Richard Goodwin 23/05/2017 - 3:33pm

I LOVE the smell of a new Surface Pro in the early afternoon…

Microsoft’s back with a brand new, ultra-refined Surface Pro machine. Just don’t call it the Surface Pro 5, though, because that ain’t its name; no, this bad boy is known simply as “Surface Pro”.

Like all Surface machines before it, the Surface Pro is a hybrid machine, meaning it is perfectly at home acting as either a laptop, with conventional keyboard and trackpad, or a tablet. It also supports a stylus too.

Microsoft says the Surface Pro is the “most versatile laptop” ever; though, interestingly Microsoft seems to be distancing itself from the term “tablet” – guess that’s because the tablet space is pretty much dead right now.

“Surface Pro continues the iconic look and feel of previous Surface Pros,” said Microsoft, “but has been completely redesigned from the inside out. We’ve optimized every millimeter, with over 800 new custom parts and used 99% of the space inside the device – to give people exactly what they need to work and create anytime, anywhere."

50% More Battery Life Than Surface Pro 4


Microsoft says the Surface Pro has around 50% more battery life than the outgoing Surface Pro 4. That’s a rather alarming increase, so we’ll take that claim with a pinch of salt for the time being.

“This is a powerhouse laptop with 2.5 times more computing performance than the Surface Pro 3,” added Microsoft, “and 1.7 times the compute of iPad Pro.

It added: “The improved Surface Pro hinge has a full 165-degree range of motion, letting you immerse yourself in ‘Studio Mode’, an angle inspired by the Surface Studio, perfect for writing, sketching, and drawing on the go.”

Beat The iPad Pro – At ALL COSTS


Reading through Microsoft’s official marketing materials for the Surface Pro, I kind of get the impression that Microsoft has something of an inferiority complex. All it seems to want to do is say how much better the Surface Pro is than the iPad Pro – and that’s fine.

But over and OVER and OVER AGAIN kind of makes you look a bit, well… pathetic. Sorry, but it’s true. And, for the record: the Surface Pro – and Surface Pro 4 – are better than the iPad Pro. It’s just kind of unbecoming to constantly hammer home the point.

As I said: it just looks a bit desperate.

And that's just silly when you consider that the Surface Pro line of machines are some of the best in the business. I personally love them and cannot wait to get my hands on this new one, which, by the way, is now up for pre-order.

Surface Pro Specs & Features

Software Windows 10 Pro Office 365 30-day trial
Dimensions 11.50 x 7.93 x 0.33 in (292.10 x 201.42 x 8.5 mm)
Weight m3: 1.69 lbs (766 g) i5: 1.73 lbs (786 g) i7: 1.73 lbs (786 g)
Storage Solid state drive (SSD) options: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB4
Display Screen: 12.3” PixelSense Display Resolution: 2736 x 1824 (267 PPI) Aspect Ratio: 3:2 Touch: 10 point multi-touch
Battery life Up to 13.5 hours video playback2
Processor Intel 7th Gen Core m3, i5, i7
Graphics Intel HD Graphics 615 (m3) Intel HD Graphics 620 (i5) Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 (i7)
Security TPM chip for enterprise security Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
Memory 4GB, 8GB, 16GB RAM
Wireless Wi-Fi: 802.11ac Wi-Fi wireless networking, IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n compatible, Bluetooth Wireless 4.0 technology
Ports Full-size USB 3.0 microSD card reader Surface Connect Headset jack Mini DisplayPort Cover port
Cameras, video, and audio Windows Hello face sign-in camera (front-facing) 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p HD video 8.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p HD video Stereo microphones Stereo speakers with Dolby Audio Premium
Exterior Volume key and power key Surface Pen (sold separately) Surface Keyboard (sold separately) Surface Mouse (sold separately)
Sensors Ambient light sensor Accelerometer Gyroscope
What's in the box Surface Pro Power supply Quick Start Guide Safety and warranty documents
Warranty 1-year limited hardware warranty

The Surface Pro will retail for $799.99 and it gets an official release date on June 15.