2019 Microsoft Surface Pro 7 with Intel Core i5-1035G4 (12.3-inch, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) Platinum (Renewed)

I am not a performance user. I bought this to have a large quality screen tablet for media consumption. I got this during a sales so it was much cheaper than the 12.9" iPad Pro. (I wouldn't have chosen this over the iPad if it was full price.) I have not noticed any limitation during my casual usage. I was expecting poor battery life based on internet reviews, but for my usage, I found my recharge interval to be quite similar to my 2016 MacBook Pro and iPad Air 3.From my personal experience, the app quality isn't as good as the Apple eco-system. For example, the Netflix app on Windows started emitting an annoying high pitch sound which the Apple and Samsung apps don't. However, being a full functional Windows device, I can just use the Netflix website on Edge.On paper, I was worried that the screen brightness isn't as high as the iPad (400nits vs 500nits), but I haven't noticed any difference compared to my iPad Air 3. Also, the sound experience is much better than my iPad Air 3 (despite some YouTube reviews suggesting otherwise).The Windows Hello feature is fantastic and I really like having expandable storage via MicroSD card (I bought a 256GB card for less than £30). The touch screen function is a little imprecise, which is due to the Windows software rather than hardware, but if your usage need precision control then you will need a mouse or trackpad.Overall, I am extremely happy with Surface Pro 7 for my Prime and Netflix viewing and I appreciate having more computing functionality that this Windows devices offers. I especially like having the Windows file management, as well as the USB-A and USB-C connector.

Great tablet or laptop, to be honest this the second surface pro I've bought. They are a good value and quality product.I've recently been asked about adding RAM to the product, in short you can't, you can add extra memory in the from of an SD card and assign apps and storage to that drive. 8gb of RAM should be sufficient for most usage including technical work (development etc) the 10th gen core i5 is faster and more efficient than a 9th gen i7 the RAM fitted is the fastest available at the time of design, as is the SSD (main hard drive).This reduces the workload on the ram as processing is completed faster and reduces the size of the RAM required.This is my reason for saying its good value as many similar priced items do not have the same speed or quality.Hope this helps, also in performance reviews the Surface Pro is comparable to the macbook (if its better or not is subjective). Hope this helps.

Looking for something with a smaller footprint than a standard laptop (and cheaper than various Air or Ultrabook type devices) I decided to take the plunge with a Surface Pro 7 (i5/8GB/128GB) to replace my (dead) Thinkpad x201.Great battery life of at least 6-8 hours doing work tasks or surfing web etc with some video content (probably get 5 hours if only watching video at a guess, not something I have done yet). It is eminently portable and feels nicely solid. But take care without some kind of buffer surround /case to protect corners, then I would expect screen cracking/damage if you are not careful. I recommend a tempered glass screen protector along with a surround type case (rubber/plastic material - lightweight and fairly unobtrusive but does spoil the sleek, shiny appearance of the device).There are a range of keyboards available (I got mine 2nd hand, brand new condition from a well known high street / online store for a fraction of the new price of £140. I do recommend one partly as a protective measure when not in use and partly so you don't have to use the awful Windows 10 tablet mode! The keyboard is OK, if you are using the Surface in a more permanent role, invest in a dock and/or proper keyboard. However, I am happily typing this on my lap using the built in tilt stand and the keyboard cover. I find myself mixing standard typing with finger & pen jabs and it works quite well.Great quality screen that in all honesty could be bigger as it has a fairly chunky 1 cm or more black surround. But, resolution & colour is spot on and very easy on the eye in use. Netflix/Prime/YouTube all view clearly and the sound from the built in speakers is clear, loud if needed and quite punchy.Handles most things I throw at it well, mostly office apps, web browsing and such like. It handles Photoshop adequately for simple photo editing tasks (although if you want it for that, and have the budget, go for the i7/16GB version). I opted for 128GB SSD (cheaper option) and stick a 128GB micro SD in the slot and use that for data/music/video/general storage and have a spare one in case I need it.You can get away without a pen, but I use it for the inking/whiteboard functionality of Office & Teams as part of my job. If you don't do that sort of thing then you can probably get away without. The touch screen is sensitive, but not overly so and works well. That said, the non-Microsoft pen I use works very well (again fraction of the price of a MS branded one). No idea if it's any good for serious sketching (I can't draw!) and most of my stuff on whiteboard looks comically bad.Connectivity: Wireless, Bluetooth, USB-C & standard USB (1 of each) the C allows charging & data and output for other monitors etc (haven't investigated that yet) so you can connect a range of devices to your Surface. The built in cameras are good. The facing camera is good quality and works well for things like Teams/Zoom/Skype and so on.Would I recommend this? Yes. The Cons are not overly detracting from the overall product, the major one (for me) is the lack of user level repair/maintenance/upgrade. I do this to my desktop (and former laptop) so I envisage that this'll result in a finite lifespan when things become too bloaty to run with any speed. However, this should be (I hope) many years down the line as ultimately this is for work & browsing not games & media editing & creating.Things to consider: you need to also buy a keyboard cover, protective sleeve or surround, screen protector (and optionally a pen) and maybe a micro SD, so factor this into the overall cost. Look at 2nd hand accessories to save money, there are bargains out there.TLDR;Good general laptop replacement taking the following into consideration:Pros:Thin, relatively light weight, great screen quality/sharpness, sound is good too, very good battery life. Feels solid with a mostly metal body.Cons:A bit pricey for the actual specs, no keyboard unless you buy a bundle, likewise no stylus/pen unless you buy a bundle, large frame around screen limiting the overall size of the viewable area, no user-replaceable / upgradable parts.

This is an excellent and highly adaptable piece of tech. I originally bought it because I wanted a large high resolution tablet that would make reviewing PDFs much easier than my windows laptop. Since using it, it's replaced the laptop in every way.The only downside: it is costly. The upgraded SSD is definitely worth getting (because 128 GB is frankly too small and they are near impossible to do an after market upgrade) but the extra cost is eye watering. (About £200 more for a part that costs £40). Plus the well documented £150 type cover that is an after market add on (you could get a wireless/bluetooth if you are that way inclined).Although the cost has mounted up, I must admit that the range of add-ons does result in huge versatility. The surface book can be a tablet, laptop, e-reader, or you can set it up for standing desk work with after market purchases. That leads me to think I'll get a huge amount of use out of this for a number of years.Sometimes you just know a tech purchase is exactly the right thing, and this has been one of those purchases.