Excellent performance and battery life make this Copilot+ PC a must-recommend (95/100).
WithBlack FridayandCyber Mondayfast approaching, I have integrated links to fantastic deals on the Surface Pro 11.
I’ve also added a link to our ASUS Proart PZ13 review in the competition section.
Me and the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 from my 2014 review.
The Surface Pro series has steadily evolvedover the past decade, overcoming the challenges of Intel’s x86 processors.
Microsoft’s commitment to excellence has often shone through despite the constraints of the tablet PC form factor.
Well, that’s the overtly verbose claim, at least.
Microsoft Surface Pro 11 with Flex Keyboard and Slim Pen.
It turns out that the hype is real, especially if you love the rig’s unique design.
Previously, such a configuration would cost $1,399.
It also has a slightly larger battery (53Wh vs 48Wh).
The top-tier model costs $2,099 for OLED, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage.
Microsoft will have a 4G LTE/5G Surface Pro 11 due later this summer, pending regulatory approval.
Of course, no Surface Pro is complete without a Surface keyboard.
Suface Pro Flex Keyboad (left) and Surface Pro 11 both in sapphire blue with packaging.
Pricing starts at $140 for the standard Surface Pro keyboard.
If there is high demand for the new dune colorway, Microsoft could add a dune Flex Keyboard later.
The company did not see the contents of this review before publishing.
Its still not as thin as theSurface Pro X(2020), which was just 7.3 mm.
When I asked Microsoft about this, the company noted that Surface Pro customers wanted no compromises regarding performance.
Well see in the performance section that the company stuck to its word.
Microsoft could not have made it easier to replace the SSD on Surface Pro 11.
You must physically press down in a particular spot to get the door to pop off.)
Finally, it’s worth mentioning that the Surface Pro 11 is quite repairable.
Color accuracy is also excellent, with 100% sRGB, 88% AdobeRGB, and 96% DCI-P3.
The Surface Pro 11 and the new 2880x1920 (2.8K) OLED VESA DisplayHDR 600 display.
Overall, its an incredible 13-inch display.
OLED delivers those super dark blacks with excellent contrast, and HDR600 makes movies and video games much better.
However, Microsoft could improve by adding an anti-reflective (AR) layer to the Surface Pros glossy display.
The two Type-C USB4 ports, which work with Thunderbolt 4 devices.
That reasoning has some truth, as this is the brightest Surface Pro display ever.
Still, Id argue that having an AR layer would improve the experience even more.
Not much has changed for audio on Surface Pro, which is good.
Microsoft Surface Pro 11 and Flex Keyboard can operated independently.
Microsoft doesnt include the Dolby Access app for some reason.
), including dynamic, which adjusts the sound based on the current content playing.
The same app also lets you tweak Dolby Vision to a lesser extent.
Dolby Atmos is included with the excellent dual-front-facing speakers on Surface Pro 11.
Things get interesting compared to a 2024 Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M3 and 16GB of RAM).
While Geekbench 6 is good, it only looks at a short burst for CPU performance.
The results for Cinebench 2024 are just as impressive.
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (left) vs Microsoft Surface Pro 11 (right).
Those results are well within the margin of error and test variances.
Turning to the GPU gets a bit tricky.
Qualcomms GPU drivers are also very new.
Geekbench 6.2: The MacBook Pro 14 with M3 (16GB) wins on single-core, but the Surface Pro 11 has a wide lead on multi-core, which most modern apps utilize.
Speaking of games, a lot has been said about them for these new Qualcomm Snapdragon X chips.
The one game that would not,DEAD OR ALIVE 6, also does not play on Steam Deck.
More games can be found atwww.worksonwoa.com.
While not the fastest PC the Surface Pro 11 does well on Geekbench v6.2.
The fan also kicks in at this point but remains relatively quiet.
But what about everyday use?
Related:Copilot+ vs. AI PC: What are the differences?
For a more sustained and prolonged benchmark Cinebench 2024 (ARM64, x86) shows that Surface Pro 11 is quite competitive.
However, up to this point, the roster of Copilot+ features has been somewhat underwhelming.
We will have deeper dives on Copilot+ for more information.
For now, what you gotta know is this:Windows Studio Effectsis very good.
Looking at just ARM64 Windows PCs we can see where Surface Pro 11 compares to previous and current laptops.
Cocreator in Paint is theoretically excellent but a bit underbaked at this point and goofy.
The same applies toLive Captions translation, but more improvements are needed.
Finally, there isImage Generator in Photos, which can create new photo backgrounds using AI.
On Crossmark we can see how Surface Pro 11 handles x86 app emulation compared to other x86 Windows 11 laptops.
However, I found it useless or gimmicky like some other AI features here.
Its now fully wireless.
It has a built-in battery to operate wirelessly.
Surface Pro 11’s SSD is the fastest of any Surface Pro to date, but it’s only middle of the road compared to other laptops.
It now has a superior haptic touchpad.
I cant see how this isnt a win for consumers.
There was no delay in separating the keyboard and continuing to use itit all worked seamlessly.
Surface Pro 11 AC (plugged in) vs DC (battery) when set on max performance results in barely any differences.
The critical takeaway is that it’ll last a reasonable amount of time.
The Surface team’s attention to detail here is fantastic.
Another change is theSlim Pencharging slot.
(Image credit: Daniel Rubino)
Speaking of the touchpad, the new haptic technology is a welcome addition.
Since there are no moving parts, the touchpad is less likely to fail after long-term usage.
Whether you find value in these features in the new Surface Pro Flex Keyboard is up to you.
(Image credit: Daniel Rubino)
The colors were punchy and warm, and the sharpness was exquisite.
Microsoft also did not include anyhuman presence detection (HPD) hardware.
The rear 10MP camera is unique to Windows 11 PCs.
(Image credit: Daniel Rubino)
Finally, I have no complaints about the microphones.
Say you are OK with the performance and possible gaming limitations.
The tradeoff is youre giving up the Surface Pro form factor and opting for a traditional clamshell laptop.
(Image credit: Daniel Rubino)
ASUS has theProArt PZ13, whichwe reviewed here.
However, I dont expect that laptop until sometime later this year, likely towards October.
It’s a solid alternative, earning 4 out of 5 stars from us.
Windows 11 battery estimate on Surface Pro 11.
Finally, assuming you want to ditch Windows 11, you could buy a new 13-inch Apple iPad Pro.
Display
4.5/5 The OLED choice is amazing, but it’d be perfect with AR.
Performance
5/5 It blows every past Surface Pro away and competes with the best Windows laptops.
Windows Battery Report: Battery life on Surface Pro 11 can vary depending on whether you are gaming or browsing the web, but on average, I get 10 hours of real-world usage.
Battery life
5/5 If I’m hitting 10 hours of real-world usage, I’m not complaining.
Keyboard and touchpad
5/5 The new Flex Keyboard is fantastic.
Total score
4.75/5 (95%) It’s basically perfect save for some minor quibbles.
The Surface Pro 11 is one of the first in a wave of new Copilot+ PCs, which focus on AI.
Surface Pro 11: Should you buy it?
You should buy this if…
You should not buy this if…
In many ways, this all misses the point.
The Surface Pro 11 is sapphire blue is stunning.
Its not even close or debatable.
Nonetheless, no other PC does what this equipment can do.
Full stop: you should buy something with a discrete NVIDIA RTX GPU if you like gaming.
I guess this is cool? AI Image Generator in Photos doesn’t do much at the moment.
Relying on Intel, AMD, or Qualcomms integrated GPUs and calling yourself a gamer is weird.
However, I’m not one of those people.
Can someone out there find non-mainstream apps like Rekordbox (professional DJ software) that wont work?
The new Surface Pro Flex Keyboad and Slim Pen are outstanding.
Sure (it relies on AVX2, something currently not supported).
And Qualcomm will direct you toDjay Pro Neural Mix Pro, a native Arm64 app.
With solid battery life and excellent performance, Microsoft achieves a nearly perfect score from us (95/100).
The Alcantara fabric still feels great on the Surface Pro Flex Keyboard.
Using the Flex Keyboard at a distance thanks to Bluetooth reall opens up possibilities for using Surface Pro 11.
The haptic touchpad is not only accurate, but it’s also slightly wider and taller than previous versions.
The Surface Pro Flex Keyboad can “roll over itself” when used independently to add a bit of ergonomic lift.
The new Flex Keyboard’s haptic touchpad lets you enlarge the right-click area.
The rear 10MP camera is often very useful.
The 12MP front-facing camera with Windows Hello for facial recognition.
The 12MP front-facing Surface Pro 11 webcam with Windows Studio Effects (AI) is excellent.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 9 with Intel or older Qualcomm processor.
The new Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 11 and Flex Keyboard take the Surface Pro line to a new level.
The Surface Pro 11 is as powerful as some of the best Windows laptops, but super thin, light, and very adaptable.
