The Surface Pro 4 is a love letter to fans of its predecessor, and it’s all the better as a result.
Did you know the Surface Pro 4 isn’t Microsoft’s latest flagship tablet? No, that honor goes to the new Microsoft Surface Pro – now, read our Surface Pro review!
Our ‘essential review’ of the Surface Pro 4 contains all of the highlights (and lowlights) of Microsoft’s 2015 Windows 10 tablet. It’s intended as a more digestible summary of our full-length review, in that it shouldn’t take more than half a minute to read.
While it might not be the hottest Surface on the block these days, the Surface Pro 4 is still worth considering – even if there are rumors that a new foldable tablet version of the Surface might be on the way. When the Surface Pro 4 came out way back in October 2015, it was praised as the natural progression of the Surface Pro bloodline.
Fast forward to 2018, and it still holds up really well – and it’s still being supported by Microsoft, which is still replacing faulty Surface Pro 4s. You won’t find a completely new device on store shelves, but it’s definitely worth picking up a cheaper refurbished model.
At the time of writing, the new Surface Pro costs noticeably more than a similarly-specced Surface Pro 4 that’s been refurbished by the manufacturer, undoubtedly a major selling point for the older of the two. For a 2017 model configured with an Intel Core m3 processor, 4GB of RAM and 128GB of solid-state drive, or SSD, storage, you can expect a price point of $799 (£799, AU$1,199).
The ageing Surface Pro 4, however, can be had for the same price on Amazon in the US and includes a more powerful 6th-generation Intel Skylake Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD. What’s better, you can pick up the entry-level Core m3 model certified refurbished for just $639 (£579, about AU$812), $150 (£120, about AU$387) less than the Surface Pro 2017.
Unlike the Surface 3 that came before, the Surface Pro 4 runs on Windows 10 instead of Windows 8 by default. This is a huge benefit considering all that Microsoft’s best operating system is capable of. And, because it’s the last numbered version of Windows, you’ll get iterative free updates throughout the year.
The most recent of which is the Windows 10 April 2018 Update. This new version of Windows 10 brings awesome new features like Timeline and Focus Assist, which will help you get more work done on your device.
To catch you up with its history, the Surface Pro 4 managed to introduce more levels of pressure sensitivity and a bevy of buttons to the signature, but sold separately, Surface Pen. Similarly, the Type Cover keyboard is heavier and more satisfying to the touch, while the screen resolution was boosted all the way to 2,736 x 1,824, making it 216 ppi, as opposed to the 128 ppi display of the 13-inch MacBook Air.
With the Surface Pro 4, Microsoft was more concerned with perfecting an already-successful design rather than making any bombastic innovations. That’s why it basically retains a similar look and feel to that of the Surface Pro 3, albeit with a few minor refinements including a new chrome-laden Microsoft logo and a chassis more than half a millimeter thinner than the previous generation.
If you can’t stand the massive, unwieldy size and price of the Surface Book 2, the Surface Pro 4 is not only a worthy alternative, but an excellent first choice for creative professionals constantly on the move. It’s cheaper than the new Surface Pro if you buy it refurbished, and it’s nearly as good.
Although there are admittedly shortcomings when it comes to the battery life of the Surface Pro 4, it still holds up as a product that we can safely recommend to Windows tablet newcomers and veterans alike. As a ‘Pro’ device, the Surface Pro 4, of course, ships with Windows 10 Pro pre-installed (a $199/£219/AU$339 value).
That goes without mentioning the Surface Pro 4’s gorgeous screen, which is crystal clear when pitted up against its predecessor. The Type Cover might be sold separately, too, but it’s satisfying to the touch nonetheless. As we glossed over before, the battery life lasting only 3 hours and 15 minutes in the PCMark 8 test is pretty unacceptable for a tablet, but the zippy internal components more than make up for the frequent need to charge.
Having come a long way since its reveal two years ago, the Surface Pro 4 has seen considerable improvement in that time.
The aforementioned Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, for example, is now available to download and install. Aside from our previous utterances, it comes with a helping of new features you’ll grow to love and appreciate such as the Apple AirDrop-inspired Near Share and ‘Find My Pen’ for clumsier artists.
As we continue to await a multitude of changes yet to come, including a potential Surface Pro 5 redesign in the coming months, there is still some work to be done to appease the current Surface Pro 4 install base.
That said, the Surface Pro 4 is markedly cheaper and better than its newly teased ARM-based rivals. Seeing as the HP Envy x2 is now up for pre-order, you may have anticipated a lower starting price than that of Microsoft’s tablets due to its use of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor found in a lot of Android phones these days.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case. For the time being, you’re better off waiting for the Asus NovaGo if LTE functionality is what you’re after. Meanwhile, the Surface Pro 4 is only $50 more and features twice the storage and more powerful specs.
Just like last time, the same all-magnesium, uni-body casing is still here, though the ‘Surface’ logo has been replaced with Microsoft’s new logo in chrome.
Microsoft managed to up the device’s screen size by a few hairs, from a straight 12 inches to this year’s 12.3 inches, without affecting its footprint at all. In fact, the firm shaved more than half a millimeter off of its thickness, from 9.1mm to 8.4mm – all while fitting full-fat mobile processors.
As for how this was done, the capacitive Windows button said goodbye, thus the extra room for that three tenths of an inch in the display.
Then, Microsoft brought the screen’s optical stack – the series of sensors, diodes and pixels beneath the glass – even closer to the glass now, a key point of Microsoft’s trademarked PixelSense screen technology.
The display is thus incredibly responsive to touch, and the further sensitivity it brings to the stylus experience is huge. In tandem with the improved Surface Pen, the screen detects 1,024 levels of pressure, even during a single stroke.
Now, let’s talk resolution. Even though it didn’t have to, Microsoft increased the Surface Pro 4’s resolution from 2,160 x 1,440 (216 ppi, or pixels per inch) to 2,736 x 1,824. That makes for a huge 267 ppi for the Surface Pro 4, which blows a key rival, the MacBook Air (128 ppi for the 13-inch), out of the water and just barely beating out Apple’s 12.9-inch iPad Pro at 264 ppi.
More importantly, the new screen proves to be way more luminous and more color accurate than the Surface Pro 3 display at all brightness levels. This is obviously going to be a pretty big deal for any designers or artists that are looking to upgrade from the Wacom tablet and calibrated monitor combo.
For the rest of us, this means more realistic-looking movies and more vibrant photos and games. That’s despite even thicker black bars sandwiching your favorite films in 16:9 – and even more so for those in 21:9, or widescreen format, thanks to the 3:2 aspect ratio that remains from last generation.
It’s a fair concern for folks that watch plenty of movies and TV on a tablet. But fear not, workers, for you’re the very reason Microsoft made this decision. The 3:2 aspect ratio is a middle ground between 16:9 and 4:3 that is ideal for both photo and design or drafting work, wherein 3:2 is much more common, as well as getting computational work done, given the extra vertical space.
In addition to the aforementioned 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity, the new-and-included Surface Pen is redesigned to feel more like a pencil. The stylus now has one flat side, as if a Number 2 pencil had all but two of its angles rounded off.
This version is even more comfortable to hold than the last as a result – your index finger rests just above the main function button on the flat end. Secondly, the left side of the frame is coated with thin, powerful strip magnets that allow it to cling onto the tablet’s left side. The age of stylus loops is over.
The Pen also sports a new, functional eraser button up top that does what it says on the tin, but has three more functions. In addition to opening OneNote with a single press, the button now takes a screenshot and then opens OneNote with a double press.
