grainy. It is perfect for watching movies, looking at pictures, and doing just about everything else. My unit does have a bit of backlight bleeding at the bottom, but it is only noticeable in a very dark room. Even though backlight bleeding shouldn't be tolerated, it isn't as bad as it is on the Sony VAIO Duo 11 and Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro units I've seen.
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