Surface Pro X

Summary

The Surface Pro X is a 2-in-1 detachable tablet computer developed by Microsoft. It was developed alongside and was announced on 2 October 2019 alongside the Surface Pro 7 and Surface Laptop 3.[1] Updated hardware was announced alongside Surface Laptop Go and Surface accessories on October 1, 2020[2] and September 22, 2021.[3] The device starts at $899.99 USD / £849.99.[4][5]

Surface Pro X
DeveloperMicrosoft
Product familyMicrosoft Surface
Type2-in-1 detachable
GenerationSeventh
Release dateSQ1: 2 October 2019;
4 years ago
 (2019-10-02)
SQ2: 1 October 2020;
3 years ago
 (2020-10-01)
AvailabilitySQ1: 22 October 2019;
4 years ago
 (2019-10-22)
SQ2: 13 October 2020;
3 years ago
 (2020-10-13)
Introductory priceSQ1": USD 900 to 1,900
SQ2": USD 1,300 to 1,900
Operating systemWindows 10
(upgradeable to Windows 11)
CPUMicrosoft SQ1 or SQ2
(co-developed with Qualcomm)
Memory8 or 16 GB LPDDR4x RAM
Storage512 GB, 256 GB, 128 GB removable SSD
Removable storagenone
Display13-inch touchscreen
PixelSense display
2880 × 1920, 267 PPI
3:2 aspect ratio, 450 nits
GraphicsSQ1: Adreno 685 GPU
SQ2: Adreno 690 GPU
Sound2W stereo speakers Dolby Audio
InputBuilt in: touchscreen, ambient light sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer
Sold separately: keyboard, touchpad, mouse, stylus pen, Surface Dial
CameraFront: 5 MP, 1080p HD
Rear: 10 MP, 4K
TouchpadAvailable with Surface Type Cover accessory
ConnectivityWiFi 5, Bluetooth 5, USB 3, LTE A, GPS
Online servicesMicrosoft Store, OneDrive
Dimensions287 mm x 208 mm x 7.3 mm
(11.3 in x 8.2 in x 0.28 in)
Mass774 g (1.706 lb) tablet only
PredecessorSurface 2
SuccessorSurface Pro 9
Websitewww.surface.com

The Surface Pro X comes with a Microsoft SQ1 or SQ2 ARM processor, which the company claimed has three times the performance of an x86 MacBook Air, whilst also having a 13-hour battery life. This is due to the increased power efficiency of ARM processors compared to traditional x86 processors.[1][6][7] Microsoft has previously used ARM processors in the discontinued Surface RT and Windows Phone devices.

Microsoft now offers a Wifi-only version of the device as announced at their Surface Event on September 22, 2021.[8]

Configuration edit

The Surface Pro X starts at US$899.99 / £849.99 for the least expensive model with 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage.

The device can be bought with either 8 GB or 16 GB RAM. Users can also choose between 128 GB, 256 GB and 512 GB of storage.[9]

Surface Pro X configuration options[10][11][12]
Price tier in USD CPU GPU RAM Internal storage LTE Color
Consumer Business
$900 Microsoft SQ1 Adreno 685 8 GB 128 GB    P 
$1,000 $1,100    B 
$1,100 256 GB    P 
$1,300 $1,400    B 
$1,500 $1,600 16 GB  B 
$1,800 $1,900 512 GB  B 
$1,300 Microsoft SQ2 Adreno 690 256 GB    P 
$1,500 $1,600    P   B 
$1,500 512 GB    P 
$1,800 $1,900    P   B 

 Platinum   Black 

Hardware and design edit

The Surface Pro X is the 7th addition to Surface Pro lineup alongside the Surface Pro 7. Microsoft markets the tablet as a "go-anywhere, do-anything PC".[13] Microsoft claims the Surface Pro X's battery can last up to 13 hours of use.

Compared to the Surface Pro 6, the Surface Pro X is slimmer and has rounder edges featuring a matte black finish construction in platinum and black finish. The device contains 2 USB-C ports, an eSIM and a SIM card slot for LTE, a removable SSD, and the Surface Connect port for charging. There are no microSD card slot and headphone jack on the tablet, requiring its users to use dongles and USB-C or Bluetooth enabled headphones.[13]

The device's screen is a 13-inch touchscreen display, with smaller bezels compared to other Surface Pro devices.[14]

The device uses Microsoft SQ1 or SQ2[15] ARM processors co-developed by Qualcomm, based on the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 1 and Gen 2 processors respectively. A Qualcomm X24 LTE modem is also featured in the device for both processors.

Software edit

The Surface Pro X comes pre-installed with an ARM-based version of Windows 10, which supports ARM32 and ARM64 UWP and desktop apps from the Microsoft Store or from other sources. x86 applications can be run through emulation, addressing a major issue of Windows RT.[16][17][18] Emulation of x64 applications is an upcoming feature that is already available to Windows Insiders for testing.[19] In addition, Hyper-V can be installed on ARM64 devices such as the Surface Pro X running the Pro or Enterprise editions of Windows 10.[20]

Timeline edit

Timeline of Surface devices
Surface Duo 2Surface DuoSurface Hub 3Surface Hub 2SSurface HubSurface Studio 2Surface Studio 2Surface StudioSurface Laptop SESurface Laptop Studio 2Surface Laptop StudioSurface Laptop Go 3Surface Laptop Go 2Surface Laptop GoSurface Laptop 6Surface Laptop 5Surface Laptop 4Surface Laptop 3Surface Laptop 2Surface LaptopSurface Book 3Surface Book 2Surface BookSurface Pro XSurface Pro XSurface Go 4Surface Go 3Surface Go 2Surface GoSurface Pro 10Surface Pro 9Surface Pro 8Surface Pro 7Surface Pro 7Surface Pro 6Surface Pro (2017)Surface Pro 4Surface Pro 3Surface Pro 2Surface ProSurface 3Surface 2Surface (2012 tablet)
Sources: Microsoft Devices Blog Microsoft Store


References edit

  1. ^ a b Faulkner, Cameron (2 October 2019). "How to preorder Microsoft's new Surface hardware". The Verge. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  2. ^ "Microsoft's updated Surface Pro X has a faster processor and new platinum color option". The Verge. 1 October 2020.
  3. ^ "Everything announced at Microsoft's Surface hardware event". Windows Central. 22 September 2021. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  4. ^ "Meet the New Surface Pro X – Ultra-thin and Always Connected – Microsoft Surface". Microsoft Store. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  5. ^ "Meet the New Surface Pro X – Ultra-thin and always connected – Microsoft Surface". Microsoft Store. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  6. ^ "ARM Takes Wing: Qualcomm vs. Intel CPU comparison". The Cloudflare Blog. 8 November 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  7. ^ Dubey, Yetnesh (22 April 2019). "CPU Comparison: X86 vs ARM — Will Intel i9 9900K Stay Atop?". Fossbytes. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  8. ^ "The Surface Pro X gets a Wi-Fi-only version". The Verge. 22 September 2021.
  9. ^ "Configure your Surface Pro X". Microsoft Store.
  10. ^ "Configure Surface Pro X". Microsoft Store.
  11. ^ "Configure Surface Pro X for Business". Microsoft Store.
  12. ^ "Configure your Surface Pro X". www.microsoft.com. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  13. ^ a b Brant, Tom (6 November 2019). "Microsoft Surface Pro X". PC Mag.
  14. ^ Warren, Tom (6 November 2019). "Surface Pro X vs Pro 7: ARM Needs Some Legs". The Verge.
  15. ^ Blog, Microsoft Devices (1 October 2020). "Introducing Surface Laptop Go, new updates to Surface Pro X and new accessories". Microsoft Devices Blog. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  16. ^ hickeys. "Windows 10 on ARM – UWP applications". docs.microsoft.com. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  17. ^ hickeys. "How x86 and ARM32 emulation work on ARM – UWP applications". docs.microsoft.com. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  18. ^ Tracy, Phillip (8 October 2019). "Surface Pro X with ARM CPU: What It Can (and Can't) Run". LaptopMag. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  19. ^ "Microsoft announces support for x64 emulation on Windows 10 on ARM". MSPoweruser. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  20. ^ Blog, Windows Insider (21 May 2020). "Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19631". Windows Insider Blog. Retrieved 22 January 2021.