Microsoft presents new Surface Pro tablets
Microsoft has announced a new Surface Pro. The new model, which will be released in June, will have processors of the Kaby Lake generation and both the Core m3 and i5 versions are passively cooled. The Surface Pen has to be purchased separately from now on.
With the Surface Pro 4 generation, only the cheapest model with a Core m3 processor was passively cooled. Now the more expensive version with a Core i5-7300U processor is also completely fanless. The most expensive model with a Core i7-7660U still has hybrid cooling with an active fan. According to Microsoft, it is quieter than with the previous versions.
The Intel Core i7-7660U processor from the most expensive versions is a dual-core with four threads running at 2.5GHz with a boost to 4GHz. The chip, which has a TDP of 15 watts, is also equipped with an Iris Plus Graphics 640 GPU. Microsoft also uses the processor in the most expensive versions of the Surface Laptop.
Just like the Surface Laptop, the Surface Pro will not get a USB-C connection. Microsoft sticks with its own Surface Connect socket that is used for charging and connecting accessories. In addition, the tablet has a 3.5 mm audio connection, mini display port and a USB port in type A version. Microsoft will also release an LTE version of the Surface Pro in the fall. Details on that will follow later.
According to Microsoft, the design of the 8.5 mm thick tablet has been slightly adjusted. The corners are slightly more rounded and the weight is 12 grams lower. The Surface Pro also gets a new hinge, with which the tablet can be placed at an angle of up to 165 degrees. Most of the changes would have taken place on the inside of the tablet. As a result, Microsoft says it has found more space for placing a larger battery; the new model should last up to 13.5 hours. With the Surface Pro 4, Microsoft gave a battery life of nine hours.
Like the Surface Pro 4 models, the new tablets have a 12.3″ screen with a resolution of 2736×1824 pixels. There is 4GB to 16GB of lpddr3 memory at 1866MHz and storage comes in the form of pcie-ssds with a capacity from 128GB to 1TB.The operating system is Windows 10 Pro.
The new Surface Pen can distinguish between 4096 different pressure levels, compared to 1024 levels in the previous versions. Microsoft no longer supplies the stylus with the tablet, it must be purchased separately. Customers can choose from four colours. Microsoft also announced that the Surface Dial, the accessory intended for the Surface Studio all-in-one, will also work in combination with the new Surface Pro.
The Type Cover must also be purchased separately, as was the case with previous Surface Pro models. Microsoft comes with new Signature versions of the keyboard covers with an Alcantara finish. The fabric comes in the same four colors as the options for the Surface Laptop. The new versions are for sale from 20 July and cost 179 euros. That is an additional cost of 30 euros compared to the regular black version of the Type Cover.
The successor to the Surface Pro 4 will not get a number and is simply called Surface Pro. According to Microsoft, this creates clarity in the Surface line, which, in addition to the Pro, now consists of the equally numberless Book, Laptop and Studio.
The new Surface Pro will be on sale in the Benelux from 15 June. Six different configurations will appear. The cheapest model with Core m3 processor, 4GB ram and 128GB SSD costs 949 euros. The variant with Core i5 processor costs from 1149 euros. There are three variants of the i7 version, with prices from 1799 to 3099 euros.
| cpu | m3-7Y30 | i5-7300U | i5-7300U | i7-7660U | i7-7660U | i7-7660U |
| Memory | 4GB | 4GB | 8GB | 8GB | 16GB | 16GB |
| SSD | 128GB | 128GB | 256GB | 256GB | 512GB | 1TB |
| Weight | 768 grams | 770 grams | 770 grams | 784 grams | 784 grams | 784 grams |