Microsoft Surface Pro 6: At First Glance
Since the launch of the Surface Pro series of detachable 2-in-1s, Microsoft has been delivering category-defining devices. Interestingly, the journey has been a long but insightful one especially for fans of the Surface Pro series like myself.
If you recall, the previous edition – Microsoft Surface Pro 5 – was great however, it was lacking in some crucial aspects. Thankfully, Microsoft has kept the mantle up by releasing the Surface Pro 6 as an improvement of the previous edition.
Just like the previous editions of the Surface Pro series, the Microsoft Surface Pro 6 doesn’t come cheap. Suffice to say, that it is even more expensive considering the separate cost of the Surface Pen and Type Cover.
Speaking of its price, in July 2021 when we published this review, the Surface Pro 6 starts at a price of $759. All these considered, let’s get into the discussion of whether the Surface Pro 6 is a worthy upgrade or not.
Microsoft Surface Pro 6: Design, Dimension, and Weight
When it comes to the physical design of the Surface Pro 6, not so much has changed. To be precise, the Microsoft Surface Pro 6 looks exactly like its predecessor – Microsoft Surface Pro 5.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 6 still has the same magnesium-aluminum build with rounded edges like its predecessor. However, in addition to the platinum-silver color option of its predecessor, there is now a matte-black color option.
Furthermore, the Surface Pro 6 still maintained the same dimension and weight as its predecessor. Specifically, the Surface Pro 6 measures 292 x 201 x 8.5 mm.
Additionally, it weighs 770 g for the Core i5 variants and 784 g for the Core i7 variants. Thankfully, the Surface Pro 6 makes for a good travel companion due to its light weight.
Comparatively, the Surface Pro 6 is about 100g heavier than the Apple iPad Pro which has the same dimensions. However, the Surface Pro 6 is about 100g lighter than the Lenovo Thinkpad X1 tablet.
In tablet form, the Surface Pro 6 is an impressive device with a great display. Speaking of which, the 12.3-inch display is surrounded by somewhat thick bezels.
The upper bezel houses the front camera which still maintains its good quality from the previous edition. Also, the front camera supports Windows Hello for a smooth and seamless login into Windows.
The Surface Pen is a great accessory for a more delightful tablet experience. Unfortunately, Microsoft still decided to sell the Surface Pen separately just like the previous edition.
Looking past the additional cost of the Surface Pen, it is a good investment if you’re considering the Surface Pro 6. Moreover, the Surface Pen also maintained the quality from that of the previous edition.
Additionally, the Surface Pen delivers a great inking experience, especially with its smooth rubbery tip. Impressively, the pen offers up to 4,096 levels of sensitivity and tilt detection support.
Furthermore, the Stylus Pen has a rubber eraser that can be used in a similar way an eraser is used on paper. Overall, the Surface Pen is very useful in taking notes and sketching.
Similar to its predecessor, the Surface Pen attaches to the side of the Surface Pro 6 via a magnetic snap. With the magnetic snap, the pen stayed securely in place while I put the device in and out of the bag.
Moving on to the kickstand, it is still similar to what you’ll find on the predecessor. It has a chrome-like Microsoft logo and up to 165-degree positioning.
As a device designed to replace laptops, the Surface Pro 6’s Type Cover is a very essential accessory. It serves as a functional keyboard as well as a protective cover for the screen.
Unfortunately, Microsoft still remained unwilling to include the Type Cover in the box. Therefore, you’ll need to spend a bit extra to purchase the essential Type Cover.
However, you might be a bit consoled about the extra cost of the Type Cover by the excellent typing experience it delivers. The keys have a 1.3 mm of key travel which is impressive considering the thinness of the Type Cover.
In addition, the precision glass touchpad on the Surface Pro 6 is super responsive to touch. Scrolling on the touchpad was smooth and Windows 10 gestures like switching apps with three fingers worked well.
In addition to the matching black color, the Type cover is also available in multiple colors made of Alcantara material. The Type Cover attaches to the bottom of the tablet with a firm magnetic connection.
When it comes to ports, the Surface Pro 6 maintained a similar selection as the Surface Pro 5. The right side of the Surface Pro 6 has a Surface Connect port, a USB 3.0 port, and a mini DisplayPort.
Furthermore, the left side of the Surface Pro 6 houses a headphone jack. There’s also a microSD card slot located underneath the kickstand which is useful for storage expansion.
However, it is disappointing to see that Microsoft still refuses to include a USB-C port in the Surface Pro 6. Also, Microsoft didn’t deem it fit to include a Thunderbolt 3 port.
Overall, the design of the Surface Pro 6 is similar to its predecessor save for the new black color option. Hence, I will rate it an eight for its excellent quality design.
Microsoft Surface Pro 6: Processor (CPU) Performance
The Surface Pro 6 is powered by either a quad-core Intel Core i5-8250U or a quad-core Intel Core i7-8650U processor. The Core i5 processor has a 6MB cache memory, a base, and a boost frequency of 1.6 GHz and 3.4 GHz respectively.
Meanwhile, the Core i7 processor has an 8 MB cache memory. Additionally, it has a base frequency of 1.9 GHz and a maximum frequency of 4.2 GHz.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 6 model I reviewed shipped with the Core i7 processor.
The Core i7 processor was efficiently capable of handling daily computing tasks, and even CPU-intensive activities such as video editing. To evaluate the processor performance of the laptop, I performed a Geekbench 4 benchmark test.
In the Geekbench 4 test, the Surface Pro 6 recorded 13,025 points. This performance significantly surpassed that of the Surface Pro 5 which scored 8,879 points.
Also, the performance surpassed that of the Lenovo Thinkpad X1 tablet which scored 12,772 points. Contrastly, the Surface Pro 6 is slightly beaten by the Samsung Note 9 pen which scored 13,129 points.
Based on the outcome of the test, the Processor of the Surface Pro 6 has been majorly improved. Therefore, I’ll rate the processor performance of the Surface Pro 6 a nine.
Microsoft Surface Pro 6: Memory (RAM) Performance
The Microsoft Surface Pro 6 supports a standard memory size of 8 GB or 16 GB running in dual-channel. However, the RAM is soldered to the board and is therefore not upgradeable.
The Surface Pro 6 model I reviewed shipped with 8 GB of RAM. With 8 GB of RAM, the Surface Pro 6 was a sufficiently multitasking device.
As proof of its multitasking ability, I had over a dozen chrome tabs opened. Each tab was performing a different task including Youtube video streaming.
Switching between the browser tabs was smooth and the Surface Pro 6 did not exhibit any stuttering whatsoever.
I also performed a PCMark 8 benchmark test which had the Surface Pro 6 record a score of 2,891 points. In the same test, the Surface Pro 6 slightly surpassed the Lenovo Thinkpad X1 tablet which scored 2,873 points.
However, the Surface Pro 6 lagged behind the Dell Lattitude 5290 which scored a significant 3,436 points in the same test.
In conclusion, I will rate the Surface Pro 6 a seven for its multitasking ability and its impressive benchmark performance.
Microsoft Surface Pro 6: Storage Options and Performance
You can get Surface Pro 6 ranging from 128 GB to up to 1 TB SSD. The device I reviewed had 512 GB of SSD storage.
To illustrate the performance of the model I reviewed, I performed a Crystaldiskmark test. In the test, the Surface Pro 6 recorded a sequential read speed of 1,640 MBps.
Comparatively, the Surface Pro 6’s performance lags behind that of the Dell XPS 15. The Dell XPS 15 recorded a sequential read speed of 2976.7 MBps.
Moreover, the Surface Pro 6 recorded a sequential write speed of 804 MBps. Comparatively, the Surface Pro 6 lags behind the Dell XPS 15 which recorded a write speed of 3039.6 MBps.
To further test the storage performance of Surface Pro 6, I performed a file transfer test. Based on the test, the Surface Pro 6 copied 4.9 GB of files in 22 seconds at a rate of 231 MBps.
In comparison, the file copy speed of the Surface Pro 6 is behind that of the Samsung Notebook 9. Specifically, the Samsung Notebook 9 recorded a speed of 283 MBps.
Furthermore, the Surface Pro 6 also has an SD card slot below the kickstand. The SD Card can be used as a secondary storage device.
In terms of performance, it takes the SD Card about 14 seconds to transfer 1 GB of photos to the desktop.
In conclusion, I’ll rate the Surface Pro 6 a eight for its impressive storage performance in the benchmark test.
Microsoft Surface Pro 6: Graphics Card Performance
When it comes to the graphics card, the Surface Pro 6 employs the integrated Intel UHD 620 GPU. The Intel UHD GPU has a base frequency of 300 MHz and a boost frequency of 1150 MHz.
In practice, the Intel UHD GPU is only barely sufficient for light gaming at low settings and very light photo editing. This means that the Surface Pro 6 is not capable of playing graphic-intensive games nor editing multiple 4k resolution videos.
In the 3DMark Fire Strike test that I performed, the Surface Pro 6 recorded 544 points. The performance of the Surface Pro 6 beats that of the Dell Lattitude 5290 which recorded a score of 533 points.
Furthermore, the Surface Pro 6 beats the Lenovo Thinkpad X1 which scored 528 points.
Additionally, I performed a gaming test that had the Surface Pro 6 play Dirt 3 racing. The game played at 80.9 fps.
The performance of the Surface Pro 6 in the game test surpassed that of the Lenovo Thinkpad X1. The Lenovo Thinkpad X1 played the same game at 74 fps.
Also, the Samsung Notebook 9 Pen couldn’t catch up with the Surface Pro 6. It recorded only 47 fps in the same game.
Finally, the Surface Pro 6 is definitely not the one to get if you’re looking to perform graphic-intensive tasks. Hence, I’ll rate the laptop a five for its graphics performance.
Microsoft Surface Pro 6: Battery life and Performance
The Surface Pro 6 is powered by a 42Whr Lithium-ion battery. Microsoft has promised the battery to offer up to 13.5 hours of battery life.
However, in the video playback test that I performed, the battery lasted up to 10 hours 12 minutes. The Surface Pro 6 has seen a major improvement from its predecessor in terms of battery performance.
Specifically, the predecessor – Surface Pro 5 – lasted 5 hours 47 minutes in the same test. However, despite the improvement of the Surface Pro 6 battery performance, it still can’t deliver up to 10 hours of battery life in normal usage.
In comparison, for normal usage, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro still beats the Surface Pro 6 by delivering up to 10 hours of battery life. Impressively, the iPad Pro doesn’t only last 10 hours long in the playback test but also in everyday computer usage.
Finally, the battery performance I got was less than what Microsoft promised, but it was a significant improvement from the predecessor’s. Therefore, I will rate the Surface Pro 6 a nine for its improved battery performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
At a starting price of $759 in July 2021, the Surface Pro 6 is expensive especially since only little has changed from its predecessor. However, it still has a better battery life and a faster processor. Therefore, if you don’t already have the Surface Pro 5 then you should consider buying the Surface Pro 6.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 6 was released in October 2018 which is about 2 years and 9 months from when we published this review in July 2021.
Despite the newer releases in the Surface Pro series such as the Surface Pro 7, Surface Pro 7+ and Surface Pro X, the Surface Pro 6 is not discontinued.
With 8 GB of RAM, the Surface Pro 6 was a sufficiently multitasking machine. It was able to handle about a dozen chrome tabs without a noticeable lag.
The Surface Pro series to which Surface Pro 6 belongs has proven to be a capable laptop replacement worth considering. The Type Cover delivers a good performance as much as you will get on a laptop.
Conclusion
The Microsoft Surface Pro 6 is a great choice for a lightweight detachable 2-in-1 PC. Its processor is faster than its predecessor’s.
Also, in comparison to Surface Pro 5, it delivers an improved battery performance.
Unfortunately, the Surface Pro 6 is still lacking a vital USB-C port or a Thunderbolt 3 port. We expect that having gone this far into the series, these are upgrades that Microsoft should have included.
In conclusion, the Surface Pro 6 is a good choice for you if you don’t already own the Surface Pro 5. However, if you already own the Surface Pro 5, I don’t think the Surface Pro 6 is a worthy upgrade considering the price difference.
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