Dubai: Microsoft’s latest tablet — Surface Pro 4 — is a portable device which is very close to a laptop performance and definitely it is one of the best Windows tablet available in the market.
Let us now discuss the specs and hardware design.
With 8.4mm thin, it is a premium tablet but when combined with the optional keyboard, it has all the power and performance of a premium laptop in a thin and lightweight design. The tablet section of the Surface Pro 4 looks almost identical to the Pro 3 from a distance.
Microsoft has increased the screen size to 12.3-inches without affecting its footprint when compared to Surface Pro 3 but has increased the resolution to 2,736 x 1,824.
The screen has more luminous and accurate colours than its old model and it is a clear selling point for designers and artists. For home users, it is good for watching movies, photos and games.
The 3:2 aspect ratio of the device has the advantage as it emulates the notepad experience with the stylus.
The device is very unique in terms of positioning itself as a laptop and that can also be used as a tablet. It has the power of a laptop and the flexibility of a tablet. The aspect ratio is 3:2 while the iPad aspect ratio is 4:3 and most Android tablets use a 16:10 aspect ratio. It is powered by Intel Core M, i5 and i7 processors with different RAM and storage capacities. The entry level comes with M processor with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage capacity.
The casing is made of silver-coloured magnesium which gives it a premium finish. The very solidly built tablet’s edges are beset by vents to better dissipate heat. It weighs 766 grams.
At the back of the device, the kickstand can be arranged in multiple angles and at a near-flat 150 degrees for playing games or drawing.
The new Surface Pen, using Microsoft’s PixelSense display, detects 1,024 levels of pressure with a single stroke. The Pen and the Type cover have got some upgrades. The Pen’s one side is coated with a powerful magnetic strip for it to cling on to the tablet’s sides.
The Surface Pen, which comes included with the box, is good for takes notes, especially with OneNote, and drawing experience. It looks and feels like a real pen and more natural to hold. By pressing the top button once, it opens OneNote, a double tap will take a screen grab and a long press will activate Microsoft’s digital assistant Cortana to answer your queries. The touchscreen uses palm-blocking technology to provide users with the best possible writing experience.
The Pen does not need charging regularly like Apple’s pen. Microsoft claims the battery will last for 18 months, using coin cell batteries.
The design of the Type Cover keyboard, which comes in both English and Arabic, is the one which I liked it very much. The double-hinge magnetic keyboard latches onto the device’s lower bezel and the cover can now rest with just a portion of it touching the desk and the device to give it a wedge profile for laptop-grade typing experience.
The keyboard itself is comfortably sized, with a wide and squat touchpad positioned underneath, and backlighting but it doesn’t have the requisite sturdiness to be a genuine challenger of a conventional laptop.
The Type Cover has to be purchased separately and it costs $130. The keyboard draws power through the metal docking connector. The trackpad is bigger and responsive, with a built-in touch button where you can press down on.
The device houses 8MP camera on the rear and 5MP camera on the front. Both the cameras won‘t blow you away and are good for video conferencing. It gives detailed snaps in bright light conditions but suffers in poor light conditions. Both the cameras are capable of recording Full HD recording.
The proprietary charging port on the right side is awkward to insert but the charger stays put. The tablet is relatively cool but when playing graphic-intensive games the device gets warm on the top-right section and noisy.
Regarding connectivity, it has only one USB 3.0 port, mini DisplayPort, microSD card reader, microSD card, headphone/mic jack, WiFi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) and Bluetooth 4.0.
The battery gives just close to four hours for heavy users and gave just over six hours in video playback test while Microsoft promises up to nine hours of video playback on a single charge.
Is the device worth to replace the laptop? That is still debatable due to its high price, single port and average battery life and the market for high-end tablet is getting crowded from the likes of Samsung, Acer, Apple and Huawei. If you have the money to spend, it is the best Windows 10 tablet to buy but you cannot upgrade the parts down the line.
Pros
• Sturdy built quality and excellent design
• Powerful device
• Excellent keyboard and pen
• Higher resolution
Cons
• High cost
• Short battery life
• Extra price for keyboard
• Single USB port
• Proprietary charging port
