Microsoft Surface Pro 6 Microsoft Surface Pro 6 (Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, Review

The Surface Pro 6 is a stylish but aging 2-in-1 that's only worth it at a deep discount. Its gorgeous screen and versatile design are great for students and light users, but the 8th-gen Intel processor is painfully slow by today's standards. At around $270 renewed (plus another $50+ for the keyboard), it's a budget gateway into the Surface ecosystem. Only buy this if you desperately want the detachable form factor and your computing needs are very, very basic.

The Surface Pro 6 is a classic that's still kicking around, and at its current price, it's a bit of a head-scratcher. On one hand, you're getting a beautifully built 2-in-1 with a stunning screen and a design that still feels premium years later. On the other, you're buying into tech from 2018, with an 8th-gen Intel chip and DDR3 RAM. It's a weird spot to be in, but it makes sense for a very specific buyer: someone who wants the Surface experience and Windows flexibility on a tight budget, and is okay with some compromises.

This thing is best for students, artists doing light sketching, and anyone who needs a portable productivity machine that can also be a tablet. Our data shows it scores highest for art and design (59.7/100) and student use (58.6/100). It's not a powerhouse, but for taking notes, browsing the web, and running Office apps, it's more than capable. The big draw here is the form factor. That 12.3-inch PixelSense display is gorgeous, and the ability to pop off the keyboard and use it as a pure tablet with the stylus is still a great trick.

What makes it interesting today is the price. At around $270 for a renewed model, it's competing with budget Android tablets and Chromebooks, but offering full Windows 10. That's a unique proposition. You're not buying cutting-edge performance; you're buying a well-designed gateway into the Surface ecosystem. Just know what you're signing up for.

Let's talk numbers. The Intel Core i5-8250U is an 8th-generation quad-core chip, and in our percentile rankings, it lands in the 11th percentile for CPU performance. That's not a typo. Compared to modern tablets and thin laptops, it's slow. The integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620 sits even lower, in the 15th percentile. For everyday tasks like writing papers, streaming video, and having a dozen browser tabs open, it's perfectly fine. But try to edit a photo in Photoshop or run a complex spreadsheet, and you'll feel it start to chug. It's a 'good enough' performer for basic use, but that's the ceiling.

The storage is a bright spot, with the 256GB SSD scoring in the 85th percentile. That means apps launch quickly and the system feels snappy for those basic tasks. The 8GB of DDR3 RAM is okay for now, but it's in the 73rd percentile, which tells you most modern devices have moved on to faster DDR4 or DDR5. In real-world use, this combo means you get a responsive experience for light work, but multitasking has its limits. Don't expect to run Zoom, Chrome, and Slack all at once without some occasional slowdowns.

At around $270, the value argument is a mixed bag. On paper, you're getting a lot of hardware for the money: a premium metal build, a high-res touchscreen, and a 256GB SSD. Compared to a new budget Windows laptop at this price, the Surface Pro 6 feels infinitely more stylish and portable. However, you have to factor in the cost of the essential Type Cover, which adds another $50-$100 for a used or refurbished one. Suddenly, you're closer to $350.

That puts it in a strange fight. For $350, you could find a newer used laptop with better performance, but it won't be a tablet. Or, you could buy a new base-model iPad, but then you're locked into iPadOS. The Surface Pro 6's value is entirely in its unique hybrid design at a low entry point. If that specific form factor is what you need, it's a bargain. If you just need a computer, there are better-performing options for the same total spend.

The most direct competitors are other tablets that want to be laptops. The Apple iPad Pro (any recent model) blows this out of the water in performance and battery life, but it's also 3-4x the price and runs iPadOS, which isn't full Windows. For a student who needs specific Windows software, the iPad isn't a replacement. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S series offers a fantastic Android experience and DeX mode for desktop-like work, but again, it's not Windows.

More interesting is comparing it to newer Windows detachables. The modern Surface Pro 9 or 10 has vastly better performance and connectivity, but costs over $1,000. The Lenovo Idea Tab Pro offers a similar 2-in-1 concept with more modern specs for a mid-range price. If your budget is rigidly under $400 all-in, the Surface Pro 6 is your only real 'premium' Windows detachable option. The trade-off is clear: you get the iconic design and flexibility, but you sacrifice modern speed, battery life, and wireless tech. It's a trade-off of experience for specs.

Power users and anyone who needs reliability for important work should steer clear. If you're editing videos, working with large datasets, coding, or running engineering software, the 11th-percentile CPU will be a massive bottleneck. Business users who depend on rock-solid performance and modern ports for docking should also skip it; our score of 45.7/100 for business use confirms it's not the right tool.

Instead, look at a modern budget laptop like an Acer Swift or Lenovo IdeaPad with a current-generation Intel Core i3 or Ryzen 3. You'll get much better performance and warranty for a similar total cost. If you love the tablet form factor but need more power, save up for a used Surface Pro 7+ or later, which jumped to much faster 11th-gen Intel or ARM chips. The Pro 6 is for a very light, specific workload, not a daily driver for heavy lifting.

We can only recommend the Surface Pro 6 with some big caveats. It's a great buy for a specific person: a student on a tight budget who needs a portable note-taking machine for Windows-based school software, values the tablet form factor for reading, and is okay with mediocre performance. It's also a decent secondary device for someone who already has a powerful main computer but wants a sleek Windows tablet for the couch or travel.

However, if you need this to be your primary, do-everything computer, look elsewhere. The aging processor will frustrate you. If you're a business user needing reliability and modern connectivity, our data shows it's weak there (45.7/100). And if you hate the idea of buying renewed tech with potential issues, spend a little more for a new budget laptop. This isn't a gadget for everyone, but for its niche, it's a charming and affordable relic.