The Surface Pro 4, launched in 2015, was incredibly well-received by the public. Together with its sister products, the Surface Book and Surface 3 tablets, Microsoft raked in a staggering USD 926 million in revenue over a three-month period last year. Building on that success, the tech giant launched the all-new Surface Pro last week in our neck of the woods, and it hints to be better than ever.
Design
From an aesthetic standpoint, the Surface Pro retains its understated design. When it comes to electronics, especially ones you use professionally, it’s always best to have something that looks simple. If you own covers for the previous iterations of the Surface Pro, you’d be glad to know that they will fit the new laptop as well. If you do decide to get a new one however, Microsoft has introduced the Surface Pro Signature Type Cover, which comes with a keyboard wrapped in a velvety material called Alcantara. It comes in Platinum, Black, Burgundy, and Cobalt Blue.
The new Surface Pro comes with a new 165-degree hinge, which means it can lie flatter than its predecessor, similar to the Surface Studios “studio mode”. This will be particularly handy for artists trying to sketch on their laptop with the new Surface Pen, which we will discuss in a bit.
Performance
Here’s where the Surface Pro proves it’s not just a pretty tablet you use to watch YouTube videos and take notes during a meeting. It’s a powerhouse of a laptop that can pack the power of a 7th generation Intel Core processor into an 8.5mm thin chassis. What we’re truly impressed with however, is the new Surface Pen, which Microsoft touts is “the fastest pen ever”. The jury is still out on that, but we know the new pen comes with 4096 pressure levels and tilt detection, making the user experience that much more accurate to using traditional tools. We tried it out for ourselves at the event, and we have to say, it’s pretty darn impressive. The tilt detection allows the laptop to detect the angle of the pen, enabling the user to shade much easier than previous iterations.
Summary
For now, it’s difficult to say if you should ditch your older model for the new Surface Pro. We’ll need to conduct a full review to tell you that. The stats that Microsoft has laid out about the new laptop hints that it’ll be faster and more powerful, but just how much of a difference that will make remains to be seen. If you do decide to pull the trigger though, we think the new Surface Pen is definitely worth the purchase.
Watch this space for more updates.