The $1700 Windows MISTAKE - Surface Pro X

The Surface Pro X: A Device with Great Potential, but Not Without Compromises

Hey, what's going on guys? This is the Surface Pro X, and I really want to like it, but I don't, at least for now. I've been intrigued by this product since I saw it a few weeks ago at the launch event. It's a totally new Surface with thinner bezels, a slimmer form factor, and a keyboard that has a neat party trick - it hides the pen and charges it at the same time.

The keyboard is a great improvement over the previous Surfaces, but it also retains some of its features that we know and love. The really cool hinge and kickstand on the back are still there, and they're especially useful for drawing or other creative tasks. However, the biggest change under the hood is yet to be revealed.

A Little Perspective

To understand what's new with the Surface Pro X, let's take a look at its predecessor, the Surface Pro 7. I've been using this device as my daily driver for the past couple of weeks, replacing my 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. The reason for this switch is that I don't really need Final Cut Pro anymore; all I do is web browse, check email, and make our channel thumbnails using Photoshop.

The killer feature of the Surface Pro X is definitely its pen. It's just way more intuitive to use with Photoshop, and it's probably why I've stuck with this Surface for so long. However, even though using Photoshop and the pen aren't exclusive to this generation of Surface, what's new is the fact that there's a USB-C port, which is obviously great for hooking up peripherals or even charging.

On the topic of charging, let's talk about how it works. The Surface Pro X has two USB-C ports, which is a huge improvement over its predecessors. However, one feature that I don't love is the lack of a headphone jack - engineers had to give that up in order to shrink the bezels. But again, they've proven their word because I'm definitely not an engineer.

Design and Features

The Surface Pro X feels really nice in hand, with great fit and finish. It's clear that Microsoft has put thought into this device, from swapping out the SSD through a door on the back to making it easy to access and replace the SIM card slot. However, when it comes to pricing, things get a bit tricky.

The base model of the Surface Pro X comes with 8 gigs of RAM and 128 gigs of storage for $1,000, which is priced up better than its spec-for-spec counterparts like the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. But add on the signature keyboard cover and pen, and you're looking at a package that costs little less than $1,800.

The verdict

So, do I really want to love the Surface Pro X? The reality of it is that I don't, at least for now. I'm going to be sticking with my Surface Pro 7 because it has the app compatibility and performance that I need right now. Maybe for some people, the Pro X will be good if you do lightweight tasks and are willing to buy into this future. But for me personally, at least for right now, I don't think it's worth it.

In conclusion, while the Surface Pro X is a great device with many benefits, it also has its drawbacks, especially when it comes to pricing. However, if you're interested in trying out ARM-based laptops or web browsing tasks, this might be a good option for you.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- Hey, what's going on guys?This is the Surface Pro X.And I really want to like it,but I don't.At least for right now.Now I've been reallyintrigued about this productsince I saw it a few weeksago at the launch eventbecause it is a totally new Surface.It has thinner bezels,it has a slimmer form factor.The keyboard actually hasthis really neat party trickwhere it hides the pen andcharges it at the same time,which is a great improvementover the previous Surfaces.But it also, again, has stuffthat the Surface is known for,so the really cool hinge.And kickstand that's on the back.You can play around with alldifferent kinds of modes,especially useful for, youknow, say when you're drawing.Again, things that Surface is known for.But perhaps the biggest change of them allis under the hood.But first, a little bit of perspective.So this is the Surface Pro 7and I've been using it as my daily driverover the past couple of weeksover my 13 inch MacBook Prowith touch bar.And that's because I don'treally edit video much anymore.I don't need Final Cut Pro.All I do is web browse, I check email,and most importantly I've beenmaking our channel thumbnailsusing Photoshop.And honestly the killerfeature of it all is the pen.It just way more intuitiveto use with Photoshop.It's probably the reason whyI've stuck with this Surfacefor the past couple of weeks.But of course using Photoshopand the pen aren't really exclusiveto this generation of Surface.But what is, is the fact that this year,there's a USB-C port,which is obviously greatfor hooking up peripheralsor even charging.And on the topic of charging,this thing will actually top offat up to 80% within an hour which is greatbecause the battery lifeisn't particularly special.In fact it's a little bit worsethan last year's Surface Pro 6.And that's one of the biggest thingsthat Microsoft hopes to improveon with the Surface Pro X.And it plays into that big changethat I was talking about earlier.So inside this is the Microsoft SQ1,which is an ARM-based processorthat they co-developed with Qualcomm,that's based on their8cx system on a chip.I mean this stuff is all really coolbecause we already see thebenefits of ARM hardwarein stuff like smartphones and tablets.Things like peak powerefficiency, better battery life,balancing all of that withreally good performance.And all that on top of the factthat it's running full Windows,at least with some caveats.Now to be clear, this isn't the first timethat Microsoft hasdabbled with ARM and PCs.The first two generations of the Surfacewere running Tegra hardware,which is essentially the grandfatherof what's in the Nintendo Switch.And a few years ago wetook a look at this thing,which has a Snapdragon 835 in it.It kinda almost looks like a Surface.And it was running full Windows,but the performancewasn't really that great.But nowadays, ARM hardwareis really really good.And the case in pointof that is the iPad Pro.And for all of the advantagesthat that device has,it's not hard to see why Microsoftwould want to take advantage of that.Truth be told, app compatibility is what'son a lot of people's mindswhen it comes to the Surface Pro X.Unlike it's AMD and Intel counterparts,you can't exactly runevery single Windows app,so there is a compatibilitymode for 32-bit appsand you can also find ARM compatible apps,but for the latter,those are a little few and far in between.A lot of people mightnot even notice though,I mean, running 32-bit Chrome,not exactly that bad.You, I personally didn't reallynotice much of a difference.For apps like Photoshop,I've actually had togo back I think a yearin terms of versions tofind one that was compatiblewith this.And there's just straightup no optimization.I mean it's kinda obvious it wasn't meantfor a device like this,but I think that kinda speaksto where this is at right now.It's definitely not perfect.Adobe said, at theMicrosoft press conference,that they're fully committedto supporting Windowson ARM.And we have to kindatake their word for it.There's no launch datesor anything like that.They're just working on it.And that's kinda the storywith a lot of apps in general.There's just not a lotof support out there,but where the potentiallies is in the future.Microsoft of course wantsmany people to buy the Pro Xas much as possible,so that there can be more incentivefor app devs to support Windows on ARM.So as an early adopter,you have to be willingto accept the compromisesthat Windows on the Pro X has today,in hopes that it willget better at some pointin the future.Which is also understandably a tough sell,even considering that there are moreSnapdragon ARM-based laptopscoming in the next few months.It's not to say that Windows on ARMand the Surface Pro X are unusable.In fact I think if you can, you know,live inside of a web browser,you know say you useGoogle Docs, Google Sheets,if you're just web browsing,if you're doing prettymuch all that I was doingsans Photoshop.You know for lightweight tasks,this thing is really usable,and the benefits again ofARM are there to help that.Take away the romanticaspects of the Pro X's futureand what you get is a reallynice and well-designed product.It feels really nice in hand,the fit and finish is great.I love the fact thatMicrosoft embraced the future,and finally put two USB-C ports on it.I don't love how it doesn'thave a headphone jack on it,but the engineers didsay, to shrink the bezels,they needed to give that up,which I'll take their word for itbecause I am definitely100% not an engineer.And on top of all of that,they've thought this through and through.You can actually swap out theSSD through a door on the backthat's really easy to access.As well as put in a littleSIM card over there.Again, this design isreally well thought out,but if you start lookingat the price of it,it's not really that appealing.So as configured with 16 gigs of RAM,and 256 gigs of storage,this unit costs $1,500.And that does not includethis signature keyboard cover,and the pen as well.Add on these two things,you're looking at a packagethat costs little lessthan $1,800.Which I guess on paperis kinda similar to a...Comparably spec-ed and packaged iPad Pro,but you're getting waymore with the iPad Prothan you're getting with this,at least in my opinion.- Ooh hot take!- But it's kinda true.Now that might seem a little harshbut I think the better value of the Pro Xcomes with the base model,which comes with 8 gigs ofRAM and 128 gigs of storagefor $1,000.Now all of the models ofthe Pro X come with LTE,so on paper at least, this specfor spec is priced up betterthan the 12.9 inch iPad Pro.As I said earlier, I reallywant to love the Surface Pro X,but the reality of it is that I don't.I'm gonna be stickingwith the Surface Pro 7because it has the app compatibilityand the performance that I need right now.And maybe for some people,the Pro X will be good.If you do lightweight tasks,if you're willing to buy intothis future and take a gamble,maybe it could pay off.But for me personally,at least for right now, Idon't think it's worth it.