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Microsoft'south new Surface Pro 4 is an all-around solid upgrade to its popular Surface Pro 3. About every aspect of the device has received attending. The screen is larger — in the aforementioned size chassis — the CPU is faster, it takes more than RAM, and the accessories are ameliorate. Even the pen is upgraded. For anyone who is in the market for a mobile computing device that can double as a competent laptop or even "desktop" when docked, the Surface Pro four is worth looking at.

Surface-Pro-4

Bigger, thinner, screen, aforementioned size chassis

The new screen is 12.iii inches (up from 12 inches), thanks to a nearly invisible bezel. Resolution is bumped to 2736 x 1824 (now at 267 PPI). Thinner drinking glass (.4mm Gorilla Glass iv) helps make the SP4 slightly thinner than the SP3 (viii.4mm instead of 9.1mm). It should also help improve the pen experience, as thicker screens mean more parallax between the tip of the pen and where the ink appears.

Surface-Pro-4 Cooling

More power under the hood

Microsoft is using an in-house-designed G5 chipset, and Intel's new Skylake processor with a hybrid cooling arrangement, for the new SP4. It says the unit is 30% faster than its predecessor, and fifty% faster than a MacBook Air. Having been using an SP3 off and on for near a year, even the current model is quite quick for an ultraportable, and so the new version should exist nifty.

Speaking of which, Microsoft is as well allowing up to 16GB of RAM in the SP4. This is a huge deal for anyone that works with big data, big images, or video. It has been hard to find ultraportable devices that accept more than than 8GB of RAM, and then that's a welcome change. Storage options upwards to 1TB are also now bachelor. Amazingly, Microsoft has been able to upgrade the internals while at the same time greatly reducing utilize of the processor fan — and then the Surface Pro 4 should also be quieter than the 3.

Surface-Pro-4-Write

Upgraded pen and accessories

The new pen has a pick of nibs to provide unlike feels. I was able to experiment with a variety of prototype nibs (non from Microsoft, merely a like thought) before this twelvemonth, and indeed it is possible to mimic different types of writing implements by changing nibs, so that feature will be pop with pen users. The unit likewise features a return of magnetic pen docking. That might be a good thing, but only if it is harder to knock the pen off than it was on the original Surface Pro. The 1024-level pressure-sensitive pen'south contrary finish can exist used as an eraser or to trigger Cortana.

The optional Blazon keyboard cover is also upgraded, with deeper key travel and a fingerprint reader. It should be a slight comeback over the current keyboard, merely I'm sure will not brand purists who want a truly solid keyboard happy. In my instance, I really discover the current Type cover quite reasonable given its constraints, but many have problems with information technology. The new touchpad is also larger, which might be helpful. I find the one on the Surface Pro three hard to employ and wind upward toting a Bluetooth Arcmouse around with mine.

Surface-Pro-4 Pen

There is a new dock, that will also work with the Surface Pro 3 and the new Surface Volume. Information technology features four USB 3.0 ports, ii 4K-capable DisplayPort outputs (actual video out volition depend on the device used with information technology of form), and a wired Ethernet jack. The Surface Pro four also supports Windows Hello login, based on facial recognition or on fingerprint reading if you have the new Type keyboard encompass.

Pricing and Availability

The Surface Pro four is priced starting at $900, and is expected to send on October 26th. The device is backward compatible with the current model keyboard cover, which might save current owners who want to upgrade some cash. Pricing for the new dock hasn't been announced yet, but the Surface Pro 4 is besides compatible with the electric current dock for the Surface Pro three.