Surface Pro X, Sprint, and my eSIM hell

Surface Pro X Source: Daniel Rubino/Windows Central

I haven't been shy about my newfound love for the Surface Pro X. For me, it'due south currently the best PC for getting work done on the go, despite its limitations. That said, the Surface Pro X is also responsible for giving me the biggest headache I've had from any slice of tech in contempo memory.

I'm talking nigh the Surface Pro X's eSIM, which sounds like an incredibly user-friendly style to go connected, but feels a trivial one-half-baked at the moment. Instead of setting up my PC and getting connected instantly, I spent a calendar week troubleshooting, going back and forth with Sprint, and somewhen walking away completely frustrated. Permit me to regale you with my tale.

Surface Pro Ten and where things went wrong

Surface Pro X display Source: Daniel Rubino/Windows Cardinal

If you aren't familiar with what an eSIM is, it'southward essentially an embedded version of the SIM card y'all'd pick up from your mobile carrier to go connected to their network. The advantage of an eSIM is that y'all can easily sign up for service and connect to a network on your own, typically straight from the cellular network settings on your device. I've run through this process before with an iPad for a family fellow member, and it was seamless.

I tin can't say the same for my feel with the eSIM settings in Windows. At first, setting upwardly the eSIM from Windows' cellular settings is pretty straightforward. Y'all pick i of the three currently compatible carriers, sign upward for service, so you lot should be continued to that carrier's LTE network. For me, that carrier was Dart, which offers a tantalizing unlimited tablet LTE programme for $15 per month.

Beyond the setup process, nonetheless, things become a lot hairier. The upshot I ran into was that my Surface Pro 10 never actually connected to Dart's network after the signup process. At first, it seemed this would be a simple issue to rectify, but I presently learned it would be an impossible feat.

Surface Pro X is responsible for giving me the biggest tech headache I've had in recent memory.

After initially failing to get a connection established, I reset my PC and returned to the cellular settings. From in that location, I chose Sprint again, assuming I'd get some sort of sign-in screen. Indeed, I was greeted with two options to sign in with my Sprint business relationship, but in that location was also a rather odd message accompanying the two sign-in selections. It read, "Information technology looks like you are an existing customer trying to supercede your SIM carte. Enter the requested information to sign in."

While I was, every bit of ten minutes before, a Dart client, I wasn't trying to replace a SIM card. Yet, I went on trying to sign in with both options available to me.

The first was to use my Sprint username and password, which seemed like the all-time route at the time. So, I entered my information and clicked the "sign in" button. However, all I received was a red line of text at the bottom of the screen that read, "No bulletin available."

Perplexed, I then tried the second option, which involved putting in my tablet's "telephone" number and my business relationship pin number. This time I fared slightly better, making it to the next screen. Notwithstanding, this is where things besides turned south: Dart apparently requires two-factor authentication when using this method, and y'all can just have a code sent to some other device on your Sprint account.

I don't take another Dart device, so there was null listed to send the code to. Still, I held out promise that, somehow, client service would be able to either give me a code to apply or alter some settings around to have a code sent to my email address or my AT&T phone number. How naive.

A never-ending loop of frustration

Surface Pro X SSD and SIM Source: Daniel Rubino/Windows Central

I commencement tried reaching out to Sprint'south support squad via the chat available from the company's website. While the support agents were pleasant and tried their all-time to remedy my result, they ultimately couldn't help me. After several chats over a couple of days, I opted to attain out over the phone.

Once I reached a support amanuensis on the phone, explaining my upshot became much easier. Even so, the first agent I spoke to was merely as confounded as I was. Further, I got my starting time gustatory modality of what seemed to be a theme: Sprint's back up agents simply weren't familiar with the Surface Pro Ten.

Somewhen, my effect was elevated to a higher level tech support line, and the woman helping me out made the experience as enjoyable as it could be. We tried troubleshooting the issue, just ultimately every potential remedy led back to my bug signing in with my Sprint business relationship in the start place. It was during my chat with this detail amanuensis that I learned Dart apparently has very trivial troubleshooting documentation on the Surface Pro Ten, and I could sense her frustration as we walked through potential solutions.

Ultimately, the 2nd agent I spoke with said that I should exist able to go to my local Sprint store, where they would be able to somehow get me a ii-gene hallmark lawmaking and sign in. So, I packed up my Surface Pro X and made my way to my local shop. The representative at the store, however, looked downright dislocated when I pulled out my Surface Pro X and explained the event.

Instead of attempting to observe a solution, she explained that, every bit a dealer store, they wouldn't be able to help me. Instead, she said, I should go to Sprint's closest corporate store, which is about an hour abroad. At this point, I was thoroughly done with trying to work this out and called Dart to abolish my account.

The adjacent day, I did what I probably should take done from the start. I went to my local AT&T store, added a tablet line to my account, and had a physical SIM bill of fare installed. All told, it took about 20 minutes and my Surface Pro Ten picked up an LTE bespeak immediately.

A fluke, or a half-broiled feature?

Surface Pro X Lte Network Select Source: Dan Thorp-Lancaster/Windows Central

I'chiliad well aware that my particular issue could exist a fluke. I have no question that others with a Surface Pro X accept been able to sign up for service and get continued with an eSIM with no trouble. Windows Central executive editor Daniel Rubino was able to exercise so with the aforementioned Sprint plan I was attempting to use, simply he already had a Sprint account at the fourth dimension.

All the same, what I tin can't get beyond is the fact that I was essentially stuck in a never-ending loop of evidently needing to sign in, only being unable to. Dart's customer support agents were incredibly pleasant, but weren't able to aid and seemed unfamiliar with the hardware. When I showed up at a shop, which I was told was the best solution, I was turned away in under five minutes.

This frustrating experience severely dampened my initial enthusiasm for the Surface Pro X.

I'chiliad not sure whether Windows' implementation of the eSIM is to blame, or if it was something on Sprint'southward end. However, what I tin can say is that this was an incredibly frustrating experience that severely dampened my enthusiasm for the Surface Pro X for the start calendar week or so. Having used the eSIM in an iPad before, the failure to get going with the Surface Pro X is even more glaring.

Compounding things is that there is currently a distinct lack of carriers with plans bachelor through Microsoft's eSIM settings bill of fare. Yous can pick from Dart or what appear to be two MVNO networks, and that's it. If AT&T had been available equally an option, I would accept simply signed in with my account, added the line, and likely avoided whatever of the problems I encountered with Dart.

For now, the physical AT&T SIM has been working bang-up, and I'yard convinced it's still the most reliable road to go if you pick upward a Surface and want to add mobile data. Having an eSIM is a nice bonus, but only if it works. As it stands now, for me anyway, the eSIM was just a long exam of my patience.

Have you lot had whatsoever issues with an eSIM, whether in the Surface Pro X or another device? Let u.s.a. know in the comments.

Windows ten on ARM

Surface Pro X with kickstand extended

Microsoft Surface Pro Ten

On the go

Surface Pro 10 is the first major overhaul to the Surface Pro lineup in some time. The PC packs a custom ARM processor, LTE connectivity, and a new sparse-and-calorie-free pattern.

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