Having the privilege to work in technology journalism gives me regular access to the latest laptops and PC components, which can be a blessing and a curse. On the positive side, I have hands-on insights with an incredible range of devices, from the ultra-budget to the ridiculously expensive. Plus, not everything on the high-end guarantees satisfaction, as it's easy to become bored with excess once your personal budget isn't involved. My colleagues with significantly more brand-specific insight and knowledge have covered Microsoft's most extravagant and secretive Surface devices, and I'm starting to understand why they're so exciting.
After all, taking advantage of everything Windows 11 offers practically requires a laptop, and who should know better how to build the perfect Windows laptop than Microsoft? Besides Xbox consoles and a Lumia Windows Phone, I'd never tried first-party hardware from the company, and the lofty costs were the primary reason I passed. However, although I've had the pleasure of going hands-on with stellar laptops like Lenovo's Slim Pro 9i, rating it as being as close to perfect as possible, I'd never tried any computer with an ARM processor. Rather than settle for an ultra-budget option from the modern era, I set my sights on a second-hand Surface Pro X featuring Microsoft's four-year-old SQ1 ARM chip.
