There are many laptops and convertibles on the market but few represent a full realisation of what a Windows-based convertible can be – a total marriage of Windows’ features with the hardware to make the most of it. This is why Microsoft made its own device, the Surface Pro, which is now in its fourth iteration.
And this is why we love it…
1. It’s all things to everyone – Whether it’s for work or play, we all use computers for different things at different times. Having a straight tablet is great for content consumption but when it comes to content creation you need something more. The Surface Pro 4’s keyboard is a lid one moment and a screen cover the next. Get bored of it and tear it off and suddenly you’ve got a tablet with a stylus and a very-high resolution display that can register 10 different touch points. It’s fast thanks to the latest Intel Core iX processors and solid-state hard drives, secure thanks to a TPM chip and (optional) fingerprint reader and a communications dream thanks to front and rear Full HD cameras and dual, digital microphones. It’s also highly connectable with a full complement of the latest wireless and wired ports and highly portable thanks to a sub-800g weight plus nine-hour battery life. Did we mention that it looks great too? It even sounds good thanks to Dolby Stereo speakers!
2. Interact in many different ways – Just having a laptop with a touchscreen is a huge bonus, but having a highly-sensitive stylus (with multiple optional tips) and a mousepad too means you can be sure to always operate in the most efficient way possible: scrolling down the screen, writing or doing art, selecting a cell in a spreadsheet, writing a book or doing everything at once, you’ll always be able to select or input faster than a standard tablet or laptop.
3. That stylus! – PCs and laptops feel very limiting when the applications you’re using require more-creative input. Microsoft’s stylus revolutionises layout and design and can even come with multiple, optional nibs to suit different tasks slashing the time taken to create presentations, take notes or whatever! The stylus can be used for simple writing but its 1,024 different touch levels make it an artist’s dream.
4. Mobility – If you had to pick factors that influence mobility then the Surface Pro 4 has them all. At just over 750g it’s very lightweight, it’s exceptionally well built and suited to life on the road. The battery lasts for a full working day so it’s perfect for road warriors and those who need to move their computer from home to the office.
5. Ultra High Definition Graphics – The Surface Pro 4 is compatible with Intel Iris Pro graphics. With this you can power up to three Ultra High Definition 4K screens at once. That makes the computer powerful enough to control a professional event on its own! Or you can just enjoy higher resolutions in your favourite games. Whatever suits!
6. Make the most of Cortana – Thanks to the latest Windows 10 features, Microsoft’s digital assistant, Cortana is more powerful than ever. If you want to forgo the keyboard, the mouse, the touchscreen and the stylus you can now just talk to your Surface Pro 4 and it will tell you anything you want to know or perform any task. It’s always listening.
7. Those Keyboards – The Surface Pro 4 works with multiple keyboards. You can use the onscreen keyboard when in tablet mode or simply snap on one of the magnetic keyboard covers and work like a laptop – whether it’s one of the colourful standard units, one with a Windows Hello-compatible fingerprint reader or the luxurious Signature Edition. Whatever you choose, you’ll be impressed with the smooth action and rigidity available from such thin and light options.
8. Versatility and vertical markets – Which market does the Surface Pro 4 best suit? The ruggedness and build quality suit the rigors of an education environment. The classless-yet-sophisticated styling suits everything up to executive level in the workplace. The screen and stylus suit artists and designers alike. The keyboard suits anyone who wants to type. Have we left anything out? Basically, it suits everyone.
9. Invisible technology – One of the biggest barriers of working with technology is using the technology itself. But the Surface Pro 4 is so effortless it’s like the technology becomes invisible – you’ll be talking about the work and not how it was created. As such, productivity can only increase.
10. Value – The Surface Pro 4 starts at just $1,349 – that’s cheaper than some phones! But it scales with your requirements: if you need the fastest processor and the largest hard drive there’s a variant for you with the unifying feature being that it’s always a great value proposition.
Find out more about the Surface Pro 4 here.
