At long last the Surface Pro 4 is official. Breaking
its annual release cycle, Microsoft has waited a
full 16 months to replace the hugely popular
Surface Pro 3 and is now proclaiming its
successor to be a true iPad and MacBook beater.
Is Microsoft right? There’s certainly a lot to be
excited about, so let’s break down the
differences between the old and new model
Display – Pixels and Inches Increase
Surface Pro 3 – 12-inch, 3:2 aspect ratio,
2160 x 1440 native resolution
Surface Pro 4 – 12.3-inch, 3:2 aspect ratio,
2736 x 1824 native resolution
Yes the Surface Pro 4 display is getting even
larger, but packs a bigger screen into a smaller
device (more shortly) and Microsoft states that
brightness, contrast and touchscreen response
have all been improved.
The last of these is particularly interesting
thanks to new ‘PixelSense’ technology. This
measures how much light is blocked by an object
touching the screen to determine whether it is a
stylus or finger. The touchscreen response is
then instantly optimised for the input method –
clever.
Improved Surface Pen And Type Cover
This upgraded touchscreen fits nicely with the
Surface Pro 4’s new Surface Pen. It has 1024
levels of pressure sensitivity and a new ‘eraser’
top (Microsoft amusingly pointed out it has a
‘Pen’ which erases while Apple has a ‘Pencil’
which does not). It is bundled with the Surface
Pro 4 and costs $59.99 to any existing Surface
owners who want to grab it separately.
Microsoft also unveiled an improved Type Cover
with wider key spacing, a 40% larger glass
trackpad and key backlighting. It will cost $129
and a version with a fingerprint sensor (for
instant user logins with ‘Windows Hello’) comes
in at $159. They look great, though they remain
an optional extra.
On the plus side these Type Covers are
backwards compatible with the Surface Pro 3
which means they technically aren’t a
differential, but instead a great way for SP3
owners to add a little SP4 sparkle to their
devices.
Size – Dramatic Weight Loss
Surface Pro 3 – 292 x 201 x 9.1mm and 794g
(circa 20g increase for top end models)
Surface Pro 4 – 292 x 201 x 8.4mm and 766g
(circa 20g increase for top end models)
While not the most dramatic of decreases,
Microsoft has successfully trimmed some fat
with the Surface Pro 4. It retains the same
footprint, but is thinner (Microsoft claims only
USB ports stopped it being even slimmer) and
fractionally lighter.
The Surface Pro also retains the premium
magnesium alloy chassis of its predecessor and
infinitely adjustable rear hinge.
Hardware – Desktop Class Leap
If the Surface Pro 3 was criticised for anything,
it was Microsoft holding back on some truly top
end performance options. This all changes with
the Surface Pro 4.
Image credit Microsoft
Up to 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD are now on
the menu (finally RAM is also expandable unlike
the fused ram on the Surface Pro 3). In addition
Intel’s Skylake processors are aboard and the
base model starts with an M3 CPU, scaling to i5
and i7 with 515, 520 and Iris GPUs.
Microsoft claims the new Surface Pro 4 can be
twice as powerful as a MacBook Air – though it
didn’t specify which configuration of Surface Pro
4 or MacBook Pro. Either way, there’s desktop
class performance potentially on tap here.
Connectivity – Well Equipped, But One Big
Failing
Despite the slimmer profile Microsoft has
retained all the connectivity of the Surface Pro 3:
802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy (LE),
the aforementioned full size USB 3.0 port, Mini
DisplayPort and microSD card reader.
There are, however, two missed opportunities.
The first is the continued lack of a 4G/LTE
option, while the latter is Microsoft’s decision to
stick with its proprietary SurfaceConnect
charging standard. Having just announced USB
3.0 Type-C Lumias it’s disappointing to see
Microsoft not follow Apple’s MacBook and
Google’s Chromebook Pixel 2 and Nexus lines in
moving to this ingenious, reversible and
universal power, video and data connector .
its annual release cycle, Microsoft has waited a
full 16 months to replace the hugely popular
Surface Pro 3 and is now proclaiming its
successor to be a true iPad and MacBook beater.
Is Microsoft right? There’s certainly a lot to be
excited about, so let’s break down the
differences between the old and new model
Display – Pixels and Inches Increase
Surface Pro 3 – 12-inch, 3:2 aspect ratio,
2160 x 1440 native resolution
Surface Pro 4 – 12.3-inch, 3:2 aspect ratio,
2736 x 1824 native resolution
Yes the Surface Pro 4 display is getting even
larger, but packs a bigger screen into a smaller
device (more shortly) and Microsoft states that
brightness, contrast and touchscreen response
have all been improved.
The last of these is particularly interesting
thanks to new ‘PixelSense’ technology. This
measures how much light is blocked by an object
touching the screen to determine whether it is a
stylus or finger. The touchscreen response is
then instantly optimised for the input method –
clever.
Improved Surface Pen And Type Cover
This upgraded touchscreen fits nicely with the
Surface Pro 4’s new Surface Pen. It has 1024
levels of pressure sensitivity and a new ‘eraser’
top (Microsoft amusingly pointed out it has a
‘Pen’ which erases while Apple has a ‘Pencil’
which does not). It is bundled with the Surface
Pro 4 and costs $59.99 to any existing Surface
owners who want to grab it separately.
Microsoft also unveiled an improved Type Cover
with wider key spacing, a 40% larger glass
trackpad and key backlighting. It will cost $129
and a version with a fingerprint sensor (for
instant user logins with ‘Windows Hello’) comes
in at $159. They look great, though they remain
an optional extra.
On the plus side these Type Covers are
backwards compatible with the Surface Pro 3
which means they technically aren’t a
differential, but instead a great way for SP3
owners to add a little SP4 sparkle to their
devices.
Size – Dramatic Weight Loss
Surface Pro 3 – 292 x 201 x 9.1mm and 794g
(circa 20g increase for top end models)
Surface Pro 4 – 292 x 201 x 8.4mm and 766g
(circa 20g increase for top end models)
While not the most dramatic of decreases,
Microsoft has successfully trimmed some fat
with the Surface Pro 4. It retains the same
footprint, but is thinner (Microsoft claims only
USB ports stopped it being even slimmer) and
fractionally lighter.
The Surface Pro also retains the premium
magnesium alloy chassis of its predecessor and
infinitely adjustable rear hinge.
Hardware – Desktop Class Leap
If the Surface Pro 3 was criticised for anything,
it was Microsoft holding back on some truly top
end performance options. This all changes with
the Surface Pro 4.
Image credit Microsoft
Up to 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD are now on
the menu (finally RAM is also expandable unlike
the fused ram on the Surface Pro 3). In addition
Intel’s Skylake processors are aboard and the
base model starts with an M3 CPU, scaling to i5
and i7 with 515, 520 and Iris GPUs.
Microsoft claims the new Surface Pro 4 can be
twice as powerful as a MacBook Air – though it
didn’t specify which configuration of Surface Pro
4 or MacBook Pro. Either way, there’s desktop
class performance potentially on tap here.
Connectivity – Well Equipped, But One Big
Failing
Despite the slimmer profile Microsoft has
retained all the connectivity of the Surface Pro 3:
802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy (LE),
the aforementioned full size USB 3.0 port, Mini
DisplayPort and microSD card reader.
There are, however, two missed opportunities.
The first is the continued lack of a 4G/LTE
option, while the latter is Microsoft’s decision to
stick with its proprietary SurfaceConnect
charging standard. Having just announced USB
3.0 Type-C Lumias it’s disappointing to see
Microsoft not follow Apple’s MacBook and
Google’s Chromebook Pixel 2 and Nexus lines in
moving to this ingenious, reversible and
universal power, video and data connector .
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