The screen itself is a 1,366 x 768 IPS panel, which delivers clear and crisp visuals. It isn't quite as vibrant as the Pad 4's Retina display or some of the AMOLED screens that are gracing new devices. Nor is its resolution as high as the 1080p panels in the Sony VAIO Duo 11 or Asus Taichi. However, the result is a far more reasonable price tag, with the 32GB model costing just $555.
This tablet runs Windows RT, which mean that it's powered by the same type of processor that powers smartphones and tablets like the Pad. These chips offer long battery life, allow lightweight designs and are economical, but mean that you can't run standard Windows desktop software. Any app on Surface must come from the Windows Store, in the same way iPad apps come via iTunes. The Windows Store is still in its infancy, but already features most of the top 100 apps. Additionally, Microsoft includes a full version of Microsoft Office with Surface, which makes it a powerful tool for work straight out of the box.
Light but strong
Surface attempts to bridge the gap between tablets and laptops with the nifty Touch Cover - a light, detachable keyboard. It has a textured coating that's soft to the touch, but is exceptionally strong and when attached with magnetic contacts, it springs into life with an astounding array of great functions. Unlike iPad equivalents, it has a trackpad for when you need to use the traditional Windows interface.
The Touch Cover takes some getting used to. There's no tactile feedback from the keys, as they're essentially just letters on a pad, and at the beginning we found typing a little laborious. However, things got easier and, while working on long documents is less than comfortable, it's easy to make quick edits here and there.
The Type Cover is an optional extra with tactile keys designed for people who want to use Surface for more serious work. It's the best portable keyboard we've ever used, with large spacious keys that make typing easy, and is a must-have for anyone who envisages typing on their Surface for extended periods.
When not in use, both covers slip over Surface's screen to protect it. This works superbly and looks stylish. In fact, the only worry is how easily the soft finish will be to clean after dirt takes its toll.
High styling
Inside Surface you'll find an Nvidia Tegra 3 processor, which is a fixture of several other big-name tablets, such as the Asus Nexus 7.1t was powerful enough to handle everything we threw at the Surface with ease, enabling us to switch between some intensive apps without slowdown.
Despite the power on hand, battery life was staggering. We looped HD video for seven and a half hours before the battery died, which is one of the best tablet battery scores we've seen. Elsewhere there's 2GB of memory, which may seem low compared to the Ultrabooks hitting the market, but this is far in excess of most Android and iPad tablets. The model we tested also had a 64GB drive with plenty of room for storing movie, photos and apps.
Connectivity is excellent, which is another trump card that Microsoft's own tablet holds over the likes of the iPad. There's Micro HDMI for connecting to external displays, and USB for peripherals and USB sticks, which means you can add your own keyboard and mouse at home, turning the tablet you played games with on the train into a desktop workstation. However, that's not all. There's a Micro SD slot under the kickstand, which could increase storage by up to 64GB. To put that in context, a 32GB Surface can be expanded to 100GB, for the same price as a 16GB iPad.
As well as value and storage, Surface scores highly in the style stakes. Its modern design and chiselled looks make you want to pick it up and use it as soon as you see it. Add a funky coloured keyboard cover and you've got a seriously chic combination.
Microsoft has come out swinging with its first tablet, and Surface is the most stylish and best value Windows RT slate we've seen.
