 The very fact that this thing exists is like a slap in the face to Intel. You see, Intel has been trying to make processors for mobile devices for years, yet almost every Surface Pro since the 3 has looked about the same, with a thick body, fan venting, and sharp edges. Then 2019 rolls around, and alongside the more traditional Surface Pro 7, Microsoft unveils the Surface Pro X. An extremely thin, fanless machine with beautiful curved edges, super thin bezels, and all-day battery life to boot. I mean, it looks like a Surface Pro machine from the far future. A future where ARM processors like the one in this device rule the world, and Intel scurrying around trying to survive under the rubble. But that future may yet be averted. Just like you can avert disaster by using our sponsor, if you're looking for more performance, treat yourself to GeForce this holiday season with an Origin PC powered by GeForce RTX graphics. Check it out at the link below to learn more. So why did Microsoft need to switch from an Intel processor to ARM to make a slim and sleek Surface Pro instead of this thick boy? Well, the ARM architecture has a smaller instruction set, which makes it lighter and more power efficient than the x86 architecture used by Intel and AMD. That makes it great for mobile devices like phones and tablets, but it also makes it less suitable for the kind of powerhouse computing that's expected of desktops and laptops. Microsoft has started experimenting with non-Intel chips and laptops. There's an AMD version of the Surface Laptop 3 now, and a review is coming soon, so get subscribed if you want to catch it. But as mobile devices get more powerful and laptops get smaller and lighter, we've seen ARM processors start to pop up in Laptop 2-in-1s, like the HP Envy X2, Lenovo's Yoga C630, and now in Microsoft's own Surface Pro X. The Pro X runs on the Microsoft SQ1, a custom chip developed in collaboration with Qualcomm. It's essentially a tweaked version of the octa-core Snapdragon 855, but with a higher clock speed of 3 GHz, more cache, and more I.O. Microsoft says that it performs great for working and connecting without an office, thanks to its built-in LTE support and its supposed 13-hour battery life. We got more like 9 or 10, but that's still impressive. And that's really the most attractive feature of ARM-powered devices. At the launch event, Microsoft said the Surface Pro X has 3x more performance per watt than the Surface Pro 6. It's faster, thinner, lighter, while still running the full power of Windows. And... They almost got it right there. You see, while ARM processors are super efficient, they can't run x86 apps natively. Microsoft has gotten around that issue by creating Windows 10 on ARM, which enables 32-bit x86 apps to run via emulation. Notice I didn't say run perfectly well. While Chrome opens just fine and runs decently well most of the time, hitching, lag, and waiting for a page to load properly were regular occurrences while writing this review. And while you can technically install professional creative apps like Photoshop, using them was an exercise in masochism. Now Adobe and Microsoft said ARM-compatible versions of Creative Cloud apps are coming soon, but... They're not here yet! There are ARM64-compatible versions of the new Chromium Edge and Firefox available in beta, and they were a bit smoother to use than regular old x86 Chrome. That was borne out by our browser tests, which saw Chrome perform significantly worse than the native ARM versions. As for 64-bit x86 apps... Well, they won't run at all. You'll simply get a message saying, this app can't run on your PC when you try to run Cinebench, for example, so it was a bit difficult to quantitatively benchmark the Surface Pro X. Although the Geekbench CPU test showed it losing pretty badly to our lower-spec and cheaper Surface Pro 7 with an Intel Core i5-1035G4. Love those 10th Gen processor names. Microsoft says they're working to bring emulation of 64-bit x86 apps to Windows on ARM, but we might not get it until 2021. And even then, performance will likely be even worse than 32-bit emulated x86 apps. So... Wait, what apps are you supposed to run on this thing? Well... Everything else! The Windows Store has a filter which only shows compatible apps. There's no guarantee they'll run well. But you can install them. And we were able to install and use browsers, messaging apps, and office programs. Overall, using the Surface Pro X was... Fine. But the experience was surprisingly disappointing on a device that looks and feels as good as one of our merch items from LTTStore.com....... Which reminds me! We haven't even talked about the physical hardware here, so let's. The Surface Pro X is super thin at 7.3mm and weighs less than 2 pounds. It's got the same great hinge we've seen in other parts of the Surface lineup, and it overall looks really sleek, especially with the new curved edges. The 13-inch 2880x1920 display fills out the front of the device nicely with the thin side bezels. And yes, that's a 3x2 aspect ratio.... The top bezel is a bit thicker, but that's because of the Windows Hello system. It's got no sensors, so I'll allow it. For I.O., we've got an interesting situation. In the back, there's a removable SSD. And I say it with air quotes because you're not supposed to remove it. Microsoft says to take it to a Microsoft store for repairs. And there's also a nano SIM card slot back there. And other than the Surface Connect port, the only other I.O. we've got here are two USB-C ports. Now, I understand the lack of a USB-A port. The device is just too thin for that. But it would be a lot easier to swallow if there was also a headphone jack, which there isn't. Always connected, sure. Just not to my headphones! Now, inside, our machine is the version with 16 gigs of RAM and 256 gigs of storage, which is $1499 US. The lowest tier model comes with 8 gigs of RAM and 128 gig SSD for a thousand bucks, which is pretty normal for a high-end Windows thin and light. But I'm not sure if that standard should apply to something that's like 80% of a full Windows device. Moving on to the $139 keyboard. It's fine. The bottom of the key press is a bit mushy, but there's a nice tactile bump. The trackpad is very precise and responsive. But why is it so small? Making it a bit taller would have done wonders for productivity, not to mention the fact that its squished vertical shape doesn't match the taller 3x2 display. Microsoft has had this problem with their otherwise excellent keyboard folios for years. It's time for an update, guys! Now, they did change one thing here, though. The addition of a magnetic charging cradle for the new Slim Pen. This is great. The smaller, flattened design makes it feel like a carpenter's pencil, and throwing it in its slot before packing up and going just feels natural. However, the keyboard now tends to obscure the Windows taskbar a bit when using the Pro X on your lap, perhaps due to the added bulk. Oh, and the pen is also $145. So we're now at almost $1,800 for the whole setup. That's gonna be a yikes from me, chief. Now, despite those minor annoyances, using the Surface Pro X is mostly an enjoyable experience, provided you've got dongles on hand. And there's no question that this machine is far removed from Microsoft's first arm-powered Surface, the Surface RT, which launched back in 2013. It ran on an Nvidia Tegra 3 processor, and everyone hated it. There was no x86 emulation on it, so you were stuck with the built-in apps and whatever full-screen Windows 8 Metro apps you could find in the fledgling Microsoft store. It was a dark time. So in that context, the Surface Pro X is a triumph, an extremely thin and light machine that wakes in an instant, lasts all day, and can run full Windows apps, with a few exceptions. Whether those exceptions are addressed with native ARM64 versions of desktop apps will be the deciding factor in Intel's fate, because this device seems to represent design changes that Microsoft has wanted to make with the main Surface line for a while, and were finally able to make with an ARM chip. I mean, a Surface Pro X that runs all Windows apps, just as well as an Intel laptop, could blow Intel thin and lights out of the water. If the pressure from AMD on desktop continues, and ARM continues its path towards mobile dominance, Intel might just be up against the ropes. For now though, this machine's getting a little ahead of itself. I mean, with the keyboard and slim pen bundle, our mid-tier machine here comes to $1,768. A similarly specced Surface Pro 7 with an Intel Core i5 comes to $1,628. That's cheaper, and it can run Photoshop! So right now, it seems like ARM-powered Windows machines are kind of like the plucky freshmen. He's got some natural talent, and a load of potential, but he's not getting the Nobel Prize until he hits the books. Speaking of books, the Comic Garage is a monthly comic book box service that allows you to choose your favorite characters, and the Comic Garage will curate a personalized box around your selections. You get 10 curated comics a month in their Super Box, or 24 curated comics in their Ultimate Box, and you can even purchase character-only boxes if you prefer that. So every month, you'll get something to read, as well as something to collect, and you can get even more specific as well by choosing one of their one-time boxes at any time. So whether it's Spider-Man, X-Men, Batman, etc... Batman? Batman, etc. You can pick and choose what you want. Use code LINUS to get $6 off your first box today at the link in the video description. Get all those Batman comics. We really missed the opportunity to make a joke about it costing an arm and a leg, huh? Dang it. Well, hey, if you're looking for something else to watch, check out part three of the Hack Pro build. It might just be the fastest Mac on the planet. Ooh! Great. I need to go back to Tech L8.