Editors' note: This is a hands-on review of the new LTE-enabled version of the Surface Pro ($690.00 at Amazon.com). A more in-depth look at the current-gen Surface Pro hardware is in our full review.

A dedicated mobile data connection used to be a rare luxury in PCs, restricted to a few high-end machines, usually as an add-on to a business system. Years ago, I assumed it would eventually become a standard feature, allowing anyone to effortlessly connect anywhere. But then free Wi-Fi spread to every cafe, coffee shop and airport gate, and we all started carrying around perfectly usable personal hotspots in our pockets, in the form of our smartphones. So, now in 2018, a dedicated mobile data connection is still a rare luxury, restricted to a few high-end machines, usually as an add-on to a business system.

One exception is Apple's iPad ($289.19 at Amazon.com) tablet, which offers a consumer-friendly LTE version, requiring a monthly data subscription. Anecdotally, it seems popular with consumers who want to stream movies easily on the go, without worrying about connecting to W-Fi or a hotspot.