Surface Pro 6 , No Iris Graphics option! :(

[MOFO]

Extremely disappointed the new surface pro 6 does not have a Iris graphics option .
I know a SPro is not a gaming machine but it was nice having the option of playing most games on lower settings but with the new Pro we will get less graphics horsepower.
No way I’m downgrading to a pro 6.
I’m done.

 

[Afy]

Yesterdays announcements were a little underwhelming. Even with the Studio which receives 7th gen CPU's. I was a little disappointed personally.

 

[GreyFox7]

Has Intel released Iris Graphics versions of these chips? They typically follow by 3-4 months but there's nothing typical in what Intel is doing lately. Perhaps there will be skews added later.

 

[hughlle]

Nothing groundbreaking, but then again other than usb c (which I've no use for!) there doesn't seem to be much they can really do to revolutionize the device with given current hardware. Still sounds like a great upgrade from my SP4 which while still great, at 3 years old is feeling a little bit sluggish these days.

 

[Davo SVK]

So here is something about differences Iris Plus Graphics 640 vs UHD Graphics 620 [in 6 benchmarks and 18 games]

You can see its big downgrade, and uhd620 is very weak for 2018, I don't know why they need to save up costs on their premium devices.
Im the biggest Surface fan in my country, But I wont buy this. Why i should downgrade. This is big disappointment.
And cpu performance is not as needed as gpu performance.

+ ZERO improvement in Windows tablet mode in last update. Its like they were sleeping for whole year

 

[GreyFox7]

Actually, the chips used are not Whisky Lake but Kaby Lake R according to Arstechnica:
The i7 models appear to be identical (they use the i7-8650U), but the i5 models are slightly different. The consumer i5 specs for both the Surface Pro 6 and the Surface Laptop 2 use the i5-8250U. The corresponding business versions use the i5-8350U. The reason for the difference is that the 8350U is vPro-eligible; the 8250U is not. The 8350U is also a hair faster; its base clock is 1.7GHz to the 8250U's 1.6GHz, and its turbo is 3.6GHz rather than 3.4GHz.

These chips are rated 15W TDP and 25w TDP up while the Iris versions for Kaby Lake R are 28W TDP and 20W TDP down with no published TDP up. The Iris versions of Kaby Lake are only 15W also. There are currently no Iris versions for Whiskey Lake.

It could be that 28W is too much for the Surface Pro design and they got hosed by Intel increasing the TDP of Kaby Lake R Iris version chips from 15W to 28W.

Microsoft just can't win with Intel, they are always getting hosed by Intel's moves.

 

[GreyFox7]

I would add that perhaps Microsoft could have used the 20W TDP down configuration of the Kaby Lake R Iris version but then they would have been publically crucified for Throttleing and I'm not sure it would have been any better performance at that.

 

[Jon Wilbur Tan]

No matter what the reason may be, it still stands that there is no better graphic option to justify an upgrade for professionals like us. 10 percent increase of graphics performance is very poor to justify upgrade to Surface Pro 5 from 4 even.

The extra power is most useful for architects and designers looking for a portable solution to take during meetings, jobsites, presentations, I was ok with it not having the power to run Lumion or eGPU requirements, but this takes the cake! Utter disappointment and a step back. It should AT LEAST have Iris Pro level or higher graphics to run Sketchup, Autocad, etc well. How can I upgrade now??? I simply can't. Good thing my Surface Pro 4 is doing well for the stuff I'm working on. Till then, will stick to this as my tablet/laptop.

PS I keep a more powerful slim laptop for portable rendering. Microsoft should have improved Microsoft Store and strengthened Windows tablet mode. Poor moved MS! Push those weaknesses like Samsung and Huawei have been so aggressive. They may slip every now and then but you can see how aggressive they are. MS has been too laid back with Surface development. Just look at the USB-C connector and lightning external graphics acceleration. POOR! I would have given up my powerful PC if only there was an option to hook this up to a graphics accelerator. I want less clutter in my life. I already gave up on the iPAD and TAB S4. People still need a full running PC system with max compatibility. But it is essential to be able to boost it and hook it up when ur at home base. You should also be able to take it with you during travels that you have to bring hardcore work. For example people who do wedding photography, etc.

SUMMARY: Surface Pro 5 and 6 are BOTH big fumbles in terms of upgrading a great system / format. You wasted it MS! Bigger strides I have seen more in mobile phones. This is why Windows Phone failed hard. Please don't make the same mistake. I don't want to see another great idea / product go to waste!