Microsoft Surface Pro 4: Is The Tablet Worth The Wait?

Given that Microsoft also used this event to unveil more details about its HoloLens head-mounted computer, and to showcase how its new high-end Windows 10 Lumia 950 smartphones can function like a PC, by connecting directly to an HD monitor (or TV), and leveraging Bluetooth or USB keyboards, Tuesday’s event truly showed the range to which Microsoft is extending the concept of personal computing. The tablet-notebook hybrid has matured to the point where it can replace a standalone computer, said Panos Panay, VP of Surface devices at Microsoft. The 12-inch tablet has a 1920×1280 display which is surrounded by plenty of bezel and you’ll have your choice of either 4GB or 8GB of RAM, while up to a 512GB SSD can be ordered.

The launch of Surface Pro 4 means that it will also be accompanied with a number of new accessories.

The screen has increased in size to 12.3-inches and has more than 5 million pixels. The kickstand can prop up the Spectre x2 at any angle and is U-shaped instead of a solid piece of metal like you’d find on the Surface 3 (yet another reason why we’re interested to know why the tablet weighs so much).

This year’s model is 8mm thick and benefits from improved hardware. In practical, real-world use, however, essentially every single Surface Pro 3 I’ve ever seen is used like a clamshell notebook with a detachable keyboard. Now HP is updating the convertible notebook and offering models with Intel core i5 and Core i7 Skylake processor options.

We have competitors, you might have noticed, who are chasing our Pen. Nothing is even close.

The bump in performance has not expensed battery life with Microsoft claiming 9 hours of video playback. A quieter machine without an uncomfortable hot spot would make for yet another significant upgrade. It now comes with a 40% larger trackpad, and chicklet styled keys.

Introduced into the keyboard cover is a finger scanner for a layer of biometric security. The Pen Tip Kit, which is included with the purchase, is a $10 value according to Microsoft. “It’s like backwards”, said Panoy, as he referenced the recently unveiled Pencil from Apple. “That’s all fine and dandy until you realize that the screen will be constantly registering accidental touch inputs without an inert frame for your fingers to hold when using it in tablet mode”, the report said. Place the screen in portrait orientation and it is reminiscent of a clipboard.