Microsoft Surface Pro 4 review

Microsoft Surface Pro 4: The Essential 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 isn’t the prettiest Surface Pro on the block anymore, the Surface Pro 4 is still worth a spot in your mind – even if there are rumors that a new foldable tablet version of the Surface might be on the way. When it launched back in October 2015, it was praised as being the natural progression of the Surface Pro bloodline. Almost three years later in 2018, it still holds up remarkably well and, although you won’t find it brand new out of the box these days, a cheaper refurbished model is definitely worth grabbing.

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, on the other hand, can be had for the same exact price on Amazon in the US and includes a more powerful 6th-generation Intel ‘Skylake’ Core i5, 4GB of memory and a 128GB storage drive. Even better, you can buy the entry-level, Core m3 model certified refurbished for $649 (£579, about AU$812), $150 (£120, about AU$387) less than the Surface Pro 2017 counterpart.

Unlike the Surface Pro 3 before it, the Surface Pro 4 runs Windows 10 rather than Windows 8 by default. That’s a huge benefit considering all that Microsoft’s newest operating system has to offer. Most notably, it’s the last numbered iteration of Windows, so rather than getting extreme feature overhauls every four years or so, it gets them multiple times a year.

The latest of these revamps is known as the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, which brought to the table additions like Game Mode and OneDrive Files On-Demand. Internally, this was known as ‘Redstone 3’ prior to its official launch back in October 2017. The next in the series, ‘Redstone 4’, will allegedly be called the Spring Creators Update, according to several leaked Insider Preview builds that contain the moniker.

It’s expected that the next version of Windows 10 will introduce developments in artificial intelligence (AI), gaming, HDR video and security to the Surface Pro 4 as well as other devices like it. The latest news is that it’s purportedly coming out in April 2018.

Otherwise, to catch you up with its history, the Surface Pro 4 managed to introduce more levels of pressure sensitivity and a host of buttons to the signature, but sold separately, Surface Pen. Likewise, the Type Cover keyboard is heavier and more satisfying to the touch, while the screen resolution was bumped all the way to 2,736 x 1,824, making it 216 pixels per inch (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.

Microsoft Surface Pro 4: Who's it for? Should I buy it?

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

Design and display

SPEC SHEET

This is the Surface Pro 4 configuration sent to TechRadar for review:

CPU: 2.4GHz Intel Core i5-6300U (dual-core, 3MB cache, up to 3GHz with Turbo Boost)
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 520
RAM: 8GB LPDDR3
Screen: 12.3-inch, 2,736 x 1,824 PixelSense display (Contrast ratio: 1,300:1, 100% sRGB color, 10-point multi-touch, 3:2 aspect ratio)
Storage: 256GB SSD (PCIe 3.0)
Ports: 1x USB 3.0, mini DisplayPort, microSD card reader (UHS-I), headphone/mic jack
Connectivity: 802.11ac Wi-Fi (2 x 2 MIMO), Bluetooth 4.0 (Low Energy)
Cameras: 8MP rear-facing, auto-focus camera (1080p HD); 5MP front-facing, 1080p HD camera
Weight: 1.73 pounds (786g)
Size: 11.5 x 7.93 x 0.36 inches (292.10 x 201.42 x 8.4mm; W x D x H)

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 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.