[Sam Sabri]

Hey guys, tonight the embargo was lifted and everyone with a Surface Pro posted their reviews online. I've already seen two threads about the review, each pointing to a different site. So I was thinking we should have one mega thread that has all the reviews in here. Here they are (in no particular order, just what sites jumped to mind):

Engadget
The Verge
WinSuperSite
NeoWin
gdgt
ABC News
All Things D
Gizmodo
ArsTechnica
Laptop Mag
AnandTech
ZDNet
Forbes
BGR
LA Times
CNET
VentureBeat
Mashable
USA Today
Time
PC World

Not a review, but a must read - Reddit AMA with Panos Panoy and the Surface Engineering Team

Leave a comment with any other review you find on the web and I'll edit this post to add it in! Don't forget to leave your thoughts about the device here :)

[david90531]

I'll read these later, but what's the general consensus? I SO want to own a surface but my Transformer Prime is only almost 1 year old. Maybe a Surface 2...

[theefman]

Too many of these reviews focusing on ipad comparisons yet not one of them tried to install Photoshop or visual studio on their ipads to compare performance there. Oh, wait...

[Laura Knotek]

Microsoft Surface Pro Review: Good But (For Me) Not A Laptop Replacement - Forbes

Microsoft Surface Pro Review | BGR

Review: Microsoft Surface Pro packs punch, steep price [Video] - latimes.com

Microsoft Surface with Windows 8 Pro Review - Watch CNET's Video Review

Review roundup: Microsoft's Surface Pro is about compromises

Microsoft

[Laura Knotek]

I agree with Peter Bright from Ars Technica. I will choose an ultrabook from Lenovo, rather than a Surface Pro, mainly due to form factor.

[ALpHa.Q.RoUgH]

From what I'm reading, its a decent compromise if you have the money, however the battery life is terrible and touch input in desktop mode is finnicky.

How terrible is the battery life you ask? Like one third of the Surface RT battery. It is running full Windows and is allowed to run legacy apps which is great but from my view why not buy like a yoga or any other convertible that gets better life?

[Sam Sabri]

Thanks Laura! I'll add these to the list :)

[inteller]

i'm afraid I'm going to have to go with a Yoga 13. I would probably give up digital inking, but i was shocked by how light the Yoga is and the keys when turned back are not as annoying as people say.

Perhaps MS shouldn't have released this, it spanks the MBA in every area except battery and NO review has compared it to the MBA, its true competitor.

[martinmc78]

Anandtech review is great, cannot beleive how well the Pro scores in a lot of the benchmarks. Although would have put the 8X at the top of the board for the ppi rating as it smashes the iphone 5. The battery does seem an issue in all the reviews.

However if you think about it sensibly it takes a little over two hours to charge to 100% from empty and you get the same charge time even if its in use. So technically if you're doing a work day between 8.5 and 10 hours you could have it charge once half way through the day then once around 4pm. It doesnt have to be plugged in all the time and the charge at 4pm should see you through any use until bedtime for an overnight charge. If you're using it as your main laptop, being plugged in for a few hours shouldnt be any different from the way you work now and if you're using it for browsing and media consumption as a tablet it wont drive the Pro hard enough to drain the battery in 4 hours in tablet mode.

When you start comparing it to Macbooks and ultrabooks as well as tablets I suppose you've got to consider the Pro as a "jack of all master of none" peice of kit. Definitely worth considering.

Alot of grumbling about waiting for the next gen to come round which i think is pretty pointless - if you waited for the next gen all the time you would never own any tech.

I think the bottom line is there are better tablets out there and better ultrabooks but if you're switching between both the Pro is spot on for what you need. Now all i need to know is when i can get my hands on one in the UK

[rocketstu]

I've read a few reviews but have yet to read any which go into real software usage and usability. For example, is it actually as good a people expect for program's like Lightroom and Photoshop? There are only so many reviews you can read all relating to form factor, weight, styling etc, before reading them gest a little tedious and repetitive!

[inteller]

i think there is no way you can use those apps reliably on a 10.6 in screen. Expect to hook up an external monitor.

[martinmc78]

i think there is no way you can use those apps reliably on a 10.6 in screen. Expect to hook up an external monitor.

Surely thats where the Pro will shine though? Running photoshop with a second monitor and basically using the Pro as a digitizer.

[Po_MD]

i think there is no way you can use those apps reliably on a 10.6 in screen. Expect to hook up an external monitor.

what do you mean? The Pro is meant to handle such applications. This is a troubling market because people don't which device to compare it too. It is both a tablet and ultrabook.

[inteller]

it can "handle" those apps, but reviewers have alreadyd complained about the tiny screen and dpi when trying to manipulate desktop apps.

[Steve Ridges]

it can "handle" those apps, but reviewers have alreadyd complained about the tiny screen and dpi when trying to manipulate desktop apps.

I'll take a tiny screen (only on poorly written apps that didn't implement scaling like they should - hardly MS's fault) to zero ability to run legacy apps on other tabs any time. That's what bugs me in a lot of reviews. People complain about things but never mention that it's better than nothing.

[inteller]

actually you can run legacy apps on a W700 and get better battery life, plus keyboard when docked. The Yoga 13 also offers a superior solution, so yes better than nothing, but not better than what's already out there.

[Laura Knotek]

Here's another review.

http://winsupersite.com/windows-8/going-pro-pro-go

[anilraj]

I had a chance to spend one hour with the Surface Pro at the local Microsoft Store.
I am going to buy it.
I have been waiting for this for quiet sometime.

From the time Steve Jobs introduced iPad, I have been waiting for a Windows handheld.

By now, my need for a tablet is completely gone.

* At work, I connect my laptop to a 24 inch screen.
--> I can do the same with Surface Pro

* At living room, I was connecting my laptop to TV
--> I can do the same with Surface Pro

* At bedroom, I was using laptop for movies and phone for book.
--> I can do the same with Surface Pro

* At the train, I was reading books and playing games on my phone.
--> I can do the same with Surface Pro. Luckily my train ride is not 5 hr long.

* At outside places, I was taking photos with my Phone
00> I will continue using my phone for taking photos. I find it funning when people use a big iPad for photos and videos.

* At the park, I was using my phone for reading and playing.
--> I will move to Surface Pro

* In the plane, I was using my netbook / laptop for work, play and video.
--> My Surface Pro fits there. If my flight is longer than 5 hrs, I will catch up on my sleep.

* Note taking in meetings. I was typing on my laptop, or using OneNote on my phone
-------> Now I will write using the Pen on my Surface Pro.

* I got bored of writing the list.
--> But, I am sure, everywhere Surface Pro fits in

----------------------------
Bottom line, I DON'T NEED A TABLET. I JUST WANT A TABLET.
SURFACE PRO IS GREAT TO SHOW-OFF.
What the heck, even iPad is a show-off.
Most of the thing you do with iPad can be done in a non-iPhone phone.
( I said non-iPhone becase iPhone screen is small. )
And other things, which can't be done on your phone (like photoshop), you generally don't do it on the go.
You sit and use a real chair and desk.
So, a laptop is better.

Again, I AM BUYING THE SURFACE PRO FOR THE SHOW-OFF FACTOR.

[ohgood]

I had a chance to spend one hour with the Surface Pro at the local Microsoft Store....

Bottom line, I DON'T NEED A TABLET. I JUST WANT A TABLET.
SURFACE PRO IS GREAT TO SHOW-OFF.

Again, I AM BUYING THE SURFACE PRO FOR THE SHOW-OFF FACTOR.

The most honest opinion so far. Laptops make more sense, desktops are workhorses, phones ARE the mobile medium, and tablets are.... what he said.

[Laura Knotek]

Surface Pro review: It's clunky, it's chunky but it's Microsoft's best hope - GadgetBox on NBCNews.com

[theefman]

According to the AMA on Reddit by Panos Panay, there are strong hints the two extra metal connectors are for an extra battery of some sort:

SurfaceTeam comments on I am Panos Panay with the Surface Windows 8 Pro Engineering Team AMAA.

irishchug comments on I am Panos Panay with the Surface Windows 8 Pro Engineering Team AMAA.

Storage estimated to be more than previously reported by 6-7GB, see edit at top of page:

I am Panos Panay with the Surface Windows 8 Pro Engineering Team AMAA. : IAmA

[inteller]

ok, well if they offer a battery pack for this that could be its saving grace. Get ready for the complainers who will say it should have had this inside it to start with, but until we get a revolution in battery technology, MS is doing the best it can in the smallest space allowed.

[Steve Ridges]

According to the AMA on Reddit by Panos Panay, there are strong hints the two extra metal connectors are for an extra battery of some sort:

SurfaceTeam comments on I am Panos Panay with the Surface Windows 8 Pro Engineering Team AMAA.

irishchug comments on I am Panos Panay with the Surface Windows 8 Pro Engineering Team AMAA.

Storage estimated to be more than previously reported by 6-7GB, see edit at top of page:

I am Panos Panay with the Surface Windows 8 Pro Engineering Team AMAA. : IAmA

Thanks for the links. Some good info in there. Nice to know things like the scaling and battery where not simple oversights and that the Surface team is working on them.

[squire777]

I've been reading a lot of reviews on non-tech sites and the usual pro-Apple tech sites and the majority are repeating the same "it's not as good as an iPad" nonsense without ever mentioning the positives of the device. They must be really desperate to keep those Apple share prices high.

[martinmc78]

Haha that's because it smashes the iPad out of the park as a tablet. Compare the benchmarks on the anandtech review. IPad not even close.
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