Stuff Verdict

The best Windows tablet hybrid returns with small but meaningful hardware improvements. The Microsoft Surface Pro 8 also brings a major boost to gaming.

Pros

Much better for gaming than the last version

Good display colour, brightness and sharpness

As ever, the keyboard is great considering its dimensions

Great built-in speakers

Cons

Costs a packet for a higher-end version with stylus and keyboard

Battery won’t reliably last through a full day of work

120Hz mode is too much of a battery batterer to be that useful

Introduction

The Microsoft Surface Pro is a hybrid laptop institution by this point. It was, and is, one of the few successful attempts to make a Windows PC that is also a tablet. This eighth-generation Microsoft Surface Pro 8 doesn’t mess with the formula.

As with previous Surfaces, we see design refinements and performance bumps in-line with whatever Intel has done with its latest chipsets. As a result the Surface Pro is finally a decent little gaming machine, if you keep your expectations realistic. But this isn’t just a Surface Pro 7 with fresh internals. The changes this time are pretty significant for real-world use. There’s also a slightly larger display – without an increase in bulk – and the stylus is slicker than ever.