ReviewsMicrosoft Surface Pro (11th Edition)Microsoft

Microsoft Surface Pro (11th Edition) review: the ARM tablet-PC comes good

Posted 16h ago

The best Surface Pro yet, now that Windows-on-ARM is usable, with a keyboard you still have to buy separately.

Our score: 8 / 10

The chip transformed it

The Surface Pro 11 pairs a Snapdragon X processor with an OLED option and a redesigned Flex keyboard. Battery life went from a Surface weak point to a genuine strength, the display is excellent, and the 2-in-1 form factor is as flexible as ever.

The eternal Surface complaints

The keyboard costs extra, a lot extra, and it is still an expensive way to get roughly a mid-tier laptop’s performance. As a tablet that becomes a real PC, though, nothing else comes close.

The good and the bad

What works

Battery life is finally excellent
Gorgeous OLED option
Best-in-class 2-in-1 flexibility

What doesn’t

Keyboard sold separately and pricey
Performance is mid-tier for the total price
ARM app caveats still apply

Who it’s for

Buy it if you genuinely use both the tablet and laptop modes and want long battery life.

Skip it if you only ever use it as a laptop, a clamshell is cheaper and faster.

Alternatives worth a look

iPad Pro (M4) with Magic Keyboard, better tablet, more limited OS.
Surface Laptop 7, same silicon, clamshell, keyboard included.

The verdict: The Surface Pro finally delivers on its own premise. Just budget for the keyboard.

Sources

Microsoft

0 comments

Windows on ARM is finally good enough, here is what still breaks

For browser-and-Office life, Snapdragon laptops are excellent. For games, pro audio and some niche tools, check first. What works now Two years of Snapdragon X laptops have sanded down the rough edges. Chrome, Edge, Office, Slack, Zoom, Spotify, most creative apps, all run natively or emulate acceptably, and the battery life is genuinely a generation ahead of comparable Intel machines. What still trips people up Many games and their anti-cheat systems. Some VPN and endpoint-security clients. Older peripheral and printer drivers. Certain pro-audio plugins. A handful of enterprise line-of-business apps. If your work or hobby depends on one of those, either wait or buy an Intel/AMD machine. Otherwise the XPS 13, Surface Pro 11 and OmniBook X 14 are easy recommendations. The verdict: The default answer flipped: assume ARM is fine unless you have a specific reason it is not, then check that reason carefully.

16h agoRead discussion

ReviewsXiaomi 15 Ultra Xiaomi

Xiaomi 15 Ultra review: the 200MP periscope is the whole pitch

The most capable zoom camera on any phone, in a package that is genuinely hard to buy in the West. Our score: 8.5 / 10 At a glance Spec Detail Main camera 50MP 1-inch type sensor Periscope 200MP, ~4.3x, lossless 2x-in-crop Colour Leica co-tuned Battery Around 5400 mAh, 90W wired For telephoto, nothing else is close The 200MP periscope resolves detail at distances where every other phone gives up, and because it is so high-resolution, the in-between focal lengths (2x, 3x) are crops with real detail rather than digital fudge. The 1-inch main sensor handles everything else with room to spare. The practical problems The camera island is enormous. HyperOS ships with bloat you will spend an evening removing. And official availability outside Asia and parts of Europe is poor, with band support to match, for many buyers this is an import, with all the caveats that carries. The good and the bad What works The best long-range phone camera on the market 1-inch main sensor Fast 90W charging What doesn’t Huge camera bump HyperOS bloat Limited Western availability and band support Who it’s for Buy it if telephoto photography is your priority and you can get one with the bands you need. Skip it if you want clean software and straightforward carrier support. Alternatives worth a look Vivo X200 Pro, a similar zoom-first phone that is easier to buy in Europe. Galaxy S26 Ultra, nearly as good at zoom, sold everywhere. The verdict: A zoom monster with a distribution problem. If you can live with the software and actually buy one, the camera delivers. Sources GSMArena specifications

16h agoRead discussion

ReviewsXiaomi 14 Ultra Xiaomi

Xiaomi 14 Ultra review: the variable aperture was not a gimmick

A genuine f/1.63-to-f/4.0 aperture on the main lens, plus a quad-Leica system, a camera phone for people who think in stops. Our score: 8.5 / 10 A mechanical aperture that earns its place The 14 Ultra’s headline is a physically variable aperture on the 1-inch main sensor: stop down to f/4.0 for landscape sharpness and sunstars, open up to f/1.63 for low light and shallow depth of field. It is not a marketing trick, it changes the images in ways software cannot fake. The rest of the camera keeps up The quad-Leica system covers ultrawide to 5x, and the optional Photography Kit grip with a physical shutter, zoom lever and extra battery turns it into something close to a compact camera. The good and the bad What works Genuinely useful variable aperture Complete quad-camera system Photography grip accessory is excellent What doesn’t Bulky HyperOS bloat Limited official Western sales Who it’s for Buy it if you want the most photographically thoughtful phone camera and you shoot manually. Skip it if you want point-and-shoot simplicity. Alternatives worth a look Xiaomi 15 Ultra, newer, longer zoom, no mechanical aperture on the periscope. The verdict: The enthusiast’s phone camera. If aperture control matters to you, you already want this. Sources GSMArena specifications

16h agoRead discussion

ReviewsVivo X200 Pro Vivo

Vivo X200 Pro review: the zoom phone for people who cannot import a Xiaomi

A 200MP periscope, a huge battery and Zeiss tuning, with broader availability than its closest rival. Our score: 8.5 / 10 A telephoto-first flagship you can actually buy The X200 Pro pairs a 200MP ~3.7x periscope with a large main sensor and a 6000 mAh battery. For long-range and low-light telephoto, plus astrophotography, it is right at the top of the class, and Vivo sells it more widely across Europe and Asia than Xiaomi manages with the equivalent Ultra. The caveats Funtouch OS is busy, US availability is effectively nil, and the phone is large and heavy. If those are not dealbreakers, the camera is superb. The good and the bad What works Outstanding periscope camera 6000 mAh battery Zeiss colour tuning Easier to buy than a Xiaomi 15 Ultra in Europe What doesn’t Funtouch OS bloat No US availability Big and heavy Who it’s for Buy it if you want a zoom-first flagship and live somewhere Vivo sells properly. Skip it if you want clean software or you are in the US. Alternatives worth a look Xiaomi 15 Ultra, comparable camera, harder to buy. Galaxy S26 Ultra, sold everywhere, nearly as good at zoom. The verdict: The practical choice for zoom obsessives outside the US. Sources GSMArena specifications

16h agoRead discussion

ReviewsTP-Link Archer BE800

TP-Link Archer BE800 review: Wi-Fi 7 without the enterprise price

Dual 10Gbps ports, real Wi-Fi 7 throughput, and a gimmicky-but-fun LED screen, for a lot less than the Netgear equivalent. Our score: 8.5 / 10 The Wi-Fi 7 features that matter The Archer BE800 delivers 320MHz channels, 4K-QAM and Multi-Link Operation, with two 10Gbps ports for multi-gig internet and fast NAS access. In practice it saturates a 2 to 5Gbps connection and holds strong throughput across a house. Value versus the competition It substantially undercuts Netgear’s Nighthawk BE flagship for similar real-world performance. The customisable dot-matrix front panel is pure novelty, and somehow that is fine. The good and the bad What works Dual 10Gbps ports Full Wi-Fi 7 feature set Strong whole-home throughput Much cheaper than Netgear’s equivalent What doesn’t Large and needs shelf space The LED screen is a gimmick App occasionally clunky Who it’s for Buy it if you have a multi-gig connection or a fast NAS and want Wi-Fi 7 without overspending. Skip it if you have a small home and a sub-gigabit connection, where a cheaper Wi-Fi 6 router is plenty. Alternatives worth a look Netgear Nighthawk RS700S, more expensive, similar performance. TP-Link Deco BE85, if you need mesh coverage instead. The verdict: The value pick for a single-unit Wi-Fi 7 router. Sources TP-Link

16h agoRead discussion

ReviewsSony Xperia 1 VI Sony

Sony Xperia 1 VI review: the enthusiast phone that compromised to survive

Sony dropped the 4K screen for a brighter FHD panel and gained a genuinely useful continuous zoom, a fair trade. Our score: 7.5 / 10 Making peace with reality For years the Xperia 1 was a 4K, 21:9, headphone-jack phone for a tiny audience. The 1 VI compromised: a brighter, more efficient FHD+ display, a proper 85–170mm continuous optical zoom, and a two-day battery. The purists grumbled; the phone got better. Still niche, still for a specific person Manual camera controls, a 3.5 mm jack, a microSD slot, no pre-installed bloat. If that list makes you nod, this is your phone. If it does not, the price is very hard to justify. The good and the bad What works Genuinely useful continuous telephoto Two-day battery Headphone jack and microSD Pro camera app What doesn’t Expensive Niche appeal Cameras still trail the big flagships on auto mode Who it’s for Buy it if you want manual camera control, a headphone jack and expandable storage in one phone. Skip it if you want the best auto-mode camera or the best value. Alternatives worth a look Galaxy S26, a more conventional flagship at a similar or lower price. The verdict: Finally a phone you can recommend to Xperia fans without a paragraph of caveats, just most of one. Sources GSMArena specifications

16h agoRead discussion

Report this topic

Microsoft Surface Pro (11th Edition) review: the ARM tablet-PC comes good · Doxlore

Microsoft Surface Pro (11th Edition) review: the ARM tablet-PC comes good

The chip transformed it

The eternal Surface complaints

The good and the bad

Who it’s for

Alternatives worth a look

Sources

0 comments

Similar topics

Windows on ARM is finally good enough, here is what still breaks

Xiaomi 15 Ultra review: the 200MP periscope is the whole pitch

Xiaomi 14 Ultra review: the variable aperture was not a gimmick

Vivo X200 Pro review: the zoom phone for people who cannot import a Xiaomi

TP-Link Archer BE800 review: Wi-Fi 7 without the enterprise price

Sony Xperia 1 VI review: the enthusiast phone that compromised to survive

Similar topics

Windows on ARM is finally good enough, here is what still breaks

Xiaomi 15 Ultra review: the 200MP periscope is the whole pitch

Xiaomi 14 Ultra review: the variable aperture was not a gimmick

Vivo X200 Pro review: the zoom phone for people who cannot import a Xiaomi

TP-Link Archer BE800 review: Wi-Fi 7 without the enterprise price

Sony Xperia 1 VI review: the enthusiast phone that compromised to survive