Microsoft Surface Pro 7 Plus Overview: Built for Business

You can now set up Surface Pro devices side by side for five years, and it will be anything but impossible to distinguish them. Microsoft’s new Surface Pro 7 Plus retains the same familiar design, which is likely to satisfy only customers who want to standardize their hardware for years at a time. This may be good news for business customers, but for the rest of us who want slimmer screen fields and a more modern design like the Surface Pro X, the wait continues.

It comes as no surprise then that Microsoft is limiting sales of the Surface Pro 7 Plus to businesses and schools. Consumers can’t buy it at a store, and it’s really for businesses and schools that want to upgrade older machines.

Although I regret the current design of the Surface Pro for a few years now, there are some changes in the Surface Pro 7 Plus that will appeal to many. Microsoft now offers built-in LTE on certain models, and the SSD is now removable, as are the Surface Laptop 3 and Surface Pro X. Intel’s latest processors also promise better performance and battery life. That’s almost all you want from a Surface tablet in 2021, but I still wish it looked like a Surface Pro X with an Intel chip in it.

The Surface Pro 7 Plus starts at $ 899.99, which is a $ 150 premium on the price of the Surface Pro 7. Fortunately, the base model is now the Intel Core i3 version, with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. Microsoft has dropped the 4 GB RAM option for the Plus model. I tested a Core i5 model with 16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage and built-in LTE connectivity, which is $ 1,649.99 steep before adding a keyboard or stylus. The cheapest option for LTE is the $ 1,149.99 model with a Core i5 processor, 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage. Microsoft offers all 11 models in the classic silver option, but oddly enough, the black version is not available with built-in LTE. You also need a separate Surface Type Cover, and the business versions cost $ 159.99.

Overall, the hardware on the Surface Pro 7 Plus is almost identical to the Surface Pro 7. It has the same 12.3-inch (2736 x 1824) touch screen with its 3: 2 aspect ratio, a single USB-C port and the standard USB port. Microsoft has not yet made the switch to Thunderbolt 3 or 4 here, so you can not connect this tablet to an external GPU or use many of the available Thunderbolt drives and docks.

The actual changes to the Surface Pro 7 Plus can be found inside. Microsoft has moved to Intel’s latest 11th generation processors, and you can choose between the Core i3, Core i5 or Core i7 variants. I tested the Core i5 model and it stayed cool even when using heavy programs like video or video editing software. Like other Core i5 Pro 7 models, it has no internal fan, so it is also quiet while working.

These latest processors also include Intel’s Iris Xe graphics. While not enough to turn it into a portable laptop, it does help make the Surface Pro 7 Plus much funnier in various tasks. Combined with improved SSD read and write speeds, lightweight photo and video editing is definitely faster than what I’m used to with the regular Surface Pro 7.

However, the biggest new hardware add-on is built-in LTE. This is the first time the Surface Pro series has included it in a few years, but unfortunately there is no 5G support. Microsoft uses Qualcomm’s older Snapdragon X20 LTE modem in the Surface Pro 7 Plus. On the side of the device is a dedicated SIM slot that replaces where you would normally find the microSD slot.

Since England has been in a pandemic for months, I did not venture outside enough to really push LTE connectivity to its limits, but I did not find that it affected battery life too much in my limited tests. LTE connectivity is a great option to have on a device like the Surface Pro, especially for those who normally work remotely, visit customers or just want something to replace really bad Wi-Fi connectivity.

The other significant hardware change on the Surface Pro 7 Plus is removable SSDs. It is really designed for commercial users to exchange faulty SSDs or to retain corporate data. The SSD is easily accessible from an access door on the back of the Surface Pro 7 Plus, and a simple SIM tool opens it up. Microsoft’s retail network has started selling SSD kits, with 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB and 1 TB options, so there’s even the option to upgrade storage space here. It’s encouraging to see that Microsoft is doing this so easily, making it much faster for IT administrators to get a machine up and running again.

All of these internal hardware changes also mean that Microsoft has managed to push a larger battery (46.5Wh to 50.4Wh) into the Surface Pro 7 Plus. The company now promises 15 hours of battery life, compared to the 10.5 hours on the original Surface Pro 7. However, I did not notice any drastic improvement in battery life during normal use.

I usually have about seven to eight hours of battery life during my testing, which includes a mix of programs ranging from Chrome, Discord and Netflix to Adobe Photoshop. If you just watch videos, you’ll probably look closer at Microsoft’s 15 hour promise, but realistically, it’s still just enough to get you through a typical workday. I still hope that a Surface Pro will one day be reliable for 10 hours, so I never have to worry about traveling without a charger.

I’m still a big fan of the Surface Pro, despite the lack of design changes. Microsoft is clearly dealing with a specific audience here, and the Surface Pro 7 Plus is built for businesses. I hope this means that soon we will see a consumer-oriented Surface Pro that mixes everything great about the Surface Pro X with the power and performance of Intel’s chips.

Built-in LTE and removable SSDs are an excellent addition to the Surface Pro series, but we’re still waiting years for basics like Thunderbolt 3 support. And while LTE is again an excellent option, it’s odd that Microsoft no longer includes future 5G connectivity. If you’re using an older Surface Pro and want to upgrade, it may not seem like much has changed over the years, but these subtle hardware changes make a small difference.

Microsoft completely redesigned the inside of the Surface Pro this year to include this LTE support and removable SSDs. I just hope a complete redesign is on the way. It’s still the 2-in-1 to beat, but the Surface Pro can offer so much more.