Microsoft is ready to welcome us into the second quarter of 2021 with the launch of the latest Surface Pro model separated in name by a plus symbol – the Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ and Microsoft Surface Pro 7. The Plus model was released after one year the Pro 7 was launched and undeniably needed an upgrade.
The Surface Pro 7+ is a small upgrade from the Surface Pro 7, but it’s surely the greatest from Microsoft. However, as of the time of this writing, the Surface Pro 7+ can only be purchased by educational and enterprise customers, but that doesn’t mean you can’t buy one directly from Microsoft.
While the Surface Pro 7 is a bit old, it still remains a good option if you need a portable 2-in-1 laptop that you can use in the office as well as at home. Better yet, it’s still very cheap, compared to the Surface Pro 7 and can be found at a heavy discount at various retailers. So do you prefer sacrificing some cash for performance? We’re going to break down the differences between these two tablets then help you decide which one would be the best to buy.
Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ vs Microsoft Surface Pro 7: Design
At first glance, the Surface Pro 7+ has a similar design to the original Surface Pro 7. However, the changes come in the internals. Meanwhile, you’re still getting that slim design and a built-in kickstand that allows you to push the tablet back to up to 165-degrees.
The Surface Pro 7+ comes in about 0.33-inch in thickness and 1.73 pounds in weight. It also features a unibody magnesium design and an optional Type Cover keyboard plus a Surface Pen. Also, you can get the two Surface Pro 7+ and Surface Pro 7 in black or platinum color. The chunky bezels on the Surface Pro 7+ are still the same as they were on the Surface Pro 7, so let’s hope they get thinner on the Surface Pro 8.
However, the much difference between the Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ and Surface Pro 7 comes down to internals. This is a similar design aspect of the Surface Laptop 3 and Surface Pro X, you can be able to upgrade the SSD storage of the Surface Pro 7+. Microsoft integrated a small door under the kickstand where you can insert your SIM card, SDcard, and rest the Surface Pen. So if you’re looking for an upgrade, the Surface Pro 7+ is undoubtedly your best option as those features aren’t available on the original Microsoft Surface Pro 7. Also, Microsoft revealed it had tweaked the internal components of the Surface Pro 7+ to pave way for LTE and also improve the battery life.
Winner: Surface Pro 7+
Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ vs Microsoft Surface Pro 7: Display
The Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ and Surface Pro 7 both feature a 12.3-inch display with 2736 × 1824 pixel touchscreen resolution. The two displays have a 3:2 aspect ratio, thereby providing room for multi-tasking. However, the main talking points of these displays are that they’re bright, vivid, and well detailed. Also, they’re good for streaming videos, playing games, and more enjoyable for business and casual uses.
Winner: Draw
Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ vs Microsoft Surface Pro 7: Hardware and Performance
If you’re going for the best performance, then the Surface Pro 7+ will be the right choice. There’s no doubt this is where the difference lies. However, this doesn’t mean that the Surface Pro 7 isn’t an excellent performing tablet, but the bigger model has the latest processor from 11th gen Intel chip. These chips are known as Intel Tiger Lake, while the Surface Pro 7 features an Intel Ice Lake chip.
Microsoft claimed there’s a big performance boast from the Surface Pro 7. Also, they revealed that you can power professional-grade software and business apps 2 times faster than before. That’s mainly because of the equipped Intel Iris Xe graphics which improves the performance of the integrated GPU inside Pro 7+.
However, you’ve to note that there’s no dedicated graphics on these tablets. Also, Intel claims there’s an 80% increase in graphics and 30% in processing power between the Tiger Lake and Ice Lake processors.
On the storage variants side, the Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ comes with either 8GB or 16GB of RAM and 32GB of RAM on the WI-FI model only. However, storage comes in only 128GB and 256GB respectively on Wi-Fi or LTE models, and 512GB or 1TB on Wi-Fi models only.
These are huge improvements from the Surface Pro 7 which maxes out with 4GB and 16GB of RAM. If you want the best laptop performance, the Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ is undoubtedly the best for you, but the Surface Pro 7 will give you a balanced performance too at a cheaper rate.
Winner: Surface Pro 7+
Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ vs Microsoft Surface Pro 7: Battery Capacity
Another area where the Microsoft Surface Pro topples its superiority is in battery life. Fortunately, there have been some improvements from the 7 hours and 30 minutes battery on the original Surface Pro 7. Now, the Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ does better, lasting for almost 9 hours. However, this is less than the average 10-hour battery life that’s found on most premium devices.
Winner: Surface Pro 7+
Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ vs Microsoft Surface Pro 7: Price in Nigeria and Availability
To start with, the prices: there’s not much difference here as the two tablets are tagged as an expensive venture. However, the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 variants are much cheaper starting from the mid-range to high-end configurations.
Meanwhile, the Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ with Wi-Fi starts at ₦351,000 (about $900) for a Core-i3 processor with 8GB of RAM and 128GB SSD. However, the price can tune up to ₦507,000 (roughly $1300) for the mid-range model with 11th Gen Intel-Core i5 processor with 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD.
Fortunately, the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is cheaper starting at ₦292,000 (roughly $750) for a Core-i3 model with 4GB of RAM. This is followed by another variant of ₦468,000 (about $1200) with a Core-i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of built-in storage. However, you’ll have to pay separately for the Type Cover and Surface Pen.
Winner: Surface Pro 7
Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ vs Microsoft Surface Pro 7: Verdict
There’s no doubt the Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ is the better of these 2-in-1 tablets. However, price should be the major factor to consider when going for any machine. As it stands, the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is much cheaper than the 7+ model with comparable specs. Meanwhile, the Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ brings faster performance, but you probably won’t notice it on normal day-to-day workflow. Also, the business-oriented Surface Pro 7+ has longer battery life, thus giving it an added superiority over the original. However, if money isn’t a hindrance to you, the Surface Pro 7+ for various reasons is the best choice.
