Product: Surface Pro
Type of product: tablet
Our rating: 10/10
What we think about it:
We have owned the Surface Pro for over a year and have used it almost daily. We are writing this review on the i5/8GB/256GB version of the Surface Pro. The price tag of this Surface Pro at release was $1200. Features that we enjoy on the Surface Pro are Windows Hello, Windows Defender, Microsoft Edge, and roughly an 8-hour battery life. What you get in the box of the Surface Pro are the Surface Pro, the charger, and manuals for the Surface Pro. The Surface Pro has a built-in kick stand that allows you to adjust its screen angle to your preference.
There are additional add-ons that you can purchase for the Surface Pro. One we would encourage users to get is the keyboard for the Surface Pro. It attaches at the bottom of the Surface Pro by a magnetic band and will run about $100+ depending on what kind of Surface Pro keyboard you want to get. Of course, with the touch screen, you can get by without buying the key board. However, we find not having the pop-up keyboard obscuring your view of what you are trying to type more than justification for springing for the magnetic keyboard. The Surface pen for the Surface Pro allows you write on the screen and is paired with Bluetooth for an added cost of $99.00. If you like to draw this is a great additional value. There is also a protection plan that you can pick up for the Surface Pro that will run you $149.00 and covers 2 swap outs in-case of accidental damage to the Surface Pro, at a cost of $50/swap out. You can also purchase Office 365 home or personal as an add on for the Pro. Office 365 home will run you at $99.00/year and Office 365 personal will run you $69.00/year. We covered office 365 in a separate review on our site, so you can check out our comments on the software there. There is a dock for the Surface Pro that can be purchased for $200.00 and it will give you additional USB ports and additional HDMI ports if you need them. We have not found them necessary for most daily use. There are also carrying cases for your Surface Pro that can be purchased for as little as $25.00 and up. You can purchase a bundle that includes a protection plan, Office 365 home for a year, the keyboard, and a case for $250, saving you about $150 on buying everything separately.
The touch screen on the Surface Pro is excellent. The screen is very responsive to your touch. When you can’t touch the screen, Cortana is a great software program that allows you to speak to your Surface Pro when your hands are busy doing something else. Cortana can look up things for you and tell you what it finds. The Surface Pro does come with Windows 10 Pro already activated, which may be all that most users will need in terms of software. The magnetic connection for the power port attachment to the Surface Pro eliminates the problem with power plug ins that wear out or get easily damaged. You can accidently have your power cable connected when you pick up your Surface Pro, walk away with it and the power connection drops away without you having to worry about damaging your power port on the Surface Pro. Charging the Surface Pro usually only takes between 2 to 3 hours when the battery reads empty.
This is perfect for on the go professionals or students who need portability. It is perfect for seeing clients or when going to classes. It isn’t good for video or photo editing, so if you want to do these we recommend getting the Surface Book, which was designed for those types of professional needs. The Surface Pro is ideal for helping and showcasing basic computational needs.
We have used the Surface Pro for everything from wireless network setups to writing blogs. As IT professionals having the Surface Pro is nice to take it to client sites. It is light weight and doesn’t take up as much room as a typical laptop. We have enjoyed using the Surface Pro on a daily basis for our personal use. In closing, it is our belief that the Surface Pro is well worth the money, even though it may seem expensive. While it isn’t the best for video editing or gaming, the Surface Pro is the ideal piece of technology for the on the go professional or the college student who needs a dependable, compact computer for their daily needs. We also highly recommend purchasing the keyboard and bundle if you purchase a Surface Pro, because we feel these are particularly valuable and will saves you time and money in the long run.
