Surface Pro X review: this is the future of PCs

In the last few days I have been testing the Surface Pro X, a computer created by Microsoft that they brought to the market a few months ago, and which at the moment is focused on companies or business customers, but that can be obtained without problem in stores like Amazon.

You are probably wondering, if this Surface looks similar to the Surface Pro 7 or the Surface Go 2, what makes it so different and special as to say that it is the future of the PC? Well, the really important thing about this computer is inside.

And it is that in the part that I want to emphasize the most of this device is the processor, which has not been manufactured by Intel or by AMD as it happens in most computers in the world, but inside there is a processor manufactured and designed jointly by Qualcomm and Microsoft, a processor they have dubbed the SQ1.

But before going into details about the processor and its benefits, I’m going to tell you a bit about my experience with the keyboard, the Surface Pen and with this idea of ​​a hybrid between tablet and PC.

The first thing that catches the attention of the Surface Pro X is its design, which as I already mentioned is basically the same as that of other computers of the Surface family such as the Pro 7 or the Go 2, however, this can be found in A matte black color that attracts all kinds of looks, and digital smells, as this finish gets dirty easily, although it is not something you should be alarmed about either.

The screen is really good, not only is it a good size to use as a Tablet and enjoy multimedia content such as Netflix, or to draw with the Surface Pen, but it also has a good color calibration and good viewing angles.

But the thing that stands out the most from the front is the webcam and its far-field studio microphones, in fact I haven’t tested a laptop with a better webcam and microphones so far than the ones Microsoft has packed into the Surface. Pro X.

The sound is also surprising, it has a pair of very clear and quite strong speakers that will not leave anyone indifferent, in fact, its performance is very good if we consider that we are facing a computer so thin that they have even eliminated the 3.5 mm Jack, so the only way to listen to music with headphones is with a USB-C adapter or via bluetooth.

Finally, and before going into what I think is the most important thing about this machine, let’s talk about the rear camera and the keyboard. Regarding the camera, we have a 10 MP sensor that will help us to take some photos and edit them from the PC for work, but it really is not an option with which you are going to want to go down the street taking images, so let’s see this lens as an additional option to complement the user experience.

The keyboard, which by the way, is sold separately, has a good feeling in hand, and in the case of this Surface Pro X it includes a space to store the Surface Pen, which is also sold separately and that all users will appreciate. who are dedicated to graphic design or work a lot with Office, because we can use the touch pen to make notes, while with the upper part of this accessory we can erase what we do not like about the work we have done.

One of the things I really wanted to try this Surface Pro X for is because it has a processor made by Qualcomm and Microsoft. The specific chip is the SQ1, and to give you a clearer idea of ​​what is at the heart of this Surface, it is as if one of the Snapdragon processors that we see in the best phones on the market was here, of course, not that be it a Snapdragon 855 or an 865, since some modifications have been made so that it ends up being called SQ1, but it is a clear example of what is here.

And what are the advantages of such a processor compared to other Surface with Intel processors? Well, we are going to find many of the technologies and advantages of smartphones, but on a PC. That is, in the end this translates into better autonomy despite having such a small battery, the option of being connected all the time through 4G LTE networks, or outstanding performance in different applications.

Starting with its design, there is something that has surprised me, and that is that this Surface Pro X does not have a fan, however, despite this, the computer does not overheat even when using several applications simultaneously or with several hours of video playback. This is because the thermal regulation is similar to what we see in phones, and it shows the excellent work that Qualcomm has done together with Microsoft to avoid excess heat on the Surface Pro X.

The second element that I loved is what Qualcomm calls “Always Connected PC”, or what is the same as a computer always connected to the Internet. And it is that in addition to the classic Wi-Fi connection, we can also enter a SIM to this PC to connect to a 4G LTE network and continue using the computer anywhere we have coverage, just like on smartphones.

In my case, I tried a Movistar chip and the Internet connection worked perfectly, you don’t have to configure any APN type or make complicated settings, you just need to have a data plan active so that everything goes well.

In fact, if your mobile operator also offers E-SIM service, you can use it with the Surface Pro X without problem.

And how is Windows doing on an ARM processor? Well, it must be made very clear that the version of Windows on this PC looks like any other version of Windows 10 that we use on computers with Intel or AMD processors, but it is a version of Windows created for ARM, and the truth is that there are things very good and others that need to be improved, but I think the company is on a very good path.

Raúl León, Qualcomm executive told me that at this moment 90% of the most popular and used applications for Windows already work without problems in the Windows version for ARM, but it is also true that at this moment there are important absent.

The programs or applications here work in 2 different ways, on the one hand, we have those that Windows emulates and, on the other, those that have been launched natively for the ARM architecture.

At this time most of the programs are emulated, but for the user everything works as in any other application, in fact, in the tests I have carried out with popular applications such as Spotify, Photoshop Express, WhatsApp or Telegram they are emulated perfectly and they work quite well and fast, it has even been difficult for me to differentiate between an emulated application and another that runs natively for ARM64.

The number of applications integrated into ARM is small, at the moment there are options such as Office, Edge or Cortana, but the good news is that little by little more developers are launching their apps created for this type of processors, Chrome and Photoshop are some examples of popular applications that already have a beta version for ARM.

But not everything is honey on flakes, because there are also very specific cases of programs that do not have support for ARM and are not emulated either, the Adobe suite, Fortnite, or tools like OBS are just examples of programs that cannot work with this processor on Windows 10.

Either way, little by little there will be more emulated programs and more that have a native version for ARM, it’s just a matter of waiting.

The section that has caught my attention the most is autonomy, which according to company figures is capable of reaching up to 15 hours of use without problem. I have not measured the time that the Surface Pro X lasts without needing the charger, but it is the computer that I have tried with the best autonomy in recent years, in fact, I was able to use it without problem for almost two days of work without needing the electric current.

It is true that there are other computers on the market that promise a similar or greater autonomy, but the important thing here is that we are facing a very thin PC that, although Microsoft does not reveal the details of the battery capacity, should be lower than that of the Most computers on the market, but it is thanks to the processor and Qualcomm’s work with energy efficiency that we can leave the house without the charger and without having to worry about the battery.

It is also true that the more we use functions such as LTE connectivity, the shorter the battery use time.

The future of Windows with Qualcomm processors is interesting, more and more manufacturers are betting on Snapdragon for some of their computers, and although the case of the Surface Pro X is very particular as it is a premium equipment for the business sector It is almost a fact that little by little we are going to see models for students, or users who only surf the Internet or use programs like Office.

Having many of the advantages that we see in smartphones but in a computer such as greater autonomy, great performance, good heat regulation or connectivity all the time through cellular networks are undoubtedly elements that will make many want to make the leap to a laptop with a Qualcomm processor.

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