Microsoft’s new Surface Pro 7 Plus has a larger battery, removable SSD and LTE

Microsoft is upgrading its Surface Pro line today with a refreshed Surface Pro 7 Plus model available for businesses and schools only. While the design and screen on the outside remain the same as the Surface Pro 7, Microsoft has revamped the inside of the device to make room for Intel’s latest 11th generation processors, a larger battery, removable SSD and LTE connectivity.

This is the return of LTE to the main Surface Pro line for the first time since 2015, but unfortunately there is no 5G connectivity as Microsoft uses Qualcomm’s older Snapdragon X20 LTE modem in the Surface Pro 7 Plus.

Image: Microsoft

There will be a variety of models available, starting with the Intel Core i3 (1115G4) and ending with the Intel Core i7 (1165G7). Only the Intel Core i5 (1135G7) model has optional LTE starting at $ 1,149, and the base Core i3 model comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage for $ 899. The top Core i7 option ($ 2,799) can also up to 32 GB RAM and up to 1 TB SSD storage.

Microsoft now promises up to 15 hours of battery life on the Surface Pro 7 Plus, compared to the 10.5 hours the company claims on the original Surface Pro 7. A small part of this improvement in battery life is due to the Intel 11th generation chips, but it mostly goes from a battery capacity of 46.5Wh to 50.4Wh.

The Surface Pro 7 Plus is also offered with the same 12.3-inch (2736 x 1824) PixelSense screen on the original Surface Pro 7, with a single USB-C port, a USB-A port, 3.5mm headphone jack and the Surface Connect port. The Wi-Fi only models include a MicroSDXC card reader, while the LTE models replace it with a nano-SIM. This does mean that the Surface Pro 7 Plus still has no Thunderbolt connection.

Image: Microsoft

The Surface Pro 7 Plus also has some bigger than normal internal changes. “We’ve changed the inside a lot,” said Robin Seiler, corporate vice president of device program management at Microsoft, in an interview with The edge. “It actually needs us to turn the inside out to be able to place the SSD here. That’s why we also updated the TDM (Thermal Design Model) to create more space for a larger battery.”

The removable SSD works just like on the Surface Pro X or Surface Laptop 3, which enables businesses to swap drives for repairability.

Then why not a big redesign with thinner screen fields? Microsoft says it’s mostly for consistency because businesses want to standardize on Surface Pro configurations and form factors. “If you look at the Surface Pro X, which has the thinner rim, there is a significant change in terms of the port housings driven by the rings,” says Seiler. ‘To make the edges thinner, a significant change is needed in terms of form factor and compatibility with previous [models]. ”

Image: Microsoft

This focus on business and LTE connectivity, at a time when Internet connections may not work at home, also explains why Microsoft did not opt ​​for the Surface Pro 8 monitor and made this device available to consumers. “It’s simply an extension of a commercially focused line,” Seiler explains. “It was important for us to indicate that this is an extension of Pro 7, for all the customers who have standardized on it.”

Still, it is disappointing that a refreshing model with Intel’s latest processors and LTE connectivity will not be available directly to consumers. Microsoft will not say whether it will change any time soon, but it feels like the company is trying to draw a line between the Surface Pro as a business-based and the Surface Go and Surface Pro X for consumers.

Microsoft plans to ship the Surface Pro 7 Plus to customers in the US on January 15, and it will also be available in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and a large number of European countries.