Meet Microsoft’s New Surface Pro

By Sia. in Gadgets. May 24, 2017.

It’s been nearly two years since the Surface Pro 4 was first released and many were hoping that Microsoft would finally come up with its successor. Well, those who were waiting for a new Surface device will be glad to hear that Microsoft has officially announced the all new Surface Pro, and here’s what you need to know about it.

Let’s begin with the first thing that stands out about this new 2-in-1: the name. Microsoft has decided to drop the numbering scheme with this new iteration of the 2-in-1, so what would probably be known as the Surface Pro 5 will now be simply known as the Surface Pro.

Design

In terms of design, the new Surface Pro looks very much like the Surface Pro 4. However, there are some subtle changes to the overall design of the Surface Pro, with the most noticeable one being the rounded edges of the tablet.

Speaking of design, the biggest improvement that the Surface Pro has is its new hinge design. For the new 2-in-1, Microsoft has opted to provide the Surface Pro with the same 165-degree angle hinge that can be found on the Surface Studio. This enables what Microsoft calls Studio Mode, which allows the user to lean on the screen itself for support.

Specifications

As expected from an updated device, the new Surface Pro now comes packed with components that are more in-line with the devices of today. For starters, the 2-in-1 now comes equipped with Intel’s Kaby Lake m3, i5 or i7 processors. The device can sport up to 16GB of RAM, and up to 1TB of SSD storage space.

However, the biggest talking point of the Surface Pro lies in its battery life. According to Microsoft, the combination of the new Intel processors coupled with improvements made to Windows 10 means that the device is capable of delivering up to 13.5 hours of battery life.

In a first for the Surface line of products as a whole, Microsoft will be offering a model of the Surface Pro that comes with LTE connectivity. While Microsoft did not go into too much detail about this particular Surface Pro model, the company did state that the device will be able to support micro SIM and eSIM.

Peripherals

It wouldn’t be a Surface device if it didn’t have peripherals of its own, and sure enough, the Surface Pro comes with peripherals that have received their own updates.

First up on the list of Surface Pro devices is the Surface Pen which has been on the receiving end of some huge upgrades. For starters, the new Surface Pen now has a pressure sensitivity of 4,096 levels, which is a huge jump from the previous 1,024 levels that can be found in the Surface Pro 4’s Surface Pen.

On top of that, the new Surface Pen has a lower activation force and it comes with a tilt functionality that works on the new Surface Pro. However, it appears that Microsoft will not be bundling the new Surface Pen with the Surface Pro itself, so those who want it will need to buy it separately.

Next up on the list of peripherals is the Type Cover. With the Surface Pro, Microsoft will be offering two versions of the Type Cover for users to choose from. The first version is the standard black Type Cover, while the second version is the new Alcantara Type Cover that comes platinum, burgundy and cobalt blue colors.

Incidentally, the Surface Pen will also come in the same colors as the Alcantara Type Cover, so those who are looking to get both peripherals can choose to color match them.

Finally, those who own a Surface Dial will be pleased to know that this peripheral will work with the new Surface Pro. However, just like the Surface Pen and Type Cover mentioned above, those who want to use it will need to buy it separately.

Pricing and availability

Does the Surface Pro interest you? If so, then you would be pleased to know that it will have a starting price of 799 USD.

As for the peripherals:

Surface Pen is priced at 99 USD.
Black Type Cover is priced at 129 USD.
Alcantara Type Cover price at 159 USD.

The Surface Pro is expected to start shipping out in 26 different countries on July 15th.