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• microsoft.com/en-gb
TABLET
Microsoft Surface Pro 4
Specifications
12.3in (2736x1824, 267ppi)
PixelSense display;
Windows 10 Pro; up to
Intel Skylake Core i7; up to
16GB RAM; up to 512GB
storage; USB 3.0;
Mini‐DisplayPort; microSD
card reader; 11ac Wi‐Fi;
Bluetooth 4.0; 5Mp front
camera; 8Mp rear camera;
Surface Pen included;
292x201x8.45mm; 766g
Build:
Features:
Performance:
Value:
Microsoft Surface
Pro 3 (left) and
Surface Pro 4
Microsoft’s latest tablet, the Surface
Pro 4, has been designed to replace
your laptop. Here we look at whether
the tech giant has succeeded.
Price and competition
Starting at £749, it’s more expensive
than its predecessor, but Microsoft
has pretty much gone to town when
it comes to improvements and
upgrades. Although this is the entrylevel
price, you can spend up to a
whopping £1,799 for a top-of-therange
model. That’s a lot of money,
especially since you’ll have to pay
extra for the keyboard Type Cover.
The Surface Pro 4 certainly isn’t a
winner when it comes to value.
The iPad Pro starts at a more
affordable £679, but that price only
gets you a measly 32GB of storage
and doesn’t include a keyboard or
the Apple Pencil, so the Surface
Pro 4 doesn’t look as bad – it has
a minimum of 128GB of storage and
the Surface Pen included.
A spanner in the works here
is that there are plenty of laptops
offering a decent Windows 10
experience for less money, so the
Pro 4 isn’t necessarily the right
purchase for everyone. If you’re
deciding between the Surface Pro 4
and a MacBook Air, for example, the
latest models from Apple also start
at £749 and, come with everything
you need. For that price you get a
smaller 11in size, though.
Design
Initially, you could easily mistake the
Pro 4 for the Pro 3 (see below), but
on closer inspection there are some
significant changes that make a big
difference to the overall experience.
It’s thinner and has a larger
screen without a bigger overall size
thanks to thinner bezels. Microsoft
said that it’s as thin as it can get
without being forced to get rid of
the USB port – and we would have
been disappointed if the firm had
chosen thickness over the USB.
Just 8.45mm is impressive for
a device with the kind of high-end
specifications on offer here. All of
this also means the device is lighter
at 766g for the Core M model – this
is because it doesn’t require a fan,
so you can add 20g if you opt for
a Core i model.
You wouldn’t want to use it for
long periods of time in one hand,
but it does make a difference overall
with handling and carrying. Let’s
face it, the Surface is has been
designed for use on a flat surface.
Otherwise, things are pretty
similar with the same design as
the Pro 3, including the kickstand,
camera placement and port
placement. The thinner bezel
24 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews February 2016