Microsoft today unveiled the Surface Pro 7+, a new device in its 2-in-1 PC line, that will be sold only to commercial and educational customers.
A variant of the consumer-aimed Surface Pro 7, the new model sports the same 12.3-in. display, a choice between three Intel processors, and SSD (solid-state drive) options up to 1TB. Like the Pro 7, the 7+ can mutate from more-or-less notebook form factor to tablet, with or without the optional keyboard still attached.
But the Pro 7+ tweaks some of those characteristics to better fit corporate customers, Microsoft argued. "Surface Pro 7+ is purpose-built with the needs of our business and education customers in mind," asserted Robin Seiler, a corporate vice president in the Microsoft Devices group, in a post to a company blog.
Among the differences:
- The Surface Pro 7+ features a removable SSD — the drive hides under the kickstand — so users can swap out drives, easily upgrade or simply remove for security reasons.
- It offers optional LTE Advanced — a fourth-generation mobile standard — for anywhere connectivity through a cellular carrier. (Out of the box, the device sports Wi-Fi connectivity only.)
- The 2-in-1 boasts up to 15 hours of battery life (13.5 hours when LTE Advanced is engaged), four-and-a-half hours longer than the Pro 7.
- The Surface Pro 7+ comes with Windows 10 Pro preinstalled, rather than the Windows 10 Home that powers the Pro 7. Also preloaded are Microsoft 365 Apps — Word, Excel, Outlook and the like — that presupposes customers will license Office 365 or its pricier sibling, Microsoft 365.
- And it offers customers a choice between three processors, a Core i3, Core i5 or Core i7, from Intel's 11th generation, a step forward from the Surface Pro 7's 10th-generation CPUs.
Microsoft
The Surface Pro 7+ offers a removeable SSD slot.
The Surface Pro 7+ can be ordered through resellers starting today; devices will start to ship by the end of the week, Microsoft said. Prices start at $899 (Wi-Fi only) and $1,149 (with LTE). Keyboards cost an additional $90 to $135.
The Surface Pro 7+ is also eligible for rebates and discounts of up to $50 per unit through Microsoft's existing Surface+ and Modern Work programs when purchased along with new Microsoft 365 seats.