Microsoft Surface Pro 7: The Surface Pro 7 is still a fine 2-in-1 but this is a disappointing update

Good value keyboard; Finally has USB Type-C; Tried and tested 2-in-1 design

Middling battery life; Core i7 model disappointing

After spending some time with the Surface Pro 7, we find ourselves somewhat conflicted. On one hand, it's not as impressive a technical showing as we were expecting; the new Ice Lake chip barely managed to match the Core i5 processor from last year's Surface Pro 6, and the battery life was similarly...

USB-C support

Disappointing battery life

While it might look the same as the Pro 6, the Surface Pro 7 packs a punch.

Something weird has happened over the past year: I’ve kind of fallen in love with the Surface Pro. After debating its “lapability,” its lack of USB-C ports, and its staid design, I’ve used the Surface Pro 6 on and off as a regular laptop for nearly 12 months now.

Quad-core performance is great inside this lightweight tablet; Cool and quiet with quick resume; USB-C; finally!

Still no Thunderbolt 3; Dated design that looks old next to a Surface Pro X; Lack of built-in LTE / removable SSDs

It is similar to the last Surface Pro, but this is still one of the few tablet hybrids we’d be happy to work all day on. Just remember to bring the charger, as the battery won’t last.

Bold; sharp screen; Punchy 10th Gen Intel CPUs; Type Cover remains surprisingly good

Battery life is not great; Aspects of the design are ageing; Accessories are a bit pricey

Microsoft updates its Surface Pro 7 Windows tablet with a powerful Intel Ice Lake chip and a modern USB-C port.

Powerful Intel Ice Lake CPU boosts performance; USB-C; USB-A ports allow for peripheral flexibility

Lack of Thunderbolt and WWAN option are disappointing

I love the user friendliness and sharp clarity of the display.

The Surface Pro thoughtfully improves on a winning formula. It’s beautifully built, a joy to use, and will make 99% of owners unspeakably happy. I just wish that Microsoft would be a little more generous. At the very least, they could throw the keyboard or pen in with the price. Especially when you’re asking the wrong side of £2100. Is the Surface Pro i7 a five-star product? At this spec, I'm afraid that it just falls short. Yes, the i7 is delightful, and there’s something unspeakably cool about a device that is this understated and compact packing this much raw horsepower. But then, you can (almost) buy two Dell XPS 13s for the same money. For my part, I can’t wait to get my hands on either the bare-bones m3 or the updated, fanless i5, the 256GB version of which may well prove the Surface Pro range sweet spot - and which may just earn it that extra star.

Masses of power; A joy to type on; Wonderful screen; Great battery life;

Too pricey for the top-spec models; Lack of ports may frustrate some;

As updates go, this one is minor. But the Surface Pro is still a major player in portable productivity.

Finally a USB-C port! Still solid performance, battery life, and usability.

No real compelling reasons to upgrade from previous models. Remains expensive.

Masses of power; A joy to type on; Wonderful screen; Great battery life;

Too pricey for the top-spec models; Lack of ports may frustrate some;