I am writing this Surface Pro 7 i5 review as the mother of two teenagers who use their computers for high school purposes. This Surface Pro 7 is not sponsored and no product was provided. I have a junior in high school and freshman in high school and I will discuss the computers we got for each of them and the merits of those models for students. I will mainly be focusing on the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 12.3″ Touch Screen Intel Core i5 but I will make a few comparisons to the Acer Chromebook.
Microsoft Surface Pro 7, Intel Core i5, 12.3″ Touch Screen For Students
Back in 2015, my daughter reviewed the Surface Pro 3. She loved it and she has been using it ever since. That makes six years of solid, good performance she got from her Surface Pro. Therefore, I was not surprised when she told me she needed a new computer and that she wanted to get another Surface Pro. However, I wanted to her to check her options and make sure she was getting what she thought would suit her best for the rest of high school and be able to bring with her to college. She did her research and came back still wanting a Surface Pro 7. Specifically, the Microsoft – Surface Pro 7 – 12.3″ Touch Screen – Intel Core i5 – 8GB Memory – 128GB SSD – Device Only.
As it happens we had just recently had to buy a laptop for my son who is also a student. He is starting high school and my tech savvy husband had done the research and selected a computer for him. He chose the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 2 in 1 13.5″ 2K VertiView 3:2 Touch Intel i5-10210U 8GB Memory – 128GB SSD. As you can see, they have pretty similar specs so I figured we were in the right ball bark. They both have a very fast Intel i5 computer processor. They both have excellent system memory and total storage memory. Additionally, they both have touch screens.
I asked her if she wanted the same one we got her brother. No, she did not. Why not? She just loves how light the Surface Pro is so she can carry it in her backpack easily. (The Surface Pro 7 is about 1.7 pounds while the Acer Chromebook Spin is about 4 pounds.) She also loves being able to take off the keyboard and use it more easily to hold where ever she is and whatever she is doing. She didn’t think she could get used to a regular laptop now that she had experienced that versatility. Coming from a self-starter girl who gets all A’s and wants to be an engineer, I said, what any mom would like to be able to say- “OK”.
The Microsoft Pro 7 arrived about a month ago and she has been loving it. It feels and looks almost exactly like her previous generation Surface Pro 3. In fact, she is still using her old keyboard (or Signature Type Cover as Microsoft calls it) with her new Surface Pro 7 because it was sold as device only. The Surface Pro 7 is way faster though and has much longer battery life. It also has facial recognition and a new feature where you can switch from tablet mode to desktop mode.
Microsoft Surface Pro 7 Bundle or Not?
You can purchase the Surface Pro 7 i5 at a Microsoft Store, or online at Microsoft, Amazon, Best Buy, or other retailers.
The above Microsoft surface pro 7 bundle includes all the goodies you may want with your initial purchase such as the Type Cover and Pen. The base model is considerably less money so you can customize your selection to fit your needs and preferences.
Does the surface pro 7 come with a keyboard?
The Surface Pro 7 can come with a Type Cover keyboard if you purchase the Microsoft surface pro 7 bundle with the Microsoft Surface Pro Type Cover included. Be sure to pay a lot of attention to the listing because they can all look the same but some are just for the “Device Only”, some while some will say “with Type Cover”. We purchased the Device Only option so no, it did not come with a keyboard. We use her old Surface Type Cover from her Surface Pro 3 (totally compatible with previous model). You could also go the Microsoft Surface Pro Accessories page and chose from the available colors of Type Cover you want or chose a Microsoft Bluetooth® Desktop keyboard and Surface Arc Mouse.
Does the Surface Pro 7 come with a pen?
Once again, the Surface Pro 7 can come with a pen but only if you buy a Microsoft surface pro 7 bundle that specifically says it includes the Surface Pen. It is valued at $99 when sold separately. You don’t need a Surface Pen but you may like one! It has precision ink on one end and a rubber eraser on the other — plus tilt for shading, greater sensitivity, and virtually no lag.
We purchased the Surface Pro 7 – 12.3″ Touch Screen – Intel Core i5 – 8GB of RAM – 128GB SSD – Device Only.
Surface Pro 7 i5 Review
10th Gen Intel Core™ i5 processor
The Surface Pro 7 i5 is powerful and fast. My teen puts it to the test everyday with what looks like a 1,000,000 open tabs all open at the same time while she does her multitasking. She is happy with the speed, Wi-Fi performance, fast charging, and all day battery life. She has never run out of battery in a single sitting but Microsoft says you can expect, “Up to 10.5 hours of battery life based on typical Surface device usage.” The network connectivity is 802.11ax compatible which is high enough for the computer requirement at UTK for the Engineering majors. It has Windows 10 with a Free Upgrade to Windows 11 when available.
Surface Pro 7 Storage
The model I selected has 8GB Memory – 128GB SSD. This is a very nice mid road selection. The hard drive gb ram device options include 4GB, 8GB, or 16GB. The 4gb of memory would work but we wanted a bit more significant storage space so she wouldn’t have to worry about running out of space on the hard drive. The extra available storage is through solid-state drive (SSD) options which include 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB. For this we could have gone more mid road with 256gb SSD but we went light with 128GB because this is easy to always add more (where as RAM memory can’t be changed).
High quality display and touch screen
The high-resolution (2736 x 1824) 12.3” PixelSense™ Display with touchscreen automatically adjusts to lighting conditions. Auto-brightness can be disabled on the high-resolution PixelSense display, if you prefer to select your own screen brightness. You can select levels of pressure sensitivity for the touch screen.
Built-in cameras and sound
1080p HD video webcams are perfect for all those Zoom meetings, video calls, and virtual classes. Surface Pro 7 offer excellent audio with far-field Studio Mics, Dolby® Audio™ sound. It also has excellent video with HD cameras that automatically adjust to indoor and outdoor lighting conditions.
Surface Pro 7 ports
The Surface Pro 7 includes both a USB-C port and a USB-A port. It also has a Surface Connect port, microSD slot card reader and headset jack. The usb type-c port is the typical kind now used for charging. The usb type-a port to typically used for transferring data over cables.
Conclusion-The versatile performance of the Surface Pro 7 can’t be beat for students!
Surface Pro 7 allows for the full laptop experience or the simple freedom of a tablet. She is one totally happy camper and the Surface Pro 7 is the best laptop for her. It is no wonder that Surface Pro 7 won PC World‘s Editor’s Choice award.
Versatile Performance
The Surface Pro 7 can access everything she needs such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook. Sierra can do everything she needs to do for school on her Surface Pro 7 so it passes her productivity test. She can also use it for entertainment so it passes her streaming and web browsing test.
Peace Of Mind
Microsoft’s limited warranty adds to my buying confidence. The 1-year limited hardware warranty and best in class support are nice to have. Support includes 30-day return policy, 90 days of free technical phone support, and 12 months in-store support and technical assistance. You even get 1 free training session to transfer data and optimize performance.
Do you have any questions about the Surface Pro 7 i5? Just give me a shoutout at @familyfocusblog (and you might want to include @microsoft) if you want answers!
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jenny summers says
such a detailed review great choice for students and budget-friendly too
carol says
its been so long since i have seen such a honest and detailed review actually we are looking for a laptop for my kid and this one suits her better
shubham deshmukh says
You’re one of my favorite reviewers, just want to let you know 🙂 and your art is great