Surface Pro 11 review: A stunning achievement by Microsoft and Qualcomm, making it one of the best Windows PCs of 2024

---

 

The temperatures and thermals of the Surface Pro 11 have been suitable, but it can still get toasty under sustained load, e.g., Cinebench, which hammers the CPU at 100% for 10 minutes. In that case, the back of Surface Pro 11 can hit 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 degrees Celsius). The front of Surface Pro 11 (center and upper display) gets warm but never hot at 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius). The fan also kicks in at this point but remains relatively quiet. (Being summer, testing conditions were above average for ambient temperatures in the upper 70s degrees Fahrenheit (~26 degrees Celsius), so these results are skewed higher).

 

But what about everyday use? The Qualcomm chip does well here; it barely gets warm to the touch and runs effectively silent the whole time.

Windows 11 battery estimate on Surface Pro 11. (Image credit: Daniel Rubino)

 

On battery life, Surface Pro 11 failed to complete our typical PCMark 10 battery benchmarks, but looking to Windows Battery Report, which generates a history of discharge, recharge, and standby times, Surface Pro 11 has averaged 10 hours and 7 minutes, peaking as high as 15 hours and 03 minutes and as low as 6 hours and 20 minutes (due to gaming). 

 

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. (Image credit: Daniel Rubino)

 

Those numbers are impressive for two reasons: First, these are real-world numbers, not estimates nor synthetic benchmarks, but rather my using Surface Pro 11 as a regular laptop for the last two weeks. The second reason is that Surface Pro 8/9 only managed 6 to 7 hours of real-world usage from our previous reviews, sometimes getting 8 hours and other times close to 5, depending on variables like display brightness and CPU/GPU usage.

 

To be clear, Surface Pro 11 likely has the lowest battery life of all the new Snapdragon X PCs due to its unique and compact form factor, but 10 hours of real-world usage is a massive gain from previous iterations and effectively makes Surface Pro 11 an all-day device. Standby battery life is also fantastic as the Surface Pro 11 may lose at most 2% overnight, but it's usually less.

Surface Pro 11: Copilot+ AI

The Surface Pro 11 is one of the first in a wave of new Copilot+ PCs, which focus on AI. (Image credit: Microsoft)

 

Microsoft classifies the Surface Pro 11 as a "Copilot+ PC," a new umbrella term for AI PC laptops with specific specifications: 16GB RAM, an NPU of 40+ TOPS, and a minimum of 256GB storage. Surface Pro 11 fits into this category, granting access to all the exclusive Copilot+ features designed to run locally on the dedicated neural processing unit (NPU).

 

In short, the NPU, along with software in Windows 11 and software from third-party vendors, can run AI software much faster and more securely than sending it to the cloud and having it come down again, which is currently how most AI apps are handled due to the complexity of the task.

 

However, up to this point, the roster of Copilot+ features has been somewhat underwhelming. Currently, four main Copilot+ features are available, with the standout Copilot+ feature (Windows Recall) set to launch later in the year. Users can enjoy enhanced Windows Studio Effects, Cocreator in Paint, Image Generator in Photos, and translations in Live Captions.

 

I won’t dwell too much on these features, as our senior reporter Zac Bowden covered them in his Surface Laptop 7 review. We will have deeper dives on Copilot+ for more information.

 

For now, what you need to know is this:

Windows Studio Effects is very good. When you are on video calls, the ability to align your eyes to the camera automatically, the high-quality background blur (two options), and various effects not only look outstanding but also do not affect performance (e.g., dropped frame rates) because the NPU is so good at what it does.

The Surface Pro 11 is sapphire blue is stunning. (Image credit: Daniel Rubino)

 

Cocreator in Paint is theoretically excellent but a bit underbaked at this point and goofy. As the AI behind it improves, I can see this being a fantastic feature for those not artistic who need to create images for PowerPoint or other creative endeavors, as it is effectively AI-assisted drawing. If you have an idea, you can sketch it out, prompt MS Paint what you intend, and watch as the AI redraws it. You can use a slider to tell the system just how much AI assistance you want, too, which is clever.

 

The same applies to Live Captions translation, but more improvements are needed. By hitting the button in the quick menu, you can turn on instant captions for any video being played or even audio apps like Spotify. It’s a bit of a hit-and-miss in the various languages, but the translation or even conversion to captions is extremely quick.

 

I guess this is cool? AI Image Generator in Photos doesn't do much at the moment. (Image credit: Daniel Rubino)

 

Finally, there is Image Generator in Photos, which can create new photo backgrounds using AI. However, I found it useless or gimmicky like some other AI features here. That’s a shame, but assuming Microsoft can build out AI better in its Photos app, it could someday be a valuable inbox tool for those who want to do some advanced editing without the required skills.

 

Overall, please don’t buy a Surface Pro 11 for the AI features today but rather for its powerful hardware to take advantage of new AI apps coming to the market. Even if you think AI is a passing phase (I do not believe that), there is no downside to having an NPU in your computer, just in case.

Surface Pro 11: Flex Keyboard & touchpad

The new Surface Pro Flex Keyboad and Slim Pen are outstanding. (Image credit: Daniel Rubino)

 

While Windows Central broke the news that Microsoft would be using Qualcomm’s new processors for its Surface PCs, we missed the part about the new Surface Pro Flex Keyboard, which I think is a game changer.

 

While paying $450 for a keyboard (which includes the Surface Slim Pen; $350 without one) is a lot, there is a good reason for the extra cost — in fact, here are three reasons:

 

1.      It’s now fully wireless.

2.      It has a built-in battery to operate wirelessly.

3.      It now has a superior haptic touchpad.

 

If that doesn’t justify the cost, think of it this way: I mentioned earlier that the Surface Pro 11 with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage is $400 cheaper than the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Pro 9, with Intel processors and the same RAM/SSD configuration. If you throw in the $140 Surface Pro keyboard (no Slim Pen), you will pay $1,539 for the experience or $1,679 with the Slim Pen with the Intel versions.

The Alcantara fabric still feels great on the Surface Pro Flex Keyboard. (Image credit: Daniel Rubino)

 

However, you only pay $1,449 for the Surface Pro 11 and the Surface Pro Flex Keyboard with Slim Pen, which is $230 cheaper than a Surface Pro 9/10 with Slim Pen and the older keyboard. I can’t see how this isn’t a win for consumers.

 

(I’d also mention this keyboard has the new dedicated Copilot key, but I don’t consider that a significant addition.)

 

Going deeper into those new features, the Flex keyboard now has wireless Bluetooth built-in, so you can pull the keyboard off the Surface Pro 11 and continue to use it remotely. Such a setup is ideal on an airplane (keep the Surface Pro 11 on the table and use the keyboard in your lap) or if you prefer a more flexible setup (hence, I assume the new Flex name).

Using the Flex Keyboard at a distance thanks to Bluetooth reall opens up possibilities for using Surface Pro 11. (Image credit: Daniel Rubino)

 

There was no delay in separating the keyboard and continuing to use it—it all worked seamlessly. Moreover, as Bluetooth 5.4 is on board Surface Pro 11, there was no delay or stutter when typing, which can sometimes happen when devices use older Bluetooth protocols.

 

So, that's one reason for the extra cost, but for the keyboard to work wirelessly, it also had to have a battery built in, which this does. That battery adds some thickness and a bit of weight, but it also lets Microsoft make the keyboard stiffer, so there is less flex when pressing down on the board (something some users have complained about the older keyboards). 

 

The battery recharges when connected to Surface Pro 11 (there is no other way), and users can check the battery status using the Surface app.

 

Microsoft claims the Flex Keyboard can provide up to 41 hours of continuous typing while detached, although that number will depend on whether you have the backlight enabled. The critical takeaway is that it'll last a reasonable amount of time.

The haptic touchpad is not only accurate, but it's also slightly wider and taller than previous versions. (Image credit: Daniel Rubino)

 

Luckily, even though you can operate the Flex keyboard over Bluetooth, the keyboard's multi-stage backlight still works as you had hoped.

 

In a clever move, Microsoft also allows the hinge/connector area of the Flex keyboard to roll over on itself, which adds a few millimeters of elevation to the front of the keyboard when on a hard surface, adding a touch of ergonomics (and keeping the connectors out of the way). The Surface team's attention to detail here is fantastic.

The Surface Pro Flex Keyboad can "roll over itself" when used independently to add a bit of ergonomic lift. (Image credit: Daniel Rubino)

 

Another change is the Slim Pen charging slot. While it’s still at the top of the keyboard, it is now constantly exposed, whereas previous iterations hid it behind the fold of the keyboard and the Surface Pro’s display bezel. This is good as it allows easy access to the Slim Pen, where previously, you had to pull your keyboard away from the screen to get to the pen. It’s a slight reduction in the usage barrier but effective, as you are now more likely to reach for that Slim Pen.

 

Despite the space taken by the new exposed pen charging slot, the new touchpad is surprisingly wider and a smidge taller than the Surface Pro keyboard with Slim Pen.

The new Flex Keyboard's haptic touchpad lets you enlarge the right-click area. (Image credit: Daniel Rubino)

 

Speaking of the touchpad, the new haptic technology is a welcome addition. Based on technology developed by Sensel, the new haptic touchpad is fast, accurate, consistent, and nicely adjustable. I’ve written a lot about haptic touchpads in the past and consider them a premium feature that all high-end laptops should include. Since there are no moving parts, the touchpad is less likely to fail after long-term usage. You can also adjust how much the touchpad “clicks” using built-in software and even enlarge the right-click zone to your liking (I found the default click zone too small, so through the Surface app, I went to the medium-sized one and now have no false clicks).

 

Whether you find value in these features in the new Surface Pro Flex Keyboard is up to you. As a regular user of Surface Pro, I found these features to be an exciting evolution of this series, and I highly recommend the Flex Keyboard if you can afford it.

 

If all that is too much for you, you can grab the regular Surface Pro keyboard for $140 or one of the many in-between models to fit your needs.

Surface Pro 11: Camera and mic

The rear 10MP camera is often very useful. (Image credit: Daniel Rubino)

 

Microsoft pulls no punches with the front-facing camera on the Surface Pro 11 as it packs one of the largest, by megapixel count, cameras I have seen on any laptop at 12.2MP (4:3, 4032x3024). When set to a 16:9 aspect ratio, which is more common for wider shots, the camera is still 8.3MP (3840x2160), which is still on the large end considering many laptops are at 5MP these days (exceptions being a few recent HP laptops which can push up to 8MP).

 

Combined with the previously mentioned AI tools from Windows Studio Effects, you can easily get the best webcam performance on any laptop today with auto-framing, two levels of background blur, gaze correction, and various filters. The colors were punchy and warm, and the sharpness was exquisite.

The 12MP front-facing camera with Windows Hello for facial recognition.  (Image credit: Daniel Rubino)

 

If I had to nitpick, my only complaint would be that there is no privacy shutter (Microsoft has insisted for years that the white “on” LED, which is hard-wired to the camera, serves this purpose because there is no way for the camera to be on and the LED not to be). 

 

Microsoft also did not include any human presence detection (HPD) hardware. HPD hardware lets Windows PCs lock and unlock the computer based on whether there is a person in front of it using what are basically sonar sensors to detect a human form. Although Qualcomm ships this hardware as part of Snapdragon X, Microsoft did not include it, which is likely to keep costs down, as well as design and spacing considerations for the camera bezel area.

The 12MP front-facing Surface Pro 11 webcam with Windows Studio Effects (AI) is excellent. (Image credit: Daniel Rubino)

 

The rear 10MP camera is unique to Windows 11 PCs. While you are unlikely to rely on it over your smartphone camera, it’s good enough (and super convenient) for professional use, such as snapping whiteboards during a meeting or classroom. I’ve used the rear camera on Surface devices for these purposes before, especially when notetaking in OneNote, and have enjoyed the experience.

 

Finally, I have no complaints about the microphones. Microsoft has always had a strong game in its front-facing microphones, and Surface Pro 11 continues to provide an excellent experience for those who participate in many video calls.

Surface Pro 11: The Competition

The Microsoft Surface Pro 9 with Intel or older Qualcomm processor.  (Image credit: Zac Bowden | Windows Central)

 

There is not much competition when it comes to Surface Pro 11, as Microsoft has consistently locked up this market for years despite a few other OEMs trying to make similar devices.

 

The first obvious choice would be Surface Pro 10, which is in some ways the same laptop but with an Intel Core Ultra processor and Windows 11 Pro. There is no OLED option, and pricing starts at $1,199 for the Core Ultra 5 processor, which is $200 more than the Surface Pro 11 ($100 is the Windows 11 Pro license). Performance and battery life won’t be as good, and neither will gaming (as these aren’t gaming laptops), but if you’re concerned about app compatibility, Surface Pro 10 for business is your best bet.

 

If you want much less performance (and battery life), you could opt for an older Surface Pro 9 with its Microsoft SQ3 (Snapdragon 8cx Gen3) processor, but it is hard to recommend that device, especially at the trending ~$800 price point.

 

The new Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite. (Image credit: Windows Central)

 

Say you are OK with the performance and possible gaming limitations. Any of the new Qualcomm Snapdragon X laptops, including Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge, ASUS VivoBook S15, Surface Laptop 7, or HP OmniBook, will get you, in many cases, longer battery life and similar performance (HP’s OmniBook/EliteBooks are slightly slower due to the lower-tier Snapdragon X Elite). The tradeoff is you’re giving up the Surface Pro form factor and opting for a traditional clamshell laptop. That’s a satisfactory solution for many, as you should buy Surface Pro for its abilities, not its looks.

 

Speaking of, the new Dell XPS with Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite is nearly the same size and weight as the Surface Pro 11 (with keyboard), has the same processor, and can have a 3K tandem OLED display for around $1,899. In my early testing, I found that the XPS 13 "feels" like the Surface Pro 11 with a more traditional clamshell laptop design. 

 

ASUS has the forthcoming ProArt PZ13, a tablet/Surface Pro form factor that uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon X processor. It packs a 13-inch 3K OLED screen, is built to be more rugged, has two Type-C ports (and an SD card reader), and includes a pen and keyboard. However, I don’t expect that laptop until sometime “later this year,” likely towards October.

 

Finally, assuming you want to ditch Windows 11, you could buy a new 13-inch Apple iPad Pro. However, the starting price for that tablet is $1,299, which is $200 more than the Surface Pro 11 ($999). If you add in an Apple Pencil ($79) and Magic Keyboard ($349), the price is now bumped up to $1,727 compared to $1,278 for Surface Pro 11 and the regular Surface Pro Keyboard with Slim Pen (or $1,448 if you opt for the newer Flex Keyboard and Slim Pen combo). Indeed, for $1 more than that iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard/Pencil combo, you could get the premium Surface Pro 11 with an OLED display and double your storage to 512GB.

Surface Pro 11: Scorecard

Surface Pro 11: Should you buy it?

The Microsoft Surface Pro 11 and Flex Keyboard take the Surface Pro line to a new level. (Image credit: Daniel Rubino)

✅ You should buy this if...

• You want the best Surface Pro ever. Please make no mistake; it's now cheaper, much faster, and has a much better battery life. Add the OLED HDR600 display and new Flex Keyboard, and the Surface Pro 9 looks like a joke.
• You want the best of Windows 11. With a pen, inking, touchscreen, tablet design, NPU for AI, variable form factor, small, portable, solid battery life, 12MP camera, 5G (soon), and excellent performance, Surface Pro 11 shows the best of what Windows can do in 2024. 
• You're a creator. The Surface Pro 11 is perfect for students, professionals, artists, and anyone who creates for a living or a hobby. Of course, it's also excellent for consuming media like binging movies. 

❌ You should not buy this if...

• You want to game a lot: Sure, Surface Pro 11, like its predecessors, can do light gaming, but unless most of your games are on Steam, Epic, and not the Microsoft Store, you should probably look elsewhere.
• You're a video editor. You can edit video on Surface Pro 11, but if you're regularly doing 4K 60 FPS, I don't know why you wouldn't get a larger laptop with an NVIDIA GPU. 
• You don't like the form factor. Some people love Surface Pro's design, while others hate it. Which are you? Luckily, Microsoft has a Surface Laptop 7.

 

---

 

The short version of this review is that the new Surface Pro 11 and Flex Keyboard are an outstanding combination that dramatically improves the Surface Pro line—only the original Surface Pro and Surface Pro 4 rival it in terms of impact.

 

Qualcomm’s new processors are getting a lot of attention (for good reason), and there is much hedging, hawing, and drama surrounding how they compare to Apple.

 

In many ways, this all misses the point. We need to answer only one question: Is Surface Pro 11 significantly faster than previous versions, and does it have significantly longer battery life? The answer to both of those questions is a resounding yes. 

 

It’s not even close or debatable.

 

Adding things like a very bright OLED HDR600 display, that gorgeous dune colorway, an outstanding 12MP front-facing camera, and all the new features of the Flex Keyboard, the Surface Pro 11 is a massive win for Windows users and makes it one of the best AI PCs of 2024.

 

There’s also the fact that the Surface Pro 11’s entry-level model is now $400 cheaper than the Surface Pro 9 with the same configuration, which stacks up to the top configuration.

 

While I understand the concern around gaming (and I did my best to try and answer that here as a casual gamer), I think you should never buy a Surface Pro if gaming is one of your main goals for a laptop. Full stop: you should buy something with a discrete NVIDIA RTX GPU if you like gaming. Relying on Intel, AMD, or Qualcomm’s integrated GPUs and calling yourself a “gamer” is weird. Second, the GPU here is capable of gaming but is being held back by some software compatibility, especially with anti-cheat solutions, but it will take time for the drivers to mature and games to catch up. 

 

Qualcomm told me its goal with gen 1 of Snapdragon X was CPU performance and battery life, which it accomplished. I suspect that, with generation 2 and beyond, we'll see Qualcomm's GPU performance ramp up, similar to what Apple has done (the Apple M3 and Apple M4 are more about their GPU improvements than the CPU, which are minimal).

 

What matters to me, as someone who uses Surface Pro as their regular PC for home and travel use, is that I can use it for its intended purpose. That includes Office, OneNote, web, Slack, Telegram, WhatsApp, Spotify, watching movies, YouTube, Discord, Adobe Photoshop Elements 2024, Google Meet, Skype, Outlook, Twitter/Threads, Copilot … Not only do all these apps run on Surface Pro 11, it is the fastest experience I’ve had in such a form factor and runs better than many of my Intel and AMD laptops and gets better battery life.

The Surface Pro 11 is as powerful as some of the best Windows laptops, but super thin, light, and very adaptable. (Image credit: Daniel Rubino)

 

The only real complaint I can understand about Surface Pro 11 is that some people don't want this form factor, which is fair. However, I'm not one of those people. 

 

Can someone out there find non-mainstream apps like Rekordbox (professional DJ software) that won’t work? Sure (it relies on AVX2, something currently not supported). And Qualcomm will direct you to Djay Pro Neural Mix Pro, a native Arm64 app. Likewise, we’re still waiting on compatibility for Adobe Premiere later this year (Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop have been supported for years). Still, users can now download DaVinci Resolve 19/Resolve Studio 19 (beta 4), which currently supports Windows on Arm.

 

Having witnessed the evolution of every Surface Pro version and yearning for a device that excels in performance and battery life akin to the best Windows laptops (and even MacBooks), Microsoft has undeniably nailed it with the Surface Pro 11, making it a strong recommendation.

 

Source

 

Hope you enjoyed this news post.

Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years.

2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of June): 2,839 news posts