Microsoft Surface Pro 5: At First Glance
The Microsoft Surface Pro series has been a prominent breakthrough in the field of 2-in-1 PCs. Consistently, Microsoft has been delivering premium devices with excellent performance in the Surface Pro series.
This impressive achievement was evident in the last edition – Surface Pro 4 – and the previous editions before it. However, Microsoft has released an even better edition – Surface Pro 5 which promises greater performance than the past editions.
The Microsoft Surface Pro series of 2-in-1 PCs are premium devices therefore, they do not come cheap. However, Microsoft has released more recent editions.
Hence, when I published this guide in June 2021 the Surface Pro 5 now comes at an affordable price of $499.99.
From your experience with the previous Surface Pro editions, you might already have a clue about the Surface Pro 5.
However, there is still a lot to be discussed about it. Therefore, let’s get into the details.
Microsoft Surface Pro 5: Design, Dimension and Weight
The Microsoft Surface Pro 5 is similar in many ways to its predecessor, Surface Pro 4. However, Surface Pro 5 differentiates itself from Surface Pro 4 by some minor physical differences.
For instance, Microsoft built the Surface Pro 5 with a Magnesium-aluminum alloy like its predecessor – Surface Pro 4. However, Surface Pro 5 has more defined round edges.
At first glance, the Surface Pro 5 has the same footprint as the Surface Pro 4. Both the Surface Pro 5 and Surface Pro 4 measure 292 x 201 x 8.5 mm.
Nevertheless, the Surface Pro 5 is slightly heavier than the Surface Pro 4. Specifically, the Surface Pro 5 weighs between 768 g and 812 g depending on the configuration.
Moreover, the Surface Pro 5 has the same 12.3-inch PixelSense display as its predecessor. The display also features thin bezels but even better, the front cameras now blend with its surrounding.
Speaking of the front camera, it supports Windows Hello which allows users to log in securely via facial recognition. Thus, users don’t need to type passwords in order to log into Windows.
The display is supported by a kickstand just like all the previous editions in the Surface Pro series. The kickstand has a chrome-like Microsoft logo.
In addition, the kickstand features a hinge that bends to a wider angle of 165 degrees than its predecessor. Therefore, the kickstand supports a flatter positioning of the display.
Moreover, the kickstand gives the Surface Pro 5 a rigid support in all positions. Hence, the Microsoft Surface Pro 5 is an ideal device for artists.
Straight out of the box, the Surface Pro 5 is just a functional tablet. Unfortunately, it does not ship with a Type Cover neither does it ship with a Stylus Pen.
Speaking of the stylus pen, it adds to the overall cost of the Surface Pro 5 since it is sold separately. However, the Stylus Pen is an essential accessory for achieving the best tablet experience.
Furthermore, the Stylus pen is available in eye-catching colors like platinum black, cobalt blue, and burgundy. Impressively, the pressure sensitivity of the Stylus has increased to 4,094 levels as opposed to 1,024 levels on Surface Pro 4.
With its improved pressure sensitivity, the Stylus Pen delivers a smoother writing or drawing experience. Additionally, the improved Stylus Pen supports tilt detection which is great for useful navigation controls in some apps.
In addition to these, the Stylus pen in Surface Pro 5 has lower latency than that of the Surface Pro 4. With its reduced latency, the Stylus pen is less likely to leak the ink on the PixelSense touchscreen.
Moving on to the Type Cover, it has seen a major improvement as well. Unfortunately, like the Stylus pen, the Type Cover is also sold separately.
The improved Type Cover in Surface Pro 5 is made of Alcantara material and it is available in matching colors as the Stylus pen.
Moreover, the Type Cover in Pro 5 has a deeper key travel than that of the predecessor. Also, the keys are bouncier and deliver better feedback from a keypress.
Additionally, the Type Cover delivers a smooth typing experience similar to that of a regular keyboard. However, it is unfortunate that Microsoft still decided to sell the Type Cover separately.
Finally, let’s talk about the ports available on the Surface Pro 5. The port selection here is similar to that of the Surface Pro 4.
Precisely, the Surface Pro 5 has a USB-A port, a Mini DisplayPort, and a Surface Connector. Additionally, it has a 3.5 mm audio jack, and a microSD card reader.
In conclusion, I’ll rate the Microsoft Surface Pro 5 an eight for its beautiful and excellent design.
Microsoft Surface Pro 5: Processor (CPU) Performance
The Microsoft Surface Pro 5 ships with a 7th generation Intel processor and is available in 3 configuration variants. The baseline variant is configured with a dual-core Intel Core m3-7Y30 processor.
The Core m3 processor has a 4 MB cache memory. Additionally, it has a base frequency of 1.00 MHz and a maximum frequency of 2.60 MHz.
Moreover, the mid-range configuration is the dual-core Intel Core i5-7300U processor which has a 3 MB cache memory. Furthermore, the Core i5 processor has a base frequency of 2.60 MHz and a maximum frequency of 3.50 MHz.
Finally, the high-end variant is configured with a dual-core Intel Core i7-7660U processor which has a 4 MB cache memory. The Core i7 processor has a base frequency of 2.50 MHz and a maximum frequency of 4.00 MHz.
Microsoft has adopted Intel’s Kaby Lake fanless processors in both the Core m3 and Core i5 variants. Thus, the Microsoft Surface Pro 5 variants with the Core m3 and Core i5 processors are completely quiet.
Although the Core i7 variants has a fan, it runs impressively more quiet than the Surface Pro 4.
The model I reviewed shipped with the Core i7 processor. Thankfully, my review unit performed excellently in the Geekbench 3 benchmark test I performed.
Specifically, my review unit recorded 4,656 points in the single-core test and 8,578 points in the multi-core test. Impressively, the 8,578 points recorded by the Surface Pro 5 surpassed the Samsung Galaxy Book 12’s score of 6,864 points.
Also, the Surface Pro 5 surpassed its predecessor in the same benchmark. The predecessor – Microsoft Surface Pro 4 – recorded a score of 6,775 points.
In conclusion, as a result of the impressive performance of the Surface Pro 5 in the Geekbench test, I’ll rate it a nine.
Microsoft Surface Pro 5: Memory (RAM) Performance
The Microsoft Surface Pro 5 supports up to 16 GB 1866 MHz LPDDR3 RAM. Users cannot replace or remove the RAM because it is soldered to the Motherboard.
The model I reviewed shipped with 16 GB RAM. Not surprisingly, my review unit performed extremely well in handling multiple tasks at the same time.
For instance, I had multiple browser tabs opened with most of these tabs browsing through different websites. Another browser tab was downloading a video, while some were streaming youtube videos.
Despite these multiple tasks processing simultaneously, the Surface Pro 5 worked efficiently without a hint of stutter or lag.
Additionally, I performed a PCMark 8 benchmark test where my review unit recorded a score of 5,001 points. This performance surpassed that of the Samsung Galaxy Book 12 which recorded a score of 4982 points.
In comparison, in the same PCMark 8 test, the Surface Pro 4 scored 2,612 points.
Finally, I’ll rate the RAM performance of the Microsoft Surface Pro 5 a nine. This is due to the impressive performance of my review model at multitasking.
Microsoft Surface Pro 5: Storage Options and Performance
The Microsoft Surface Pro 5 supports a solid-state drive with a maximum capacity of 1 TB. The Microsoft Surface Pro 5 model that I reviewed shipped with a 512 GB SSD.
Also, Microsoft has made provision for an SDcard reader that can be used for storage expansion. The SDCard reader is located underneath the kickstand.
To evaluate the storage performance of the Surface Pro 5, I performed a Crystaldiskmark test. As a result of the test, the Surface Pro 5 recorded a sequential read speed of 606.5 MBps.
Additionally, the Surface Pro 5 recorded a sequential write speed of 969.2 MBps. In conclusion, I will rate the storage performance of the Surface Pro 5 a seven.
Microsoft Surface Pro 5: Graphics Card Performance
Microsoft has configured the Surface Pro 5 with three different integrated GPU options. The baseline model has an integrated Intel HD Graphics 615 GPU.
The Intel HD Graphics 615 has a base frequency of 300 MHz and a boost frequency of 900 MHz.
Also, the mid-range variant of the Surface Pro 5 is configured with an integrated Intel HD Graphics 620. The Intel HD Graphics 620 has a base frequency of 300 MHz and a boost frequency of 1100 MHz.
Lastly, the top-end variant ships with an integrated Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640. This GPU has a base frequency of 900 MHz, it also has a boost frequency of 1100 MHz.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 5 is not a gaming machine. Therefore, it is not a surprise that it does not offer a dedicated GPU.
However, it is capable of playing light games at low settings.
The model I reviewed shipped with the Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 GPU. To determine the gaming capability of my review model, I played Far Cry 2.
At a resolution of 1280 x 720 and high quality setting, Far Cry 2 played at 49.16 fps.
Comparatively, the frame rate the Surface Pro 5 recorded in the gaming test surpasses that of the Samsung Galaxy Book 12. The Samsung played the same game at 46.78 fps.
The gaming performance of my review unit further attests to the fact that the Surface Pro 5 is not a gaming machine. Although the 46 fps recorded by the Surface Pro 5 in Far Cry 2 is a playable frame rate, it cannot handle more demanding titles.
To further evaluate the graphics performance of the Surface Pro 5, I performed a 3DMark benchmark test. From the test result, the Surface Pro 5 recorded 6,851 points.
In comparison, the Microsoft Surface Pro 5 outperformed the Samsung Book 12. The Samsung Book 12 recorded a score of 5961 points in the same test.
In conclusion, the Surface Pro 5 is excellent at performing graphics tasks such as watching videos, and light editing. However, the Surface Pro 5 isn’t built for graphics-intensive games.
Therefore, I will rate it a six for its graphics gaming performance.
Microsoft Surface Pro 5: Battery Life and Performance
The Microsoft Surface Pro 5 comes with a 45 Wh Lithium-ion battery. Microsoft claims that the battery will deliver up to 13.5 hours of video playback.
However, in the video playback test I performed, the Microsoft Surface Pro 5 lasted 8 hours 25 minutes. Unfortunately, the battery performance I got was far below Microsoft’s claim.
Also, the battery performance of the Surface Pro 5 is below that of the Samsung Galaxy Book 12. The Samsung Galaxy Book 12 lasted 10 hours 24 minutes in the same test.
Thankfully, there is a significant improvement in the performance of the Surface Pro 5 in comparison with its predecessor. The Surface Pro 4 lasted 4 hours 58 minutes in the same video playback test.
Finally, with the battery performance of the Surface Pro 5, you’ll be able to work longer hours without charging it. Therefore, I’ll rate the battery performance of the Microsoft Surface Pro 5 a seven.
Frequently Asked Questions
When we published this review in June 2021, the Microsoft Surface Pro 5 starts at a price of $499.99.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 5 was released in 2017. However, since 2017 more recent versions have been released in the Surface Pro series. The recent releases include the Surface Pro 6, the Surface Pro 7, and the Surface Pro X. However, despite these recent releases, the Microsoft Surface Pro 5 is still relevant even in 2021.
Straight out of the box, the Surface Pro 5 is a tablet since it doesn’t ship with a keyboard. Therefore, it is not totally logical to regard it is as a true laptop replacement in this sense. However, with a little more bucks for purchasing the Type Cover, it can transition into a functional laptop replacement.
The Surface Pro 5 is a viable option for users that needs a reliable laptop replacement. It features a PixelSense display that delivers a good display quality. Also, it delivers an impressive battery life. In addition to this, the Surface Pro 5 is fast. Overall, it is an excellent choice for productivity tasks.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 5 is an improvement of its predecessor – the Surface Pro 4. Major areas that the Surface Pro 5 improved on include the battery, Stylus Pen, Type Cover, and display. For instance, the battery life has improved by almost 50%. Also, the Type Cover now delivers a better key-travel than the previous version. Additionally, the Surface Pro 5 features a PixelSense display which means that it delivers better display quality than its predecessor. Finally, the Stylus Pen has been improved with more pressure sensitivity than that of the Surface Pro 4.
Conclusion
The Surface Pro 5 shows how much effort Microsoft has put into the Surface Pro series. The Microsoft Surface Pro 5 addresses many of the setbacks of its predecessor – Microsoft Surface Pro 4.
However, it is unfortunate that Microsoft has decided to sell the essential Type Cover and Stylus Pen separately. Notwithstanding, if you don’t mind the extra cost of these accessories, the Surface Pro 5 is still worth buying.
However, at the time we published this review in 2021, Microsoft has released newer editions. The newer editions in the Surface Pro series include the Surface Pro 6, 7, and X.
Despite these recent releases, the Surface Pro 5 is still a force to reckon with in the Surface Pro series.
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