The Surface Pro X falls into a very small, very exclusive category of PC products. It's one of only a handful of new releases every year that prompt colleagues to proactively email me, asking where, when and how to get one. It's easy to see why it's got some serious buzz. The standard Surface Pro 7 is the dictionary definition of a Windows tablet-laptop hybrid, and has been that way for the past several generations, falling into a somewhat too-comfortable middle age. There have been some minor design, component and feature tweaks, but the last few versions have been almost painfully unadventurous, which is really saying something for a category that would have seemed sci-fi-like just a decade ago.
But Microsoft hasn't let its PC hardware group hit cruise control. The dual-screen Surface Neo and Duo prototypes are already among 2020's most anticipated products, even if that's based on a just a few cursory sneak peeks. And one piece of future tech that's here already is the Surface Pro X, a new take on the tablet-plus-keyboard concept that combines the feel of a PC with the DNA of a smartphone.
The X factor
You can tell the Pro X is supposed to feel futuristic because it's named X. And not X as in 10, like the iPhone X. This is a real X-Files, X-Men, XCOM-type X: the universal shorthand for the mysterious unknown.
This is, after all, a tablet of secrets. It fits most of the Surface Pro 7's features into a slimmer, lighter body. It tucks an LTE SIM card into a hidden slot under a magnetic panel. Most importantly, it takes a redesigned stylus and fits it into an innocuous magnetic cutout built right into the tiny fold where the clip-on keyboard meets the magnetic hinge.
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There's more. This is a slimmer, sleeker, more refined take on the Surface Pro idea. The keyboard cover remains excellent, backlit with frankly a more satisfying click to its keys than a MacBook. The high-res 2,880x1,920-pixel screen is surrounded by a slim, modern bezel, and the rear kickstand remains perfectly adjustable, if still not exactly lap-friendly.
So why then does the Surface Pro X feel like such a missed opportunity? The physical redesign is spot on, but diving deeper into the hardware specs and a confusing price structure, there's a lot that makes me scratch my head. It's underpowered relative to Intel-based tablets, it charges too much for its must-have accessories and software support is hit or miss.
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