Editorials
10 Best Surface Pro Alternatives in 2020
There are Surface Pro alternatives that offer lower prices, more battery life, more storage and include the accessories you need for a Surface Pro experience on the go. Whether you are looking for a Surface Pro 7 alternative, more features than on the now budget Surface Pro 6 or you just need to save some cash, this is the ultimate list you need to check out.
We recognize that there’s more than just the newest models, so if you are still looking older models you’ll find some Surface Pro 5 and Pro 5 alternatives in this listing.
The Surface Pro 6 is a great device, and the Surface Pro 7 is a nice upgrade, but there are a lot of options in 2020 if you want a Windows device that offers a little more.
Surface Pro alternatives deliver longer battery life and more ports while keeping the same design as Microsoft’s Surface Pro. These devices have keyboard covers for typing documents and interacting with Windows with a touchpad instead of their touchscreen. Every Surface Pro alternative that we recommend can run Microsoft Office 365, iTunes and every other desktop app that you use on your laptop or desktop today. The best Surface Pro 7 alternatives have USB ports, two cameras and a digital pen for you to take notes and draw with. Most of these also have a USB C port like the Surface Pro 7.
Many of these Windows 10 2-in-1s cost less than Microsoft’s latest model. That’s what really makes them exciting. Some of these more affordable models include a pen and a keyboard cover, which are all extra on the Surface Pro 7. This lets you get going with your new tablet without extra purchases. Compare that to the $129.99-$159.99 you must spend on a Surface Type Cover to use the Surface Pro as a laptop away from home. The Surface Pen costs another $99.99. The cheapest Surface Pro you can buy today starts at $699 for the Surface Pro 6 and $899 for the Surface Pro 7.
Here are the best Surface Pro alternatives with your best options to buy instead of the Surface Pro 7 or Surface Pro 6.
Some of the best Surface Pro alternatives are essentially clones that are cheaper and have a different logo on the back. Other rivals are more durable and stylish. Many of these Windows 2-in-1s use USB C and Thunderbolt 3 ports to sync your smartphone or connect to a dock with a single cable. A few rivals dump the Surface Pro’s Windows Hello camera for a fingerprint reader that’s more convenient when using them as a tablet instead of a laptop. You cannot get a Surface Pro 7 LTE yet, but you can find integrated LTE on the best Surface Pro alternatives.
As you consider these alternatives to Surface Pro, keep these things in mind. Microsoft replaced the Surface Pro 4 with the 2017 Surface Pro, aka the new Surface Pro, in early 2017. This was essentially the Surface Pro 5. The Surface Pro 5 delivered a more sensitive screen, longer battery life and as of early 2018 was available with LTE connections. You can still buy the 2017 Surface Pro at retailers alongside the Surface Pro 6 and the Surface Pro 7.
If cost is why you’re looking for Surface Pro alternatives, use Microsoft’s Student and Military Discount to save money on the Surface Pro 7. This discount gets students, parents, teachers and military personnel 10% off any Surface. The military portion of this discount applies to active duty, former and retired service members and their families. With these savings, a Surface Pro 7 starts at $809.10 instead of $899. That’s pretty generous compared to other store discounts. Parents of kids in school as young as kindergarten age can use this discount. You can check out the latest Surface deals at Microsoft.
With Surface All Access you can buy a Surface Pro starting at $41.62 a month for 24 months with 0% APR. This includes a Type Cover and Office 365.
Best Surface Pro Alternatives
- ThinkPad X1 Tablet – $1,730
- Samsung Galaxy TabPro S – $849
- Surface Pro with LTE – $1,335.76
- Surface Pro X – $999.99
- Surface Go – $419.95
- Dell Latitude 7200 2-in-1 Business Laptop – $919
- Surface Pro 6 – $699
- HP Elite X2 – $1,499.99
- Surface Book 2 – $1,049
- HP Envy X2 – $799.99
Original reporting by Travis Pope.
ThinkPad X1 Tablet | |||||||||||
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The ThinkPad X1 Tablet offers a lot of great features: a durable shell, an amazing display and Amazon's Alexa personal assistant. The ThinkPad X1 Tablet has a 13-inch display. And, despite its good looks, the device has passed 12 military torture tests to ensure it can survive dust storms, cold temperatures, drops and spills. Finally, If you don't find Microsoft's Cortana personal assistant useful, the ThinkPad X1 Tablet has the same Alexa personal assistant your Echo smart speakers do. A Surface Pro won't survive a drop or spilled liquid and Cortana isn't as useful as Alexa is. Read: ThinkPad X1 Carbon, X1 Yoga and X1 Tablet Have Stunning Display and Alexa The third-generation ThinkPad X1 Tablet has powerful processors, plenty of RAM and other options. Models come with up to an 8th generation Intel Core i7 processor and 16GB of RAM. You won't get stuck waiting for web pages to load or your photo editor to process your touch-ups. If you don't like passwords, use the IR camera on the front of the ThinkPad X1 Tablet to sign into Windows. This 2-in-1 also has a fingerprint reader. The ThinkPad X1 Tablet's screen detects 4,096 different levels of pressure from its digital pen. Besides that, it's a really detailed display. Windows, your videos and everything else you do on it looks crisp and detailed. Again, it's three times as sharp as an HD display. Like other Surface Pro 4 alternatives, this Windows 2-in-1 connects to its included keyboard cover using a special slot on its bottom edge. It has Thunderbolt 3 ports for fast data transfers, a MicroSD card reader and a headset jack. With LTE connectivity, you can add the ThinkPad X1 Tablet to your smartphone data plan. You can't do that with a Surface Pro 4. | |||||||||||
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Dustin
06/22/2016 at 1:02 am
No mention of the Cube i7 Stylus? Should definitely be on the list as a budget pick….
Travis Pope
09/16/2016 at 7:05 am
Thanks for the recommendation. I’ll look into this one for sure. Adding a few budget picks here wouldn’t hurt.
Fran
09/16/2016 at 8:39 am
Acer switch alpha 12 is awesome. $649 on sale with pen and 2 gb flash drive
Prlwytkovsky
10/19/2018 at 9:29 am
The Acer has a unusable pen. It doesn’t work correctly with Onenote. It is a Elan / Synaptics pen and you get jagged and unusable notes from it. Better stick to a Wacom type pen. This is a known problem but Acer doesn’t do anything about it (other than dumping their tablets cheap).
https://forum.tabletpcreview.com/threads/switch-alpha-12-is-this-normal-for-the-pen.71105/
Mugereki
10/05/2016 at 2:16 am
I was also going to add acer switch alpha…in my opinion i think its the most affordable and has greater value compared to the rest.
Mihai
12/01/2016 at 8:23 am
Hi there. I was wondering which of the mentioned models have at least 2 outputs that can be used as audio out simultaneously. I’m considering buying one of these devices, for basic mixing. One for cue and at least one for out.
gt
05/14/2019 at 5:06 am
Microsoft Surface 2 is already dead. The company does not make it.
captain obvious
09/12/2019 at 6:06 am
While from a technical standpoint, the Eve V is a competitor, they have still not delivered to customers that have ordered 18+months ago.
Eve V is a scam – it should not be on anyone’s “buy” list under any circumstance & articles that promote it do not do the consumers any justice.