Surface Pro is a decent dual-use device, with plenty of power which we'd be happy to choose over a mid-range Ultrabook. We loved being able to dock it with a screen and full desktop set up at home, then take it on the move.

Full HD screen; Ability to play games; Nice industrial design

Not great on uneven surfaces; Heavy

A portable powerhouse – but the Surface Pro's keyboard, grunt and battery life don't quite measure up to its Ultrabook rivals

Back then, we were told the Intel Core i5-powered, Windows 8 Pro-toting tablet would be released around three months after Windows 8 itself . In mid-January, Microsoft announced the release date of the Surface Pro, but only for North America .

Brilliant design; Great touchscreen display; Excellent add-on keyboard connector

Significant; inescapable compromise inherent in form factor; Mediocre battery life for a notebook; terrible for a tablet; Frustrating power connector

It is very good with it's size and it's display, it is fast responding and it is good for running medium sized programs. It's storage is not very good and it's mouse is sometimes not responding and gets the input wrong. But overall, it is good computer.

In Microsoft's relatively young hardware division, the Surface Pro has always stood for what the company believes is the future of personal computing. Originally billed as "the tablet that can replace your laptop," it straddles the line between a traditional computer and something different.

Full PC performance in a thin and light design; Silent or no fans and little to no heat; Battery life is finally good enough

Limited ports with no USB Type-C; Still kind of awkward on a lap; Pen is no longer included; now costs $99 extra; Wow; this thing is getting expensive

We have already pointed out that the Microsoft Surface Pro is and what is not, and should therefore be evaluated as such: it is a hybrid Ultrabook almost unique in its kind. Unless a hybrid is not exactly what you're looking for, do not believe a purchase to do at all costs.

Screen very nice; original design; Windows 8 and 64bit Intel Core i5 enclosed in the form of a tablet; Wacom pen

Overweight use as a tablet; Battery life is insufficient; Noise and heat sometimes annoying; The absence of a suitable accommodation for the pen

That you cannot make calls from it...

Microsoft Windows-based tablets have been tried dozens of times before. Tried and failed, as a matter of fact. Now, with Windows 8, Microsoft is trying to "reimagine" the whole concept of the desktop operating system, and in doing so has come up with a new generation of tablets that can do more in...

A tough question. It's neither a straightforward tablet, nor a tablet/laptop hybrid. It's more ambitious. The Surface Pro is nothing less than an attempt to create the perfect PC for the ‘Post PC' era. It's a tablet you can use at home on the sofa.

Outstanding screen; Innovative design; Windows 8 at its best; Comes with Wacom digitser pen

Heat and noise; No digitiser pen storage; Woeful battery life; Shallow app store

The Surface PRO on a fundamental hardware level is fairly sound. It meets the needs of your average user, but may not appeal to people who need a high-performance machine. If you do casual website editing, blogging, small bursts of gaming, or browsing the internet, you should be OK.

HD Display; Stylus; Windows Legacy Support; Audio and Video Codex

4 Hour Battery Life; 23.4 GB Free to Use on a 64 GB model; Blackberry Z10 Speaker Quality Is Better; Using the Virtual Keyboard in Desktop Situations Is Terrible