Microsoft Announces Surface Pro 4

Microsoft announces Surface Pro 4

In the span of a few years, Microsoft's Surface has gone from a genuine surprise, to a big disappointment, to a solid hybrid tablet (thanks to the Surface Pro 3, and to a lesser extent the Surface 3). Now, we have the Surface Pro 4, which comes just in time to go toe-to-toe with plenty of other Surface-like competitors, including Apple's new iPad Pro, Lenovo's Miix 700, and Dell's rumored new XPS 12. It looks pretty similar to last year's model but is thinner at 8.4 mm and sports a larger 12.3-inch display, but the revamped specs and the fact that it was built specifically for Windows 10 might make it a much bigger draw than past Surfaces.

The new display uses something Microsoft called PixelGlass technology with the thinnest optical stack on a screen that pushes over 5 million pixels with over 267-ppi and supports 1024 levels of pressure with the new pen that attaches magnetically to the new Surface that now has an eraser. The Surface itself has 16GB of RAM and an impressive 1TB of storage. A 6th generation Core i7 Intel processor runs the entire thing.

The tablet/laptop is 30-percent faster than the Surface Pro 3 and according to Microsoft, 50-percent faster than the MacBook Air. "We want to make the most productive devices on the planet," said Microsoft's Panos Panay.

Like the Surface itself, the Type Cover is thinner and lighter. The trackpad is 40-percent larger and the keyboard has been upgraded with more space between the keys and better travel at 1.3mm. A lot for a cover this thin. The new Type Cover also works with the Surface Pro 3.

With Microsoft Hello the front-facing camera can log you in to the computer with your face and other biometric input including the fingerprint scanner found on the keyboard.

A new dock is also available with four USB 3.0 ports, two 4k display ports and ethernet and like the new Type Cover will work with the Surface Pro 3.

The Surface Pro 4 starts at $899 with preorders starting October 7. It will be available on October 26.

Surface Pro First Look - Click Here