Surface Pro 8 vs Surface Pro 7: What’s different?

A Surface Pro 8 vs Surface Pro 7 comparison will come in handy if you’re deciding whether to upgrade or if you just want to know what’s new with Microsoft’s latest 2-in-1.

Microsoft has unveiled the Surface Pro 8 as one of its flagship Surface products, and it’s slated to debut in October alongside Windows 11. Like its predecessors, the Surface Pro 7 and Surface Pro 7 Plus, the Pro 8 is a slick Windows tablet that doubles as a decent laptop when you attach the (optional) detachable keyboard.

Microsoft’s Surface Pro 2-in-1s are generally well-designed, portable, and capable enough to handle most work you need to do on the go. But they’re also pricey when you include the keyboard and the battery life hasn’t been great, which tends to keep the Surface Pro from appearing on our list of the best 2-in-1 laptops.

But perhaps the new Surface Pro 8 will buck that trend, as Microsoft has made big promises about its power, battery life and versatility — we’ll know better once we get one in for testing and review. In the meantime, our Surface Pro 8 vs Surface Pro 7 face-off will give you all the info you need. 

Surface Pro 8 vs Surface Pro 7: Price

The Surface Pro 8 is available for pre-order now at a starting price of $1,099. You can pay an extra $179 for the detachable Surface Pro Signature Keyboard, and $129 for the new Surface Slim Pen 2 stylus.

That’s a bit more expensive than the $749 starting price of the Surface Pro 7, which could also be equipped with a detachable keyboard cover and the Surface Pen for $159 and $99 extra, respectively. That means the fully kitted-out Pro 7 with keyboard and stylus cost a smidge over $1,000, which is less than the base Pro 8 costs today.

Still, it’s not a huge price increase, and the Pro 8’s upgraded internals and display do seem to justify the added cost. The base Pro 8 now comes with double the RAM of the entry-level Pro 7, for example, and the entry-level consumer version of the Pro 8 has an 11th Gen Intel Core i5 CPU, whereas the base Pro 7 came with a weaker 10th Gen Core i3 chip.

Surface Pro 8 vs Surface Pro 7: Specs

Surface Pro 8 vs Surface Pro 7: Design

Microsoft appears to have updated the design of the Surface Pro 8 in small but meaningful ways. It’s about the same size and a bit heavier than the Pro 7, with a 13-inch display — a minor but welcome improvement over the 12.3-inch screen in the Pro 7.

Gone, too, are the Pro 7’s USB-C and USB-A ports, replaced by a pair of Thunderbolt 4/USB-C Type 4 ports on the Pro 8 that will let you hook up multiple external monitors, even 4K models.

So while the Pro 8 is a clear improvement, design-wise, over the Pro 7, it’s not terribly different: the Pro 8 shares the rounded, flat-edged look of its predecessor, with the same built-in kickstand and optional detachable keyboard that turns the Pro into a serviceable Windows laptop. 

Surface Pro 8 vs Surface Pro 7: Display

The 3:2 display of the Surface Pro 8 is a little over 10 percent larger than that of its predecessor, up to 13 inches diagonally from the 12.3 inches of the Surface Pro 7. The resolution’s been bumped up as well, to 2880 x 1920 pixels, though since the display is larger the Pro 8 has the same pixels per inch (267) as the Pro 7.

However, the Pro 8 offers the option to upgrade the screen by doubling the refresh rate, from 60 Hz to 120 Hz. While 60 Hz is more than good enough for day-to-day tasks, bumping it up to 120 Hz should make the experience of using a stylus (like Microsoft’s new Surface Slim Pen 2) a little smoother and more enjoyable, since the screen can only respond to input as fast as it can display a new image.

The 120 Hz display will also let you achieve framerates higher than 60 frames per second while playing games, but you’ll have a hard time doing that with the Surface Pro 8’s integrated graphics chipset.

So the display on the Pro 8 is a clear improvement over that of its predecessor.

Surface Pro 8 vs Surface Pro 7: Performance

The Pro 7 impressed us with its performance in 2019, and in our lab tests the i5-powered model with 8 GB of RAM competed favorably with the the iPad Pro and contemporary 2-in-1 laptops. 

The new Surface Pro 8 should deliver even better performance, as its been upgraded to 11th Gen Intel Core CPUs and now offers up to 32 GB of RAM onboard. The RAM on the entry-level model has also been doubled to 8 GB over the 4 GB of RAM the base Pro 7 came with, which is a nice change. 

With its upgraded internals the Pro 8 ought to have no trouble zipping through Windows 11, and it should be more than capable of handling some light video editing and gaming. The Surface Pro 8 is a clear improvement over its predecessor here, and if performance matters to you it’s worth the upgrade.

Surface Pro 8 vs Surface Pro 7: Cameras

The Surface Pro 8’s cameras are a bit better than its predecessor, though like the Pro 7 it still sports a 5 MP selfie camera with the capacity to capture video in up to 1080p. It also supports Windows Hello, meaning you can log into Windows 11 with your face.

The rear camera has gotten a more significant upgrade, up to 10 MP from the 8 MP back cam on the Pro 7. That should make any impromptu photos you shoot look a little nicer, plus the Pro 8’s camera can capture video in up to 4K. 

If you really care about camera quality, the Pro 8 might be worth upgrading to over the Pro 7. But tourist jokes aside, most people don’t tend to do a lot of photography with their tablets; if that sounds like you, the Pro 7 should still do you just fine.

Surface Pro 8 vs Surface Pro 7: Battery life

Microsoft claims the Surface Pro 8 can last for up to 16 hours of use on a single charge, and charge from dead to 80% in a little over an hour. Of course, we’ll have to get one in for lab testing to verify those claims. 

The Pro 7, by comparison, was advertised as lasting up to 10.5 hours on a charge. When we put it to the test in our lab (by setting the Pro 7 up to endlessly browse the web over Wi-Fi, with its screen brightness set to 150 nits), it actually lasted just under 8 hours. 

So while it’s best to be skeptical about how well the Pro 8’s advertised battery life will hold up under real-world use, 8 hours of battery life is still pretty good — and the Pro 8 will likely last even longer. 

Surface Pro 8 vs Surface Pro 7: Outlook

All told, Microsoft’s new Surface Pro 8 appears to be a minor but meaningful improvement over the Surface Pro 7 and the Surface Pro 7 Plus. It’s nice to see Microsoft bumping the entry-level RAM allotment up from 4 to 8 GB, and the bigger, brighter 13-inch display should make using the Pro 8 that much more immersive. Plus, the upgraded 120 Hz version ought to make tapping and doodling on the tablet’s touchscreen feel a bit smoother.

That said, if you already own a Pro 7 or Pro 7 Plus, the Surface Pro 8 doesn’t seem worth upgrading to unless you’re starting to notice meaningful slowdown on the older tablets. If you just need a 2-in-1 Windows tablet to get work done, the Pro 7 should still be more than enough to meet your needs.

But if you’re starting to notice performance issues in your old device and want to take advantage of the Pro 8’s more powerful components, or if you use your Surface as a creative tool and want to take advantage of the new model’s upgraded 13-inch 120 Hz display, it makes sense to upgrade to the Pro 8. If you’re on the fence, stay tuned: we expect to get the Surface Pro 8 in for testing and review in the near future.