Microsoft Surface Pro X: Windows on "mobile hardware"

Microsoft has called and invited me to New York. Of course I wanted to go straight away. Unfortunately, however, I wasn't allowed to try out the future dual-screen products or the new saucer earbuds that my colleague Philipp Rüegg presented in his article on the Surface event.

Surface Pro X: Qualcomm and Adobe are on board

It weighs less than 800 grams, is 7.3 millimetres thin and has a 13-inch display (2880 × 1920 pixels), which comes in a 12-inch format thanks to its narrow edges. This makes it the same size as the Surface Pro devices without the X. What is surprising about the fanless product is that it is not powered by an Intel processor, but by an ARM chip called SQ1 developed with Qualcomm.

The built-in SoC has an integrated LTE modem and a power consumption of just seven watts. It is also supported by an AI accelerator, which corrects your gaze during video conferences, for example, so that the person you are speaking to always seems to be looking you in the eye.

This all sounds pretty good, but I still have a lot of question marks. Especially after Microsoft presents the Fresco software on stage together with Adobe and then talks about other products in development. Products such as Adobe Acrobat are mentioned - but there is no mention of Photoshop, InDesign or Illustrator. Could it be that the x86 emulation in Windows for ARM has too little power for this and therefore everything has to be adapted first? Or is it because only 32-bit code can be emulated? Either way, thanks to Adobe Fresco, creative minds can already let off steam. You can draw and paint with it, be it with digital watercolour or oil paint.

Type Cover with integrated Surface Slim Pen

I really like the new Type Cover with integrated Surface Slim Pen. The pen can be stored directly in the cover and is also charged via induction. This means there is never any risk of a flat battery. When tested, the pen fits comfortably in the hand despite its flat shape. Handwritten notes can be created just as easily as entries translated directly from handwriting in Office programmes.

Drawing, however, takes some getting used to. I'm not a great artist, but I've tried various Wacom products and I have to say that the interface of Wacom products is easier to use. Tablets or 2-in-1 devices have a slippery surface in comparison. With graphics tablets, on the other hand, it feels more like you're drawing on paper.

During testing, the Surface Pro X also runs smoothly with many open browser tabs. I'm very excited to see how the tablet performs in a detailed test. The first devices are due to be delivered in this country on 19 November. <p