Microsoft Surface Pro 7 Microsoft Surface Pro 7 Plus Tablet 11th Gen Intel Review

The Surface Pro 7 Plus is a solid Windows tablet. It's got a sharp 12.3-inch screen and a decent 16GB of RAM, which puts it ahead of a lot of other devices. But it's running on older 11th Gen Intel hardware, and that shows in the performance scores. This is a device that feels a few years behind the curve.

It's a good pick if you need a full Windows 11 Pro machine in a tablet form factor and you're on a tight budget. Just know you're making some big compromises, especially on speed. The keyboard and stylus are sold separately, which is a classic Microsoft move.

The Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor lands in the 11th percentile, and the Iris Plus graphics are in the 14th. That's not great. In plain terms, this thing is slow for a modern device. It'll handle basic web browsing and office apps, but don't expect to do any serious photo editing or multitasking. The 16GB of RAM is a bright spot, but it's mostly there to help manage the sluggish CPU. Battery life is just average, sitting right at the 50th percentile mark.

At around $400, the value proposition is tricky. You're getting a lot of tablet for the money, especially with that screen and RAM. But you're also buying into dated silicon that drags the whole experience down. If you absolutely need Windows on a tablet and your budget is firm, it's an option. Otherwise, that $400 could go further elsewhere.

Stack this up against an iPad Pro with an M-series chip, and it's no contest on raw speed or battery life. The iPad runs circles around it. Compared to the newer Surface Pro 11 with its Snapdragon X chips, the Pro 7 Plus feels like a relic. Even a Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra offers a much more fluid Android experience for media consumption. The Lenovo Legion Go, while a different category, offers far better gaming performance for a similar price. This Surface is for Windows die-hards on a strict budget, period.

Buy this only if you're locked into the Windows tablet ecosystem and need to spend as little as possible. It's a decent machine for very light tasks, reading, or as a secondary device. Students or professionals who need real productivity should look at almost anything else. The weak CPU is a deal-breaker for most people.