Microsoft finally emerge with a mind blowing Tablet. The Surface Pro 6 is a more powerful version of the 2017 surface pro model. The Microsoft Surface Pro 6 was announced by Microsoft at its annual event in New York City, continuing the company’s Surface Pro range. It was released on 17 October, and prices for its various configurations range from (£879) ₦415,000.
The Surface Pro 6 is visually identical to its predecessor. It’s got the same footprint, same ports and same feature set. The only differences for the 2018 model are an optional matte black finish, the latest 8th Gen Intel Core i processors, and a slight price bump too.
Key Specs of Microsoft Surface Pro 6:
- Display: 12.3 inches (2736×1824, 267ppi) multi-touch PixelSense
- Processor: unspecified Intel Core i5/i7
- Graphics: Intel UHD 620
- Memory: 8GB or 16GB
- Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB SSD
- Ports: USB 3.0 Type A, Surface Connect, MiniDisplayPort, microSD card reader, headphone jack
- Cameras: 5MP (front, Windows Hello-compatible), 8MP (rear)
- Wireless: 802.11 a/b/g/n; Bluetooth 4.1
- Operating system: Windows 10 Home (consumer) / Windows 10 Pro (business)
- Colors: Silver or black
- Dimensions: 11.5 x 7.9 x 0.33 inches; 1.71-1.75 pounds
- Price: Starts at ₦415,000.
Design
The Surface Pro 6 is a good looking tablet-meets-laptop device. It’s not too big, it’s not too heavy, and with the keyboard dock attached it’s a genuinely viable laptop alternative. This thin, lightweight laptop with elegant, on-the-go style fits easily in your bag. The surface pro 6 features a sleek chassis, robust, and distinctive design, which are some of the things we want in a premium device. In truth, very little has changed over the last few years of Surface 2-1, the design still look the same with just little changes in some notable areas. It still features a bezel which makes it different from most tablet devices in this age.
Finally, the Surface Pro looks and feels like a high-end, well-built and robust device. with its solid metal body which has become an almost iconic look for Microsoft’s products and in its sixth-gen form dressed in black it looks particularly delightful.
Display
The Surface Pro 6 features a 12.3-inch UHD displays panel coupled with PixelSense which ensures that content looks ultra crisp. It sports a 2736 x 1824 pixel resolution. The display can be cranked up to a blinding 410 nits. The 3:2 aspect ratio is another favorite feature of this 2-1 device, leaving plenty of screen real estate for getting work done. Contrast is through the roof at 1,290:1. It still doesn’t have the wide color gamut of the MacBook or some of the 4K displays out there, but 70 percent of AdobeRGB matches competition in this range.
Keyboard and Stylus
Out of the box the Surface Pro 6 is effectively a tablet since there is no keyboard of stylus present in the box. Howevr, with extra cash you can get these accessories for effective work flow. The Type Covers look great, with soft finishes proving supremely comfortable to use, but the key travel feels spot on for a truly laptop-like typing experience.
Window 10
The Surface Pro 6 comes loaded Windows 10 Home, upgraded with its latest October Update offering. That means many of the new features of the operating system update are available from day one.
One such feature is the timeline, which lets you access recent files in a way similar to Apple devices. This’ll simplify navigating multiple tabs and applications.
A useful feature on the Surface Pro 6 is the Your Phone app, which lets you sync your phone and Surface Pro 6 seamlessly. This lets you text from the Surface Pro 6, or transfer photos seamlessly, a useful feature for people who have trouble sending files over Wi-Fi.
The Surface Pro 6 also brings Microsoft Edge Learning Tools, an improved set of tools to improve your work. It includes a dictionary and a thesaurus, and is available on Microsoft Edge even when offline.
Performance
The biggest new addition to the Surface Pro 6 is Intel’s Whiskey Lake processor series, replacing last year’s Kaby Lake processors. Intel’s 8th-gen Core i5 and i7 processors include increased USB support for up to 10GB/s and increased turbo clocking. The great thing about 8th Gen Intel Core i processors is that they’re fanless and don’t require noisy cooling. As a result the Surface Pro 6 is wonderfully quiet.
The surface pro 6 also supports UHD displays and a far greater CPU cache than Kaby Lake, backup by Core i5-8250U processor meaning it performs noticeably better than its predecessor. You’ve also got the option for either 8GB or 16GB of RAM to accompany the chip.
The Surface Pro 6 has a single USB-A port, a mini-DisplayPort, a microSD slot hidden under the kickstand, the Surface Connect dock, and a headphone jack. These are the exact same slim options as included last year, but the lack of a USB-C port is now a glaring omission in 2018. This device might be the only laptop or hybrid device we reviewed in 2018 to not include one – or to include an old mini-DisplayPort for video output.
The Surface Pro 6 retains the 8MP rear and 5MP front cameras
Battery
Battery life is crucial for a device that’s meant to be taken on the go. With the Surface Pro 6, Microsoft has finally nailed it. Although the Surface Pro 6 retains last year’s 13.5 hour battery life, the upgrade to Whiskey Lake processors means this is a power increase of about 67% according to Microsoft.
