Testing will begin in November, with the commercial release of 圆4 emulation occurring sometime later in 2021. With 圆4 emulation, that should solve many of those app incompatibility problems, effectively making ARM the same as traditional x86 systems. Currently, Windows on ARM can only emulate x86-32-bit programs, but not 64-bit ones leaving many business and specialized apps unable to run on Surface Pro X, for example, Adobe Photoshop. However, the most exciting news is that in November 2020, Microsoft should give Windows Insiders the first look at 圆4 emulation on ARM. While not cheap, it is a great productivity app ported natively to Windows on ARM from the Apple iPad ecosystem. While LiquidText has a free version, the fully-featured app is around $30. Microsoft is now preloading Amazon Prime Video and the new Liquid Text app with Surface Pro X. Starts at $999 (opens in new tab) ($1,499 for SQ2) This laptop plays with the light in ways the black model could not.Ģx USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 1x nano SIM, 1x Surface Connect, Surface Keyboard connector And this platinum is very platinum, by which I mean it has such a gorgeous shimmer that is likely attributable to the aluminum chassis. Gone are the fingerprints the black model was so prone to collecting. The new platinum color option, which is only found in the upper two price tiers of Surface Pro X, is outstanding.

I can't think of a single thing that needs improving on Surface Pro X for design.

The omission of Wi-Fi 6 is more disappointing and unclear. Nonetheless, it would have been exciting to have as an option. That is somewhat understandable for 5G, which is still a bit green, and it would likely require a significant redesign of Surface Pro X's antenna system. Interestingly, the other two features of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8cx Gen2 5G announcement – specifically 5G and Wi-Fi 6 – did not make it over to this refreshed Surface Pro X. Both are based on the Kryo 495 CPU from last year and are clocked a tad higher than last year's processors. Out of these, it is only the new processor and advancements in ARM that are notable.įollowing Qualcomm's somewhat vague announcement of its Snapdragon 8cx Gen2 5G, which now features optional 5G, Wi-Fi 6, and improved performance, Microsoft followed with its SQ2 chip.

General advancements in ARM and Windows.

More color options for the Surface Pro X Signature Type Cover.

Microsoft sq1 cpu