Microsoft surface pro 4 review summary năm 2024

And that same endless existential argument once dominated discussion around Microsoft's older Surface and Surface Pro line-up, too. Once reviewers got their hands on the Pro 3 in 2014, however, that worry faded. This Surface, with its great keyboard, powerful processor and full Windows OS was clearly a capable computer, and once Windows 10 arrived, settling the issue of its software, the debate was over: the Surface Pro 3 could replace your laptop.

And for the record, it replaced mine.

Microsoft's Surface Pro 4, changes none of the parameters of this discussion. As a thinner, lighter, better and more powerful product than the Pro 3, it does everything the old one does and it does it more effectively. As a result, the Pro 4 is an altogether less complex conundrum. But ultimately, a less exciting product too.

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Hardware

All of the core elements of the Surface Pro 3 have been upgraded with this iteration -- and they all make a tangible difference. As ever with Microsoft's Pro tablets, there are a variety of specs options and configurations, but in the main the machines are tuned to match their raw processing speed nicely. At the low end there is a 6th generation Core M CPU with Intel HD Graphics 515, and that stretches all the way up to a Core i7 with Iris graphics 540. Storage options range from 128GB to 512GB, though with a MicroSD card slot under the kickstand storage is usually not a problem. RAM ranges from 4GB to 16GB, and battery life is rated at around 9 hours (we got closer to 7 hours, not great but not awful either).

Price is an issue: the i7 model with 512GB storage and 16GB of RAM is £1,799, not including the keyboard. More reasonable is the 256GB i5 with 8GB of RAM at £1,079, but that's still expensive once a £109 cover is included.

Taken as a whole these are serious but not massive under-the-hood upgrades -- you'll be able to do more or less the same range of tasks at the same level as before, including relatively high-end image and video processing, but not playing the most demanding games.

More impressive is the screen, which is boosted to a 12.3-inch PixelSense display with 267 pixels per inch (2,736 x 1,824 pixels) -- that's a little better than the iPad Pro which has 264 PPI in a 12.9-inch display. It's also brighter and sharper than the Surface Pro 3, though disappointingly still dips and warps when you press hard with the Pen on the glass.

As before the Pro 4's magnesium body is strong but light, while the kickstand can move through 150 degrees and is rock solid throughout. With excellent front-facing speakers, two relatively high quality (though in the case of the rear-shooter, still pointless) cameras (which make Windows 10's facial recognition possible for the first time in a Surface Pro machine), the same ports as before (USB3, Mini Display, headphones) and the nice addition of a much stronger magnet to support the Pen on the side of the device, you've got a very impressive piece of design matched by powerful components, and a nicely upgraded display.

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Best of all is the keyboard. It might be expensive but the Surface Pro 4's Type Cover has been heavily upgraded. It has the same basic rigid but soft feel, magnetic hinge and fold-up connector as before, but has a rebuilt key mechanism which is much more precise and sharp, with spaces between the keys. The touchpad is now made of glass and is bigger than on the Pro 3, operating almost as well as that on a Macbook or high-end Windows laptop.

Finally, the Surface Pen (which is included in the box) is greatly improved with the doubling of its pressure sensitivity to 1,024 levels, the replacement of two small buttons with a new, longer single button on the stem, a rubber on the top (which has the appropriate smudgy feel) and core performance which is as precise and impressive as it was in the previous generation.

In terms of feel, the Pen matches the iPad Pro's pencil -- with a few caveats, and extra features. At its best, the Apple Pencil benefits from extremely tight integration with certain apps that have refined its performance. It's also longer and more appropriately weighted for drawing. The iPad also has a screen that doesn't buckle under the pen's tip. The Pro 4's pen is more technical in feel, and has a range of tips available for different paper sensations. It is also just as accurate in day-to-day use, comes with aforementioned rubber and button and has a handy clip. I wish I could use both with both machines.

Software

Windows 10 is, by this point, ubiquitous and its intricacies are too many to go into detail here. However, it's worth stating that Windows 10 does explicitly resolve many of the issues with Windows 8 that plagued the Pro 3 at launch. The separation of 'tablet mode' from regular Windows clarifies what's useful about touch and desktop computers. Full screen apps are designed well for touch screens, while Windows itself is able to cope well with fingers outside of the fiddlier elements or apps. For this reason the Surface Pro 4 lacks a home screen button on the front and it doesn't miss it.

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What the Pro 4 lacks, however, is apps. Yes, there are several Microsoft apps included like OneNote and FreshPaint, or the new scribble-friendly Edge browser that are designed to work with the Pen. And yes, there are of course hundreds of software packages available from Photoshop to Clip Studio Paint which are extremely powerful and impressive. But without focused, single-use, custom-built apps like Paper by 53 or uMake, the Surface Pro 4 never has the materiel to show off its finer features. There just isn't the wealth of creative options available to the iPad Pro, or the ability to switch between them at a moment's notice and cross-pollinate your work with different ideas and concepts. The Surface Pro 4 is a quieter, sadder, less colourful place to work for artists -- more concrete and capable, but less alive.

Less abstractly, it's also a poorer entertainment device despite its stand and great screen-speaker combo. Video apps for Windows are less numerous and not as well designed, while there are obviously far fewer games optimised for touchscreens or the mobile GPU and processor. iOS, as ever, is something of a trump card in this respect.

WIRED

Conclusion

The Surface Pro 4 is a powerful, flexible machine. It is every bit as good in day-to-day life as any laptop to which you could compare it.

The problem is that in making a tablet that can replace your PC, Microsoft ultimately... just made a laptop. A touchscreen, pen-enabled, weird laptop, yes, but a *laptop,*which works best when used like every other computer you've ever used. As someone who bought and loves a Surface Pro 3, I'm jealous of anyone who gets to buy this one instead. But if I never had to use it again I suspect I would feel as liberated as I would upset.

In this sense, the Surface Pro 4 is not unlike its predecessor a machine that inspires, or delights. It's a computer, it's not a canvas. Time has dulled the sense of the Pro's possibilities, and competition has shown a different model for how pen and touch work together in 2015. Overall it's a very 'modern Microsoft' machine; functional, well-made, sensible, and uncontroversial.

It is also worth mentioning that the Pro 4's best features its new pen and keyboard also work more or less exactly the same with the Surface Pro 3, minus some pressure sensitivity in the pen. You can pick these up separately and still legitimately consider the purchase a big upgrade.

So if you're wondering why the Surface Pro 4 review is not complete with hand-drawn illustrations, comics or artwork as our iPad Pro review was, that is the answer: the iPad Pro demanded such treatment, the Surface Pro 4 did not. WIRED picked up its Pen, made a stroke on the Surface, put the pen down and fired up our CMS instead. Then we sighed, started writing, finished, and turned it off again.

Is Microsoft Surface Pro 4 still supported?

This device has reached its end-of-servicing date based on the Surface Driver and Firmware Lifecycle policy and will no longer receive newer driver and firmware updates. To keep your Surface Pro 4 performing its best, make sure that you have the latest Surface updates.

How old is the Surface Pro 4?

In the U.S. and Canada, the Surface Pro 4 was released on October 26, 2015. The Surface Pro 4 is an update over its predecessor, featuring Skylake CPUs, more RAM and SSD options, and a 12.3-inch display with a greater resolution. At the same time, the device is compatible with most of its predecessor's accessories.

Is Microsoft Surface 4 laptop good?

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 (available at Microsoft) is wonderful in almost every sense. It's beautiful, it's sturdy, it's fast, and it's comfy to use. Its touchscreen and Surface Pen compatibility make it a particularly interesting option for serious note takers, too.

Is Surface Pro 4 good for work?

Surface Pro is an ultraportable. It can be used in a WFH setting, but its primary advantage is it's easy to carry around - so actually it makes a better commuter or travel device. I used one (the 4) for over a year in this fashion, carrying it to and from the office.