Microsoft's Surface line broke the mold when it burst onto the scene in 2013, delivering on the vision of a streamlined, transformable laptop-tablet hybrid running the full Windows operating system.
Each iteration has seen only modest changes—but it has remained the benchmark for the development of the detachable 2-in-1.
The Surface Pro 6 (starts at $899; $1,199 as tested) is perhaps the softest update yet, with only two key changes from its predecessor.
The 2-in-1 now comes in all black, an alternative to its long-running steely gray, and it features an 8th Generation Intel processor for improved performance.
These aren't big changes, but the Pro 6 is a tick faster, and the black color looks sharp.
While still excellent, though, its lack of changes means it fails to move past the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet as our Editors' Choice, which had seized the title from the previous Surface Pro.
Black Is the New Black
Though the color shift is completely aesthetic, it lends a somehow sleeker look to any already slick design.
As fellow hardware analyst Tom Brant also noted in his Surface Pro hands-on at Microsoft's preview event, the black color delivers on its famous slimming effect, somehow making the Surface Pro 6 look trimmer than its predecessor.
Fittingly for the product's name, the color also makes it look more professional.
The traditional, relatively tame gray color wasn't exactly wild, but this gives off even more of a business-laptop vibe.
If that's how you'll use your 2-in-1, you may very well appreciate the look—if not, you might still just prefer the color.
If you're not a fan, you can also buy it in its original "platinum."
Despite perhaps looking thinner, when you put the calipers on it, the Surface Pro 6 is no slimmer than the previous edition.
At 0.33 by 11.5 by 7.9 inches (HWD) and 1.7 pounds, it's still a compact machine, though. At this size, the Pro 6 is perfectly portable and functional.
It's still lighter and slimmer than the Editors' Choice Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet (0.35 by 12 by 8.9 inches and 1.96 pounds) and the Dell Latitude 5290 2-in-1 (0.42 by 11.5 by 8.2 inches and 1.89 pounds).
The display is identical to that of the previous edition, which is to say, it's gorgeous.
The 12.3-inch screen comes in a 3:2 aspect ratio, different from the more standard 16:9, and as such bears an unusual 2,736-by-1,824-pixel resolution.
That's a higher-than-HD resolution and looks very sharp in practice.
The display has great viewing angles, and it gets super-bright at maximum settings, with colors looking especially vibrant.
Since it's a tablet, the screen, of course, offers touch technology.
This is convenient for poking around in Tablet mode, or tapping the screen lazily when you're using the keyboard and touchpad.
It's also good for stylus use: The $99 Surface Pen is sold separately and attaches to the side of the display magnetically.
It's a good place to put the pen while working, though I wouldn't keep it there in transit.
It doesn't take much to knock it loose.
Best-in-Class Convertibility, With a Few Caveats
Because there are no physical changes, the Surface Pro's trademark convertibility is untouched.
The built-in rear kickstand, which has been the subject of mimicry since its debut, is executed just like on the previous model.
A fully adjustable hinge allows you to recline the screen through 165 degrees of range, including almost nearly flat, which can be helpful when using the stylus for sketching or note-taking.
The original Surface models featured a hinge with a limited number of set adjustment points, so this system is still very preferable.
The kickstand is just half the battle in turning the Surface Pro 6 (technically a tablet) into a laptop.
It's the Surface Type Cover—the detachable keyboard also subject to many copycats over the years—that makes the magic happen.
As it always has, the keyboard easily attaches to the bottom of the Surface Pro magnetically, making transformation a breeze.
The Type Cover is still sold separately.
This has been a complaint of mine, and that of plenty of others, since the Surface hit the market.
The Surface Pro is already on the pricey side, but adding another $129 to get what feels like full functionality is a bitter price pill.
The keyboard is an integral part of the experience—Microsoft rarely shows or advertises the two apart.
Without it, the Surface Pro is really just a nice, and expensive, tablet.
The Type Cover should really be included to deliver fully on the device's concept.
It is a great keyboard for its kind, though.
Despite its thinness, the Type Cover offers a surprisingly comfortable typing experience, with good key travel.
There's also backlighting, adjustable through several levels of brightness.
The keyboard is a little flimsy if you press down too much, especially if you're not using it on a desk (more on that in a moment), but it's still more than serviceable, and one of the best among all detachables.
You can also angle the keyboard for a more comfortable typing angle by folding the top of the keyboard up against the screen, where more magnets hold it in place.
This innovation was introduced to the Surface line several iterations ago, a small addition that makes a noticeable usability difference.
The touchpad is also excellent, and it tracks very smoothly.
I genuinely enjoy typing on this keyboard, at least on a solid surface, even if the $129 price seems a bit steep.
While the kickstand setup works great on a desk, it still leaves something to be desired in your lap.
While writing this very review on the device, I tried sitting cross-legged on the couch, and there's simply no good way to support the kickstand and still be able to see the screen and type comfortably.
It's better with your feet on the floor, since the kickstand can straddle your thighs, but it still doesn't replicate the stability of a traditional laptop screen and keyboard.
One of the bigger disappointments is the array of ports, though calling it an "array" seems generous.
Not counting the audio jack and proprietary power connector, you get just three connections on the Surface Pro 6: a USB 3.0 port, a Mini DisplayPort, and a microSD card slot.
More than one USB port would be useful for using multiple peripherals (such as a mouse and an external drive), but the exclusion of a USB Type-C port is disappointing.
The technology is no longer new, and it should be included by default as more and more devices and systems adopt it.
The ThinkPad X1 Tablet, for example, has two USB Type-C ports, and they even offer Thunderbolt 3 support.
Mini DisplayPort is useful for external video output, but it's not one of the more common connections; full DisplayPort or HDMI would be more useful.
The microSD slot is a helpful inclusion for file transfers, especially for media pros.
On the whole, though, this premium device should come with a few more, or more useful, ports than it does.
Unlocking the Config Conundrum
When ordering your Surface Pro 6, there are several possible combinations of processor, memory, and storage to choose among.
It's not all that simple, however—you can't combine just any component option with any other.
Microsoft guides you along starting with memory (8GB or 16GB), which dictates which processor (8th Generation Intel Core i5 or Core i7) and storage (128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB solid-state drives) you can choose.
The color of your Surface Pro 6 depends on its components, though I couldn't unlock the rhyme or reason behind the combinations.
For example, you can configure the black model with 16GB of memory and a Core i7 CPU, but you can only choose the 512GB SSD, while the platinum model can pair with a 512GB or 1TB drive.
Some other limitations make a bit more sense (16GB of memory is only available with a Core i7 CPU, both of which suit power users), but the storage is a bit mix-and-match.
Several such permutations depend on color and which memory amount you start with, but you can likely find a combination that's right for you—it just may not be in the color you want.
The prices vary greatly depending on components, starting at $899 for 8GB of memory, a Core i5 processor, and 128GB of storage.
This review unit is outfitted with 8GB of memory, a Core i5 CPU, and the 256GB SSD for $1,199.
At the high end, the priciest possible configuration (16GB of memory, a Core i7 CPU, and a 1TB SSD) is $2,229.
Performance Testing: A Generational Jump
This middle-of-the-road review unit I have on hand isn't the most powerful possible, with its Core i5 processor, but generally, Intel's newest generation of chips is snappy.
Because even the mainstream chips in Intel's 8th Generation boast four cores, the Surface Pro 6 also crosses the finish line as one of the first 2-in-1s with a quad-core processor.
The particular CPU in this model is the Core i5-8250U, the U-series being a power-sipping, efficient family meant for mobile use.
(The Core i7 option is also a U-series chip.)
In general use, the device was perfectly snappy.
I was able to open many web browser tabs, run Spotify, and manage word processing without any slowdown or noticeable lag.
If your use case includes similar tasks and nothing much more strenuous, you shouldn't have any speed complaints.
On the PCMark 8 Work Conventional test, which quantifies the sort of work mentioned above as well as general office tasks, the Surface Pro 6 scored in line with the competition.
Those that outperformed it in our competitive set here, such as the Dell Latitude and Lenovo IdeaPad Miix 520 , have less demanding 1080p resolutions that are responsible for much of that gap.
See How We Test Tablets
That said, these were also superior on the multimedia tests, just with less of a gap.
The Surface Pro 6 is neck-and-neck with the ThinkPad X1 Tablet, which makes sense as they share a processor, but the Latitude and IdeaPad Miix 520 edge it out across the board.
Just a note that I've included the Surface Pro with LTE Advanced as the comparison in the chart instead of the Surface Pro 5.
This is because the two are virtually identical in design (the LTE model is essentially a Surface Pro 5 with cellular service added), but the LTE unit we reviewed has a more comparable Core i5 as opposed to the Surface Pro 5's Core i7, making it a more useful 1:1 generational comparison with our Surface Pro 6.
All said, if you plan to do more serious or professional work on the Surface Pro 6, perhaps you should consider 16GB of memory or the Core i7 model.
This configuration is quick enough for general use, but I didn't find it especially fast for more serious work.
To be clear, that's not exclusive to the Surface Pro 6 in this category—after all, it's ahead of or level with the other systems—but to the tier of performance as a whole.
No, a professional media creator ideally wouldn't use a small system like this as his or her main machine, but it could be tempting as a viable portable option, so you should know what to expect.
Where the Core i7 model won't help you is 3D performance.
All of these systems (the Core i7 version included) work off of only the integrated graphics of the CPU, with no discrete graphics cards for modeling, animation, or gaming.
If any of those tasks or similar work are your main needs, you should look in a different category entirely.
Some light gaming (2D games, simpler or less action-heavy) should be possible on the machine, but expect to run anything 3D at low settings and non-native resolution.
Microsoft claimed 13.5 hours of battery life for the Surface Pro 6, and it bettered that by about an hour on our rundown test, lasting for 14 hours and 38 minutes (14:38).
This runtime was the best of the batch, beating the ThinkPad X1 Tablet (8:49), the Surface Pro with LTE (13:15), the Ideapad Miix 520 (7:32), and the Dell Latitude (10:36).
Long battery life is simply a great fit for this type of machine, letting you feel comfortable taking it on the road or away from your desk for long stretches without worry.
Detachable Domination: Still in Effect
The Surface Pro 6 is moderately faster than the last generation, and the black color option is sleek, but those are the only changes of note.
These modest alterations mean you won't likely need to upgrade if you have a recent Surface Pro model, but if you're coming from an early-gen Surface, an entirely different 2-in-1, or the ground floor, this new-kid 2-in-1 is worth considering.
The extra cost for the keyboard is still disappointing, but it does work as well as ever (and has the same in-lap issues as the past).
With few changes to a tried-and-true formula, one that has helped Microsoft reach the upper echelon of hardware sellers, the Surface Pro line is likely to continue to make new converts.
It doesn't take the Editors' Choice away from the more business-minded ThinkPad X1 Tablet, since it hasn't made any significant changes, but these two 2-in-1s are the top two to consider in this category.
Pros
Speedy new 8th Generation Intel processor.
Good battery life.
Premium feel.
Sleek all-black color option.
Brilliant display.
Well-implemented kickstand.
View More
Cons
Minimal changes from previous model.
As ever, keyboard sold separately.
Not ideal for in-lap use.
Somewhat restrictive configuration combinations.
Limited ports.
View More
The Bottom Line
With a modest speed boost and a new color choice, the Microsoft Surface Pro 6 may not have changed much from the previous iteration, but what we loved about this 2-in-1 convertible then, we still love now.
Microsoft's Surface line broke the mold when it burst onto the scene in 2013, delivering on the vision of a streamlined, transformable laptop-tablet hybrid running the full Windows operating system.
Each iteration has seen only modest changes—but it has remained the benchmark for the development of the detachable 2-in-1.
The Surface Pro 6 (starts at $899; $1,199 as tested) is perhaps the softest update yet, with only two key changes from its predecessor.
The 2-in-1 now comes in all black, an alternative to its long-running steely gray, and it features an 8th Generation Intel processor for improved performance.
These aren't big changes, but the Pro 6 is a tick faster, and the black color looks sharp.
While still excellent, though, its lack of changes means it fails to move past the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet as our Editors' Choice, which had seized the title from the previous Surface Pro.
Black Is the New Black
Though the color shift is completely aesthetic, it lends a somehow sleeker look to any already slick design.
As fellow hardware analyst Tom Brant also noted in his Surface Pro hands-on at Microsoft's preview event, the black color delivers on its famous slimming effect, somehow making the Surface Pro 6 look trimmer than its predecessor.
Fittingly for the product's name, the color also makes it look more professional.
The traditional, relatively tame gray color wasn't exactly wild, but this gives off even more of a business-laptop vibe.
If that's how you'll use your 2-in-1, you may very well appreciate the look—if not, you might still just prefer the color.
If you're not a fan, you can also buy it in its original "platinum."
Despite perhaps looking thinner, when you put the calipers on it, the Surface Pro 6 is no slimmer than the previous edition.
At 0.33 by 11.5 by 7.9 inches (HWD) and 1.7 pounds, it's still a compact machine, though. At this size, the Pro 6 is perfectly portable and functional.
It's still lighter and slimmer than the Editors' Choice Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet (0.35 by 12 by 8.9 inches and 1.96 pounds) and the Dell Latitude 5290 2-in-1 (0.42 by 11.5 by 8.2 inches and 1.89 pounds).
The display is identical to that of the previous edition, which is to say, it's gorgeous.
The 12.3-inch screen comes in a 3:2 aspect ratio, different from the more standard 16:9, and as such bears an unusual 2,736-by-1,824-pixel resolution.
That's a higher-than-HD resolution and looks very sharp in practice.
The display has great viewing angles, and it gets super-bright at maximum settings, with colors looking especially vibrant.
Since it's a tablet, the screen, of course, offers touch technology.
This is convenient for poking around in Tablet mode, or tapping the screen lazily when you're using the keyboard and touchpad.
It's also good for stylus use: The $99 Surface Pen is sold separately and attaches to the side of the display magnetically.
It's a good place to put the pen while working, though I wouldn't keep it there in transit.
It doesn't take much to knock it loose.
Best-in-Class Convertibility, With a Few Caveats
Because there are no physical changes, the Surface Pro's trademark convertibility is untouched.
The built-in rear kickstand, which has been the subject of mimicry since its debut, is executed just like on the previous model.
A fully adjustable hinge allows you to recline the screen through 165 degrees of range, including almost nearly flat, which can be helpful when using the stylus for sketching or note-taking.
The original Surface models featured a hinge with a limited number of set adjustment points, so this system is still very preferable.
The kickstand is just half the battle in turning the Surface Pro 6 (technically a tablet) into a laptop.
It's the Surface Type Cover—the detachable keyboard also subject to many copycats over the years—that makes the magic happen.
As it always has, the keyboard easily attaches to the bottom of the Surface Pro magnetically, making transformation a breeze.
The Type Cover is still sold separately.
This has been a complaint of mine, and that of plenty of others, since the Surface hit the market.
The Surface Pro is already on the pricey side, but adding another $129 to get what feels like full functionality is a bitter price pill.
The keyboard is an integral part of the experience—Microsoft rarely shows or advertises the two apart.
Without it, the Surface Pro is really just a nice, and expensive, tablet.
The Type Cover should really be included to deliver fully on the device's concept.
It is a great keyboard for its kind, though.
Despite its thinness, the Type Cover offers a surprisingly comfortable typing experience, with good key travel.
There's also backlighting, adjustable through several levels of brightness.
The keyboard is a little flimsy if you press down too much, especially if you're not using it on a desk (more on that in a moment), but it's still more than serviceable, and one of the best among all detachables.
You can also angle the keyboard for a more comfortable typing angle by folding the top of the keyboard up against the screen, where more magnets hold it in place.
This innovation was introduced to the Surface line several iterations ago, a small addition that makes a noticeable usability difference.
The touchpad is also excellent, and it tracks very smoothly.
I genuinely enjoy typing on this keyboard, at least on a solid surface, even if the $129 price seems a bit steep.
While the kickstand setup works great on a desk, it still leaves something to be desired in your lap.
While writing this very review on the device, I tried sitting cross-legged on the couch, and there's simply no good way to support the kickstand and still be able to see the screen and type comfortably.
It's better with your feet on the floor, since the kickstand can straddle your thighs, but it still doesn't replicate the stability of a traditional laptop screen and keyboard.
One of the bigger disappointments is the array of ports, though calling it an "array" seems generous.
Not counting the audio jack and proprietary power connector, you get just three connections on the Surface Pro 6: a USB 3.0 port, a Mini DisplayPort, and a microSD card slot.
More than one USB port would be useful for using multiple peripherals (such as a mouse and an external drive), but the exclusion of a USB Type-C port is disappointing.
The technology is no longer new, and it should be included by default as more and more devices and systems adopt it.
The ThinkPad X1 Tablet, for example, has two USB Type-C ports, and they even offer Thunderbolt 3 support.
Mini DisplayPort is useful for external video output, but it's not one of the more common connections; full DisplayPort or HDMI would be more useful.
The microSD slot is a helpful inclusion for file transfers, especially for media pros.
On the whole, though, this premium device should come with a few more, or more useful, ports than it does.
Unlocking the Config Conundrum
When ordering your Surface Pro 6, there are several possible combinations of processor, memory, and storage to choose among.
It's not all that simple, however—you can't combine just any component option with any other.
Microsoft guides you along starting with memory (8GB or 16GB), which dictates which processor (8th Generation Intel Core i5 or Core i7) and storage (128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB solid-state drives) you can choose.
The color of your Surface Pro 6 depends on its components, though I couldn't unlock the rhyme or reason behind the combinations.
For example, you can configure the black model with 16GB of memory and a Core i7 CPU, but you can only choose the 512GB SSD, while the platinum model can pair with a 512GB or 1TB drive.
Some other limitations make a bit more sense (16GB of memory is only available with a Core i7 CPU, both of which suit power users), but the storage is a bit mix-and-match.
Several such permutations depend on color and which memory amount you start with, but you can likely find a combination that's right for you—it just may not be in the color you want.
The prices vary greatly depending on components, starting at $899 for 8GB of memory, a Core i5 processor, and 128GB of storage.
This review unit is outfitted with 8GB of memory, a Core i5 CPU, and the 256GB SSD for $1,199.
At the high end, the priciest possible configuration (16GB of memory, a Core i7 CPU, and a 1TB SSD) is $2,229.
Performance Testing: A Generational Jump
This middle-of-the-road review unit I have on hand isn't the most powerful possible, with its Core i5 processor, but generally, Intel's newest generation of chips is snappy.
Because even the mainstream chips in Intel's 8th Generation boast four cores, the Surface Pro 6 also crosses the finish line as one of the first 2-in-1s with a quad-core processor.
The particular CPU in this model is the Core i5-8250U, the U-series being a power-sipping, efficient family meant for mobile use.
(The Core i7 option is also a U-series chip.)
In general use, the device was perfectly snappy.
I was able to open many web browser tabs, run Spotify, and manage word processing without any slowdown or noticeable lag.
If your use case includes similar tasks and nothing much more strenuous, you shouldn't have any speed complaints.
On the PCMark 8 Work Conventional test, which quantifies the sort of work mentioned above as well as general office tasks, the Surface Pro 6 scored in line with the competition.
Those that outperformed it in our competitive set here, such as the Dell Latitude and Lenovo IdeaPad Miix 520 , have less demanding 1080p resolutions that are responsible for much of that gap.
See How We Test Tablets
That said, these were also superior on the multimedia tests, just with less of a gap.
The Surface Pro 6 is neck-and-neck with the ThinkPad X1 Tablet, which makes sense as they share a processor, but the Latitude and IdeaPad Miix 520 edge it out across the board.
Just a note that I've included the Surface Pro with LTE Advanced as the comparison in the chart instead of the Surface Pro 5.
This is because the two are virtually identical in design (the LTE model is essentially a Surface Pro 5 with cellular service added), but the LTE unit we reviewed has a more comparable Core i5 as opposed to the Surface Pro 5's Core i7, making it a more useful 1:1 generational comparison with our Surface Pro 6.
All said, if you plan to do more serious or professional work on the Surface Pro 6, perhaps you should consider 16GB of memory or the Core i7 model.
This configuration is quick enough for general use, but I didn't find it especially fast for more serious work.
To be clear, that's not exclusive to the Surface Pro 6 in this category—after all, it's ahead of or level with the other systems—but to the tier of performance as a whole.
No, a professional media creator ideally wouldn't use a small system like this as his or her main machine, but it could be tempting as a viable portable option, so you should know what to expect.
Where the Core i7 model won't help you is 3D performance.
All of these systems (the Core i7 version included) work off of only the integrated graphics of the CPU, with no discrete graphics cards for modeling, animation, or gaming.
If any of those tasks or similar work are your main needs, you should look in a different category entirely.
Some light gaming (2D games, simpler or less action-heavy) should be possible on the machine, but expect to run anything 3D at low settings and non-native resolution.
Microsoft claimed 13.5 hours of battery life for the Surface Pro 6, and it bettered that by about an hour on our rundown test, lasting for 14 hours and 38 minutes (14:38).
This runtime was the best of the batch, beating the ThinkPad X1 Tablet (8:49), the Surface Pro with LTE (13:15), the Ideapad Miix 520 (7:32), and the Dell Latitude (10:36).
Long battery life is simply a great fit for this type of machine, letting you feel comfortable taking it on the road or away from your desk for long stretches without worry.
Detachable Domination: Still in Effect
The Surface Pro 6 is moderately faster than the last generation, and the black color option is sleek, but those are the only changes of note.
These modest alterations mean you won't likely need to upgrade if you have a recent Surface Pro model, but if you're coming from an early-gen Surface, an entirely different 2-in-1, or the ground floor, this new-kid 2-in-1 is worth considering.
The extra cost for the keyboard is still disappointing, but it does work as well as ever (and has the same in-lap issues as the past).
With few changes to a tried-and-true formula, one that has helped Microsoft reach the upper echelon of hardware sellers, the Surface Pro line is likely to continue to make new converts.
It doesn't take the Editors' Choice away from the more business-minded ThinkPad X1 Tablet, since it hasn't made any significant changes, but these two 2-in-1s are the top two to consider in this category.
Pros
Speedy new 8th Generation Intel processor.
Good battery life.
Premium feel.
Sleek all-black color option.
Brilliant display.
Well-implemented kickstand.
View More
Cons
Minimal changes from previous model.
As ever, keyboard sold separately.
Not ideal for in-lap use.
Somewhat restrictive configuration combinations.
Limited ports.
View More
The Bottom Line
With a modest speed boost and a new color choice, the Microsoft Surface Pro 6 may not have changed much from the previous iteration, but what we loved about this 2-in-1 convertible then, we still love now.
