Microsoft Surface Pro 6 review

Did you know the Surface Pro 6 isn’t the newest Surface on the block? Read our review of the Microsoft Surface Pro X, Microsoft’s most recent Surface release.

The Microsoft Surface Pro 6 has its share of decent updates, coming equipped with a faster processor and a longer battery life. Unfortunately, that’s about it. It’s a bit of a bizarre move by Microsoft, seeing as the Pro 6’s predecessor, the Surface Pro 2017, got a date instead of a number because, as the company claimed, it didn’t bring in upgrades major enough to warrant a numbered moniker.

Instead, not only did it completely and inexplicably skip the Pro 5, but the Surface Pro 6 is also in the same boat. Much like the Surface Pro 2017, now unofficially Pro 5, this release is also lacking in any major updates. 

Outside of a newer silicon and the new black color option, however, the tablet’s formula hasn’t radically changed, missing out on some key changes that many have been holding out hope for since Microsoft first released the Surface Pro 4 in 2015? Not even that dated USB 3.0 port has received an update, making the Surface Pro 6 hard to recommend.

So, where does that leave potential tablet users?

Price and availability

The Surface Pro 6’s base configuration will set you back $899 (£879, AU$1,145), right in line with the Surface Pro 2017’s pricing, if just a bit pricier. The tablet is presently available in the US, UK and Australian markets.

Bear in mind that, much like with earlier models, the Surface Pro 6 doesn’t include the $99 (£99, AU$139) Surface Pen nor the $159 (£149, AU$249) Type Cover in the box. That isn’t likely to change in the future, so anticipate spending more cash than the tablet price, especially if you’re looking to use it as a laptop alternative or to handle your graphic design projects.

The Surface Pro 6 we reviewed here, its configurations listed on the right, costs a lofty $1,199 (£1,149, AU$1,568), thanks to the upgraded storage – from 128GB on the base model to the 256GB listed here. That’s a sizeable price jump for only 128GB of extra storage space.

From there, the Surface Pro 6 can be configured to your desired specifications with up to an Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. If you really want to max out the Surface Pro 6 out, you’re looking at an exorbitant $2,299 (£2,149, AU$3,459) price tag.

As far as its main competitor, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2017) asks for a bit less at $799 (£769, AU$1,299). This will get you a 2,732 x 2,048 pixel display powered by Apple’s A10X SOC and with 64GB of flash storage. The iPad also doesn’t come with a stylus or a keyboard, which will cost you another $99 (£99, AU$145) and $169 (about £170, AU$245) respectively, if you purchase them from Apple.

On paper, the Surface Pro 6 remains to be the better value since you’re getting more of a full computer experience for only about 100 bucks (or quid) more. However, the race is definitely closer than it’s ever been.

If you want to go with Chrome OS or one of the best Chromebooks, the Google Pixel Slate is worth considering, which will set you back $799 (£749, AU$1,162) for the base model. This may have been a great deal if it wasn’t for Google is asking for an extra $199 (£189, AU$280) for the keyboard cover. That’s not exactly good value, especially considering that both the iPad Pro and Surface Pro 6 surpass it in terms of sheer power.

Design and display

Other than the elegant new black color scheme that’s lovely to touch, just about nothing is different about the Surface Pro design compared to the 2017 model. The tablet measures only 0.33 inches thin and weighs just 1.7 pounds – again, this stays untouched from its predecessor.

The Surface Pro 6 has all the same ports and wireless options as last year’s model as well as ­– not to mention, the exact same Type Cover. We’re satisfied with the latter simply because the Type Cover is already excellent in its current iteration. In fact, we’ll go as far as to say that it might just be the best accessory of its kind that we’ve ever tested.

However, we’re extremely disappointed that Microsoft decided to forgo USB-C again, and that’s not only because of the apparent benefits that the platform has to offer. Microsoft has been gating faster data transfers and wider docking capabilities behind the proprietary Surface Connect port for a while now, forcing users who need that speed boost and expansion to pick up a $199 (about £150, AU$280) Surface Dock accessory, which increases the final cost some more.

Even the included USB 3.0 is behind the curve of USB 3.1, which is the standard in 2019 and boasts twice the transferring data speed as the former. This isn’t OK: it’s now costing consumers more cash to unlock the full versatility of a device that Microsoft insists can function as their one and only computer.

On a slightly more positive note, the display, though mostly unchanged, is marginally improved in one area. It now has a stronger contrast ratio of 1,500:1 in comparison to the previous model’s 1,300:1.

This will benefit not just consumers, but content creators as well, with deeper blacks and more vibrant colors that absolutely make movies more superb looking, and can possibly make media editing much easier and more accurate for content creators.

First reviewed November 2018

Images Credit: TechRadar