The Surface Pro 3 and the Surface Pro 4 are same in dimensions but differ in thickness.
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“I think we are going to have a serious talk about that”, Shih said. We set out to see how it compares to its predecessor, the Microsoft Surface Pro 3. Where Surface Pro is a tablet with enhanced typing through the touch cover, Surface Book is a laptop that can instantly be used as a tablet. The Surface Book has a resolution of 3000 x 2000 pixels, making it the clear victor in the display race.
It also has a dedicated chip to run the display, which makes it the most natural touchscreen on any tablet.
“We’re refocusing our channel strategy, narrowing it in the short-term and planning for broader operator availability, long-term”, a Microsoft spokesperson said. Both are striking bits of kit in their own way.
The Type Cover keyboard, although not on par with a desktop keyboard, shows promise.
Another aspect worth looking at is the camera of the two devices. Displays with higher resolutions offer more detail. That’s extremely sharp for a device of this form factor.
For a little extra you can upgrade your processor, SSD and RAM, and add an NVIDIA GeForce graphics processor for more powerful graphics. The Pro simply doesn’t have this luxury. It also has a unique fulcrum to control the pitch of the screen (which can be anything up to 3,000 x 2,000) and a magnetic connector between it and the keyboard to hold it in laptop mode.
The Urban Armor Gear Surface Pro 4 case will come in three colors (red, black, and cobalt). Microsoft and many news sources are selling this as “your phone becomes a PC”. It’s bigger, and it’s now covered by glass for a smoother experience.
Against iPad Pro and Pixel C, Surface is the only device running a full desktop operating system.
And while all of these devices have incredibly appetising specifications and features – or at least a good PR company behind them – their price points put them out of reach of the average consumer.
This latest Microsoft stylus boasts 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity for its fine (and interchangeable) tip, while the opposite end acts as an eraser. The base of the Surface Book is still magnesium, with convex silver keys protruding from its solid frame. There’s the slick new Surface Pro 4, the previously mentioned $3,000 HoloLens development kit and a new version of the Microsoft Band that’s now sleeker, packed with a barometer and more expensive at $250. There is no denying the fact that both the products seem impressive.
A new surface pen has also been introduced. But really, the two devices fill two subtly different needs.
By moving the GPU within the keyboard section, the Surface Book can handle much tougher gaming, video processing and other taxing tasks you’d want in a laptop while keeping the tablet sleek and trimmed down for the lighter tasks you want on the go. These newer, cheaper devices may be completely underpowered or hastily made to capitalise on the surface popularity, but may help cement the hybrid devices into our technological culture.
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Or, if you’re still not sure, try waiting until Black Friday before you buy either.
