Great review/comparison! Reviews like this are really hard to find on the web. I think it will be very useful for those who are trying to decide on whether it makes sense to buy a new surface pro or keep the old one (for some time at least), like myself :)
I originally purchased a Pro 8 i5 8gb but exchanged it for the i7 16gb. They both run fantastic. In my daily use, I noticed virtually no difference. The only reason I did the swap was for longevity. The main reason for my comment is I HATE the power and volume button placement. It is a horrible design choice because you cannot stand the tablet up in portrait mode without it shutting off or silencing itself. I love to use it in portrait mode for reading web pages, documents, taking notes with the pen in One Note or Journal, etc. If I'm not careful, the volume button will rest against my waist when holding it on my lap and initiate power down. If you stand it up on a table to rest against something, forget it. It will always power off. The button placement on the pro 7 was a much better design.
I use my Surface Pro 7 mostly as a desktop replacement (I know, I know...), so I'd never considered this horrible design issue with the SP8. I'm glad you pointed it out, as it is indeed a horrible design choice.
I was just debating this 2 weeks ago. I almost ended up with the i5 7+, but I decided last minute to go for the i5 8 to avoid having any buyer's remorse in a few years. I'm mostly using it for school with notetaking and studying. I am very impressed with it overall, other than the battery life sometimes. Yeah, I could've saved some money bundling the 7+ with the keyboard and pen, but I thought that the upgrades to the 8 with the pen and keyboard were worthwhile enough, and they were on sale, fortunately. Great breakdown between the two!
@@baodo7905 honestly, it's been running pretty well still for my needs. I don't do any demanding things on my computer for school. Rarely, things get slow, but they resolve shortly after. The only thing I really hate about this is that my type cover stopped working a week ago and I'm sending it in for repair now. They'll probably just send me another one, but it's just annoying that I have to deal with a faulty keyboard only 9 months after getting it brand new.
As someone that uses these things to draw on. The 120hz and haptic feedback isn’t the selling point. The fact they finally fixed the jiggly lines is. The old surface pen you couldn’t draw slow diagonal lines or slow smooth curved lines, because it had these mechanical jiggles. Only way to fix that was to use line smoothing in clip studio or photoshop, and that eats performance a lot. That’s the only reason I couldn’t get a surface again. Got the 8 and it’s awesome!
I watched another review and the guy showed how the 7+ is compatible with the slim pen 2 and as I understood and saw the jiggle wasn't there. Same pen you would use on the 8. It should be running win 11.
Great comparison. I have the choice and chose the 7+. Mainly because I got the i7 with identical specs to the 8 but also use alot of the USB a perpherals for my work flow. I also tend to use the pen alot, and the loss of the magnetic attachment is something I would have missed. I also have a desktop so considered, the use case for a surface, its not really for gaming so if your aim is to buy an external gpu, why bother when you'd be better spending on a desktop because you loose all rhe portability and subthermal performance to desktop. It's a really tough sacrofice these days with the crazyness in components.
I agree i use usb still with a lot of my work stuff and the company I’m with is really slow when it come to updates so even tho i like thunderbolt it wouldn’t work for me
Just bought the 7+ a couple weeks ago. Great device. The speakers are great and it runs everything I need perfectly. I wouldn’t pay the extra £300-400 unless you can lol.
Really pleased you are enjoying it. I have loved my time with the 7+ and nearly didn't order the 8 for review as I didn't think it was much of an upgrade but I am pleased I did as it turned out better than I expected but not necessarily £300-400 better though 😂
@@MashITTech Yeah the 8 is definitely the better product but not by a landslide. One thing to note on the battery, If anyone is expecting Microsoft’s 15 hour battery, you will likely only get around 8-10 with normal use. Charges super quick though
what a great review! thank you so much, i am trying to make a choice but i think i’m gonna go with the surface pro 8. thank you again, super nice review 🙏🙏
I just picked up the Surface Pro 7 i7 with 16gb RAM / 512gb SSD for $850 USD plus tax - perfect condition. So far so good. Thanks for the comparison. This is is a step up from my Samsumg S7 tablet.
What about the SIM card ? Does anyone know if the 8 have option for SIM slot ? And does every 7 plus have that SIM slot or is it optional and how to tell from the box ?
Bought the surface pro 8 i7 16gbram and it officially replaced my laptop 🤭 I feel like with surface pro 8 it's either you go all-in on purchasing the highest spec or don't buy at all. It's costly, yes, and it's not student price friendly but if price doesn't bother you, this thing is an improvement from its predecessors. That's all.
@@karlleiserbach1411 If you are waiting for 9, I'd go for the 8, as stupid as that sounds. Design will be the same, features similar etc. That's when you can grab a bargain.
@@karlleiserbach1411 True, but then 13th gen around the corner too ;) I know 12th Gen is a leap, but always feel people go way overboard on chip generations. Especially on a device like this, where it doesn't have a GPU and real world performance difference will be not that great. I have a Surface Pro 5 for work and it runs so smoothly still with any tasks I have - three browsers, countless tabs, multiple excel docs, Word, Outlook etc.
have the i7 16GB Pro 8 and it is superb...well worth the extra cash for a device that can genuinely be used as a desktop replacement and mobile device combined.
I just bought mine and it will be delivered tomorrow. I have used Surface Pro's starting in 2017 and then switched to other laptops for our workers and everyone wanted to go back to Surface Pro 7's, So we did.
Thanks for the comparison. Currently in my market, the SP7+ is only available in i3 and i5, both 8 GB RAM/128 GB SSD and the SP8 starts in the same aforementioned spec except with an i5. Still in a big dilemma on whether to get the older 7+ or the newer 8
@@crestfinancehrconsulting6727 Agree! I bought the surface pro 7+ i7 16gb for $795. It's waaaayy cheaper than the pro 8. I'm happy that I chose this 😁❤️
It works although it doesnt Support the improvements made to eliminating Pen jitter. There is also no way to snap it onto the device which means that you habe to carry it it sperately or Stick it to the charging Port Magnet and hope it does come off, which is a bad solution.
Thank you for the comparison. I was going back and forth on which to buy. The display model of the 7+ i5 with 128 storage and 8 ram was marked down to 599.97. The price seemed too good to just walk away. So, I ended up buying it. I have enjoyed it. I am just hoping I don't get buyer's remorse.
I just ordered a SP7+ from Best Buy for $799 with the typecover included. Gotta have that USB-A and battery life is a big factor for me. Looks like I made the right choice between the two.
I'm a student trying to make a choice in a couple of weeks. Do you still stand by your choice. Battery life, like you said is a huge factor for me as well
@@bola5671 If you absolutely have to have this form factor, it isn’t too bad. I did end up returning it because the battery life just isn’t the greatest (6 hours average). If battery life is of upmost priority, I would go with a MBA or MBP. I have the 13 inch M1 MBP and the battery life is outstanding. The biggest question is “do you need Windows” and also “do you need a tablet?”.
Excellent breakdown. Although I'm enjoying my sp8, I think that this device was probably ready to go at the same time they made a surface pro x but just didn't release it because they wanted to promote the arm version. Now I've purchased an expensive device with 11th gen Intel as 12th gen is coming out.
Always EXCELLENT Reviews!!.. This one no exception !👌 We just bought the Surface Pro 8, for our company workers...I got one too and they're being delivered tomorrow. I started ordering Surface Pro's in late 2017 and 2018 for our company workers, but then bought a few other products [non Microsoft] and everyone wanted the new Pro 8 now, so we bought several of them. These stand the test of time. Some of our workers are former USA Military and these are standard equipment in the field for US military, so can't go wrong. Thank you for helping us make the correct choice with your EXCELENT Reviews 👍
Thank you mate, sorry for the slow response, I completely missed it! How are you getting on with the 8? I was much more impressed than I thought I would be. On paper it didn’t seem much of an upgrade to my 7+ but all the new little features really add up
@@MashITTech Oh I'm sure your busy and always enjoy your feedback / replies, thank you for that Yes, I AM impressed, much more than on paper. I'm really impressed with the new display and quality build. There is really no other device like it.
I am looking to buy a standalone tablet for editing and drawing and watching stuff in bed and on the go. I want to be able to hook it up to my pc n transfer stuff back n forth. Something that will last long and can run the art programs well. Would you recommend the 8 over the 7s because of the screen/pen drawing stuff? Is it that big of a difference?
I think it depends on how seriously you take your drawing. It is better but its not earth shatteringly better. the 7 pen was already really good, just the haptic feedback makes it a more enjoyable experience and the 120hz screen makes it feel a bit smoother but I was happy drawing on my 7+ before this release.
Hey Mash, Costco is having a sale on the Surface Pro 8 bundle. The i7 16 ram 256 SSD is $150 off from 1699.99. However it’s only in graphite and black keyboard + pen. Even though I want the platinum and ice blue keyboard, is it best to get this deal ?
It’s a pretty good deal if you want the i7 and 16gb. I am in the uk and managed to get the i5 with 8gb, type cover and pen for £1000 but all devices are expensive here
@@MashITTech Can you tell us where you got the SP8 i5 including the type cover and pen for £1000 in UK please? I can't find it anywhere for anything close to that price. £1158 is closest I can get, direct from Microsoft. Thanks!
@@grahamletts2188 hi Graham, Microsoft had a special offer over Xmas and included a free type cover and discount. Think it has finished now though sorry
Hi, I have two questions Is it fine to go for 8gb variant for any also i am getting only i5 for surface pro 7 + in my location, I am developer/Architect.
I been using my new pro8 for couple months then back to my pro 7+, few reasons: fistly, pro 8 is slightly taller than pro 7+ which make it not as stable as pro 7+ on lap. secondly, pro 8's battery life is bit short than pro 7+. thirldly, pro7's keybaord is bit lower than pro 8, it made long time typing little bit easier than pro 8. lastly, I like the old more plastic feel of the old style typecover.
@GGEO evening upgrading from the Surface Pro 3(I went 9 years on surface pro 3 before the screen cracked), u still can't go wrong with the 7plus from a price and performance specs. You can get a 7plus $330 cheaper than what a base i3 surface pro3 cost new at launch.
Thorough review as always. The eGPU potential with a 120hz screen makes it more versatile then ever. I have to laugh when done RUclipsrs & Apple fans say the M1 iPad is better. The new SP8 is at the pinnacle of its design and takes all the best features of the SPX and mainstream Intel processors.
Hello. Can you Help me? I want to buy a surface pro device For school and later For studying and im struggeling to Decide between the 2. Obviously the pro 8 is the better Product and i also think Long Term its the better Deal, but Theres of course the Price Gap to the cheaper pro7+. So is IT worth it For me as a Student to buy the newer one? (i dont want to Game with it, Just use simple Office Programs and watch smth in my freetime) Thank you For the Video and a possible answer
This is a hard one to answer. The 7+ or even 7 are still great devices and would save you a lot of money but if you plan to use it for a few years I would be tempted to buy the 8. The screen and speakers are much much better, the pen is better if you plan to take notes and thunderbolt 4 could be useful down the line. I managed to get my 8 in the U.K. with the type cover bundled for free which helps lessen the blow. Also if you are a student you may be entitled to student discount direct from Microsoft, in the U.K. it’s 10% off 👍
Surface Pro 8 Question: I bought it and love it! Do the usb-c ports allow for charging the device with a usb-c charger...if you forgot your main charger? I can't seem to find info. Some info but it seems some say yes with right Watts? Microsoft site implies that the usb-c ports are mainly for adding extra screens. Anybody?
That was a very good review, but I think you missed a very important point (at least for me). They moved all the buttons on the Surface Pro 8 to the sides. So now on the 8, to turn it off, the power button is on the side. For me, if it's sitting on a table I have to reach with my right hand to shut the power off and use my left hand at the same time to hold it in place so it doesn't slip sideways. Same if I am adjusting the volume.... dumb dumb dumb!
There's just something about that exact form factor (measurement/weight) of the SP7+ that the new generation of Surface pros can't compete with. I think the Surface Pro7+ is superior for that reason alone.
Which is better when it comes to performance? 7+ with i 7 16gb or pro 8 with i5 8gb. I am a 3d artist and will be using it mainly fot study, sculpting and alittle bit of texturing
the 7+ with 16gb would give you better performance. Though with all the deals going around I just managed to pick up an 8 with 16gb for an amazing price in the uk
Right now the sp8 is on sale for 629 and the 7+ is 699….still torn on which one to chose in 2024. Can you advise? Basically I’d be paying 75 more for an older device which seems weird but I keep hearing people like the 7+ better
Thanks for the comparison. It looked like for the speaker test you were holding the mic a bit closer to the 8 than the 7+. I'm not sure how much of a difference that would make in the video
Why didn't you share the total time for your battery life test, along with level of screen brightness, bluetooth on/off, background apps on/off, battery saver on/off, keyboard attached/detached, etc. Battery tests are useless without sharing this information.
Hi everyone. I was wondering if someone could please help me solve the flickering screen of my surface Pro 4, I7 16G RAM computer. Lately, my computer screen starts flickering within 10 min of start. Recently, I deleted the Intel (R) Iris (R) Graphics ( under the Display adapters) and upgraded as suggested under MS problem solving tools but did not resolve the problem. I will highly appreciate your inputs/suggestions to resolve my compter flickering screen. Thank you very much
If this is your only PC, the Thunderbolt port could be valuable. If this is to be primarily a drawing pad, networked to your primary PC, then Thunderbolt is less.
Call me crazy, but SP7+ microphones sounded better. Look at other reviews, SP8 does some weird shit with the audio, it goes up and down in volume for no reason (and despite that, I ordered the i7 16GB/256GB LTE model,. because otherwise it's way better).
Any surface pro allows you to install other applications. You're only restricted if you use something like the surface pro x which uses an ARM processor so not all software will run on it.
Surface pro 8 by a long shot. I didn’t try valorant but cs go worked really well. The reason it plays much better is because of the new thermal system allowing it to boost much higher and stays there! The sp7+ will throttle over time which is terrible when gaming. Also the 120hz screen is so much nicer if you game on the device
i would prefer surface pro 7+ cause a few people have that kind of money and the battery life is good and when you set the brightness in 50% u get great battery life
Could you help me with the economic configuration of Pro 8 with core i3 ? Actually, Im on a budget! Is this config much weaker than core i 5? Does this configuration(core i3) meet my needs as a physician who works all the time in the hospital?
With the new design of surface pro 8, it is not as good at holding the device at portrait mode because one can accidentally push power button or volume button (depending on which side is at the bottom). Also, because now the pen is not attached to the device magnetically, it is not convenient to carry out only tablet and pen without keyboard when note taking. Hopefully, microsoft would consider these points in the design of next surface pro 9. Namely, locate buttons at positions similar to SP 7 and allow the pen to be attached to the device magnetically when not charging.
About the performance, you cant just compare processors like that... They are different processors... Newest cooling solution or not the i7 on such a small package will always throttle, partly because it has more "horsepower" and partly because it USES more power... On longer period sustained loads it will drop significantly more than the i5.... on real world applications the i7 would beat the i5...
Given the tiny hard disks, the micro SD card slot is a must-have. Without this the 8 to me seems pointless. What can you actually store on the tiny hard disk?
I agree that it’s a real shame they removed the micro sd as I always used that for extra storage. At least we can upgrade the ssd now though so you can buy the base model with 128gb and easily upgrade to a 512 or 1tb
I'm going for atleast the i3 based 7+ since I already have a beefy laptop, was going to get a i3 Surface Go 3 for like tasks when I don't want to dig out the LT or waste the battery. SD slot will be great to swap console ROMs between the 2 machines. I can get a i3 7+ for 700usd with keyboard vs a i3 Go 3 for 630usd without. Not bad for the price difference, better CPU, better GPU, swappable SSD, USB A, and a larger screen. Only thing the Go 3 had is a better panel with 100% srgb when I want to do graphic works tho.
Having used both I actually thought the 7+ was the better panel! I also found the go just too small to be useful but it was easy to cart around. And at those prices it’s a no brainier! 7+ all the way
Beside better design , + Micro SD Card, Removable upgradable SSD on *S7+* It took exactly 1000$ (+ Pen 🖊️ and Keyboard) = 1TB 8GB RAM Beside that s8+ is a win Except, 1000$ won’t get a starting price in my region $250+ (pen + keyboard) Pen need to buy 90$ Charging dock And no removable SSd and extra micro sd card
i'm having a tough time understanding why i would want a less capable one of these over a laptop. weight? i just don't get it. maybe i'll just stick to my comparatively giant desktop computer that costs a lot less and does a lot more. seriously, someone give me a brief explanation for these.
Tablet function. If you want to write smthn and not be at your desk, if you want to read that long pdf on your couch, if you want to have a touchscreen (there are more and more laptops with touch tbf) ...
Actually, turns out the Fan isnt a problem and I pretty much only hear it when I am charging the device while working and when I am charging it, Im at home anyways.
@@onion2787 well the problem is that I use it in the bed (model 7) 😂 so i dont want it to overheat if i fall a sleep and its under the pillow or somthing like that 🥴🥴✌️Also just a little noice is to much noice for me... sadly 🙄 but thx for the reply 🥳
Gaming... On a surface... Hahahhaa.. Even gaming laptops struggle to keep up with airflow with fans blasting to max. Yeah, you can call league of legends as gaming but that can be played on a surface pro 4 ages ago. with an egpu it doesnt transform any device into a super computer, you are still bottlenecked by the cpu speed and thermal throttling. You'll also start to wonder if the battery would start to expand if the device is contantly on such high heat or whether soldering joints might start melting away.
Gotta love it when people who don't know what they are talking about, talk about it anyways. I played games on a 7th gen Intel CPU on my desktop for ages, mostly upgraded the GPU and it ran modern games up to this date, until I finally decided to upgrade. Most games are GPU bounded, not CPU bounded (some rare instances like Minecraft might get CPU bounded, because chunk generation is CPU heavy. Trust me, I'm a game developer and I personally wrote multi-threading algorithm on a Minecraft clone to improve the performance, rarely need to do that with other types of games). Besides, you need to set your laptop into charge limit mode no matter what you do with it. This is the main reason people have had bulging batteries with so many laptops over the years, they just don't understand that keeping it at 100% all the time is a bad idea. And yes, heat isn't good for batteries either, but SP8 is around 45 degrees celsius under constant stress - not enough to destroy the battery, but keeping it at 100% all the time is. So, yes, you can get AMAZING performance on this thing with eGPU. But it's not 100% the performance you'd get on modern desktop PC, more like 90% to 95%. Still, enough to play anything you want with the right GPU.
Great review/comparison! Reviews like this are really hard to find on the web. I think it will be very useful for those who are trying to decide on whether it makes sense to buy a new surface pro or keep the old one (for some time at least), like myself :)
Glad you find it helpful. We try and do a lot of comparisons for this very reason 👍
this was such an in depth view of both products. thank you for being so thorough
Glad it was helpful 😀
Super informative and detailed. Excellent review comparison. Thank you.
Great video man, u helped me make my final decision. Definitely going with the sp8!!
I originally purchased a Pro 8 i5 8gb but exchanged it for the i7 16gb. They both run fantastic. In my daily use, I noticed virtually no difference. The only reason I did the swap was for longevity. The main reason for my comment is I HATE the power and volume button placement. It is a horrible design choice because you cannot stand the tablet up in portrait mode without it shutting off or silencing itself. I love to use it in portrait mode for reading web pages, documents, taking notes with the pen in One Note or Journal, etc. If I'm not careful, the volume button will rest against my waist when holding it on my lap and initiate power down. If you stand it up on a table to rest against something, forget it. It will always power off. The button placement on the pro 7 was a much better design.
Why not get a cradle? Or even better a docking station? Seems like that was the optimal choice I prefer button on the side.
@@christophervandagriffjr3738 I don't see how a cradle or docking station helps when the main problem is using the device on the lap like a tablet.
I use my Surface Pro 7 mostly as a desktop replacement (I know, I know...), so I'd never considered this horrible design issue with the SP8. I'm glad you pointed it out, as it is indeed a horrible design choice.
isnt windows have a setting to disable the power button?
Do they have screen flickering problem like the pro 4?
Great comparison, much appreciated!
I was just debating this 2 weeks ago. I almost ended up with the i5 7+, but I decided last minute to go for the i5 8 to avoid having any buyer's remorse in a few years. I'm mostly using it for school with notetaking and studying. I am very impressed with it overall, other than the battery life sometimes. Yeah, I could've saved some money bundling the 7+ with the keyboard and pen, but I thought that the upgrades to the 8 with the pen and keyboard were worthwhile enough, and they were on sale, fortunately. Great breakdown between the two!
So, with the S8 you can't expand the memory with a Micro SD Card?
@@curiousbat5368 nope you can’t unfortunately
@@curiousbat5368 dude you can upgrade the ssd easily in 7+ and 8. SD card expansion is not necessary at all
Is it still running well? Mine was horrible. About to do a warranty exchange
@@baodo7905 honestly, it's been running pretty well still for my needs. I don't do any demanding things on my computer for school. Rarely, things get slow, but they resolve shortly after. The only thing I really hate about this is that my type cover stopped working a week ago and I'm sending it in for repair now. They'll probably just send me another one, but it's just annoying that I have to deal with a faulty keyboard only 9 months after getting it brand new.
I have first gen surface that has not failed me. Now that I can't run win 11 ,I think the pro 7+ will suit me just fine. cheers for the video.
You can run windows 11. Just do some RUclips searchs.
As someone that uses these things to draw on. The 120hz and haptic feedback isn’t the selling point. The fact they finally fixed the jiggly lines is. The old surface pen you couldn’t draw slow diagonal lines or slow smooth curved lines, because it had these mechanical jiggles. Only way to fix that was to use line smoothing in clip studio or photoshop, and that eats performance a lot.
That’s the only reason I couldn’t get a surface again. Got the 8 and it’s awesome!
Thank you, same here, I've got a Surface Pro 2017 and I'm waiting for the 8 I bought yesterday!
I watched another review and the guy showed how the 7+ is compatible with the slim pen 2 and as I understood and saw the jiggle wasn't there. Same pen you would use on the 8. It should be running win 11.
Great comparison. I have the choice and chose the 7+. Mainly because I got the i7 with identical specs to the 8 but also use alot of the USB a perpherals for my work flow. I also tend to use the pen alot, and the loss of the magnetic attachment is something I would have missed. I also have a desktop so considered, the use case for a surface, its not really for gaming so if your aim is to buy an external gpu, why bother when you'd be better spending on a desktop because you loose all rhe portability and subthermal performance to desktop. It's a really tough sacrofice these days with the crazyness in components.
I agree i use usb still with a lot of my work stuff and the company I’m with is really slow when it come to updates so even tho i like thunderbolt it wouldn’t work for me
same here, I prefer the 7+
Just bought the 7+ a couple weeks ago. Great device. The speakers are great and it runs everything I need perfectly. I wouldn’t pay the extra £300-400 unless you can lol.
Really pleased you are enjoying it. I have loved my time with the 7+ and nearly didn't order the 8 for review as I didn't think it was much of an upgrade but I am pleased I did as it turned out better than I expected but not necessarily £300-400 better though 😂
@@MashITTech Yeah the 8 is definitely the better product but not by a landslide. One thing to note on the battery, If anyone is expecting Microsoft’s 15 hour battery, you will likely only get around 8-10 with normal use. Charges super quick though
The speakers have massively improved! Kicking myself a bit for getting the Pro 7 in 2020!
The fear of buyers remorse is making me scared haha
Congrats for 20k subscribers!!!
Thank you for noticing :)
Did you order the alienware x17 r2?
Sure did and the x15r2. Will also order the m17r5 and x14 when they release too 👍
@@MashITTech good!! I'm happy with my m17 r4 :)
@@mohammadarafat3647 I am still loving my fat boy area 51m r2 but I do still love testing out all the new machines 😂
Now this is how a comparison should be done. Thanks
Thanks for the kind words
what a great review! thank you so much, i am trying to make a choice but i think i’m gonna go with the surface pro 8. thank you again, super nice review 🙏🙏
Good choice! I love both but decided to keep the surface pro 8 and there are some great pro 8 deals currently
The larger bezel makes the older surfaces better if you like to use it in tablet mode
I just picked up the Surface Pro 7 i7 with 16gb RAM / 512gb SSD for $850 USD plus tax - perfect condition. So far so good. Thanks for the comparison. This is is a step up from my Samsumg S7 tablet.
Wow that’s an amazing price! Hope you enjoy it 👍
Somebody is selling me the same one you got for $650 you think is worth it?
What about the SIM card ? Does anyone know if the 8 have option for SIM slot ? And does every 7 plus have that SIM slot or is it optional and how to tell from the box ?
Bought the surface pro 8 i7 16gbram and it officially replaced my laptop 🤭 I feel like with surface pro 8 it's either you go all-in on purchasing the highest spec or don't buy at all. It's costly, yes, and it's not student price friendly but if price doesn't bother you, this thing is an improvement from its predecessors. That's all.
Glad it’s working out for you, it is a really impressive machine
I wait for sp9 and will go all in too
@@karlleiserbach1411 If you are waiting for 9, I'd go for the 8, as stupid as that sounds. Design will be the same, features similar etc. That's when you can grab a bargain.
@@spinachpies but 12th gen
@@karlleiserbach1411 True, but then 13th gen around the corner too ;) I know 12th Gen is a leap, but always feel people go way overboard on chip generations. Especially on a device like this, where it doesn't have a GPU and real world performance difference will be not that great. I have a Surface Pro 5 for work and it runs so smoothly still with any tasks I have - three browsers, countless tabs, multiple excel docs, Word, Outlook etc.
Good review. Thanks. I'm going to buy the Surface Pro 8.
Thanks for this comparison, really helpful for me
have the i7 16GB Pro 8 and it is superb...well worth the extra cash for a device that can genuinely be used as a desktop replacement and mobile device combined.
I just bought mine and it will be delivered tomorrow. I have used Surface Pro's starting in 2017 and then switched to other laptops for our workers and everyone wanted to go back to Surface Pro 7's, So we did.
Thanks for the comparison. Currently in my market, the SP7+ is only available in i3 and i5, both 8 GB RAM/128 GB SSD and the SP8 starts in the same aforementioned spec except with an i5. Still in a big dilemma on whether to get the older 7+ or the newer 8
how is the price difference for your region?
About 500 Singapore Dollars from the highest spec model available for the 7+ to the base 8.
@@owenchuarbx Hi! Which one did you buy? I'm still torn between the two 😭
choose for the 7+ it's much more economical and there's no big difference compared to 8
@@crestfinancehrconsulting6727 Agree! I bought the surface pro 7+ i7 16gb for $795. It's waaaayy cheaper than the pro 8. I'm happy that I chose this 😁❤️
Does the Surface Pen from the Pro 7+ (and earlier models) work with the Pro 8? In particular, can it stick to the side or top of the Pro 8?
It works although it doesnt Support the improvements made to eliminating Pen jitter. There is also no way to snap it onto the device which means that you habe to carry it it sperately or Stick it to the charging Port Magnet and hope it does come off, which is a bad solution.
Thank you for the comparison. I was going back and forth on which to buy. The display model of the 7+ i5 with 128 storage and 8 ram was marked down to 599.97. The price seemed too good to just walk away. So, I ended up buying it. I have enjoyed it. I am just hoping I don't get buyer's remorse.
That’s a great price. I don’t think ours going to beat that deal
Hi! How's the surface pro 7+ now? Is it okay? Will you recommend that? I'm still torn between the two 😭
Anywayy, I bought the 7+ i7 16gb version for $795 and I loooveee it.
I just ordered a SP7+ from Best Buy for $799 with the typecover included. Gotta have that USB-A and battery life is a big factor for me. Looks like I made the right choice between the two.
I'm a student trying to make a choice in a couple of weeks. Do you still stand by your choice. Battery life, like you said is a huge factor for me as well
@@bola5671 If you absolutely have to have this form factor, it isn’t too bad. I did end up returning it because the battery life just isn’t the greatest (6 hours average). If battery life is of upmost priority, I would go with a MBA or MBP. I have the 13 inch M1 MBP and the battery life is outstanding. The biggest question is “do you need Windows” and also “do you need a tablet?”.
@@LazyPCRehab what did up end up purchasing instead? I’m thinking of the surface pro 8 but idk
@@schojdfjf6495 I ended up with the 13 inch M1 MBP. Battery life on the Surface products are just sub par, which saddens me greatly.
@@LazyPCRehab yeah that’s true :/ my budget is like 600 so I am struggling to find something good 😂
Excellent breakdown. Although I'm enjoying my sp8, I think that this device was probably ready to go at the same time they made a surface pro x but just didn't release it because they wanted to promote the arm version. Now I've purchased an expensive device with 11th gen Intel as 12th gen is coming out.
Always EXCELLENT Reviews!!.. This one no exception !👌 We just bought the Surface Pro 8, for our company workers...I got one too and they're being delivered tomorrow. I started ordering Surface Pro's in late 2017 and 2018 for our company workers, but then bought a few other products [non Microsoft] and everyone wanted the new Pro 8 now, so we bought several of them. These stand the test of time. Some of our workers are former USA Military and these are standard equipment in the field for US military, so can't go wrong. Thank you for helping us make the correct choice with your EXCELENT Reviews 👍
Thank you mate, sorry for the slow response, I completely missed it! How are you getting on with the 8? I was much more impressed than I thought I would be. On paper it didn’t seem much of an upgrade to my 7+ but all the new little features really add up
@@MashITTech Oh I'm sure your busy and always enjoy your feedback / replies, thank you for that Yes, I AM impressed, much more than on paper. I'm really impressed with the new display and quality build. There is really no other device like it.
How does display reflectance outdoors compare?
I am looking to buy a standalone tablet for editing and drawing and watching stuff in bed and on the go. I want to be able to hook it up to my pc n transfer stuff back n forth. Something that will last long and can run the art programs well. Would you recommend the 8 over the 7s because of the screen/pen drawing stuff? Is it that big of a difference?
I think it depends on how seriously you take your drawing. It is better but its not earth shatteringly better. the 7 pen was already really good, just the haptic feedback makes it a more enjoyable experience and the 120hz screen makes it feel a bit smoother but I was happy drawing on my 7+ before this release.
Hey Mash, Costco is having a sale on the Surface Pro 8 bundle. The i7 16 ram 256 SSD is $150 off from 1699.99. However it’s only in graphite and black keyboard + pen. Even though I want the platinum and ice blue keyboard, is it best to get this deal ?
It’s a pretty good deal if you want the i7 and 16gb. I am in the uk and managed to get the i5 with 8gb, type cover and pen for £1000 but all devices are expensive here
@@MashITTech Can you tell us where you got the SP8 i5 including the type cover and pen for £1000 in UK please? I can't find it anywhere for anything close to that price. £1158 is closest I can get, direct from Microsoft. Thanks!
@@grahamletts2188 hi Graham, Microsoft had a special offer over Xmas and included a free type cover and discount. Think it has finished now though sorry
@@MashITTech Thanks for reply :-) Shame the offer ended but I'm sure there'll be another!
Hi, I have two questions Is it fine to go for 8gb variant for any also i am getting only i5 for surface pro 7 + in my location, I am developer/Architect.
Hope you can help me. I want to use it as a complement of 3d modeling with fusion 360 and shapr3d , what dl you recomend me ?
I been using my new pro8 for couple months then back to my pro 7+, few reasons: fistly, pro 8 is slightly taller than pro 7+ which make it not as stable as pro 7+ on lap. secondly, pro 8's battery life is bit short than pro 7+. thirldly, pro7's keybaord is bit lower than pro 8, it made long time typing little bit easier than pro 8. lastly, I like the old more plastic feel of the old style typecover.
i also go for the 7+
@GGEO evening upgrading from the Surface Pro 3(I went 9 years on surface pro 3 before the screen cracked), u still can't go wrong with the 7plus from a price and performance specs. You can get a 7plus $330 cheaper than what a base i3 surface pro3 cost new at launch.
Hi Mash IT. Does the surface pro 8 fit the surface pro 3 docking station???
Great review!👍👍👍
Thorough review as always. The eGPU potential with a 120hz screen makes it more versatile then ever. I have to laugh when done RUclipsrs & Apple fans say the M1 iPad is better. The new SP8 is at the pinnacle of its design and takes all the best features of the SPX and mainstream Intel processors.
Lol agreed. I guess it is a better tablet just don’t try and do any real work on it 😂😂
Hello. Can you Help me? I want to buy a surface pro device For school and later For studying and im struggeling to Decide between the 2. Obviously the pro 8 is the better Product and i also think Long Term its the better Deal, but Theres of course the Price Gap to the cheaper pro7+. So is IT worth it For me as a Student to buy the newer one? (i dont want to Game with it, Just use simple Office Programs and watch smth in my freetime)
Thank you For the Video and a possible answer
This is a hard one to answer. The 7+ or even 7 are still great devices and would save you a lot of money but if you plan to use it for a few years I would be tempted to buy the 8. The screen and speakers are much much better, the pen is better if you plan to take notes and thunderbolt 4 could be useful down the line. I managed to get my 8 in the U.K. with the type cover bundled for free which helps lessen the blow. Also if you are a student you may be entitled to student discount direct from Microsoft, in the U.K. it’s 10% off 👍
Can you use both pens and keyboard for both tablets?
No SD card slot on the newer Pro 8? WTF Microsoft?
I still like the Older Surface Pro Design. Seems "this is iconic" for me
me too
Surface Pro 8 Question:
I bought it and love it!
Do the usb-c ports allow for charging the device with a usb-c charger...if you forgot your main charger?
I can't seem to find info. Some info but it seems some say yes with right Watts?
Microsoft site implies that the usb-c ports are mainly for adding extra screens.
Anybody?
Yes mate, you can use usbc chargers, power banks, hubs or monitors, anything with about 45w will give it full performance 👍
3:02 when did he test the fan noise? i waited and waited and thats the only thing i came for
Do you know If the pencil and keyboard of the pro 7 compatible with the pro 8
yeah i'd like to know this too.
Had to 5 got the 7 now when it get cheaper hopefully i can get a surfuce pro 8
Bro. Anyway you can help me. I have the surface pro7 plus. And i need help with MS journal. How can i do ink to text in the app
That was a very good review, but I think you missed a very important point (at least for me). They moved all the buttons on the Surface Pro 8 to the sides. So now on the 8, to turn it off, the power button is on the side. For me, if it's sitting on a table I have to reach with my right hand to shut the power off and use my left hand at the same time to hold it in place so it doesn't slip sideways. Same if I am adjusting the volume.... dumb dumb dumb!
That is a really good point, I completely forgot to mention that!
There's just something about that exact form factor (measurement/weight) of the SP7+ that the new generation of Surface pros can't compete with. I think the Surface Pro7+ is superior for that reason alone.
Which is better when it comes to performance? 7+ with i 7 16gb or pro 8 with i5 8gb.
I am a 3d artist and will be using it mainly fot study, sculpting and alittle bit of texturing
the 7+ with 16gb would give you better performance. Though with all the deals going around I just managed to pick up an 8 with 16gb for an amazing price in the uk
Honest review. Save me tons of my hard earned fiat money. Thanks.
Glad to help :)
Please I need answer for my questions about my battery in surface pro 7 battery life is 3 or 4 hours why I ma very sad
Right now the sp8 is on sale for 629 and the 7+ is 699….still torn on which one to chose in 2024. Can you advise? Basically I’d be paying 75 more for an older device which seems weird but I keep hearing people like the 7+ better
after using both for over a year I would take the SP8 and save the money, I find I use the 8 much more than I do my 7+ these days
Were the keyboards plugged in during battery test?
Yes, keyboards were plugged in at all time
Thanks for the comparison. It looked like for the speaker test you were holding the mic a bit closer to the 8 than the 7+. I'm not sure how much of a difference that would make in the video
Why didn't you share the total time for your battery life test, along with level of screen brightness, bluetooth on/off, background apps on/off, battery saver on/off, keyboard attached/detached, etc. Battery tests are useless without sharing this information.
Hi everyone. I was wondering if someone could please help me solve the flickering screen of my surface Pro 4, I7 16G RAM computer. Lately, my computer screen starts flickering within 10 min of start. Recently, I deleted the Intel (R) Iris (R) Graphics ( under the Display adapters) and upgraded as suggested under MS problem solving tools but did not resolve the problem. I will highly appreciate your inputs/suggestions to resolve my compter flickering screen. Thank you very much
If this is your only PC, the Thunderbolt port could be valuable. If this is to be primarily a drawing pad, networked to your primary PC, then Thunderbolt is less.
Call me crazy, but SP7+ microphones sounded better. Look at other reviews, SP8 does some weird shit with the audio, it goes up and down in volume for no reason (and despite that, I ordered the i7 16GB/256GB LTE model,. because otherwise it's way better).
Which Surface Pro allows to install other applications
Any surface pro allows you to install other applications. You're only restricted if you use something like the surface pro x which uses an ARM processor so not all software will run on it.
Which one would be better for light gaming? Would Valorant run on 75 frames fine?
Surface pro 8 by a long shot. I didn’t try valorant but cs go worked really well. The reason it plays much better is because of the new thermal system allowing it to boost much higher and stays there! The sp7+ will throttle over time which is terrible when gaming. Also the 120hz screen is so much nicer if you game on the device
@@MashITTech Thank you!!!
Thought the surface pro 8 is Intel evo certified, but battery life is worse than 7+
i would prefer surface pro 7+ cause a few people have that kind of money and the battery life is good and when you set the brightness in 50% u get great battery life
Both have LTE? Sim card? I need that feature thanks
Both these can have LTE, it is not always easy to get hold of though
Could you help me with the economic configuration of Pro 8 with core i3 ? Actually, Im on a budget!
Is this config much weaker than core i 5?
Does this configuration(core i3) meet my needs as a physician who works all the time in the hospital?
Can you please let me know the software you use so that I may help?
@@MashITTech SPSS, maybe matlab
Sooooo you can't take the keyboard for the 8 and put it on the7????
Unfortunately not 😢
Does somebody knows if can i use the surface pro 8 keyboard with the surface pro 7+, or they aren't compatible?
Sorry they are incompatible.
@@MashITTech Well, thanks !
think SP8 camera shots are crisper
I will pick the SP 8
will the surface 7 keyboard work on the sp8?
No sorry, it won’t fit. You will need the 8 or x keyboard
@@MashITTech does the 8 keyboard work on 7?
Has anyone seen if pro 8 has any heating issues after heavy work for a few hours.
My i5 has held up really well for my work load which includes light photo and video editing, blender and a little dota2
@@MashITTech thanks for the info. I'm probably gonna get sp7+ soon.
do surface pro 7+ water and dust proof?
No sorry
What’s better a surface pro 8 or ASUS zenbook flip ?
does anyone know if I can run Lumion on my Microsoft surface pro 8?
I will download the free trial and give it a go. I use it for light blender work
@@MashITTech thank you so much
With the new design of surface pro 8, it is not as good at holding the device at portrait mode because one can accidentally push power button or volume button (depending on which side is at the bottom). Also, because now the pen is not attached to the device magnetically, it is not convenient to carry out only tablet and pen without keyboard when note taking. Hopefully, microsoft would consider these points in the design of next surface pro 9. Namely, locate buttons at positions similar to SP 7 and allow the pen to be attached to the device magnetically when not charging.
The pen is STILL magnetic, if you put it next to the place where you charge the tablet. It sticks there. So yes , it is unofficially magnetic still.
Basically get the 8
How is Windows 11 run in Surface pro 7? is it slow?
works perfectly, feels the same as 10 but I must admit I still prefer win10
@@MashITTech can I know why?
@@MashITTechis Windows 10 better optimized for surface?? Or should I upgrade to Windows 11
@mash IT with battery life, the 8 charges the pen while the 7 doesnt
That’s a very good point I forgot to mention that. Thanks 👍
About the performance, you cant just compare processors like that... They are different processors... Newest cooling solution or not the i7 on such a small package will always throttle, partly because it has more "horsepower" and partly because it USES more power... On longer period sustained loads it will drop significantly more than the i5.... on real world applications the i7 would beat the i5...
Given the tiny hard disks, the micro SD card slot is a must-have. Without this the 8 to me seems pointless. What can you actually store on the tiny hard disk?
I agree that it’s a real shame they removed the micro sd as I always used that for extra storage. At least we can upgrade the ssd now though so you can buy the base model with 128gb and easily upgrade to a 512 or 1tb
Yeah and they went up with pricing...
true!
I'm going for atleast the i3 based 7+ since I already have a beefy laptop, was going to get a i3 Surface Go 3 for like tasks when I don't want to dig out the LT or waste the battery. SD slot will be great to swap console ROMs between the 2 machines.
I can get a i3 7+ for 700usd with keyboard vs a i3 Go 3 for 630usd without. Not bad for the price difference, better CPU, better GPU, swappable SSD, USB A, and a larger screen. Only thing the Go 3 had is a better panel with 100% srgb when I want to do graphic works tho.
Having used both I actually thought the 7+ was the better panel! I also found the go just too small to be useful but it was easy to cart around. And at those prices it’s a no brainier! 7+ all the way
Beside better design , + Micro SD Card, Removable upgradable SSD on *S7+*
It took exactly 1000$ (+ Pen 🖊️ and Keyboard) = 1TB 8GB RAM
Beside that s8+ is a win
Except, 1000$ won’t get a starting price in my region
$250+ (pen + keyboard)
Pen need to buy 90$ Charging dock
And no removable SSd and extra micro sd card
those reduced side bezels are a huge improvement, large bezels just remind of... and I'm dating myself here but the early 2000s LOL
Haha clutches old thinkpad with giant bezels
@Mash IT 🤣🤣🤣 I still have my old IBM Thinkpad in my closet and it still works.
looks great
i'm having a tough time understanding why i would want a less capable one of these over a laptop. weight? i just don't get it.
maybe i'll just stick to my comparatively giant desktop computer that costs a lot less and does a lot more. seriously, someone give me a brief explanation for these.
Tablet function. If you want to write smthn and not be at your desk, if you want to read that long pdf on your couch, if you want to have a touchscreen (there are more and more laptops with touch tbf) ...
The design on the Pro 7 just, the bezels its just a major turn off lol
yeah they do look a little dated
Im soo sad that they put in a fan in every model 8 🥺 hope they changes it for the model 9.
Actually, turns out the Fan isnt a problem and I pretty much only hear it when I am charging the device while working and when I am charging it, Im at home anyways.
@@onion2787 well the problem is that I use it in the bed (model 7) 😂 so i dont want it to overheat if i fall a sleep and its under the pillow or somthing like that 🥴🥴✌️Also just a little noice is to much noice for me... sadly 🙄 but thx for the reply 🥳
@@andersrasmussen7248 Oh well...
Jesus loves you guys!!!
What are we comparing next? Oxygen ?
Lol you didn’t like the comparison then 😂
Gaming... On a surface... Hahahhaa..
Even gaming laptops struggle to keep up with airflow with fans blasting to max. Yeah, you can call league of legends as gaming but that can be played on a surface pro 4 ages ago.
with an egpu it doesnt transform any device into a super computer, you are still bottlenecked by the cpu speed and thermal throttling.
You'll also start to wonder if the battery would start to expand if the device is contantly on such high heat or whether soldering joints might start melting away.
Gotta love it when people who don't know what they are talking about, talk about it anyways.
I played games on a 7th gen Intel CPU on my desktop for ages, mostly upgraded the GPU and it ran modern games up to this date, until I finally decided to upgrade. Most games are GPU bounded, not CPU bounded (some rare instances like Minecraft might get CPU bounded, because chunk generation is CPU heavy. Trust me, I'm a game developer and I personally wrote multi-threading algorithm on a Minecraft clone to improve the performance, rarely need to do that with other types of games).
Besides, you need to set your laptop into charge limit mode no matter what you do with it. This is the main reason people have had bulging batteries with so many laptops over the years, they just don't understand that keeping it at 100% all the time is a bad idea. And yes, heat isn't good for batteries either, but SP8 is around 45 degrees celsius under constant stress - not enough to destroy the battery, but keeping it at 100% all the time is.
So, yes, you can get AMAZING performance on this thing with eGPU. But it's not 100% the performance you'd get on modern desktop PC, more like 90% to 95%. Still, enough to play anything you want with the right GPU.
I hate the size their so small 😭
Jesus loves you guys!
What is this new thing going on with English people pronouncing words like drawing as "droring"
It’s probably just my accent, I am from the south of the country
CAN TRY SHOWING WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU INTERCHANGE THE TYPECOVERS. WHETHER IT STILL WORKS OR ATTACHES R NOT.
sorry it just wont work the pins are different :(
Jesus loves you guys!!!
🤣 thanks mate!