Microsoft Surface Pro 8 features of 120Hz display, 11th-gen Intel CPUs, and up to 16 hours of battery life from a single charge, plus optional LTE on new business models.
Generally, the Surface Pro is Microsoft’s high-end, which is a two-in-one PC. Microsoft Surface Pro has always been refreshed every year between 2013 and 2019 but has all been changed since then.
Notably, there wasn’t any new Microsoft Surface Pro in the year 2020, probably this is due to the pandemic. But instead, launched an updated Surface Pro X and the new surface Laptop Go in its usual October slot.
After that, the Surface Pro 7+ was introduced and came into existence in January 2021, including the feature of 11th gen Intel processor and LTE connectivity. The Surface Pro 7+ is specifically designed for education, business customer, and also an interactive update.
Surface Pro 8 was launched two years after Pro 7 came into existence, with lots of changes that make Surface Pro 8 a well significant upgrade.
Below is everything you need to know.
When was the Surface Pro 8 released?
- Already buying and selling in the United State since 5 October 2021.
- Already buying and selling in the United Kingdom since 28 October 2021.
- Business models announced on 11 January 2022, are available immediately.
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 was officially announced at the Microsoft Surface event on the 22nd of September 2021, alongside the Duo 2, Go 3, Pro X (2021), and the all-new Laptop studio.
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 is now available for buying in US and UK, likewise in other countries of the world.
The new Surface Pro 8 for Business was announced on 11 January 2022 and is now available in the United Kingdom and United State.
In India, the Pro 8 is yet to be released but is expected to be released in early 2022, though a specific date has not been revealed yet.
How much does the Surface Pro 8 cost?
The cost below is given in Euro and Dollars as thus:
- Starts at £999/US$1,099.99
- Top-spec model (32GB RAM/1TB SSD/Core i7) costs £2,459/$2599.99
The Surface Pro 8 starts at £999/US1,099.99 – that is an increase of around £100/US$100 on the equivalent i5 Pro 7 configuration, although the cheapest i3 model has been ditched in the past.
As already known, this price does not include any of the Type Cover keyboard cases, such as the new Signature Keyboard. The updated Surface Slim Pen 2 is also an optional extra.
The more affordable Surface Go 3 is also available to buy in the UK and US as of the 5th of October.
Surface Pro 8 design & features
In order to appreciate Surface Pro 8 regarding its high cost, the Surface Pro 8 includes several packages of upgrades over the Pro 7.
Display
- Bigger display – now has 13in
- 120Hz refresh rate
Microsoft has been consistent with the same display design since the existence of the Surface Pro 3 in 2014’s, which is changing finally this year.
The formal display has been 12.3in and has now increased to 13in, but the total footprint of the device is still almost the same. There is also a new revolution of 2880 x 1920 to maintain its 3:2 aspect ratio.
However, the refresh rate is one of the biggest changes in Pro 8, which now hits 120Hz. This now takes the advantage of windows 11 new Dynamic Refresh Rate (DRR) feature in order to adjust depending on what you are doing. The user needs to manually set 120Hz, even though 60Hz is set as default.
Battery life
- 16 hours of battery life
- Just over 1hr for 80% charge
Another area of upgrade in Surface 8 Pro is the ability to conserve battery life than Pro 7. After launching, Microsoft declared that Pro 8 can last up to 16 hours from just a single charge with a brightness of 150 nits compare to the 10 hours charge of Pro 7. What an upgrade!
It is made clear by Microsoft that the 24W adaptor included in the box can charge it from 0-80% within just an hour time.
Performance
- 11th-gen Intel CPUs
- Removable SSD up to 1TB (1 terabyte)
Internally the Pro 8 has also been upgraded. As expected, the Pro 8 moves to Intel’s latest Tiger Lake CPUs – consumers get a choice between the Core i5-1135G7 and the Core i7-1185G7. These have been designed on the Intel Evo Platform, the chip maker’s dedicated category for premium portable PCs.
There’s some slight variation on commercial models, with the Core i5-1145G7 joined by i7-1185G7 and entry-level i3-1115G4. The first two configurations are the only ones across the full Pro 8 lineup to support LTE connectivity after been announced on 11 January 2022.
Only the i3 models use UHD integrated graphics, with i5 and i7 models stepping up to Iris Xe. Users can also choose between 8, 16, and 32GB of DDR4x RAM
A key feature copied from the Surface Pro 7+ to Surface Pro 8 is a removable SSD – 128 and 256GB options are available on all configurations, but 512GB/1TB are limited to Wi-Fi devices only.
Cameras
- 10Mp rear camera with a 4K video support
- 5Mp front-facing camera with Windows Hello support feature.
Another beautiful upgrade on Surface Pro 8 is the rear camera of 10Mp upgraded from 8Mp on Pro 7, which now supports 4K video recording. The 5Mp front-facing camera still remains the same as it can be used for Windows Hello face unlock.
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