My Review
Date: 17 August 2017
Pros:
Microsoft has launched their 5th Surface Pro device. Microsoft is calling it their “New” Surface Pro instead
of the Microsoft Surface Pro 5. The Surface Line has continued to grow with the Microsoft Surface Book,
Surface Laptop and Surface Studio. And the Surface Pro is a combination of all these devices
- Excellent build quality
- Outstanding tablet and laptop performance
- Keyboard and pen significantly improved
- Brilliant Display
- Lacks many ports including USB Type – C
- Keyboard and Pen not included in the box
Microsoft has launched their 5th Surface Pro device. Microsoft is calling it their “New” Surface Pro instead
of the Microsoft Surface Pro 5. The Surface Line has continued to grow with the Microsoft Surface Book,
Surface Laptop and Surface Studio. And the Surface Pro is a combination of all these devices
Nothing But Power
The new Surface Pro is an extremely powerful device with a range going from an Intel Core M3 with 4GB of RAM ($799) to an Intel i7 – 7660U with 16GB of RAM which holds the big price tag of $2200. The Surface Pro is running Windows 10 allowing you to perform tasks that you normally would on a computer.
Beautifully Designed
From the Surface Pro 4 the design of this device hasn’t changed much. There is just slightly more curved edges. But the new Surface Pro still has a very futuristic design with world-class quality. Well, I mean, this is the Surface Pro and Microsoft’s ability to make well-built machines is very much evident.
The 2-In-1 Feat
“The Tablet that can replace your computer.” This is what Microsoft likes to call the Surface Pro and there is no other way to describe this device. But when you open a Surface Pro box, it’s a different story, you won’t find a keyboard in the box anymore, so I don’t really know about calling it “The Tablet that can replace your laptop.” But you can still buy the keyboard as an accessory.
There is two keyboard that are being sold with the Surface Pro (2017). There is the Alcantara covered keyboard, for $160, which comes in an assortment of colours and the standard black one for $130. The Alcantara feels great in many opinions but is quite pricy. The standard keyboard is a cheaper choice. Both the keyboards are backlit and magnetically click onto the Surface Pro. The keyboard also folds into a cover and is easily detachable. The type covers have sufficient at 1.5mm. The keyboard is also much quieter than the older keyboard on the Surface Pro 4. The touchpad works perfectly fine and is made out of glass, but you end up using the touchscreen more than the touchpad. When you pop the device into tablet mode, the keyboard id automatically disabled so you
don’t have to worry about working on top of the keyboard. There is a kickstand at the back of the device which holds the tablet at different angles. The new kickstand can now tilt up to 165⁰ which is an angle often used to draw with the new stylus pen.
The Surface Pro also has a front facing and rear camera. The front facing camera has a 5MP sensor which is used for Windows Hello and the rear camera has a whopping 8MP camera, which for a 2-in-1 is really good.
There is two keyboard that are being sold with the Surface Pro (2017). There is the Alcantara covered keyboard, for $160, which comes in an assortment of colours and the standard black one for $130. The Alcantara feels great in many opinions but is quite pricy. The standard keyboard is a cheaper choice. Both the keyboards are backlit and magnetically click onto the Surface Pro. The keyboard also folds into a cover and is easily detachable. The type covers have sufficient at 1.5mm. The keyboard is also much quieter than the older keyboard on the Surface Pro 4. The touchpad works perfectly fine and is made out of glass, but you end up using the touchscreen more than the touchpad. When you pop the device into tablet mode, the keyboard id automatically disabled so you
don’t have to worry about working on top of the keyboard. There is a kickstand at the back of the device which holds the tablet at different angles. The new kickstand can now tilt up to 165⁰ which is an angle often used to draw with the new stylus pen.
The Surface Pro also has a front facing and rear camera. The front facing camera has a 5MP sensor which is used for Windows Hello and the rear camera has a whopping 8MP camera, which for a 2-in-1 is really good.
Display
The screen on the Surface Pro is a 12.3-inch Pixel sense Display with a 2736x1824 screen resolution on a 3:2 aspect ratio. The screen is very bright and vibrant but the screen does tend to have a glare when working with it outdoors.
Lack Of Ports
The new Microsoft Surface Pro has the same ports as the old Surface. It has a display port, a single USB 3.0 port, a magnetic charging port and a micro SD card slot. The device still has a lot a space left, I would of at least liked to see a USB Type C port or a HDMI port instead of a display port.
Images
Specifications
Software
- Windows 10 Pro
- Office 365 30-day trial
- 11.50 x 7.93 x 0.33 in (292.10 x 201.42 x 8.5 mm)
- m3: 1.69 lbs (768 g)
- i5: 1.70 lbs (770 g)
- i7: 1.73 lbs (784 g)
- Solid state drive (SSD) options: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB4
- Screen: 12.3" PixelSense Display Resolution: 2736 x 1824 (267 PPI)
- Aspect Ratio: 3:2
- Touch: 10 point multi-touch
- Up to 13.5 hours video playback time
- Intel 7th Gen Core m3, i5, or i7
- Intel HD Graphics 615 (m3)
- Intel HD Graphics 620 (i5)
- Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 (i7)
- TPM chip for enterprise security Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
- 4GB, 8GB, or 16GB RAM
- Wi-Fi: 802.11ac
- Wi-Fi wireless networking
- IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n compatible
- Bluetooth Wireless 4.1 technology
- Full-size USB 3.0
- microSDXC card reader
- Surface Connect
- 3.5mm Headset jack
- Mini DisplayPort
- Cover port
- Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing)
- 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p Skype HD video
- 8.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p Full HD video
- Dual microphones
- 1.6W Stereo speakers with Dolby Audio Premium
- Volume key and power key
- Surface Pen (sold separately)
- Surface Keyboard (sold separately)
- Surface Mouse (sold separately)
- Ambient light sensor
- Accelerometer
- Gyroscope