Microsoft just announced its fifth generation Surface Pro 2-in-1 at its Shanghai event, as expected. 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 10 point multi-touch display
- 7th Gen Intel Core m3 with HD Graphics 615, i5 with HD Graphics 620, or i7 with Iris Plus Graphics 640
- 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
- Dimensions: 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 $799.99 (Rs. 51,840 approx.), cheaper than the starting price of last year’s Surface Pro 4 and goes up to $2,699 (Rs. 1,74,975 approx.) 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 $129 (Rs. 8360 approx.) and new Surface Pen costs $99 (Rs. 6415 approx.). No word on the pricing or exact availability of the LTE version yet.