Microsoft has now officially unveiled their long-awaited brand new Surface Pro hybrid laptop, referred to simply as the Microsoft Surface Pro. The device, which was referred to as the Surface Pro 5 prior to the announcement, will be the successor to 2015's Surface Pro 4 tablet laptop. Microsoft has apparently decided to drop its numbering system similar to what Apple has done to its latest devices. Being a next generation offering, the new hybrid packs quite a lot of new hardware.
Major internal upgrades
While the new 2017 Microsoft Surface Pro does look very similar to the Pro 4, it does sport some minute external changes.
However, the biggest change to the new offering is what lies underneath. The new compact device now sports the latest 7th-generation Kaby Lake Intel chips. All models with a Core i7 processor will have a fan grill at the sides, while all other models, like the Core M3 and the Core i5, will be completely fan-less. Additionally, Microsoft announced that they will be offering a model with LTE cellular wireless connectivity, which will be a first for the brand.
Longer battery life
Microsoft claims that the biggest upgrade they had made to the new line-up is its better battery life. The company claims that the new model will last 50 percent longer than the outgoing Surface Pro 4. Users should apparently get at least 13.5 hours of battery life on a single charge.
Unfortunately, the exact details of the battery's size were not revealed, but it is believed that the power saving may also have something to do with the Kaby Lake's low power usage and some upgraded power management software.
Here's the big catch
The new Surface Pro looks like it is indeed a significant step up from the previous Surface tablet, at least in terms of its internal hardware.
However, Microsoft has revealed how it is going to be pricing the new device and it looks like it will be a bit steep for most users. The 2017 Surface Pro starts at $799, which doesn't include the new Type Cover keyboard and the new Surface Pen stylus. The upgraded keyboard will be sold separately at $130, while the new stylus is sold at $99.
Both accessories have been significantly upgraded. Microsoft says that the new Type Cover keyboard is now much more responsive, while the Surface Pen stylus now has four times more levels of sensitivity. The pen itself will be perfect for those who want to use the tablet/laptop for media creation. Fortunately, the company also announced that the previous generation keyboard and stylus for the Pro 4 will still work with the new Surface Pro without any problems.
