Author: Michael Crider / Source: reviewgeek.com
The Surface Pro is a great full-power tablet. But Microsoft has been resting on its laurels for the last few years, and its competitors have caught up—and in some cases, even beaten it.
The latest revisions of the workhorse Surface model still lack a USB-C port, and you still have to buy the keyboard cover separately for over $100.
Between that and the Surface Pro’s relatively high price, there’s a lot of room for improvement.For the sake of specificity, we’re covering more-or-less copies of the original Surface form factor in this article: stand-alone tablets with a paired but detachable keyboard and some kind of integrated stand mechanism. Convertibles (laptops with permanent keyboards and fold-back screens, like the original Lenovo Yoga) aren’t in the running. We’ve selected models that beat the Surface Pro on overall experience and value, beat it on price by a wide margin, beat it on general typing, and beat it for battery life.
The Best Overall Surface Pro Alternative: HP Spectre x2 ($1050+)
If you’re looking for a Surface Pro-type device that works in essentially the same way, with comparable hardware and a much better price, look no further than HP’s Spectre x2. The Spectre family is HP’s top-tier line for aesthetics and power (like Dell’s XPS machines), and the 12-inch x2 tablet copies the Surface Pro form factor while improving on some important areas.
Notably, the ~$1000 model includes a keyboard, stylus, 8GB of RAM, and a Core i7 processor for $500 less than the equivalent Surface Pro model (which has neither keyboard nor stylus). Reviews are positive overall, making special note of the dual USB-C ports, surprisingly loud Bang & Olufsen speakers, and stylish kickstand design. This model is a year old now with 7th-gen Intel Core processors and is unlikely to be updated now that the Spectre Folio has been announced, but it’s still a solid machine at a great value.
The Best Surface Pro Alternative For Typists: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet (3rd Gen) ($1175+)
Lenovo’s ThinkPad line continues to be the go-to option for those who spend hours pounding a keyboard every day. The company somehow managed to cram its iconic comfy keyboard design—complete with the TrackPoint mouse “nub”—into a detachable tablet format. It’s a dramatic improvement over the thin keyboards of similar machines.
The third generation of the X1 Tablet uses a more conventional form factor without the awkward modular pieces…
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