Today I’m taking a look at the… what am I taking a look at again? The Surface Pro 7… It’s easy to forget about the 7 because of all the hoopla around all the other products Microsoft announced this fall at their Surface event. cool new products like the Surface Laptop 2, the Surface Pro X and the Surface Neo, the Surface Duo, The Surface ear bobbins and uhh, wait, wasn’t there something else.

Oh, right, the Surface Pro 7. I’m sorry I’M SORRY!.

It’s understandable, it’s an incremental upgrade, but it’s an upgrade on a tried and true form factor that has Microsoft has been refining for years now. Last year’s Surface Pros were using Inte’s 8th gen processors and we see a jump to 10th gen this year AND we get a usb-c port replacing what was a mini display port along the side. It’s not thunderbolt, just USB-c, and is it just me or is this USB-c thing really confusing, I thought it was supposed to make life easier.

Why did Microsoft make the Surface pro 7, why not just release the X? I asked the pros Why did you make it? I’m sorry. I can only understand when you click or tap the provided buttons. Does the bot know there is a Pro 7!

HARDWARE

The screen still looks great, it’s 2736 x 1824. And the build quality of the Surface line in general is fantastic. The hinge is still one of my favorite parts. It’s stiff enough to stand up well at any position. The full weight of your hand will push it down when drawing but it won’t slam down on you. I just love this form factor, with a type cover it’s so thin and light. With a laptop I feel like I need to put it in a bag, this I like to carry around like a notebook. The one downside of the design is that it hasn’t changed in years, it is starting to look dated with it’s wide bezels and plasticy back.

Alongside that fancy new USB port all the kids are talking about is a standard USB port, a headphone jack, an sd card slot and a charging hole. I don’t know if that’s it’s name, I asked the chat bot but again… not great with answers.

Don’t sleep on the charging hole. I’m a big fan of magnetic power connectors. They have saved my laptop on more than one occasion, and the mini brick it runs down to has an extra usb port on it, this doesn’t send data to your computer but you could charge your phone on it so that’s cool.

Another cool thing Microsoft is doing in their computers is quick on. This is something I’ve mentioned in previous reviews and comparisons to the iPad. Windows tablets take a second to turn on where an iPad is instantaneous, Microsoft is working hard on a lot of those little user experience details and though it may seem insignificant, that kind of attention to detail adds up. And I am a fan.

PRICE AND CONFIGURATION

I like to review the configuration that I feel comfortable recommending to artists and designers. This time it’s the one that’s second to the bottom. So the one I’m reviewing has the i5 processor, 8gb of ram and 128gb of storage. This starts at $899. If you want to go higher great, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable using something lower, especially since the entry level only has 4gb of ram and the m3.

Also the matte black version makes its return but is still only available at the higher price points.

I should also point out if you want the pen and a type cover those don't come with the base price so make sure you factor that in.

Side note: If you want to jump up and get 256gb of storage it’s $300 dollars, not even Apple charges that much for a drive upgrade. Pro tip, use that SD port along the back and pop some cheap storage in there.

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