Security upgrades for IT staff

I can accept the Surface Pro 10 for what it is, because we know Microsoft has some interesting, consumer-focused Surface hardware coming soon. The company has invited media to an event in Seattle on May 20 (the day before Build), where we’re expected to see some consumer-focused Surface devices powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X Elite chip. It makes sense for Microsoft to take greater risks on consumer hardware, rather than on machines that IT staff need to manage.

Microsoft

The Surface Pro 10 Business Edition is basically just a silicon upgrade from the previous model, but it’s still a thin, light and well-designed Windows tablet.

advantage

• Fast and efficient Core Ultra chip
• NPU can handle basic artificial intelligence tasks
• Slim design
• 13-inch solid screen

shortcoming

• No major design changes compared to previous models
• Only two USB-C ports
• Keyboard case and stylus sold separately
• Stand makes placement awkward

Microsoft $1,200

What are the new features of Surface Pro 10 Business Edition?

Surface Pro 10 and Business Notebook 6 both use Intel’s new Core Ultra chips. These are the company’s first processors to include an NPU for handling artificial intelligence tasks. Granted, there aren’t many AI-driven features in Windows 11 yet, but we expect Microsoft to sell some new AI features in Build.

Currently, having an NPU means you can use Windows Studio Effects, which can make your video chats more engaging by blurring the background and other features. By leveraging the NPU instead of the CPU or GPU, Windows 11 can also handle these tasks more efficiently without slowing down the rest of the system. Who wouldn’t want this?

From a design perspective, the Surface Pro 10 is almost identical to the Pro 9—the 13-inch 120Hz PixelSense screen returns, and Microsoft still relies on its bulky stand to support the tablet. But at least the company has introduced a new 1440p webcam with a wider field of view, which should result in clearer video chats.

What’s great about Surface Pro 10?

Despite its lack of updates, the Surface Pro 10 is still a solid and capable hybrid tablet. It offers fast performance, a great display, and great battery life. This is my favorite thing:

• Intel’s Core Ultra 135U chip is slightly faster than the 12th-generation processor used in the Surface Pro 9: it hit 5,772 points in PCMark 10, compared with its predecessor’s 4,010 points.

• The Core Ultra chip’s NPU also makes the Pro 10 more future-proof. It will be ready for the emergence of artificial intelligence capabilities (developers such as Adobe and Audacity are already working on several of them).

• Microsoft’s PixelSense display still looks great, with bold colors and enough brightness to be used outdoors in direct sunlight.

• While I’d like to see an updated design, the case still feels very slim and sturdy. Even though it’s running Windows 11, it feels like an iPad.

• The Surface Pro 10 lasted 12 hours and 19 minutes on the PCMark 10 Modern Office battery benchmark. That’s better than the vast majority of ultraportables we’ve seen this year, and only an hour less than the latest Dell XPS 13.

What’s not good about the Surface Pro 10?

However, for a machine that starts at $1,200, the Surface Pro 10 falls short in a few key areas:

• For a “Pro” device, there are too few ports for accessories.

• Its iconic kickstand is now unbearable. It’s still awkward to hold the Pro 10 on your lap, and it also makes it impossible to use the Pro 10 on small surfaces (like my beloved standing desk laptop stand).

• Surface Pro Keyboard is still Sold separately, it’s still too expensive at $140 (there are more expensive models if you really want to punish yourself). No one will buy a Surface tablet alone! Microsoft’s inability to recognize this basic fact has plagued these systems since their inception.

• It may be undercut by the upcoming consumer-focused Surface Pro 10. But their NPU also provides 45 TOPS (trillions of operations per second) for AI tasks, while the Core Ultra chip’s NPU can only reach 10 TOPS. These differences may not mean much for the next year or so, but they could make the Snapdragon Surface Pro 10 more future-proof as we see more AI features rolled out.

Should you buy a Surface Pro 10 for business?

At this point, you’d be better off seeing how Microsoft’s new consumer-facing Surface hardware performs before investing in a Pro 10 or Laptop 6. anyway. They exist to give IT staff a way to update inventory without significantly changing their workflow.