I HAVE always found that when Microsoft makes its own hardware, it almost always gets it right. Whether keyboards, mice or gaming console, they have been great products.
You may be wondering about the Lumia devices but they are let down mostly by the operating system (and lack of developer support) than the hardware.
This brings me to the Surface series – Microsoft has been plugging away and refining the design for a few years and the latest iteration, the Surface Pro 4, is a nice machine in terms of build and functionality.
Under the Surface
Apart from the device itself, the Surface Pro 4 comes with the Surface Pen and charger.
The Surface Pen is a great stylus and detects pressure – Microsoft claims 1,024 levels of pressure detection so you can write and draw as if you were using a regular pencil and paper.
Our review unit came with the Type Cover, which is also really nice. It's pretty darned thin for a keyboard and still has a good amount of travel for the keys. And the Surface Pro 4 version has an even larger touchpad than the previous Type Cover.
You wouldn't exactly call the Surface Pro 4 light, especially if you compare it with other tablets.
However, if you consider it a full-fledged notebook – which it is as it’s powered by the full version of Windows 10 and runs on the latest Intel Core processor – then it's actually pretty light.
One of the major changes to the screen over the last generation is that it’s 0.3in bigger – it now stands at 12.3in with an impressive resolution of 2,736 X 1,824 pixels.
The screen is only 5% bigger but even this is a good thing because it makes it easier to work on documents and spredsheets, and overall makes the Surface Pro 4 a more competent laptop replacement.
And if you use it as a tablet, you'd be getting an experience similar to Apple's iPad Pro in terms of screen size.
The cool thing is that Microsoft managed to increase the screen size without making the device bigger – in fact, it's a little thinner than the last version.
One thing I really like about the Surface Pro series is the built-in kickstand because Microsoft has designed the stand so that it can be positioned at any angle. This means that you can angle the Surface Pro 4 at just the right position and the kickstand even flips out far enough that you can actually put it on your lap and it will stay secure.
One feature that you may find lacking when comparing the Surface Pro 4 to a laptop is the USB 3.0 port – it only has one unlike laptops which have two or three.
There's also the microSD slot, 3.5mm audio port and Mini DisplayPort. Nothing to shout about if you compare it to notebooks, but it's more than what you get compared to an Apple iPad.
I like the Surface Pen as it's quite useful for when I needed to draw something (especially with Microsoft’s included Fresh Paint app), but I can't see myself constantly carrying it around when I'm on the go. It's something I'd probably use more of at home than when I'm outside.
One good use for it is with Adobe Photoshop – with the Surface Pen, selecting and lassoing objects during photo editing is simpler and more accurate than using a mouse.
Battery life is not bad, but not great either – it took only five to six hours to run down the battery when used for playing video, web surfing and document editing.
That's about standard for a good notebook, but a little short when compared to Android or iOS tablets, as most can go for about 10 hours or so on a single charge.
Surface tension
Microsoft recently released an apology for various issues that customers have been experiencing with the Surface Pro 4.
However, I purposely avoided reading them because I didn't want them to colour my impression of the device until I actually discovered the issues for myself.
After a week with the Surface Pro 4 I did notice one problem – when I pressed the power button to enter standby mode, the device would still drain battery, and not just a little but a lot.
I noticed this first when watching a YouTube video and then putting it on standby. When I came back an hour or so later, the Surface Pro was pretty warm to the touch and the battery had dropped from 50% to just 10%.
At this point I checked the Microsoft site and, indeed, one of the problems customers have been experiencing is the battery drain issue.
It seems on standby the Surface Pro 4 doesn't get into a deep enough sleep and continues doing what it has been doing when it was on.
Apparently Microsoft is set to release an update for this issue in early 2016, but there is a workaround – you have to go to the power profile settings and set the Surface Pro 4 to go into "hibernate" instead of "sleep" when you press the power button.
Of course, you can also shut down the Surface Pro 4 instead of putting it in hibernate or sleep mode when you're not using it for a few hours.
Another issue which users have experienced is screen flickering – I didn't notice any when using the device but that’s probably because Microsoft has fixed the issue with a recent update which I have installed.
Conclusion
Like its predecessors, the Surface Pro 4 tries to straddle the line between being a tablet and notebook with varying levels of success.
It's great that it's powered by the full-fledged Windows 10 OS and runs on Intel's latest processor, but the battery life isn’t great when compared to Android and iOS tablets. However, if you compare it to hybrid Windows 10 tablets, then the Surface Pro 4 is actually better, as it has a nicer screen and better build quality.
We also really like the Type Cover and it's a real shame that Microsoft opted to offer the keyboard as an optional extra instead of bundling it with the device.
Pros: Excellent build quality; type cover is handy; Surface Pen senses pressure and is great for drawing; pricey.
Cons: Some niggling issues which Microsoft has yet to fix; Type Cover is an optional extra.
Surface Pro 4
(Microsoft)
Processor: Intel Core i5-6300U 2.4GHz
Memory: 8GB
Display: 12.3in (2,736 x 1,824 pixels) PixelSense touchscreen
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 520
Storage: 256GB SSD
Connectivity: WiFi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0
Ports/Slots: USB 3.0, MicroSD, Mini DisplayPort, 3.5mm stereo input
Battery: 39Wh lithium ion
Operating System: Windows 10 Pro
Other features: Surface Pen
Dimensions (W x D x H): 292.10 X 201.42 X 8.45mm
Weight: 786g
Website: www.microsoft.com/surface/en-my
Price: RM5,799 (as configured)
Rating: 4 stars
Review unit courtesy of Microsoft Malaysia
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