Forum Discussion
Critical Pen Hover & Stray Ink Issue on New Surface Pro 11 for Business with Slim Pen 2
Hello Microsoft Community and Support Staff,
I am writing to report a critical and seemingly widespread issue with the pen input on the brand-new Surface Pro for Business, 13-inch (Intel model, often called Surface Pro 11 "Luna Lake").
The Core Problem: Pen Draws Without Touching the Screen
When using the Surface Slim Pen 2, the device begins to register ink input while the pen is still hovering a few millimeters above the screen. It does not require any physical contact or pressure.
This "hover-inking" makes handwriting completely unusable. As I write, any time I lift the pen to start a new letter or stroke, the pen continues to draw a line as it moves through the air to its next position. This results in messy, connected handwriting with unwanted "tails," completely defeating the purpose of having a premium inking device.
This is Not a Defective Unit - It's a Replicable Problem
Initially, I thought I had a faulty device. However, to isolate the issue, I have performed extensive testing:
- I have personally tested this on [3] brand-new Surface Pro 11 (Intel) devices.
- I have used [4] different Slim Pen 2s.
- The exact same hover-inking problem occurred on every single combination of device and pen.
Furthermore, I have already performed all standard troubleshooting steps, including:
- Clean OS installation via Surface Recovery Image.
- Ensuring all Windows, driver, and firmware updates are installed.
- Running the Surface Diagnostic Toolkit (which reported no errors).
However, the same issue continues to occur even after trying these methods. Additionally, it has been reported that the issue also appears on the latest Surface Pro 12-inch model with the Snapdragon X Plus, just like on the Surface Pro 11 that uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite instead of Intel’s Lunar Lake. (I do not own any Snapdragon devices myself. If you own a Snapdragon device and are experiencing the same issue, please share your feedback.)"
Video Evidence:
I have recorded a clear video demonstrating the problem. It shows the pen drawing while hovering on the Surface Pro 11 and makes unwanted tails on handwriting letters.
Video Link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLG_7BXFA-cL4evqe0RmRz--iFjDC1HVgT&si=EmEypaAqSyRozr67
Questions for Microsoft:
- Is this a known issue with the new Surface Pro 11 (Intel) model's firmware or drivers?
- What are the official steps to escalate this issue directly to the Surface engineering team for a fix?
This is a major flaw in a flagship product that severely impacts its core functionality. I have submitted a formal bug report through the Feedback Hub, which can be found here:
Feedback Hub Link: https://aka.ms/AAxzh27
I urge the Microsoft team to investigate this with high priority and release a firmware or software update to recalibrate the pen's Initial Activation Force (IAF).
Thank you for your attention to this serious matter.
1 Reply
- mantasvaitkusCopper Contributor
Hi, I have the exact same problem. Switched from surface pro 8 to the Luna Lake Pro 11 yesterday. All of a sudden my handwriting looks terrible when using the pen. Tested both pens on both Surface devices. Both pens work fine on the older Pro 8. On the Luna Lake Pro 11 both Pens are buggy. It's like the digitiser on the Pro 11 is too sensitive to the pen. I can write on the screen by hovering about 1mm away from it with the tips of the pens. That doesn't happen on the older Pro 8.
Please let me know if you get somewhere with this. It's very frustrating.