Let's get down to brass tacks here; the Surface Pro 6 is an iterative upgrade to Microsoft's tablet. It has an updated quad core CPU, a much-improved battery life, and a new matte black variant. Everything else remains the same. Which is a good thing and a bad thing at the same time.
We still get the same stellar build quality that we expect from Microsoft's hardware. The input devices such as keyboards and touchscreen are still some of the most advanced in tech. The problem is that it's been like that for a long time and OEMs like HP and Samsung are on their heels now. Samsung's recent release of the Galaxy Book 2, for one, looks and feels as good as a Surface Pro device. But, it has an innovative new Snapdragon CPU that allows it to do things that the Surface Pro just couldn't.
The lack of innovation is a tad bit alarming, but the failure to update the ports to USB Type C borders on outrageous. But, if there's something that the Surface line has proven is that it's willing to ride out the derision. They did this with the first two Surface products. It was only on their 5th trial with the Surface Pro 3 did they hit gold.
Before that happens again, we're stuck with this excellent but unimaginative update. It's an excellent but boring mobile computer. At the $899 baseline price for an 8th generation Core-i5 processor, there is some serious proposition for value for money here.
Externals
It still comes in the grey finish. The matte black one is a special edition. It still has that strong kickstand whose hinge is considered an engineering marvel. The magnesium build feels as solid as ever too.
The display is also basically the same as 2017's refresh. It has a 12.3-inch screen with a 3:2 aspect ratio and a 2,736 x 1,824 resolution. Technically, you can fit all the cases and accessories made for last year's model with this new one.
Internals
It's what's under the hood that should get you excited. The Coffee Lake chips on the new Surface Pro 6 are quadcore. These new computers should be more adept at multitasking and intense computing tasks.
This new chip also helps solve one of the gripes that owners have always had with their Surface devices - battery life. Through video loop tests, the entry-level Coffee Lake Core-i5 has an entire hour over its predecessor. In web browsing benchmarks, it also scores great with a 1.5-hour improvement on last year's models. These numbers total to about 9 hours on a video loop and 10:30 hours on web browsing. Finally, the advertised whole day battery life is fulfilled.
User Experience
The hardware and software come together to form the user experience. In this metric, the Surface Pro has always delivered. The product integration is extremely well done. The Surface Pro Type Cover is still excellent as ever and the Surface Pen is still one of the best in the business. These two are the most basic add-ons. But for more advanced users, there are other more specialized peripherals. The Surface Dial greatly increases the tablet's capacity as a digital artist's machine. The Surface Dock gives you more of a desktop experience with your device. These peripherals complete the Surface experience.
What has always plagued Surface Pros when it comes to UX is that it doesn't know what it wants to be. It's advertised as the tablet that can replace your laptop. But, the truth is, it's not much of a tablet. Windows 10 still doesn't have enough mobile applications to justify using it as a tablet.
As a portable laptop, it's excellent. The 3:2 aspect ratio is perfect for productivity. It allows for more vertical content to be displayed. The screen is also great for reading content and writing documents. Letters remain crisp whatever the magnification. The brightness is also excellent for sunlight readability.
Where it shines brightest is in digital art content creation. The color reproduction is on point and the pixel density is perfect for photo and video editing. The only problem is that if you already own an older Surface Pro, there is no reason for you to upgrade. Every single content creation peripheral is compatible with old models too.
Verdict
In summation, the Surface Pro 6, on its own, is an excellent 2-in-1 laptop. But it's not balanced between the two things that it's trying to be. It's more of a laptop-first device. It’s even more troubling that it’s been like this for a long time now.
The main problem with this year's iteration is not with the computer itself. It's with the level of progress. It would be nice if Microsoft can balance it out a little bit with more mobile applications. But, it's been like this since 2015's Surface Pro 3 so it's looks like it's never going to happen. And, when you pass off colorway as a new feature in a consumer tech product, it sends the message that you've run out of ideas.
To think that Microsoft's Surface line is more like a proof of concept rather than a true product line, the lack of innovation is alarming. It's even scarier still that the company is showing some hesitation in adopting the USB Type C port. It's clearly already becoming the new connectivity standard. Their clinging to the older generation destroys its futureproofing which can be a deal breaker.
More dangerous to its crown as the best 2-in-1 are the rivals that are coming out challenge it. Apple's iPad Pro just got a major nod from Adobe by making a full-featured Photoshop app for it. Samsung's Galaxy Book 2 has more battery life and excellent Always On capabilities. Both have similar capacities as the Surface Pro 6. The interesting part of this now is how the Surface Pro team is going to try level up their already exquisite product.
We still get the same stellar build quality that we expect from Microsoft's hardware. The input devices such as keyboards and touchscreen are still some of the most advanced in tech. The problem is that it's been like that for a long time and OEMs like HP and Samsung are on their heels now. Samsung's recent release of the Galaxy Book 2, for one, looks and feels as good as a Surface Pro device. But, it has an innovative new Snapdragon CPU that allows it to do things that the Surface Pro just couldn't.
The lack of innovation is a tad bit alarming, but the failure to update the ports to USB Type C borders on outrageous. But, if there's something that the Surface line has proven is that it's willing to ride out the derision. They did this with the first two Surface products. It was only on their 5th trial with the Surface Pro 3 did they hit gold.
Before that happens again, we're stuck with this excellent but unimaginative update. It's an excellent but boring mobile computer. At the $899 baseline price for an 8th generation Core-i5 processor, there is some serious proposition for value for money here.
Externals
It still comes in the grey finish. The matte black one is a special edition. It still has that strong kickstand whose hinge is considered an engineering marvel. The magnesium build feels as solid as ever too.
The display is also basically the same as 2017's refresh. It has a 12.3-inch screen with a 3:2 aspect ratio and a 2,736 x 1,824 resolution. Technically, you can fit all the cases and accessories made for last year's model with this new one.
Internals
It's what's under the hood that should get you excited. The Coffee Lake chips on the new Surface Pro 6 are quadcore. These new computers should be more adept at multitasking and intense computing tasks.
This new chip also helps solve one of the gripes that owners have always had with their Surface devices - battery life. Through video loop tests, the entry-level Coffee Lake Core-i5 has an entire hour over its predecessor. In web browsing benchmarks, it also scores great with a 1.5-hour improvement on last year's models. These numbers total to about 9 hours on a video loop and 10:30 hours on web browsing. Finally, the advertised whole day battery life is fulfilled.
User Experience
The hardware and software come together to form the user experience. In this metric, the Surface Pro has always delivered. The product integration is extremely well done. The Surface Pro Type Cover is still excellent as ever and the Surface Pen is still one of the best in the business. These two are the most basic add-ons. But for more advanced users, there are other more specialized peripherals. The Surface Dial greatly increases the tablet's capacity as a digital artist's machine. The Surface Dock gives you more of a desktop experience with your device. These peripherals complete the Surface experience.
What has always plagued Surface Pros when it comes to UX is that it doesn't know what it wants to be. It's advertised as the tablet that can replace your laptop. But, the truth is, it's not much of a tablet. Windows 10 still doesn't have enough mobile applications to justify using it as a tablet.
As a portable laptop, it's excellent. The 3:2 aspect ratio is perfect for productivity. It allows for more vertical content to be displayed. The screen is also great for reading content and writing documents. Letters remain crisp whatever the magnification. The brightness is also excellent for sunlight readability.
Where it shines brightest is in digital art content creation. The color reproduction is on point and the pixel density is perfect for photo and video editing. The only problem is that if you already own an older Surface Pro, there is no reason for you to upgrade. Every single content creation peripheral is compatible with old models too.
Verdict
In summation, the Surface Pro 6, on its own, is an excellent 2-in-1 laptop. But it's not balanced between the two things that it's trying to be. It's more of a laptop-first device. It’s even more troubling that it’s been like this for a long time now.
The main problem with this year's iteration is not with the computer itself. It's with the level of progress. It would be nice if Microsoft can balance it out a little bit with more mobile applications. But, it's been like this since 2015's Surface Pro 3 so it's looks like it's never going to happen. And, when you pass off colorway as a new feature in a consumer tech product, it sends the message that you've run out of ideas.
To think that Microsoft's Surface line is more like a proof of concept rather than a true product line, the lack of innovation is alarming. It's even scarier still that the company is showing some hesitation in adopting the USB Type C port. It's clearly already becoming the new connectivity standard. Their clinging to the older generation destroys its futureproofing which can be a deal breaker.
More dangerous to its crown as the best 2-in-1 are the rivals that are coming out challenge it. Apple's iPad Pro just got a major nod from Adobe by making a full-featured Photoshop app for it. Samsung's Galaxy Book 2 has more battery life and excellent Always On capabilities. Both have similar capacities as the Surface Pro 6. The interesting part of this now is how the Surface Pro team is going to try level up their already exquisite product.