DETACHABLE, that word to describe Lego-inspired devices, did not start with the Microsoft Surface. The Surface however seemed to have polished the idea of the 2-in-1 detachable for two reasons.
First, it is Microsoft and thus one can conclude that the operating system running beneath the screen is modeled precisely for the hardware keeping it. Second, its design is envious–despite it being a rerun of what can be eons, in a technology timeframe, the Surface Pro 7+ used for this review does not reinvent the wheel, it recreates it.
By recreate, I mean the Surface Pro 7+ is not an instant departure from the previous versions. Clearly the bevels are slightly narrower, the profile is much thinner, the weight is tons lighter but the form factor is distinctly Surface Pro. The other side of the detachable duo also shows its design continuity, the keyboard taps much better than the Pro 6 I tried making it more conducive to QWETRY typing (versus the flatter keys of the Pro or even the 6). These are, however, all “book cover” remarks. And one does not judge the book by that, right?
The cover, however, is a good place to start talking about the Surface Pro 7.
Called the Signature Type Cover, the nice feel of the Alcantara leather is both luxurious and practical, matching the platinum grey of the device itself. This however is not included in the purchase of the detachable. One needs to fork out an additional P7,290 to get one. There is an argument here. One does not buy a desktop without the peripherals, except when one builds one.
Folding much like any tablet cover it rests at about 22 degrees, the viewing angle is perfect for most situations. In the undetached mode it naturally operates as any laptop does, but with stick-that-pen on the side trick. The shape and angle of the rear kickstand and the way the keyboard sashays into place is admirable, with 165 degrees of contour which was practically a “free-range” of motion. My daughter loved the sturdiness of the kickstand.
The inclusion of the USB-C port apart from the USB-A, separates the Surface Pro 7 from the rest of the line, but lo and behold I found out that accessories from the previous generation can be shared near-interchangeably, in fact. So with a little capsule-shaped port differentiating model variants, the impressions I have of the magnesium-alloy design are that of distinctly high quality and sleek device. It measures 0.33 by 11.5 by 7.9 inches and weighs in at just 1.7 pounds.
That is about as light or even lighter than any of the tablets I use. To put some context to that, I compared it to a 2019 Dell Venue Portable (much smaller but weighing almost a pound), a Surface Pro 6 (from 2018, about the same weight), but heavier than an Apple iPad 8th generation (1.09 lbs). It also offers the adaptability to dock into external displays and leverage the needed peripherals for a full workstation setup.
The immediate thing that we (my daughter and my youngest son also are testing the device) is the way that it heats up after charging from cold and while being charged. After that event, however, it just runs warm. This gave us notice to the wrong but common practice of using the device while plugged in became apparent.
Speaking of charging and battery life, we (using it for various activities) clocked in 14.25 hours in idle and 10 hours 15 minutes, surfing, writing using Microsoft Word, and a little photo editing with many tabs on. With more intense “work,” like watching movies and playing game emulators, it dropped to zero in about 9.5 hours in constant gameplay mode–all excellent battery times for a portable battery of which one cannot even feel.
This portable is very slick too. During its short stay, it ran everything from Adobe InDesign, Movavi Video editor, and Anydesk to run the PCs at Malaya’s Intramuros office, 87 kilometers away. That’s a lot of pressure on its processor because talking to the server at during the page layouting and editing stage is quite tedious.
Microsoft has also integrated front and rear-facing cameras into Pro 7+ with 1080p full HD video to assure face-to-face is clear and crisp (better shave before a Zoom meeting), along with Dolby Atmos speakers (major points for my son who rated the bass output with 5 stars) and dual far-field Studio Mics so people (dogs barking and chickens clucking are excluded with proper noise cancelling setting) can be heard.
And because I asked my kids to review the Surface Pro 7+ with me, here are their unashamed comments, verbatim, send to me via Messenger; “Papa, here are my comments: solid build quality esp kickstand – crisp screen – very portable – great keyboard – Alcantara material nice to the touch – high quality speakers, good bass – angled keyboard comfortable to type with – fast start up like a phone/tablet – good bass. reaaaal good.”
My youngest son, who by the way is a programmer by interest and quite techy said, “It heats up when charging, extended use – trackpad too slippery, small – screen size not ideal for multitasking – toggle fn key not the greatest – D – weird placement of on button – only one button for backlit keyboard – screen reflects when light is behind – weird placement of headphone hole – scroll sometimes laggy then will scroll forever even if i dont want it to hngggg… but it hasn’t slowed down yet with two edge windows open, total of 15 tabs (one playing music) + audacity + sticky note.” Now that’s my whole article in two comments by Gen Z’ers.
I believe that it’s all good for the P72,490 review model we got that features an Intel Quad-core i5-1135G7 processor– the latest 11th Gen Intel Core Processors, which are 2.1 times faster performance, 8GB of memory, a 256GB SSD, and the Signature Type Cover which is sold separately. Other configurations vary from the Core I3 to the pricier Core I7-1165G7.
My kids and I agree, and I say again that for that price, the lack of a proper cover and keyboard, is well, disconcerting.
Hint, hint Microsoft. You can’t have Rocky Road without the marshmallows.
