Meet the tablet that can replace your laptop - again. Microsoft used this cheeky phrase in touting its Surface Pro 3, and the adage remains the same with its vastly improved Surface Pro 4. But allow me to put a spin on that:
Meet the tablet that will replace the laptop.
Why do I say that? In my review of the Surface Pro 3, I said that Microsoft came incredibly, narrowly close to making good on its statement. Now, after some brief time with its fourth iteration, it seems like Microsoft has finally done it. And it's likely only a matter of time before the industry at large follows suit even more closely than it already has.
Now, let's get into the nitty-gritty on what's been improved, shall we?
A dapper design and display
Because Microsoft wanted all Surface Pro 3 accessories to be compatible with its shiny new toy, Microsoft Devices team lead Panos Panay and his crew had to get creative when it came to improvements. The best designers know when to let go of something, and it's clear that Microsoft has taken this to heart.
So, the capacitive Windows button is no more, and in its place is another third of an inch of screen space. ( Thanks, Windows 10.) Microsoft made the bezels thinner just so, upping the screen size to 12.3 inches without changing the overall footprint of the device.
Maintaining the same 3: 2 aspect ratio, Microsoft also gave the screen a serious boost in pixels per inch ( PPI): a whopping ( and weird) 2, 736 x 1, 824 resolution for 267 PPI. That's quite the leap over the previous generation's more numerically sensical 2, 160 x 1, 440-pixel count and 216 PPI.
You won't notice the difference, perhaps unless you're looking at both side-by-side, but it should make all the difference for creative professionals, especially with how finely you can control the new Surface Pen, but more on that in a bit.
As for the overall design, save for a flashier, chrome Windows logo on the back and a reduction in thickness from 9.1mm to 8.4mm, not a whole lot has changed. ( The difference in weight is negligible - to the hundredths of a pound.) But I'd say that's a good thing - not much needed changing, frankly.
That said, what Microsoft did actually change makes a world of difference in the company's mission to replace, well, at least everyone else's laptop.
The Type Cover and Surface Pen come anew
Honestly, much of what Microsoft did to better position the Microsoft Surface Pro 4as the laptop killer was in its Type Cover. Still magnetized to the base of the tablet, the new keyboard ditches the flat, squishy keys that were crammed together in favor of chiclet-style, mechanical keys with far more satisfying travel and way punchier response.
