Surface Pro X Re-Review: Saying Goodbye

The Microsoft Surface Pro X was Microsoft's first computer running on Windows 10 on ARM, and although it had a shaky start, it was still one of the most impressive Surface devices to date. Now that it's on Windows 11, it can run most x86 based applications through emulation as well. But does that make it worth the price in 2022? Check it out, and see our Surface Playlist here:

[DariuszTech]

Great detailed review. However shame you didn't mention camera. Surface pro x has decent selfie shooter but also the main camera can shoot 4k which is pretty impressive. Great channel.
You definitely deserve more subscribers.
🙂👍💪

[heberthybr]

Finally a long term review! Rgds from Brazil!

[apsterdam]

Have this device for a week now and loving it. Got office, autocad, adobe dc great for work. Has a sim slot. Works great with ps5 remote play😅 not as fast as my gaming laptop but does its job great for me

[dec]

Solid review. Appreciate your time & efforts.

[torpedospurs]

It is all about the price though. If you can get a used SPX for less than half of MSRP (not uncommon), then it becomes a pretty nice secondary device for light work and connectivity on the go. Certainly far better than the Surface Go 3 for just about everybody. It still has some advantages over the Pro 8 - fanless, doesn't heat up by as much, lighter.

[verbalhustle]

Just bought a Pro X sq2+ LTE 16gb 512gb for 325 here in 2023. Did I do good?

[Jake-lkfy]

I will get the SPX lte model today as a used product. Main purpose is Office (especially, One Note), Edge, PDF, Youtube. Could you comment on whether OneNote 2019 works well? I hate Window OneNote due to its limited functions and inconvenient UI. I am also wondering if I should install Phantom PDF 32 bit or Phantom PDF UWP from MS market. Though I guess the UWP version could work better for SPX, I am not sure it can give same functionalities and it's hard to find any feedback on the UWP version online. I also have iPad pro, but I think OneNote iOS App is really rubbish compared to OneNote office version.

[mjsolomon]

I don't know how to get mine to do the 64bit programs! What do I do?

[danny]

I’ve been using it for 15 months and I love it. Maybe because I just use office and edge in most cases. Thinking about upgrading to 8 for the 120 hz, but it is still not available in Singapore yet lol

[killerb]

I bought a Surface Pro X with the SQ1 processor, 16 GB of RAM, a 512 GB SSD, and the keyboard/pen for $400 off of eBay. It came with Windows 10, which only has x86 32-bit emulation. Upgrading it to Windows 11 added x86 64-bit emulation as well. Performance isn't the greatest, but at least it's a device I can use as an ARM test bed and maybe an emergency laptop/tablet.

I wouldn't pay any more than $400 for this, though. ARM Surface devices need a better SoC.

In fact, Windows 11 ARM64 runs better in Parallels on an M1 Mac than it does natively on a Surface Pro X!!!

[PanosKir]

what if you don't need x 86 apps? Do store apps run ok?

[msp]

If people are interested in the SPX wait til next year when Qualcomm releases its Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 (SQ3) chip.
The SQ3 will be close to a 10th Gen Intel i5 processor (Geekbench 5.4 single-core is 1010)
The SQ3 is on par with an 11 Gen Intel i7 processor (Geekbench 5.4 multi-core is 5, 300).
The new processor is also expected to increase battery life substantially.
My 2020 SPX gets 12-13 hours of continuous YouTube viewing on WIndows 10
(40% screen brightness; battery saver, wif, dark mode on; background apps off)

[dniezby]

I know this is an old review, but I figured I'd throw in my 2 cents. First, I've been on Windows 11 for quite some time now and personally, I LOVE it. By far the best OS I've used so far. As for programs, I have NEVER had a program I couldn't run on it. I don't play games on it so I have no reference on gaming. The thing that makes this the best available for me is the portability. It uses Wifi and LTE so I have a cellular card in mine and I never have to worry about having a connection. The new Surface 9 has one or the other. So that's garbage. Most of what you mention in your review...I haven't encountered. My Surface Pro X is very fast. I think in the years that I've owned it, I've only had two crashes and that's because I usually use Developer versions of Windows.

[SeeSaw]

I bought this unit a year and a half ago in Best Buy. Open box, student discount, instant discount email coupon and some other discount that I can't remember. Although there were some negative concerns about the arm processor, I concluded that Microsoft must've had a vision for this device in the future for them to depart so far away from the traditional Surface offerings. And boy am I glad I paid the sub $300 for it 😂. There were definitely limitations when I first started using it, but 8 months or so later, Microsoft released an update that took almost an entire weekend to complete. Three words "night and day" is how I would describe my experience then versus now. This is still a great device for me and what I use it for. I only wish the screen was better but the built-in cell service washes out all my gripes. This is a great unit for light to medium applications.

[LLMP]

I just got the Pro X, but could still return it. I just need it for surfing + office work (ppt, excel, word + Google suite), and occasional YouTube or Netflix. So far it seems fine but it crashed twice watching YouTube on chrome. Would you recommend it for my use? I love the portability and design but don't know if there is something else that fits my use better. Thanks a lot!!

[gmeboy]

Can it Run Zoom ok? My dad just needs a big tablet that can run zoom and office apps so this one is a contender atm.

[liamcollinson]

I just wish Microsoft would make a cheaper surface with decent internals and battery life and include a keyboard.

[micksmithson]

I bought an SPX in June 2020, (8/256GB) and while the hardware design had amazing aesthetics, performance was abysmal, software compatibility shocking and battery life disappointing. "Its down to the ARM SOC not having the power of X86" I thought to myself, until Apple showed that was not the case with the M1.
Unfortunately Microsoft has a bit of a history with starting projects and then dumping them when they don't immediately become a sales success.
I sold the SP X a year later and it was about as useful as an ashtray on a motorbike. I will not be buying another Surface product.

[floydgodable]

Has anyone had printer issues, since they updated to windows 11. My Surface Pro X stop working with my priniters and only printers from a Brother printer at work. I took it in to Best Buy and was told that the driver problem is a hit or miss you do not know which printers will work. comments pls, as I am ready to get rid of it. I loved theo form factor, the lite weight, the long battery life, but printing is a deal breaker. I write long 80+ docs that need to be proof on paper.

[ZacharyMichaelsJr]

I’ve been using the surface pro x for a few days now, and getting it to adjust to my workflow has been an amusing nightmare. The fact that almost 2 years after its release it still does not support office natively really grinds my gears. It feels like what I imagine Microsoft office runs like on a Nintendo Switch. However, it’s thin and light and supports lte. Plus, if you upgrade to windows 11 (which was also a hassle), it actually performs well enough.