The new Surface Pro 11 has the game-changing feature I was hoping for
Microsoft Surface Pro 11th edition has been unveiled, and it looks like a bigger upgrade than what many of us were expecting. There's a new processor, new display and there's even a new keyboard, making it look like a significant improvement over the Surface Pro 9).
Revealed today, Microsoft's latest hybrid tablet-laptop isn't being called Surface Pro 11, but the '11th generation Surface Pro'. Microsoft's naming system went a bit wonky with the release of the Surface Pro 10 as a business-only device earlier in the year, and it seems to be aiming for a fresh start. That's also apparent in how it's signalling a radical break from the Surface Pro's predecessors, claiming that the new products vastly surpass them (and Apple's).
Microsoft Surface Pro 11 specs
Microsoft has dubbed its new Surface products (it's also announced a new Surface Laptop) 'Copilot Plus PCs' as it continues to go all in on AI. The Surface Pro comes with a new Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus or Elite processors, which Microsoft claims makes it up to 90 percent faster than the Surface Pro 9. There'a new Neural Processing Unit (NPU) to handle on-device AI tasks, along with connection to large language models running in the Azure Cloud. As for the display, it's following quick on the heels of Apple's new M4 iPad Pros with an OLED screen for improved contrast (this is an optional extra).
Other specs include Wi-Fi 7 support, optional 5G, two USB 4 ports and significantly improved cameras: the front camera is an ultrawide quad HD system while the one on the back sports a 10MP sensor. Size remains the same as the previous Surface Pro, and the weight remains under 1kg. Microsoft claims up to 14 hours of video playback, though I'll take that with a grain of salt as it advertised the Surface Pro 9 as having 15.5, which I have not managed to match on my own.
Faster performance is very welcome. I've been using the Surface Pro 9 daily since its release, and it can handle most of what I need it too, but it does start to struggle with demanding video editing. However, there's also big news when it comes to the peripherals too, and this is what I most like the sound off.
The new Surface Pro also has a new keyboard accessory, the Surface Pro Flex Keyboard. The novelty here is that the keyboard can be used detached from the device whereas the Surface Pro 9 and previous models have to be docked in the Type Cover to use the keyboard, which limits their versatility.
A keyboard that can be used when detached greatly increases the range of working setups possible, including using laptop tables or using the keyboard on your lap with the tablet on a table. It should also make using the device with a stylus in tablet mode more practical since it will no longer mean losing access to the keyboard. One of the big advantages of a Windows tablet is being able to use full desktop software like Photoshop on touchscreen display with a stylus, but losing access to keyboard shortcuts, for example, really limits that.
As for colours, the new Microsoft Surface Pro offers four options: black, sapphire, platinum and dune (a kind of gold-beige).
Microsoft Surface Pro 11 price and release date
The 11th gen Surface Pro starts at $999. Preorders are open at Amazon and Microsoft for an 18 June release date. The base model has an LCD display, X Plus processor, 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The configuration with the X Elite chip and the OLED screen starts at $1,500, while the top-spec configuration with 32GB of RAM, 1TB of storage costs $2,100.
The new Flex Keyboard costs $450 and thankfully now comes with the Slim Pen included. There's also an option with bold keys and a 14 percent larger touchpad for improved accessibility. Is it worth upgrading from the Surface Pro 9? I'm impressed with what's on offer, and the new keyboard alone has a lot of appeal, but I'll be waiting until we have completed our own review to reach a verdict.
