Microsoft just announced its fifth generation
Surface Pro 2-in-1 at its Shanghai event. It is just called the
Surface Pro and has the same 12.3-inch (2160×1440 pixels) display with 267
PPI, 8-megapixel camera at the back and
a 5-megapixel camera at the front, but this is powered by latest
seventh-generation Kaby Lake processors.
Microsoft has also improved the battery life. The
new Surface Pro promises up to 13.5 hours of battery life, which the company
says is 50% more than Surface Pro 4 and 35% more battery life than Apple’s iPad
Pro. It also promises 2.5 times more computing performance than the Surface Pro
3 and 1.7 times the compute of iPad Pro.
Its hinge has a full 165-degree range of motion,
which is Studio Mode, an angle inspired by the Surface Studio, useful for
writing, sketching, and drawing. It is
also the lightest Surface Pro ever, starting at just 768g and is just 8.5mm
thin. It also has a new 4G LTE Advanced option that will be available later
this year.
Microsoft has also introduced a new Surface Pen with
4,096 pressure points and new inking capabilities in Office apps, and new
Signature Type Cover with 1.3 mm of key travel for faster and more accurate
typing.
Microsoft Surface Pro 2017 specifications
- 12.3-inch (2736 x 1824 pixels) 3:2 PixelSense
- 7th Gen Intel Core m3 with HD Graphics 615, i5, or i7
- 4GB, 8GB, or 16GB RAM, 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB SSD hard drive
- 8.0MP autofocus rear camera with 1080p video recording
- 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p video recording
- 4G LTE (Optional), WiFi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.1, Full-size USB 3.0, microSD card reader, Mini DisplayPort, Cover port, Surface Connect
- Sensors: Ambient light sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope
- 1.6W Stereo speakers with Dolby Audio Premium, Stereo microphones
- 292 x 201 x 8.5 mm; Weight: 768g (m3) / 770g (i3) / 784g (i5)
- Up to 13.5 hours of video playback
The Microsoft Surface Pro 2017 starts at US$ 799.99, cheaper than the starting price of last year’s Surface
Pro 4 and goes up to US$ 2,699 for the top-end i7 version
with 16GB RAM and 1TBGB SSD. It will be available for pre-order starting today
and ships on June 15th in 26 countries. The new Signature Type Cover is priced
at US$ 129 and new Surface Pen costs US$ 99. No
word on the pricing or exact availability of the LTE version yet.
