Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book

[Ravynmagi]

Microsoft announced new hardware today. An updated wrist band, a couple phones, and also a new Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book 2-in-1.

The new Surface Pro 4 comes with a new Skylake processor up to Core i7, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB storage. They say it's 30% faster than the SP3 and slightly thinner. The price starts at $899, but they don't say what the config that price gets you (I really hope they aren't still doing 64GB entry models).

New keyboards and pens as well. The pen/digitizer now support 1024 levels of pressure. And the keyboard keys have more travel, 1.3mm, and more spacing between the keys (one of my big peeves with the previous keyboards). And the keyboard will be compatible with the SP3 (in case you are dying to upgrade the $130 keyboard you bought only a year ago).


Also a new dock for the SP3, SP4, and Surface Book. With 4 USB 3.0 ports, 2 4K display ports, and ethernet. No price mentioned I saw.


The Surface Book looks really neat. It's a 13.5 inch 2-in-1 with Core processor, up to 16GB RAM and 1TB storage and 12 hours battery life. The Intel processor is in the tablet section and they have an Nvidia GTX GPU in the keyboard section. There is a dynamic fulcrum hinge, looks a bit like a larger version of Lenovo's new hinge. Price starts at $1500.


Pre-orders start tomorrow (Oct 7) and go on sale October 26th.

 

[mmntech]

Since the Pros now start at $899, I'm going to guess that Microsoft has ditched the 64GB i3 model, and it now comes with 128GB stock. Which is welcome for a device like this.

 

[Canbacon]

I believe I read somewhere that the Surface Book will also be compatible with the pen.

 

[gus6464]

Does the SP4 also come with an NVMe SSD like the Book? I couldn't find that info anywhere.

 

[KeithP]

Surface Book Preorder page: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store...2459594)(JAF5WzpxbKM-CqwOhMyF_FbB5T1Zzj9igA)()

You can see the pricing and configs, i5/8GB/128GB $1499

Surface Pro 4 Preorder: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store...2459594)(JAF5WzpxbKM-EDM95hLSAhPhV_mcvA1mew)()

m3/4GB/128GB $899

-KeithP

 

[Ravynmagi]

Surface Book Preorder page: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store...2459594)(JAF5WzpxbKM-CqwOhMyF_FbB5T1Zzj9igA)()

You can see the pricing and configs, i5/8GB/128GB $1499

Surface Pro 4 Preorder: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store...2459594)(JAF5WzpxbKM-EDM95hLSAhPhV_mcvA1mew)()

m3/4GB/128GB $899

-KeithP

Thank goodness they are starting at 128. That $899 looks kinda tempting to me now.

 

[Commodus]

Surprise: Microsoft's pitch was somewhat misleading on costs.

The Surface Book starts at $1,499, but you're going to spend $1,899 if you want dedicated graphics. And the Surface Pro 4 has not only seen a price hike, but a higher realistic point of entry. Unless you can make do with a Core m3, you're going to pay $999 -- $1,299 if you want more than 4GB of RAM.

They're still fine machines, but I think Microsoft was playing a shell game with its claims of outperforming the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. Sure, they will... if you're willing to pay more money than you would for either of Apple's systems. Otherwise, it's frequently a draw.

 

[Ravynmagi]

Surprise: Microsoft's pitch was somewhat misleading on costs.

The Surface Book starts at $1,499, but you're going to spend $1,899 if you want dedicated graphics. And the Surface Pro 4 has not only seen a price hike, but a higher realistic point of entry. Unless you can make do with a Core m3, you're going to pay $999 -- $1,299 if you want more than 4GB of RAM.

They're still fine machines, but I think Microsoft was playing a shell game with its claims of outperforming the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. Sure, they will... if you're willing to pay more money than you would for either of Apple's systems. Otherwise, it's frequently a draw.

I don't see a price hike. The SP3 started at $999 for the Core i5/4GB/128GB model and the price jumped to $1299 for the i5/8GB/256GB model. So the price seem the same.

The Surface Book is more expensive than a MacBook Pro, but it also has a touch screen, digitizer, longer battery life, optional discrete GPU, and detachable tablet.

 

[JAG87]

Surprise: Microsoft's pitch was somewhat misleading on costs.

The Surface Book starts at $1,499, but you're going to spend $1,899 if you want dedicated graphics. And the Surface Pro 4 has not only seen a price hike, but a higher realistic point of entry. Unless you can make do with a Core m3, you're going to pay $999 -- $1,299 if you want more than 4GB of RAM.

They're still fine machines, but I think Microsoft was playing a shell game with its claims of outperforming the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. Sure, they will... if you're willing to pay more money than you would for either of Apple's systems. Otherwise, it's frequently a draw.

This.

The Book looked good until you realize you have to spend 2K to get the dGPU. At $1500 it's an average laptop with a detachable screen, might as well save and get an upgraded SP4. And you get a fingerprint reader too.

The SP4 is still a good device, but it starts at $999. The $899 machine will get murdered by the iPad Pro. Yes, yes, mobile vs. full OS, apples and oranges, but still, the A9X will be a better chip, as long as the apps you need are offered for iOS.

So unless you have a big budget, pretty much the only appealing device is the i5 SP4.

However, I am quite impressed with the new Lumias. I hope they pick up steam in the market place and drive Windows mobile adoption.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

I get the Surface Pro represents a better solution than the iPad Pro, but at the same time the iPad is selling for $749 only. I kinda wish Microsoft went down to $799 or something. $899 is a bit steep, although better than the SP3 original prices.

Personally I can't see myself spending this much. I want them to release the vanilla Surface 4 now!

And I don't really get all these comparisons with a Macbook Air/Pro. Those are full blown laptops, and if I wanted a laptop I'd probably still go with an MBA/MBP over a Surface Pro 4. The Surface Book also gets expensive once you start adding the features to make it perform well.

Also I don't doubt that Apple has tons of engineers working on getting OS X to be fully touchscreen. Microsoft might've jumped in early with Windows 8, but as usual Apple will be late to the game but with a very polished solution that's attractive on Day 1.

 

[cliftonite]

I will get either the 256 i5 or the 256 i7 Surface Book. I hope the RAM is upgrade-able.

 

[cliftonite]

I get the Surface Pro represents a better solution than the iPad Pro, but at the same time the iPad is selling for $749 only. I kinda wish Microsoft went down to $799 or something. $899 is a bit steep, although better than the SP3 original prices.

Personally I can't see myself spending this much. I want them to release the vanilla Surface 4 now!

And I don't really get all these comparisons with a Macbook Air/Pro. Those are full blown laptops, and if I wanted a laptop I'd probably still go with an MBA/MBP over a Surface Pro 4. The Surface Book also gets expensive once you start adding the features to make it perform well.

Also I don't doubt that Apple has tons of engineers working on getting OS X to be fully touchscreen. Microsoft might've jumped in early with Windows 8, but as usual Apple will be late to the game but with a very polished solution that's attractive on Day 1.

How are the Surface Pro/Book not full blown laptops? And what about them makes them not a polished solution?

 

[quikah]

I get the Surface Pro represents a better solution than the iPad Pro, but at the same time the iPad is selling for $749 only. I kinda wish Microsoft went down to $799 or something. $899 is a bit steep, although better than the SP3 original prices.

Personally I can't see myself spending this much. I want them to release the vanilla Surface 4 now!

Your prices are a bit out of whack. iPad Pro is $799 for 32GB, + $99 for the pencil.

Surface Pro 4 is $899 for 128GB including the pen, $999 for the i5. The 128GB iPad pro is $949.

That 1TB model is pretty ridiculously priced though ($2699).

 

[mmntech]

I'm not sure how I feel about the Core M. The problem with those fanless systems is they're really aggressively throttled to stay within thermal limits. Benchmark scores for the Core m3 are all over the map as a result. It is slightly faster than the old Core i3 model, but only some of the time. I think I would spend the extra $100 on the i5.

As for the Surface Book, that accordion hinge on the back is really ugly. Aside from that, I'll have to reserve my opinions until reviews come out. No idea what the details are of its specs.

 

[amyklai]

Your prices are a bit out of whack. iPad Pro is $799 for 32GB, + $99 for the pencil.

Surface Pro 4 is $899 for 128GB including the pen, $999 for the i5. The 128GB iPad pro is $949.

That 1TB model is pretty ridiculously priced though ($2699).

This. Comparing the devices at the same storage level (128 GB) and with stylus, the SP4 is about $150 cheaper (and still $50 cheaper with the i5).

 

[Ns1]

dear god I want it all.

 

[Ns1]

And I don't really get all these comparisons with a Macbook Air/Pro. Those are full blown laptops, and if I wanted a laptop I'd probably still go with an MBA/MBP over a Surface Pro 4. The Surface Book also gets expensive once you start adding the features to make it perform well.

The Surface Pro is a laptop with options.

 

[Red Storm]

Surface Book looks real nice, but way too expensive for me.

I was really hoping the Pro 4 would get MUCH thinner, not just a little thinner.

 

[xeemzor]

Thoughts on if it worth upgrading from my Sufrace Pro 3 to a Surface Book? I rarely use it as a tablet but value portability highly.

 

[Commodus]

I get the Surface Pro represents a better solution than the iPad Pro, but at the same time the iPad is selling for $749 only. I kinda wish Microsoft went down to $799 or something. $899 is a bit steep, although better than the SP3 original prices.

The iPad Pro starts at $799 for 32GB of storage, and goes up to $949 for 128GB or $1,079 for a 128GB LTE model. The lines blur a bit, but Microsoft ironically made a better case for the iPad Pro than some people were expecting.

 

[Seven]

The iPad Pro starts at $799 for 32GB of storage, and goes up to $949 for 128GB or $1,079 for a 128GB LTE model. The lines blur a bit, but Microsoft ironically made a better case for the iPad Pro than some people were expecting.

Don't forget the keyboard and the stupid $99 pencil if that matters..

 

[mmntech]

The iPad Pro starts at $799 for 32GB of storage, and goes up to $949 for 128GB or $1,079 for a 128GB LTE model. The lines blur a bit, but Microsoft ironically made a better case for the iPad Pro than some people were expecting.

Apple claims the A9 is 70% faster than the A8. Based on Geekbench scores (the best info I've got right now), it's closer to 55%.

We'll assume a similar performance leap from the A8X to the A9X. Which gives us a Geekbench score of 2802 for single core tasks, and 7016 for multicore. By contrast, best case for the i7 Pro 3 is 3225 single and 6133 multi, based on actual benches.

That's actually quite impressive. Of course the trade off is less RAM, less storage, and no desktop OS. It's very competitive though against the lower end Pro 4s.

Speaking of Geekbench, looks like some cheeky journalist benchmarked the Surface Book.
http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench3/3710262

It has a Core i5 6300U @2.5ghz with 8GB of RAM.

 

[Demo24]

I was really hoping the Pro 4 would get MUCH thinner, not just a little thinner.

Why? The SP3 is already pretty thin for what it is and it doesn't really weigh that much either.



I really want to replace my SP3 with a surface book! I don't care that much about the dual-gpu, but having that form factor would be really nice!

 

[Commodus]

Why? The SP3 is already pretty thin for what it is and it doesn't really weigh that much either.

I really want to replace my SP3 with a surface book! I don't care that much about the dual-gpu, but having that form factor would be really nice!

Because a 1.7-pound, 0.33-inch tablet is still pretty heavy, even at 12 inches. Ideally, it'd be light enough that you could carry it around almost without thinking. Microsoft is doing a good job all told, it's just going to be bulkier than, say, a 1.5-pound iPad Pro.

 

[GTRagnarok]

Is the keyboard the same on the lower end variants, just without the Nvidia GPU?